life

Does the arbitrary nature of our daily existence cohere into something resembling a story? And if so, how do we begin to tease out meaning from that story?

Valeria Luiselli posits these questions in her new book, “Beginning Middle End,” but mercifully she doesn’t weigh down her fiction with pedantry. Rather, Luiselli tucks her ideas into the folds of an all too human story about a woman, stinging from a recent divorce, and her younger daughter as they embark on a journey across Sicily. The book is written in fragmentary fashion, discrete chunks of prose that accrete into a greater whole, much like the ancient mosaics that are among of the novel’s thematic touchstones.

I recently spoke with Luiselli about Proteus, Pliny the Elder and Polaroid photos.

✍️ Author Chat

There are resonances of your last novel “Lost Children Archive” in “Beginning Middle End.” Certain character names are repeated, and there is also an audio-visual component, as there was previously. Additionally, a QR code in your new novel allows the reader to access audio recordings related to the book. Is this part of a larger project you have in mind?

I learned a lot about [sound and sound recording] when I was writing “Lost Children.” After I finished it I devoted the next five years to a work in progress called “Echoes From the Borderlands,” recording the sounds of the Mexican-U.S. borderlands. I think of “Beginning Middle End” as a book that exists both in its textual version and in its sonic translation.

The story is told in a fragmentary fashion, with short paragraphs that are separated by subheadings. And the last third of the book contains Polaroid pictures and postcards that relate to the story. There is also a mosaic tessera that is integral to the narrative. What is it that appeals to you about the notion of a story that is constructed from lots of discrete parts?

I’ve been interested for some time now in thinking about how to shorten the distance between process and result in such a way that the signs of the process can be read in the final project. When I’m working on something, I’m collecting postcards and archival material, and taking Polaroid pictures along the way, partly because I know that my process in writing is not linear. And I use Polaroids almost as Post-It notes, as another form of note taking.

Valeria Luiselli’s new novel, “Beginning Middle End,” is about memory and imagination.

(Clayton Cubitt)

It’s such a fascinating creative process.

It can be incredibly frustrating. Because sometimes it’s years before I know what language I’m going to be using in its final form.

Your book is about many things, but the act of storytelling is definitely a major theme. Not just in fiction, but in the way we shape our own personal narratives and how they are transmitted. And this notion of “the middle” as a space that hovers between two poles, the place where you are looking behind and ahead, between life and death, and so on.

The mother in the story is in the mess of the middle, trying to make sense of things and laying out events, but not really finding the deeper threads that tie life together and give it some kind of meaning. And it is only until her daughter arrives at the end of the book that you can read the novel backwards somehow, and understand in hindsight how she, the daughter, has seen a relationship all along between all these seemingly arbitrary events. She is the one that finds meaning in a sequence, where the mother sees only chaos.

The book is grounded in Greek and Roman Classical texts. Proteus and Pliny the Elder feature prominently. Where does your interest in the Classics come from?

The early pre-Socratic philosophers were the first to observe nature without the scaffolding of mythology, who were really just trying to make sense of it. And so that’s how I arrived eventually at Pliny, who has this 37-volume compendium of observations of nature that ask all the important questions about the oceans and rivers and mountains and the sky and the clouds. Pliny became a kind of ghost that led me through the years in which I was writing this novel.

Your novel delves into the relationship between memory and imagination.

What guides me are questions that press on me. I have little interest in plots early on. I become interested in plot as an emanation from questioning things. And one of those questions was about the relationship between memory and imagination. How are the two things connected? How much is our imagination shaped by our memory?

One of the writers that has best addressed that question is Jorge Luis Borges in the last story he ever wrote, “Shakespeare’s Memory,” where the protagonist has two consciousnesses inhabiting his interiority. When a train passes, he doesn’t know what it is, because he’s in Shakespeare mode. He doesn’t have a memory of the sound of a train. That story can be read as an allegory for how our memories and imaginations work as readers. We have all our life events that compose our being and our memory of life, but we also have everything we have read. And I think that that’s really where the discussion around imagination and memory gets very interesting.

This Q&A was edited for length and clarity.

📰 The Week(s) in Books

Christopher Nolan’s film adaptation of “The Odyssey” ignited a fire in the literary world, inspiring harsh critiques from Homer translator Emily Wilson and staunch defenses from Joyce Carol Oates and Susan Orlean.

(Illustration by Jim Cooke / Los Angeles Times; Source: Louis-Frédéric Schützenberger)

Chris Young was serving two life terms without parole for a low-level drug charge when Kim Kardashian intervened. The reality TV mogul successfully petitioned President Trump to commute Young’s sentence in 2021. Now Young has written “The Wound Is Where the Light Enters,” a searing memoir that “not only reveals the system’s horrors, but also celebrates the redemptive power of hope, intellect and community,” writes Julia M. Klein.

Justin Halpern, the co-showrunner of ABC’s “Abbott Elementary,” has written his first novel, called “Get Lost,” and Stuart Miller talked to him about it. Of taking on the challenge of writing alone, Halpern told Miller that “I’m definitely still codependent, but the novel forced me to venture into waters that I never would have gotten into on my own.”

The battle over Christopher Nolan’s movie adaptation of “The Odyssey” rages on. In the wake of Homer translator Emily Wilson’s excoriating critique of the film, Emily St. Martin reports that Susan Orlean and Joyce Carol Oates have publicly rallied behind Nolan. In a recent post on X, Oates wrote that Wilson’s “tone of dismissal & haughty superiority strike a sour note.”

Steve Wasserman takes a deep dive into “Too L.A.,” a newly published collection of author Eve Babitz’s rich trove of mostly unsent correspondence. The letters “brilliantly reveal Babitz’s eye for the deep shallow as well as explore the porous boundary between the largely self-inflicted injuries of her private life and the glittering sheen of her public persona,” writes Wasserman.

📖 Bookstore Faves

Whitmore Rare Books in Pasadena caters to customers who value the physical experience of reading books.

(Pierre Galant Photography)

Although it lives on a busy Pasadena street corner, Whitmore’s Rare Books feels like something a book hound might discover in London or New York: an elegantly appointed space with a large bookshelf running along the length of one wall that contains some of the store’s inventory of antiquarian treasures. Founded by a former lawyer turned bookseller and Pasadena native Dan Whitmore, the store is doing brisk business among a younger clientele that still values the tactile pleasures to be found from beautiful books. I spoke with Whitmore about what’s selling in his store.

How long have you been in the rare book business?

I stumbled into a first edition when I was in law school in Philadelphia in 2006 and I was bitten by the bug to start a collection. I worked as a lawyer for a year out here in L.A. and quit my job in 2009 to pursue rare books full time. So we’re coming up on 17 years, which is a good stretch, although there are people who’ve been in the trade for 50 or 60 years.

How do you find your inventory?

You amass this database of knowledge over time, and there really isn’t a substitute for it. I know people think that the AI boom is going to just turn around and be able to do what we do, but it’s not quite that simple. You really have to understand the market and the way that the market tends to shift over time. More modern material can shift a bit faster. But a Shakespeare folio or Darwin’s “On the Origin of Species” or Adam Smith’s “The Wealth of Nations,” books that document important moments in history where something new is introduced to the world, will always have value.

We just bought a first edition of “Alcoholics Anonymous,” and a second edition that was inscribed by Bill Wilson. These are books that have had such a profound impact on so many people’s lives that there’s this really strong market for early AA books.

What is selling presently?

I would say things like fantasy, science fiction, especially some of the classics: “Lord of the Rings,” “The Hobbit.” Some of these iconic works are having a moment right now, such as “Dune,” “I, Robot” and the “Foundation” trilogy. There are new buyers coming in, and I think some of that is tech money — people who maybe grew up reading these books and find inspiration there.

Why should we spend a lot of money on old books, when we can buy new ones for a lot less?

I don’t think that everyone is a collector or should be. I think that there are people who love the physical objects. They love the connection to history, that feeling of thinking about what it must have been like when someone opened the book and read that for the first time, and they get to have that experience again.

Whitmore Rare Books is at 121 E. Union St. in Pasadena.

(Please note: The Times may earn a commission through links to Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookstores.)

OLA and James Jordan described marriage as a “constant job” and opened up about sex life struggles years before their shock split. 

The former Strictly Come Dancing professionals confirmed they’d gone their separate ways after 23 years of marriage this week. 

Ola, 43, and James, 48, share daughter Ella, six, and previously spoke out about what it takes to make a relationship work. 

Speaking to HELLO!, he  said: “We’ve got a beautiful daughter and as my dad always used to say, and it’s true, ‘Marriage can be like a job sometimes, you’ve got to work at it’. 

“I feel sometimes people are quick to give up on something and think the grass is always greener on the other side.”

James also joked that “marriage and wives” are some of the most stressful things to deal with in life. 

RING THE ALARM

All the signs Strictly’s Ola & James had split up after after 23 years

IT’S ALL OLA

Strictly stars Ola & James Jordan split after 22 years of marriage

And Ola confessed that when they’re working together on dance routines they “argue the most”. 

She said: “James has his idea and I’ve got another idea and we clash more than we do any other time.” 

In recent years Ola and James lost a combined seven stone and admitted that when they were bigger their sex life suffered.

Speaking to The Sun in 2022 ahead of their weight loss journeys, Ola said: “The sex life is definitely different, if not worse, because we are so fat and don’t want to move after a bag of crisps and a Chinese.

“The bellies get in the way of us when it comes to sex. And I’m a bit heavy now. It’s not as exciting.”

James added: “Sex is definitely not better with the mum and dad bods. I can’t throw her about any more like I am used to doing.

“So we realise we need to switch up our eating habits to get back in shape.”

A cavalcade of blacked out Mercedes, flanked by police cars, rolled into the Fifa headquarters in Rabat, Morocco, earlier this week.

Infantino had summoned a select few members of the Fifa management board to discuss his plan to sell off 21% of the commercial and ticketing business to a private equity firm.

This is how the Swiss-Italian travels – in between flights on the Qatar Airways Executive jet which has been made available to him. The plane enabled him to take up to three flights a day, watching two games, throughout the 2026 World Cup.

That type of arrival does look presidential – only more like a president of a country than a sports body.

It enables him to travel the globe, visiting Fifa’s official offices like Rabat, where he was based over the past week as the Fifa Forward Enterprise controversy developed.

In his role Infantino is expected to visit the 211 member nations, to see the grassroots projects Fifa has funded.

Part of his remit is to unify football, which cannot be achieved from within the Fifa headquarters in Zurich.

It requires international travel to attend confederation meetings, and the global tournaments Fifa organises. Infantino needs to build relationships with officials and politicians.

In April, before the Fifa Congress in Vancouver, local authorities rejected a request for a level-four motorcade, usually reserved for heads of state or the Pope.

New Zealand police said they had declined a similar request during the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

Alongside the cavalcade of cars and the private charter flights comes a large salary, too, three times what he first earned when elected in 2016.

Infantino, who was paid about £1.3m 10 years ago, now takes home about £4m – a base salary of £2.2m plus a confirmed variable bonus payment of £1.8m.

His predecessor Sepp Blatter was paid a £2.6m package for his final year as Fifa president.

Infantino gets a ‘per diem’ too to cover expenses and living costs, worth £20,500 a year on top of his salary.

As the head of the most popular sport in the world, it should be expected that there is a wage to match.

Infantino would argue that by driving record revenues and funding for member associations, he has proven he is worth the salary.

The Great British Sewing Bee is currently delighting BBC viewers – but what do we know about judge Esme Young’s life?

The Great British Sewing Bee judge Esme Young has faced her fair share of struggles.

In 2016, Esme replaced May Martin as a judge on the hit BBC competition. She has since delighted BBC viewers alongside Patrick Grant and a number of hosts, including Joe Lycett, Sara Pascoe and Sophie Willan.

Over the years, Esme has established herself as an esteemed British fashion designer. In 1972, she founded a shop in Camden Town called Swanky Modes, alongside fellow designers Judy Dewsbury, Melanie Herberfield and Willie Walters.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Swanky Mode’s clothing appeared in Vogue, Honey and The Face, and was photographed by David Bailey, Nick Knight, and John Swannell.

Since then, Esme has made costumes for many films, including The Beach, Bridget Jones’s Diary, Romeo and Juliet, and Trainspotting. She notably designed the bunny costume worn by Renée Zellweger in the first Bridget Jones movie.

That’s not all, as one of Esme’s most famous designs was the Amorphous Dress worn by Linda Kozlowski in the 1986 movie Crocodile Dundee – a dress that is now in the V&A Collection.

But away from her successful career, Esme has also been through a number of challenges.

Personal struggles

Esme grew up in Bedford with her stay-at-home mum and her dad, who was an RAF pilot. He was a fighter pilot in World War Two.

Speaking with The Telegraph in 2022, Esme opened up about her life in north London, after moving into a one-bedroom flat in 1983.

“I’ve never been able to afford my own home. I’ve lived in social housing since 1983 – in a one-bedroom flat in Islington, north London, rented from the charitable housing trust Peabody,” she explained.

Reflecting on her previous money struggles, Esme told This is Money: “I could not afford to pay rent so I lived in a squat with my brother and friends… We had to pay for our electricity via a meter but otherwise we lived rent-free.”

The designer has previously shared her support for the Macmillan cancer charity, after her mum died of cancer.

“Even though I do not have much money, I give as much as I can to Macmillan Cancer Support. My mother died of cancer and it gave her and all the family lots of support,” she shared.

Hidden condition

In an interview with SheerLuxe, Esme revealed that she was “partially deaf” and therefore only learned to read when she was seven years old.

“My teachers thought I was thick and my father used to describe me as ‘dreamy’ – but, really, I was in my own little world because I couldn’t hear anyone,” she explained.

“I also didn’t learn to read until I was seven because I didn’t know how to make the right sounds. It’s still a bit of a problem today because I have to look at everything visually.”

The Great British Sewing Bee is available to stream on BBC iPlayer

Louise Goodridge went to Butlin’s with her pal, only for that friendship trip to end with a blazing row. A sad direction for the holiday to go in, but one that would lead Louise to love

The Amalfi Coast. Paris. Venice. Butlin’s.

It’s at the last of these romantic places that Louise Goodridge met the love of her life.

The now 59-year-old went to the resort with her pal, only for that friendship trip to end with a blazing row. A sad direction for the holiday to go in, but one that would lead Louise to love.

Louise decided to head to the Minehead holiday camp through Gingerbread, which organises activities for single parents, including short breaks.

“I’d originally gone down with a friend and I hadn’t noticed him at first!” Louise said of the man who would soon take her breath away.

“It’s a really stupid story, but I had an argument over a loaf of bread with my friend. She ended up leaving me at Butlins and drove off in her car. I’d given her fuel money and everything.”

In the wake of the fallout, Louise was looking for someone to give her a lift to her home in Watford. Enter Gary, who, as luck would have it, lived ten miles away in Amersham.

“So I got left alone, with no way of getting back to Watford, which is where I was living. I had to go to the group and say, ‘Do you think anyone could give me a lift back?’ And that’s when Gary volunteered to drive me. He invited me out afterwards for a cup of tea and a piece of cake whilst we were on this trip out,” Louise explained.

“We’ve not been separated since that day.”

For the single mum, it wasn’t Gary’s appearance that initially won her over.

“I can’t say I really liked the look of him, but I liked his personality! I’m an honest person. He was funny, and we had a lot in common, so we had lots to talk about,” she said.

Louise knew she really liked Gary after their first date, on which they’d spent an entire night not doing anything other than talking and then singing through the Simon and Garfunkel catalogue. Just a handful of weeks later and they were living together.

“This year we will have been together for 34 years and we got married on our first anniversary of meeting. So we met on the 24 October 1991, and we got married on the 24 October 1992,” Louise added.

While the couple were sure of one another, others close to them weren’t so convinced.

“My mum wasn’t a huge fan of Gary. He was 10 years older. I was only 25 then, so I was 25 years old and he was 34. My grandparents also didn’t like him either. My friends were alright about it. Gary’s family were much more tolerant than mine,” Louise said.

Gary has a quicker summary of their romance.

“Well, it was a case of, ‘Oh, she looks alright.’ She looked slightly rattled on the day and I then invited her out for a cup of tea and a piece of cake. And that was it,” he said.

As to why she chose Butlin’s, Louise said: “It was cheap, and as a single parent on benefits, there’s no way I could have afforded to go on a big holiday. It was a no brainer really.”

A man was travelling home when he was offered a first class upgrade – but in a remarkable act of kindness, he gave it to a stranger sitting next to him, sparking a friendship that has lasted more than 20 years

A man has won hearts after explaining why he handed over a complimentary first-class upgrade to a complete stranger.

He recounted how he was heading back to Florida from Costa Rica after spending several weeks working overseas. Utterly shattered, he asked his company to book an aisle seat so he could stretch out his legs during the flight. But when he boarded, he found a “rather large woman” sitting in his allocated seat. He explained on Reddit: “As I checked my ticket, she explained she had sprained her ankle and would I mind sitting in the middle seat, as she was having trouble getting in and out of the seats.

“I looked at her and realised that she and I were probably the same age. I don’t normally like middle seats, but she needed the aisle seat more than I and so I said ‘sure’.”

The pair struck up a conversation and began learning about one another’s lives when, half an hour into the flight, a flight attendant approached him with a complimentary upgrade offer.

He revealed: “I thought about it for a moment and said to my seatmate, ‘Why don’t you go ahead and go up. you can use that seat more than I can’. She looked surprised and shed a tear before accepting.

“The flight attendant took her up, and then came back (with a drink) and said: ‘We’re not supposed to do that, but thank you for helping her’.

“Anyway, that was more than 20 years ago, and we still correspond from time to time. Sometimes, little acts make large impacts.”

One social media user responded: “That’s such a beautiful reminder that small kindnesses can mean the world to someone else.”

Another chimed in: “Exactly, you showed how little kindness can ripple into something much bigger, you showed love to the family that means a lot to them.

“This is the kind gesture the world need without anticipating anything in return.”

A third added: “That’s such a wholesome story. Funny how what feels small to us can mean the world to someone else. You never know the weight someone’s carrying when you decide to help. Makes me think those little choices on flights or in lines stick with people way longer than we realise.”

Yet another user shared: “Reading this hit me because I remember when I was a kid, strangers did the same so my mum could sit with me on flights.

“I never realised how huge that was until I got older. Honestly, it’s just a good reminder that kindness has a ripple effect. Now I try to do one small ‘inconvenience’ a week on purpose, kind of keeps me grounded.”

Travel chaos

It comes as a passenger sparked a debate after reclining their plane seat on a long-haul flight without first checking behind them.

Like many passengers on long journeys, they decided to get comfortable after the meal service had finished and prepared to recline their seat before trying to get some sleep.

However, what happened next was the last thing they expected. As they pushed their seat backwards, they suddenly heard somebody shouting: “Whoa, whoa, whoa!”

At first, they assumed the noise was coming from the TV show they were watching on their tablet and carried on as normal.

But moments later, a passenger sitting behind them tapped on their seat and delivered a stern warning.

MEGAN McKenna was violently attacked in her own home by three machete wielding thugs who tore her jewellery off her hand as she begged them not to kill her.

The three men left the TV star fleeing the UK for Germany with her now husband, Union Berlin footballer Oliver Burke.

Megan, who is mum to 22-month-old Landon, reveals she confronted the robbers after they used a baseball bat to break into her locked bedroom and pleaded with them to leave.

Speaking on Jamie Laing’s Good Company podcast, Megan said: “I was robbed really badly in my own home.”

The incident happened in 2024, with the men going on trial last year.

Opening up about the robbery, Megan said to sleep alone in her home in London while Oliver was away in Germany.

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Megan, 33, explained: “I must have fallen asleep within the first 15 minutes.

“I woke up to my whole house shaking. I was such a disorientated mess.

“They were inside my house, but I lock my bedroom door every night because I always worry about something happening to me when I’m on my own.

“The next thing I know, my mirror has come off my wall, and they’re hacking a hole through my wall with a baseball bat.

“They’re three masked men with machetes and baseball bats, and they managed to hack a hole in my wall because it was a fake wall going onto my dressing room, linked to my bedroom

“ And if my door wasn’t locked, actually, they probably would have woken me up and probably killed my dog.”

Megan immediately called the police who told her not to speak to the masked raiders.

But fearing for her dog, Megan said she confronted them.

She added: I went over to them. I was naked.

“I was talking to this man in a balaclava, and he grabbed my hand and he took jewelry off of me.

“Like I actually was holding hands with the robber, and they had a conversation outside the wall, and they made a phone call.

“I was shaking. I’d cut my foot. There was blood everywhere. It was like a bloody murder scene.

“And then I’m standing naked, and they just left with nothing, with nothing else.”

Megan said she believes the men had always planned to attack her.

She said: “It was obviously targeted.

“[The police] wanted me to go on trial.

“And I just said to them, like, I actually can’t physically do that. Go through it.”

Despite the men being jailed, Megan said she was horrified to learn they had been released not long after being locked up.

Megan explained: “They got caught, and then they went on trial, and then a year later, they just got let out.

“They’re just roaming the roads.”

Megan, who found fame on Towie and Celebrity Big Brother before pursuing a career as a singer, said she will now not stay in the UK alone.

She added: “It scared me so much to be in the UK and to live in the UK on my own, because obviously Ollie’s in Germany.”

Europe’s summers are transforming. What were once considered exceptionally high temperatures, such as the near 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) being experienced in Prague, are becoming the norm.

According to Europe’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, late May and June heatwaves brought daily average temperatures of more than 10C (18F) above the norm in parts of France, the United Kingdom and Spain.

Western European temperatures averaged 20.74C (69F) in June, 3.06C (5.4F) above the 1991-2020 average.

With some temperatures climbing well above 40C, prolonged droughts, destructive wildfires and shrinking rivers are no longer freak events but recurring features of European summers.

Scientists have repeatedly warned that climate change would increase the frequency and intensity of extreme weather. Heatwaves now last longer, arrive earlier and affect more countries simultaneously.

The consequences extend beyond uncomfortable temperatures. They are reshaping ecosystems, economies and daily life across much of the continent.

Wildfires: Larger, earlier and more destructive

Extreme heat dries vegetation, turning forests, scrubland and grass into fuel for fires. When strong winds combine with prolonged drought, fires can spread more rapidly and become ever more difficult to control.

Countries across the Mediterranean area – including Spain, Portugal, Greece, Italy and France – have a history of wildfires. But fire season now starts earlier, lasts longer, and affects regions that in the past faced a much lower risk.

The European Union recorded at least 1 million hectares (2.5 million acres) of land burned in the region last year, nearly double the historical average.

Some fires are so intense they generate their own weather systems. Known as pyrocumulonimbus clouds, these towering smoke clouds can produce powerful winds, lightning and embers that ignite new fires several kilometres away, making them even harder to contain.

Beyond the immediate destruction of homes and forests, wildfires damage biodiversity, release dangerous quantities of carbon dioxide and leave landscapes vulnerable to erosion and flooding when heavy rain eventually returns.

Water under pressure

Heatwaves also place enormous strain on Europe’s water resources. Higher temperatures increase evaporation from rivers, lakes and reservoirs while reducing soil moisture. Mountain snowpacks melt earlier in spring, leaving less water available during the hottest months.

Rivers such as the Rhine, Po and Danube have repeatedly experienced unusually low water levels during recent summers. Low rivers disrupt shipping, reduce hydroelectric power generation and can threaten industrial operations that rely on river water for cooling.

Agriculture is often among the hardest hit sectors due to high temperatures. Farmers across Southern and Central Europe are dealing with reduced crop yields, livestock heat stress and greater demand for irrigation at the same time water is becoming scarce.

A study released in May by the European Investment Bank and the European Commission projected that climate change threatens to increase annual European agricultural losses by as much as 66 percent by 2050, threatening the future of food production.

Some regions are already restricting water use during prolonged dry spells, a sign of how climate change is beginning to affect everyday life.

Health hazards, strain on energy systems intensify

Heat is among Europe’s deadliest natural hazards. Unlike floods or storms, the impacts are often less visible but more widespread.

Older people, children and people with existing medical conditions are most at risk. Hospitals see increased admissions linked to dehydration, heatstroke and cardiovascular illness during heatwaves.

Cities are especially vulnerable because concrete and asphalt absorb and retain heat, creating what is known as the urban heat island effect. Night-time temperatures remain high, preventing buildings and people from cooling down.

The growing use of air conditioning offers some protection but creates another challenge.

Electricity demand often surges during heatwaves as millions of people seek relief from the high temperatures. This coincides with a slump in efficiency in power generation as warmer rivers mean that the cooling of thermal and nuclear power stations is more of a challenge.

This creates a growing challenge for Europe’s energy systems as demand rises precisely when supply can become more constrained.

Economic costs escalate

The financial effects from this environmental crisis are mounting. The European Environment Agency estimates that extreme weather has already cost Europe 738 billion euros ($850bn) from 1980 to 2023. At least 162 billion euros ($190bn) of that was in the most recent three-year period.

The agency projected a lack of robust climate action could cost the European economy more than 5.6 trillion euros ($6.4 trillion) by 2050. These costs affect almost all sectors of the economy.

Wildfires destroy homes, tourism infrastructure and businesses. Drought reduces agricultural production while low river levels disrupt trade and manufacturing.

Outdoor workers in construction and agriculture face reduced productivity as extreme heat makes working safely more difficult.

Insurance losses from weather disasters have also risen sharply over recent decades. Three-quarters of Europe’s natural disaster losses are uninsured, according to the European Central Bank.

Meanwhile, governments face growing costs associated with responding to emergencies and rebuilding communities.

Many economists argued that investing in climate resilience today will be significantly cheaper than repeatedly paying the costs of more frequent disasters.

Adapting as warming accelerates

Climate projections consistently indicate that Europe will continue to warm faster than the global average. Southern Europe is expected to experience hotter and drier summers, increasing the likelihood of severe drought and wildfires.

Even Northern Europe, traditionally associated with milder summers, is expected to experience more intense heatwaves. Cairngorms National Park in the Scottish Highlands recently witnessed wildfires that forced local communities to flee

Communities are already adapting to some extent. Cities are planting more trees to provide shade, redesigning streets to reduce heat, expanding early warning systems and have begun developing cooling centres for vulnerable residents.

Water conservation, improved forest management and more resilient infrastructure are becoming important parts of long-term planning. Agriculture is also changing as farmers experiment with drought-resistant crops, different planting schedules and more efficient irrigation systems.

But scientists stressed that adaptation alone will not be enough. Without significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, the conditions that create extreme weather are expected to become more common in the years ahead.

Europe’s recent summers are no longer viewed simply as isolated weather events. They offer a glimpse of what a warmer climate could mean.

The challenge lies in responding to today’s extremes and preparing populations for climates in which intense anomalies become normal.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — For the last few years, Mo’ne Davis has enjoyed her anonymity.

It had been 11 years since Davis was the first girl to pitch a shutout at the Little League World Series when she decided to give pro women’s baseball a shot despite having never played baseball with women before.

It had been five years since she played competitive baseball, and at age 24, she wasn’t sure if a comeback was in the cards.

Then, she decided, why not? After playing flag football last summer, she felt the competitive juices start to flow again, so she entered her name in the Women’s Pro Baseball League draft and became one of the first members of the Los Angeles Queens.

Mo’ne Davis hits during a Women’s Pro Baseball League exhibition game in Fort Myers, Fla.

(Rebecca Blackwell / Associated Press)

“I just wanted to try it out,” she said from the warning track at Robin Roberts Field in Springfield, Ill., where the league was set to play its first games this weekend. “I don’t like to go through life regretting anything. I want to make sure I can look back and be like, ‘Hey, I tried it out.’”

Davis won’t be looking to rediscover what made her a sensation all those years ago.

“No matter how many times anyone asks, the answer is gonna stay the same: I’m not pitching,” she said. “I am doing what I want to do. I’m not doing what everyone else wants me to do. So whether you like it or not, I’m still gonna live my life, but I just want to show people, like, I’m gonna go out there and have fun.”

In the 2014 Little League World Series, Davis fired a 70-mph fastball and became the first female pitcher to win a game in the tournament when she tossed a shutout with eight strikeouts in Philadelphia’s opening game against Nashville.

Philadelphia’s Mo’ne Davis pitches against Nashville at the Little League World Series on Aug. 15, 2014.

(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

She played center field for the Hampton University softball team and where she posted a career batting average of .225 with 34 hits, 24 runs and 16 RBIs over two seasons.

Baseball hadn’t been on her radar since she started playing softball in college, but the WPBL changed everything. She said she was “still mad” that she didn’t hit well in the Little League World Series and wants to show off her skills in the batter’s box.

“If I did go pitch more, I would get compared to my younger self more,” she said. “My goal is to do what I want to do, not to be compared to my 13-year-old self, and let people know that I’ve grown. I’m an adult woman now, so you have to separate the two.”

That Little League run led to her being on the cover of Wheaties boxes and Sports Illustrated and becoming one of the most well-known female athletes of her era. She grew up wanting to play basketball and dabbling in football, but she has been the de facto face of women who play baseball without picking a bat up for a half-decade.

Mo’ne Davis throws out the ceremonial first pitch prior to a Dodgers game on Nov. 17, 2014.

(Mark J. Terrill/AP)

Though some of the attention on her is “annoying,” channeling her competitiveness into a professional sport was an opportunity she wouldn’t miss.

“She’s been in the spotlight most of her life,” Queens third baseman Ashton Lansdell said. “People kind of expect her to be this celebrity person, and she’s honestly just such a chill girl. Like she just wants to be a normal person. It takes her a little bit to warm up to people, I think because she’s been in the spotlight her whole life, so maybe she can be a little shy at times. But when she starts breaking out of her shell, she’s awesome.”

The Queens selected Davis with the 10th pick in December’s draft after she participated in the league’s tryout last August.

In April, Davis signed with the Indianapolis Clowns of the Banana Ball League, where she got in some innings as a relief pitcher. The Clowns are a revival of a 1940s and 1950s barnstorming Negro League team that included Toni Stone, the first woman to play in a professional men’s baseball league.

Former MLB center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. has been a mentor for Davis, and she said working with him and other Banana Ball players helped her develop her “baseball IQ.”

“It’s such an honor to be able to learn and soak up how she carries herself and, like, what she’s learned from her careers,” Queens outfielder Brittany Apagar said. “The exposure she’s gotten exposes us as well.”

Davis, who has degrees from Hampton and Columbia, became the third person from that Little League team to be drafted professionally, joining Scott Bandura (San Francisco Giants, now in triple A) and Jared Sprague-Lott (Athletics, now in class A).

But once again, Davis finds herself in the middle of history. This time, she’s not alone in making it.

“I try to protect my peace,” she said. “I don’t want my teammates to look at me any differently. … I don’t want them to look at me as like, ‘Oh, she’s only here for this.’ … I want them to know I’m here for you guys. I’m here to, you know, win games with you guys, and I’m here for the team.”

Alone and engulfed in the darkness of a Madrid cinema, Javier Bardem watched Martin Scorsese’s 1991 psychological thriller “Cape Fear” after learning he’d be starring in an episodic reimagining of the crime saga for Apple TV — the series finale is now streaming.

He arranged the private screening to symbolically request Robert De Niro’s blessing to play the dangerously charismatic Max Cady, an ex-con parched for revenge against those who had a hand in his imprisonment. De Niro received an Oscar nomination for that role.

“It was my way of honoring the work he did back then and, at the same time, to detach myself from that performance and ask his permission to create my own take,” Bardem tells me in Spanish while sitting at a restaurant inside a Beverly Hills hotel.

His informal getup, a T-shirt and shorts, contrasts with the elegant environment primed for business lunches and ostentatious dinners. He exudes an easy-going air. A quintessential cool dad casually sipping on an iced Diet Coke as he shares anecdotes about his passion for acting.

Bardem, 57, agreed to play Cady because the version of the character that the show’s creator, Nick Antosca, envisioned was not only decidedly distinct from those embodied by De Niro and Robert Mitchum, the latter of whom starred in a 1962 film adaptation, but also tailored to him as a Spanish man.

Had it been a standard remake, Bardem would have passed. Still, like the films, the show also “drinks from the fountain” of John D. MacDonald’s 1957 novel “The Executioners.” What remains intact across all versions of Cady is a devilish sense of humor and a lack of self-importance. In any of his iterations, he has nothing to lose. That makes him lethal.

In “Cape Fear,” Bardem’s Max Cady is distinct from the versions of the character played by Robert De Niro and Robert Mitchum in earlier films.

(Apple)

The cerebral Cady that Bardem inhabits spent nearly two decades in prison convicted for his wife’s murder. When the discovery of new evidence results in Cady’s freedom, his new mission is to torment Anna (Amy Adams) and Tom Bowden (Patrick Wilson), the attorney and prosecutor on his case, who are now married and have two teenaged children.

Cady turns their lives into a trap of paranoia and, indeed, fear, while procuring plausible deniability to avoid consequences. It’s a malicious and relentless barrage of the mind.

“He’s a 2026 Max Cady. It’s a different way of approaching violation of privacy, and the intrusion of the characters’ psyches. The digital world has made everything very different now,” he explains. “We are hyper-aware of what is said and written about us. We are inundated with so much information that, at times, we can’t tell what is true and what is false.”

While in the 1991 film the audience is aware that De Niro’s Cady committed sexual crimes making him “an absolutely despicable character,” Bardem says this new version portrays a complex person who’s suffered at the hands of the American justice system.

“Here we understand that he was imprisoned for something he didn’t do. He may have done other things, but he says, ‘You turned me into this monster.’ It’s true. From that point on, a vengeful and destructive mindset developed,” Bardem says of his Cady.

The final episode shows the public unmasking of Cady, just before he learns he is responsible for his own son’s death. Bardem describes him as a “dying beast” who has lost control of the narrative that he so meticulously orchestrated to rebuild his image.

The character was written to account for the actor’s Spanish accent. This Cady grew up in Spain until he moved to North Carolina at 13 and learned English on the streets. Bardem worked with renowned dialect coach Tim Monich to infuse his speech with a hint of a Southern drawl, aware that his character didn’t have to sound like a native speaker.

“I’m not bilingual,” Bardem says. The statement is somewhat shocking, considering he’s worked in the U.S. for decades in numerous English-language productions.

“Acting in English is easier for me because the dialogue is set,” he says. “But when the time comes to improvise, I find it difficult. That still doesn’t come naturally to me in English.”

The Spanish actor says acting in English is easier for him but that improvising is more challenging.

(Erik Carter / For The Times)

There’s a freedom to working in English since words have less emotional significance, the Oscar-winner believes. “I can be more daring in English. I can say the words or verbalize the thoughts with much less inhibition, because I am not as emotionally attached,” he explains. “But when you speak in your mother tongue, your body tenses up a bit because you think, ‘I understand the full emotional spectrum of what I’m talking about.’ ”

At this stage in his lauded career, Bardem is interested only in roles that explore “contradictions with an underlying humanity.” He’s played one-dimensional parts in the past, but the cost of being away from his loved ones is too high.

The job has to measure up to the trade-off of precious time he’s surrendering.

The “Cape Fear” production structured the schedule for Bardem to work for two weeks followed by five or six days off, allowing him to travel back to his family, which includes his famous and just as in-demand wife, Penélope Cruz, and their two teenaged children, Leo, 15, and Luna, 13.

“Cape Fear” filmed in Atlanta and Savannah, Ga. That’s a long trip back to Spain but manageable and certainly worthwhile, he says. “One of the few things I ask for contractually is time with family, and that has always been respected; Penélope and I have always managed our projects in such a way that one of us is always present for our kids.”

Thanks to his award-winning turn as an unnerving killer in “No Country for Old Man” and the dapper cyberterrorist in “Skyfall,” audiences might associate Bardem with sinister characters (his Cady joins the ranks). And they are satisfying to portray, he says.

“It’s true that characters with that kind of darkness are very attractive to play,” he says. “The villain is always more compelling than the hero. The hero is perfectly upright. A good villain has many cracks, which is what makes him more human.”

Bardem on playing sinister characters like Max Cady: “The villain is always more compelling than the hero. The hero is perfectly upright. A good villain has many cracks, which is what makes him more human.”

(Apple)

In recent years, however, Bardem made a deliberate effort to work on projects that his children could watch, particularly when they were younger, namely the fantasy musical “Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile” and the live-action remake of “The Little Mermaid,” in which he played King Triton.

“I needed my children to see what I do,” he says. “They knew I’d leave home for two weeks and then come back, and I’d tell them about it and show them photos, but they hadn’t been able to watch any of my movies yet because they were geared more toward adults.”

Cruz and Bardem have always encouraged their children’s creative pursuits. It wouldn’t surprise them if they eventually pursue a life in the arts. “I don’t see them becoming scientists or lawyers, which makes sense. I don’t know if they will become ‘nepo babies’ or not, but we are conscious that children always feed on what their parents do,” Bardem says.

Every time either Bardem or Cruz gets an offer for a new role, the couple discuss it and then bring their kids into the conversation. It’s important, Bardem believes, that Leo and Luna know how fulfilling acting is for both of their parents.

“They know we feel immense gratitude for being able to make a living from our passion. And they understand that the way we try to live up to that gift is by doing our absolute best and giving it the full attention it deserves,” he says.

When they were younger, the kids weren’t interested in seeing their parents on screen, but that’s changed. “They have seen ‘The Invite’ three times. They love it. And they’ve watched ‘Volver’ and ‘Bandidas,’” he says. “They’ve watched me in ‘F1,’ and Leo is watching ‘Cape Fear.’ ”

In June, Bardem became part of Hollywood history when his hands and footprints were added to the entrance of TCL Chinese Theatre. The ceremony included directors Michael Mann and Denis Villeneuve and producer Jerry Bruckheimer.

“I missed my mother so much at that moment because there are so many footprints of classic actors and actresses there. I imagine my mother seeing my hands and feet next to Gary Cooper, who was one of the loves of her life,” he says.

In June, Bardem’s hands and footprints were added to the entrance of TCL Chinese Theatre: “I missed my mother so much at that moment because there are so many footprints of classic actors and actresses there.”

(Erik Carter / For The Times)

It felt surreal, Bardem says, to have Mann present at the event. They worked together on “Collateral” over two decades ago. “I was crazy about ‘Miami Vice’ in the ’80s,” Bardem says. The suit he wore in the photo shoot for this piece, he adds, reminded him of that emblematic series and film.

Bardem’s latest collaboration with Villeneuve, “Dune: Part Three” hits theaters in December. He recalls the joy of shooting the film’s opening sequence, a battle where the cast was covered in mud. It reminded him of childhood play. “Denis would laugh and say to me, ‘But why are you laughing?’ And I’d say, ‘This is what I used to do in the schoolyard, but now it’s for real. Now I look to my right, and I have 50 guys under my command,’ ” he says.

“I was lucky enough to shoot some scenes with Timothée [Chalamet]. I saw him playing a Paul who is very different from the Paul in the second film,” Bardem continues. “Years have passed, and Paul is now wielding power and is a victim of that power.”

Outspoken about the ongoing plight of Palestinians, Bardem wishes more people could apply the lessons they mine from fiction they consume to the world in turmoil.

“We root for the rebels in ‘Star Wars’ and want them to defeat Darth Vader, or we side with the Fremen in ‘Dune.’ We always take sides in fiction. Yet, when we witness oppression, abuse and the violation of the most fundamental rights by an oppressor in real life, we seem to struggle to stand with the oppressed,” Bardem explains. “That cannot be.”

Even while attending matches at the recent World Cup, where Spain won the title, the actor advocated for an end to the carnage. A viral video shows him engaging with a Palestinian man at a match. “Existence is resistance,” Bardem tells him. On social media he’s shared images of Lamine Yamal, one of his national team’s stars, waving the Palestinian flag.

“The impunity Israel enjoys regarding these crimes, both legally and in terms of international support, creates a profound sense of powerlessness,” he says.

Bardem admits he’s been asked, whether directly or indirectly, to tone down his vocal support. But he doesn’t fear backlash. On the contrary, he’s never felt more support from everyday people who share his mindset.

“If I’m so privileged to have a good life where I work doing what I love and can provide my family with stability and security, how could I not use that privilege to denounce those things that I think are wrong?”

Justin Fletcher, best known as Mr Tumble on CBeebies, has been a staple of children’s TV for over two decades

It’s fair to say most people know who Mr. Tumble is, but what is the BBC legend like off-screen?

The beloved children’s entertainer is hugely famous among young audiences for his work on CBeebies and his popular sell-out tours across the country, but relatively little is actually known about TV star Justin Fletcher away from the cameras.

In reality, the widely-celebrated performer, who was awarded an MBE honour by the late Queen Elizabeth II, generally keeps his personal life out of the spotlight, though he has occasionally offered glimpses into his home life and upbringing.

During his childhood, Justin was required to move around frequently with his parents owing to his father’s career as a highly sought-after music writer, which meant the family often needed to relocate and would regularly welcome some incredibly famous faces to their home.

The beloved TV personality is in fact the second-oldest of five children – with a 12 year age gap between him and his youngest sibling. At an early age, the CBeebies favourite opened up to his father, Guy Fletcher, revealing his ambition to pursue acting and develop his drama studies.

Net Worth

The entertainer has been presenting beloved CBeebies programmes including Gigglebiz and Justin’s House. Yet his greatest achievement has undoubtedly been the show Something Special, which was specifically designed to help children with communication by weaving Makaton signs, speech and symbols throughout.

Having remained a children’s television sensation for more than two decades, it’s hardly surprising that his endearing characters have evolved into a multi-million-pound enterprise.

According to previous reports, his Something Special DVD shifted over 100,000 copies, generating more than £1 million, while an accompanying magazine brought in a monthly income of £180,000. His net worth has therefore been estimated at around £1.5 million.

Stepping down from BBC role

Last year, the television favourite left fans gobsmacked when he revealed he was stepping away from his proudest achievement, Something Special, confirming he was passing the baton to three other presenters.

Following a remarkable 22-year run, during which the show produced 12 series and five specials, Justin decided it was the right moment to hand over to TV stars Maddie Moate, Ben Cajee, and George Webster, who announced the news on social media.

Is Mr Tumble married in real life?

Justin recently revealed that he has fallen in love with his co-star Samantha Dorrance, who plays his best friend Tootsie.

Justin, 55, and Samantha, 34, reportedly fell for each other while working on a panto and travelling on their live tour. In fact, the pair are so smitten that Samantha has moved into his £2.5million farmhouse.

According to The Sun, the couple enjoy nothing more than a quiet life and looking after their chickens.

“Justin and Samantha are madly in love and couldn’t be happier,” a source told the paper. “They are both dedicated performers and bonded over their love of musical theatre. Although there is an age gap, it isn’t an issue between them.”

Who is Mr Tumble’s famous father?

Justin isn’t the only well-known face in the family – his father Guy Fletcher co-wrote songs for legendary artists including Elvis Presley, Ray Charles and Joe Cocker alongside lyricist Doug Flett.

Justin opened up to BBC 6 Music star Chris Hawkins about what it was like growing up immersed in music and the company of musicians, revealing that his character Mr ‘Cliff’ Tumble was in fact a loving tribute to Sir Cliff Richard.

He said: “I was always brought up around musicians and we had a recording studio built onto the house. My character Cliff Tumble is a homage to Sir Cliff, who I’ve met a lot and is lovely, very charming.

“Dad wrote his Eurovision entry Power to All Our Friends. The biggest hit he wrote for Elvis was Just Pretend, which he used to perform in his Vegas shows. Pretty cool, really.”

This adaptation fans are calling ‘absurd’ is incomparable to any other period drama, as a peculiar version of real life events in the medieval times – packed with dark humour and explicit content

Fans of period dramas are not quite prepared for this mini series take on the genre, turning it on its head completely.

What many viewers are unaware of, however, is that its entertaining storyline is drawn from a collection of 100 tales penned by an Italian author, dating back to that very same period.

Instead, Netflix subscribers can see back and watch pieces of the story play out on screen in this dark comedy series set in 14th-century Italy.

The Decameron is a show inspired by the classic work of the same name, unfolding against the backdrop of the devastating Black Death pandemic. It follows a wealthy family as they desperately attempt to survive the outbreak, all played out with an abundance of humour.

The Decameron pulls no punches when it comes to sexual content, strong language, violence, and grisly details within its darkly comedic narrative. It is precisely these elements that set it apart from the rest and see it racking up a string of five-star reviews.

One viewer wrote on Rotten Tomatoes: “I was entertained throughout the entire series. Definitely worth watching! I was cheering for all the characters as they were developing throughout the season.”

Another shared their feelings towards the show, writing: “It’s completely silly yet the characters inexplicably grow on you and become like a bunch of very stupid but very dear friends. Never seen something like this.”

Audiences are transported on an adventure, commencing in 1348 in a fictionalised retelling of events, as the Black Death grips Florence. In reaction, a collection of aristocrats and their servants take refuge in a rural villa in Tuscany, weathering further outbreaks surrounded by their riches and extravagant way of life.

Before long, the pestilence reaches the peaceful hillsides and they find themselves with little alternative but to battle for their very existence. While the setting is of course based on a real life health crisis, its events are entirely fictionalised.

Playing these characters are Tanya Reynolds from Sex Education, together with Zosia Mamet, recognised for her part in Girls. Also appearing alongside them on screen are Lou Gala, Leila Farzard, Jessica Plummer and Amar Chadha-Patel.

The cast have garnered considerable praise with one reviewing saying that they delivered “enjoyable performances”.

Others said it was “well acted”, while one viewer said the script and actors had them “laughing out loud” throughout.

One review reads: “While not really an adaptation of The Decameron (more like “inspired by”), this tv show manages to be horny, dumb, deep, nihilist and sweet at the same time.

“It has great moments, great lines, really dumb jokes, some smart ones, some good and profound takes and overall an awesome cast and soundtrack.”

The period drama packs a great deal into its compact eight episodes and was sadly never commissioned for a second series following its 2024 release, making it perfect for a binge-watch.

To experience a period drama like never before, The Decameron is available now to stream on Netflix.

In a book nerd battle that’s become so epic, even The Onion has satirized the saga, acclaimed author Susan Orlean has grabbed the mic, and Emily Wilson is admitting she has one regret in her review of “The Odyssey.”

Earlier this week, Joyce Carol Oates panned Wilson’s critique of Christopher Nolan’s big-screen adaptation, and now acclaimed author and journalist Susan Orlean has entered the chat.

“I loved The Odyssey (saw it twice) and love any piece of art that gets people talking and reading and thinking,” she posted on Threads on Thursday. “Emily Wilson is being a bit of a jerk.”

Choice words from Orlean, but she knows a thing or two about film adaptations: her 1998 book “The Orchid Thief” inspired Spike Jonze’s 2002 film “Adaptation” starring Nicolas Cage and Meryl Streep (who played Orlean), and her 1998 article “Life’s Swell” was brought to screen as “Blue Crush,” also in 2002.

“Why can’t things be the things they are and if they’re different from their source material that’s their new form and their own thing and I SAY THIS FROM EXPERIENCE,” she added in a separate post.

The ire stems from a biting 4,200-word takedown of “The Odyssey” penned by classicist Wilson, who translated Homer’s poem in 2017.

In early interviews discussing the film, Nolan referenced Wilson’s translation, which subsequently skyrocketed in sales. A representative for Audible told The Times on Wednesday that, year over year, purchases of Wilson’s “Odyssey” translation were up by more than 600% across Audible’s U.S., U.K. and Canadian marketplaces.

Wilson’s review, published in the London Review of Books, essentially dubbed Nolan’s film a dud for academics with taste and a blockbuster hit for virgins who like special effects that go “Boom!”

“Nolan’s Odyssey lacks many of the elements that make the poem great. It has nothing convincing to say about time, memory, history, war, or about the relationship between one warrior’s glorious return and the lives of his family, adversaries, comrades, friends and neighbours,” she wrote. “It lacks psychological, emotional, political and ethical depth. Its narrative structure is gimmicky. The writing is abysmal. None of the characters has convincing motivation for their actions or words. There are no sex scenes, and all the food looks horrible.”

Pulitzer Prize finalist Oates, like Orlean, is also team Nolan. “Her tone of dismissal & haughty superiority strike a sour note,” Oates said of Wilson’s review in a post on X. Oates added that rather than Wilson disagreeing with “interpretations of Homer in a collegial manner,” she benefited from Nolan’s film and then attacked it.

Wilson’s review went so viral it crashed the London Review of Books website for a few hours on Monday. On the heels of the missive’s publication, Wilson posted on Bluesky that an earlier draft of the essay was actually more cutting than the version that went live.

“Was I too mean? Or not mean enough? I went through my first draft and tried to take out the snark,” she wrote. “To quote the great poet: ‘Though much is taken, much remains… That which we are, we are.’”

She added in the same thread: “The oddest thing about the response to this essay is people who say it’s ‘personal’. You can disagree about some or all of it! I may well be wrong! But it’s not ‘personal’ to analyze a film or other work of art, even negatively. Criticism is more than ‘Hurray!’ or ‘Hiss!’”

One criticism Wilson admits she regrets in retrospect is her take on Nolan’s race-neutral casting. In the review she wrote that while the casting launched a culture war, it wasn’t actually progressive. She likened the characters portrayed by Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, Himesh Patel, Corey Antonio Hawkins and Travis Scott to “versions of the Black best friend, whose only role in the drama is to provide aid to the white protagonist.”

On Bluesky, she wrote, “In this piece, I regret the paragraph about the uses of the POC actors – who are all great, but IMO under-utilized (and why couldn‘t Himesh Patel be Odysseus instead?) I still think the film largely wastes its strong cast, but I framed it badly.”

The creator of “New Girl” has a dark, twisty new show about a … female serial killer?

Since the end of her breakout sitcom, Liz Meriwether has imbued her sharp and charming brand of funny in network comedies like “Single Parents” and “Bless This Mess.” But she’s steadily embraced darker tones in her work — first, with the Emmy-winning Elizabeth Holmes biodrama “The Dropout,” then with last year’s FX miniseries “Dying for Sex,” a delicate dance between laughter and sorrow in its exploration of a woman’s commitment to live her best sexual life following a terminal cancer diagnosis. “Furious,” though, may be her darkest project yet.

Loosely inspired by the 1987 neo-noir “Black Widow,” which starred Theresa Russell as a serial killer who marries and poisons wealthy men for their inheritances, and Debra Winger as the investigator obsessed with tracking her down, the Hulu crime drama deepens the cat-and-mouse dynamic. It follows an FBI rookie and her search for a female serial killer seeking vengeance against the men who abused her as a teenager. And still, it manages to find moments of levity. The first three episodes are currently streaming, with new episodes released every Monday until the finale Aug. 31.

“I’ve just been loving trying different things with my writing,” Meriwether told me during a recent video call. “When this came up, I was like, ‘Oh, wow, a crime thriller, a serial killer show.’ It was so different than what I’d done before. It’s like the shows that I love, so I was excited to try to write one, somewhat naively. It’s funny because I would always roll my eyes a little bit when drama writers thought they could write comedy and then I found myself in the flip side of that being like, ‘Oh, this is so hard.’”

Check out more of my conversation with Meriwether in Guest Spot. And yes, as a devoted “New Girl” re-watcher forever trying to retain my Youths! status, I asked about about the reboot discourse that’s become its own comedy.

Also in this week’s Screen Gab, our writers recommend the return of a detective comedy that has its schoolteacher-turned-self-taught P.I. on another wild adventure and a Spanish-language limited series that takes place during the 1986 World Cup. — Yvonne Villarreal

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Recommendations from the film and TV experts at The Times

Diarra Kilpatrick as Diarra Brickland and Shannon Wallace as Chris in Season2 of “Diarra From Detroit.”

(BET / Paramount+)

“Diarra from Detroit” (Paramount+)

Diarra Kilpatrick (“Perry Mason”) created and stars in this smart, sparky mystery as a middle school teacher, also named Diarra, who turns self-described Black Nancy Drew when a man she was dating (Shannon Wallace as Chris) disappears. The new season, which sees the series folded into Paramount+ along with other BET+ series, finds them together again (retrospective spoiler alert: she rescues him at the end of Season 1), with issues — he’s got trauma to navigate, she’s sorting out her identity and desires — and mysteries still to solve, including the identity of the Chief, the city’s Mr. Big. The new season, which feels even more self-assured, picks up old themes of friends and family, as the search for a missing antique desk leads Diarra and friends and accomplices Aja (DomiNque Perry) and Tea (Bryan Terrell Clark) into fanciful new territory, including encounters with Black Freemasons and bikers, the history of Prohibition and a treasure hunt. Local food culture (Superman ice cream, coney dogs, Faygo) gets its due. The mix of suspense, romance and comedy is deft; small details keep the characters surprising and lifelike.— Robert Lloyd

Rafaella Lopez as Barbara, Ian Andrade as Salvador, Aldo Emiliano Navarro as Miguel, Damian Vergara as Tono and Regina Arroyo as Maria in “I’m Not Afraid.”

(Julieta Horak / Netflix)

“I’m Not Afraid” (No Tengo Miedo) (Netflix)

The dilapidated La Esmeralda coffee estate in Mexico’s Veracruz mountains is a lush, beautiful and spooky place — the perfect setting for a kidnap mystery. But in “I’m Not Afraid,” it’s also the wonderfully imperfect backdrop for a compelling tale about friendship and family bonds as seen through the eyes of a child. Set in 1986 during FIFA World Cup fever and a blight that’s ruined the region’s coffee crops, 10-year-old Miguel (played with depth and authenticity by Aldo Emiliano Navarro) first discovers boy captive Felipe (Yago Andreu) hidden and chained in and overgrown area that’s said to be haunted. He’s sure it’s the work of a witch spoken about in local folklore until it’s revealed his beloved parents may have something to do with the abduction. Poverty has driven them and the other families on the estate to make desperate choices. Adapted from Niccolò Ammaniti’s acclaimed novel by Ernesto Contreras (“The Secret of the River”), this six-episode series explores what happens when adults do desperate things in the hope of securing a better future for their children, but it’s the kids who end up saving the day. — Lorraine Ali

Guest spot

A weekly chat with actors, writers, directors and more about what they’re working on — and what they’re watching

Emmy Rossum as FBI agent Alice Black in “Furious.”

(Sarah Shatz / Disney)

“Furious” feels like a crime story for the Epstein age. The eight-episode psychological thriller stars Emmy Rossum as Alice Black, a troubled rookie FBI agent who left her job as an NYPD detective to escape a violent and traumatic relationship with a fellow cop. She gets enlisted to help track down a female serial killer, played by Lola Petticrew, whose targets are the wealthy men who exploited and trafficked her for sex. But the series isn’t as concerned with its ripped-from-the-headlines relevance. Over video call, creator Liz Meriwether discussed what she was interested in unpacking in TV’s latest addition to the crime drama genre and contributing to the red flag roles played by Jake Lacy. —Y.V.

The series is loosely based on the “Black Widow” film. But how much did current events, specifically stories surrounding Jeffrey Epstein and the powerful men in his orbit, inform what or how you wanted to explore here?

It really did start as a “Black Widow” adaptation. This female serial killer and this female FBI agent in this cat-and-mouse game that has this very weird third act, where they just end up hanging out together on a beach, being friends. I loved that part of it. In the midst of this very exciting female killer-female FBI agent crime movie, there was this story about two women connecting who don’t have anybody else really in their lives to connect with. I dug into that and quickly saw that if the serial killer was just a black widow like she is in the movie, that it wasn’t going to give me enough story for eight episodes. I did a lot of research about real-life female serial killers, which are pretty rare. Female serial killers are almost all victims of horrible violence at different times in their lives. That really got me going, OK, what does it mean if you’re a victim of violence and you start being perpetrator of violence? What are the things that we can forgive and understand, and what are the things that we can’t?

And yes, when I looked out into the wider world and current events and what I was thinking and feeling, I definitely scooped up a lot of a lot of stories that are out there. But it’s not the story of a specific predator. There’s a lot to choose from right now. It should feel relevant. It should have echoes of what’s going on out there. But I wanted the focus to be on these characters, not the men that did these acts.

The parallels between Alice and Catherine — what they each have survived and the different ways they deal with it — come into focus. What were you interested in exploring about the traumatic and lingering effects of abuse through these two women?

Initially, when we were casting Catherine, the question of age came up because all of my writer instincts were like, “Oh well, we need to have Catherine be very young and closer to when she was actually a victim of this predator.” But as I started thinking about it, I was like, I don’t think we’ve seen as many stories about the long-term effects of this violence. There’s no flashbacks in the show. I’m not interested in showing what was done to either one of them [Catherine and Alice]. I really was interested in the aftereffects.

I spoke to a social worker, a psychologist and a trafficking victim, which was one of the hardest conversations I’ve ever had, and also a beautiful conversation. Her name is Jay Benke, and she has an organization that helps people that have been trafficked. She made a really interesting point that stuck with me, which is that when these FBI agents and law enforcement officials build cases, they’re looking at putting the traffickers in jail; they’re not looking at what the people who have been trafficked need for their lives to heal. There’s also an amazing website that a lawyer pointed me to called thelifestory.org, which is videos from different people who’ve been trafficked telling their story — from their childhood, all the way through having been trafficked and then coming out — and it’s in the shape of a circle. Those two resources for me were incredible. On the Alice side of things, we tend to think of the experience of being a [domestic violence] victim as being much more cut and dry than it is for a lot of people. The victim’s relationship with violence and love is very complicated and violence and intimacy can become linked in their brain. It was something that I started to learn about in my research for “Dying for Sex” and continued on with “Furious.”

Lola Petticrew as Catherine in “Furious.”

(Sarah Shatz / Disney)

We see these very girly things, stickers and gemstones, that Catherine holds onto. It reminds us of her emotional or mental stasis.

I don’t know what Lola would say about this, but my thought about the character of Catherine was she was a bit trapped. The choice to go on the path of vengeance feels like a very active choice, but in some ways it’s really limited. It makes your whole life about what happened to you. I feel like Catherine’s story is about breaking out of that trap a little bit, almost trying to give her character a chance to to grow up in some ways. That was definitely a struggle for me going into this because I was like, how am I going to give a serial killer an emotional arc? Catherine is trapped and needs to put the pieces of her memory and her life together in order to move forward.

The thing I love in Episode 3 is the bag that Catherine puts on the bed. That was a big breakthrough for me for Catherine’s character in that her history is something that she’s had to piece together and hold on to, and there’s big gaps in her memory, so she holds on to these material objects in order to just feel like she’s a person. Then in looking at Alice’s character, we felt like she was the opposite in a lot of ways. She had run out of her life with Marshall and [did] not really bring that much. Her whole life is her job; her apartment is really bare.

I don’t mean to sound glib in regard to the subject matter, but you mentioned Marshall, played by Jake Lacy. Why has Jake cornered the market on playing toxic dudes who seem like nice guys?

I haven’t seen “All Her Fault” yet — it’s something that I really need to see. He’s extraordinary in the show [“Furious”], and I had a long conversation with him before he signed on. It’s a very tricky part to play. It was very important to me throughout the process that none of the characters were easily put into bad or good categories — hopefully, we’re constantly making the audience question their feelings and their judgments about people. There’s an incredible documentary called “A Better Man” that is impossible to find. I had to pay like $50 to rent it. It’s this couple that dated when they were in high school, and he was abusive toward her. She got out of the situation, and they’re coming back in their 30s, meeting again and talking about what happened. It’s an unbelievable documentary. I had Jake watch it because I really wanted him to think about Marshall as a human. He really contributed to that, and you can see it in his performance. He’s [Jake’s] a very nice guy.

You know I can’t let you go without mentioning this “New Girl” reboot — or at least the talk of it. It’s become a bit at this point — Lamorne Morris and Jake Johnson pointing fingers at each other. You posted a video on Instagram confessing to sending explicit messages that have caused some tension.

In some ways, I feel like the videos and the interviews and stuff is maybe better than a reboot. If we can see that as the reboot, maybe that would be good for everybody. [The video] came from me getting this question from journalists during the [“Furious”] junket, It was like Hour Eight of the junket, and my brain just disappeared, and I started talking like a stream of consciousness — like I don’t have any more stories to tell or something. And then I went home that night and texted the cast and I was like, “I really messed up the question.” It had been this running joke on our text threads about how they just constantly blame each other, but a lot of the times they blame me like I’m the one that’s like holding up the reboot. I find it so annoying, but then I like answered this question in a horrible way, and then I was like, “Oh, I am going to be the one who has to answer to this.”

If it does happen, it’s going to be a really dark “New Girl” reboot, given the tone of recent projects.

[Laughs] I don’t even know if fans would want what would come out of me at this point.

Last question: What have you’ve watched recently that you’re recommending to everyone?

I love “Taskmaster” [YouTube, Pluto TV]. It’s the thing that brings me joy when I need it and so I always recommend that to everybody — but with the caveat that you have to love British humor. If you love joy and British humor, I highly recommend “Taskmaster.” And Kumail [Nanjiani] was on this last season, which was like really fun.

I’m very behind. “Widow’s Bay” [Apple TV] is No. 1 on my list. I need to watch it. I love Katie [Dippold, the show’s creator] so much.

ICYMI

Must-read stories you might have missed

The reality TV regular has landed her own show which arrives on Disney Plus in a matter of days

Fans of the Real Housewives and Vanderpump Rules have a new must-see show for their watch lists.

House of Stassi premiered in the US this week with its UK release now just days away. The eight-episode series will be available to stream on Disney Plus from August 12.

It documents former Vanderpump Rules star, Stassi Schroeder, as she returns to the spotlight after her sacking from the show back in 2020. While she previously dipped her toe back in to reality TV with spin-off Vanderpump Villa, her own series will take fans deeper into her life and inner circle.

As per the Disney Plus synopsis: “House of Stassi follows reality TV icon Stassi Schroeder as she steps into her next act. In this meta-docuseries, Stassi navigates her long-awaited return to television – this time with the people she loves most by her side.

“As her ambition pulls her back into the spotlight, those around her level up. But as cameras roll and truths surface, her closest relationships are put to the test.”

Why is Stassi Schroeder famous?

She got her big break on the long-running reality series, Vanderpump Rules. A spin-off of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, the show began in 2013 and follows fan favourite housewife Lisa Vanderpump and the lives of the staff working across her restaurants and bars.

Stassi was on the show from the very start as a worker at Lisa’s West Hollywood restaurant, SUR. Her outspoken nature made her a standout personality across the eight seasons she featured in. She has also launched a successful podcast and has written three best-selling books.

Stassi Schroeder controversy explained

Back in 2020, Bravo confirmed it had fired Stassi and her co-star Kristen Doute from Vanderpump Rules. It came after a past incident from 2018 resurfaced in which the pair had called the police on black TV personality, Faith Stowers, for a crime she did not commit, claiming she resembled a suspect.

Stassi later issued a statement addressing the “racially insensitive comments”, writing: “I did not recognise the serious ramifications that could have transpired because of my actions. What I did to Faith was wrong. I apologise and I do not expect forgiveness.”

She added: “I am going to continue to look closer at myself and my actions – to take the time to listen, to learn, and to take accountability for my privilege.”

Meanwhile Kristen did the same, saying: “Although, my actions were not racially driven, I am now completely aware of how my privilege blinded me from the reality of law enforcement’s treatment of the black community, and how dangerous my actions would have been to her,” adding that she would “do better.”

Meghan Markle feud

Stassi claimed on her podcast in 2025 that she was “furious” at Meghan Markle and was boycotting her Netflix show With Love, Meghan. It came after she was allegedly refused freebies from Meghan’s As Ever brand, despite Stassi publicly supporting her in the past.

“The way she moves through social media, I think that she’s stuck in 2017, and she just thinks I’m a lowly reality person,” Stassi told her podcast listeners. “That’s what I think, and I am furious, and this is the last straw. I’m not watching her show anymore.”

Noticing that a PR package had been sent to another podcast host who had been critical of Meghan in the past only added fuel to the fire, and Stassi vowed: “I’m going to unfollow her right now. Literally, I’m unfollowing her. Done!”

Meghan has never commented on the supposed PR package snub nor the remarks made by Stassi.

House of Stassi arrives on Disney+ from August 12.

Billy Ray Smith Jr. became embedded in the San Diego sports community as an exceptional linebacker who lived up to his billing as a first-round draft pick and played all of his 126 NFL games with the Chargers from 1983 to 1992, long before the franchise moved to Los Angeles.

Despite being Texas-raised and Arkansas-educated, Smith Jr. became synonymous with San Diego by spending the rest of his life in the sunny SoCal city as a sportscaster, radio host and big-hearted, larger-than-life personality.

Smith Jr. died Wednesday at age 64, his family saying in a statement that he “faced his long journey with dementia caused by CTE with unmatched bravery, dignity, and strength.”

“It is with profound sadness that we share the loss of our beloved Billy Ray Smith Jr., who passed away peacefully surrounded by family,” the statement said. “Billy Ray brought so much joy, light, and laughter to the world as a devoted father, husband, son, and loyal friend.”

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a progressive brain disease characterized by mood disturbances and cognitive decline. It is linked to repeated head impacts and traumatic brain injuries, and has been found posthumously in numerous athletes in contact sports.

According to the Mayo Clinic, CTE cannot be diagnosed definitively during life. However, clinical criteria has been developed for traumatic encephalopathy syndrome (TES), symptoms that occur together and are associated with CTE.

A diagnosis of CTE requires evidence of degeneration of brain tissue that can only be seen during an autopsy. Through 2022, the Boston University CTE Center studied the brains of 376 former NFL players and diagnosed 345 with CTE, a rate of 91.7%.

The list of former NFL players diagnosed with CTE includes another legendary Chargers linebacker, Junior Seau, who died in 2012 of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at 43. Smith played alongside Seau from 1990-1992.

Their friendship endured after Smith Jr. retired and moved into broadcasting. He was a speaker at Seau’s public memorial service.

Smith Jr. was born Aug. 10, 1961, in Fayetteville, Ark., the son of longtime NFL defensive lineman Billy Ray Smith, and grew up in Plano, Texas. The year he was born, his father registered a career-high 13.5 sacks for the Baltimore Colts.

Smith Jr. followed his father’s footsteps to the University of Arkansas, and was twice named a unanimous All-American and voted into the College Football Hall of Fame. The Chargers drafted Smith Jr. with the fifth overall pick in 1983.

He moved from defensive end to linebacker in San Diego and by 1987 was named the team’s most valuable player. Smith Jr. finished his career with 26.5 sacks, 15 interceptions and 14 fumble recoveries.

He soon moved behind a microphone, teaming with Scott Kaplan on a popular radio show on the Mighty 1090, a station that went off the air in 2019.

“He loved being part of San Diego,” Kaplan told the San Diego Union-Tribune. “Yeah, he was the fifth overall pick and he played 10 years and, yeah, was the face of the defense before he handed it off to Junior Seau. But he was the guy who never left San Diego.

“He was loved because people knew Billy Ray. It wasn’t like other star athletes; they knew him because they had seen his whole life, from the time he was in his early 20s, play out on local television. And he never left.”

Smith Jr. worked on TV as a sportscaster and sports director for KGTV while also making appearances on Fox Sports and local Chargers broadcasts.

He met his wife, broadcaster Kimberly Hunt, during a United Cerebral Palsy telethon while still a Chargers player. They married in 1990, had a daughter, Savannah, two years later and celebrated their 36th anniversary in June. Hunt, an Emmy Award winner, is currently in her 18th year as the KGTV news evening anchor.

The couple was active in charities for decades and this year was given the San Diego Nice Guy of the Year Award.

“Through decades of volunteer service and charitable leadership, Billy Ray has generously supported youth programs, veterans, healthcare initiatives, and numerous nonprofit organizations, helping strengthen the fabric of the San Diego community,” the San Diego Nice Guys said earlier this year.

“Together, Kimberly Hunt and Billy Ray Smith represent the very best of San Diego —individuals whose professional excellence is matched only by their kindness, humility, and dedication to improving the lives of others.”

Smith Jr. came to San Diego as a fearsome linebacker who made two Pro Bowls, yet he transcended football through his infectious personality and devotion to his adopted city.

“He had that big smile, that huge laugh, that rip-your-arm-off handshake,” Kaplan said. “B.R. did everything right. There was not one part of him that was a lie, a secret, not one skeleton in the closet. He really, really lived a life that he could be very proud of.”

Aquilino’s uncle David Bonomi said his nephew was a “friendly, talented artist” who had been killed in a “brutal, cruel and evil manner”.

He said the family had reported him missing as it was “very unusual for him not to have been in contact” as he called his mother every day.

Speaking earlier about the review of the four unexplained deaths, Det Supt Rachael Bentley, from Devon and Cornwall Police, said: “As a major crime investigation team we were informed by the coroner’s officer for His Majesty’s Coroner that there were four deaths at Sandy Lodge.

“As part of the investigation, a detective inspector, separate to the investigation but within major crime, did a review of those deaths, and that included commissioning some more forensic work, some CCTV, and statements.”

Inquiries were ongoing and Desborough was “not a suspect at this time”, Bentley said.

“We don’t believe there is a link at this time, but I said it’s an ongoing investigation,” she said

She said police attended each of the deaths at Sandy Lodge and inquiries suggested natural causes but coronial investigations were paused when Desborough was arrested for murder.

Beth used Vinted to sell all her unwanted items – and thinks other UK households could also be sitting on thousands of pounds

A Brit woman sold her unwanted things to start a new life abroad. But while she loves it, she misses one unusual thing about British life in particular.

Beth Hackman made £3,000 selling her unwanted clothes on Vinted to fund her dream move to Australia. She sold more than 600 items, including unwanted clothes, shoes and accessories on the app.

The 25 year old used the funds to pay for a flight, visa and accommodation in Sydney in March this year. Now she has started a new life as a physiotherapist.

But despite loving her new life, she does miss one aspect of life on the UK high street you perhaps wouldn’t expect. She said: “I’m loving Australia because of the work-life balance. I’m working fewer hours here than in the UK and making the same salary equivalent. I miss my family so much because I’m so close with them but I message and call them every day. Other than that I miss a Tesco meal deal.”

She decided to sell most of her clothes after realising she had far too many things. Beth listed everything from gym wear and occasion dresses to her brother’s prom suit and even a pair of Alexander McQueen trainers, which sold for £200.

“I’d just accumulated too much and hated how much was generally fast fashion,” Beth, from Windsor, Berkshire, said. “Moving to Australia has been a dream for around three years.

“I actually got to the point just before I went travelling that I sold all of my shoes so I just had my gym and running trainers or a random pair of heels left. I’d say I’ve sold at least 600 items and that much was just sat in my wardrobe.”

She believes many households are sitting on hundreds, if not thousands, of pounds worth of unwanted possessions without realising it. Beth said: “I would 100% encourage people to declutter if they’re saving for a major life goal. People don’t realise how much they could make.

“I think we’re all over consumers. Some of my friends have obscene amounts of clothes. Also, I feel better buying things second hand and also recycling my own clothes on Vinted. I wear a dress once and then sell it rather than let it sit in my wardrobe.”

Beth believes many people miss out on making easy money simply because they don’t present their listings properly. She also believes detailed descriptions and quick postage make a huge difference, helping her build positive reviews that encouraged more buyers.

Beth said: “Taking good photos with a clean background is key. I also used a mannequin sometimes. Good descriptions are important. I had a postage locker on my way to work so always posted things quickly so got lots of good reviews.

“I think people initially put things up for way too much. People on Vinted want a bargain and won’t pay normal resell prices. I will always negotiate. I’d rather it be sold and out of my house and lose out on 50p than be set on prices. Although some people do take the p***.

“Photos and descriptions really matter to me as a buyer and I wouldn’t buy from someone who looks like they don’t put effort in so I make sure my posts looks better.” Beth first downloaded Vinted around five years ago, but not with the intention of making money.

Instead, she used the resale platform as a savvy shopping tool, searching for designer pieces to see how they looked on real people before buying them new. She said: “I started to use it as a platform to double check a product.

“If I wanted a dress from House of CB, I’d search it on Vinted to see how it looked on real bodies and to compare sizes. I like to think I’m clever for this. It’s basically picture reviews.”

July 28 (UPI) — A 16-year-old who used an assault-style rifle to kill two other students and two teachers at his Georgia high school will spend the rest of his life in prison.

On Tuesday, a judge sentenced Colt Gray to life without parole for the Sept. 4, 2024, shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia. Another teacher and eight other students were injured in the shooting.

Gray pleaded guilty to all 55 counts, including those of murder, on Friday.

“You do not seem to be tormented by what you did, you seemto relish following in the footsteps of the murderers you idolize,” Judge Nicholas Primm of Barrow County Superior Court told Gray on Tuesday. “You aren’t rackedwith guilt. You’re proud of yourself.”

“There’s no joy here,” Primm said. “It’s only a measure of closure. The slain will not return to life. The injured will not forget their wounds. And a 16-year-old, 16-year-old boy, will live and die in prison.”

Gray was 14 at the time of the shooting and was charged as an adult. The two students who died — Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo — were also 14. Gray also killed teachers Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53.

Prosecutor said in the sentencing hearing that Gray became obsessed with school shooters through an online community and that his jail phone calls with his mother showed he was “thrilled” to be compared to them.

Gray’s father, Colin Gray, was convicted in March on charges of second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter for giving his son the weapon he used to commit the shootings.

Family members of those killed had urged the judge to give Gray the maximum sentence for his crimes.

“It is a life sentence of grief and trauma for those left behind,” said Aspinwall’s wife, Shayna. Their daughters were 2 and 5 when Gray killed their father.

An aide involved in an affair with Gavin Newsom more than 20 years ago, when he was mayor of San Francisco, detailed their relationship and her journey to sobriety in an essay published by Vanity Fair on Tuesday.

Although Ruby Rippey, 54, has spoken previously about her relationship with the now-governor, her first-person essay offers the most intimate description yet of the affair. It comes at a time when Newsom is wrapping up his final year as California governor and considering a presidential run in 2028.

Rippey, who had worked as Newsom’s appointments secretary, was married to Alex Tourk, the then-mayor’s close friend, campaign manager and prior deputy chief of staff, when the affair became public in 2007. Tourk resigned after Rippey told him that she had been sleeping with their boss, she writes.

At the time, Newsom was newly divorced from Kimberly Guilfoyle and he apologized in front of a gaggle of reporters who packed his office for a news conference, admitting “everything you’ve heard and read is true.” Later, he said he was seeking treatment for alcohol abuse.

In the essay, Rippey details that the affair with Newsom happened when she was a new mother and when her drinking, which had been a problem before the relationship, spiraled out of control.

Rippey writes that their relationship began in July 2005 after a wedding at a Napa Valley estate and spanned months, with intermittent sexual encounters until she entered rehab in May 2006.

They met at his penthouse in San Francisco’s Russian Hill neighborhood, at a private back room in a bar in North Beach and at the W Hotel in Los Angeles, she writes.

“We meet and we drink. There is sex, but it isn’t the point. The point is proximity — to power, to being chosen, to feeling newly visible — no longer muted by pregnancy, by new motherhood, by the strain of white-knuckling long stretches of sobriety,” she writes. “It isn’t love. It isn’t romance. It’s intoxication.”

Izzy Gardon, a spokesperson for the governor’s office, said on Tuesday that Newsom acknowledged his role and publicly apologized for the affair nearly two decades ago.

“In the time since, he met his wife, started a family and has focused on serving Californians. He addressed this chapter of his life, including in his memoir, and out of respect for everyone involved, does not have anything further to add,” Gardon said.

The affair occurred while Gavin Newsom was mayor of San Francisco.

(San Francisco Chronicle / Hearst Newspapers)

Newsom faced renewed criticism for the affair during the 2018 governor’s race amid a larger reckoning over sexual misconduct in politics, corporate America and Hollywood. But Rippey has said she doesn’t see herself as a victim of a powerful man.

“Yes, I was a subordinate, but I was also a free-thinking, 33-yr old adult married woman & mother. (I also happened to have an unfortunate inclination towards drinking-to-excess & self-destruction.),” she wrote on Facebook at the time.

She still doesn’t place blame on the governor for what happened, but noted in her essay that in the post-#MeToo era she came to realize that her then-boss had a responsibility to “hold the line.”

“That didn’t happen. But I didn’t stumble into the space left open — I saw a possibility and went for it,” she writes. “Both things are true: I am responsible for what I did. Power does not distribute consequences evenly.”

For Newsom, she writes, the affair is merely a “footnote in a longer arc of ascent. For me, it is the fracture that split my life into before and after.”

In his memoir, “Young Man in a Hurry: A Memoir of Discovery,” published this year, Newsom acknowledges the liaison with Rippey, describing it as “the briefest of affairs.”

He also writes that he admitted the betrayal to Tourk, a detail that Rippey takes issue with in her essay. She says she was the one who first broke the devastating news to her husband via email while she was at her parent’s house in Napa and he was home in San Francisco with their young son.

“But resentment is a luxury I can’t afford,” she writes. “Instead, I return to gratitude, not for the affair, not for the pain I caused Alex, but for the totality of what followed. I required something catastrophic to change direction. Something that made the cost of going back — of drinking again — unthinkable.”

After the affair, Rippey and Tourk divorced but continued to co-parent their son, who is now an adult. She’s been sober for 20 years, she writes, remarried and now has a son with her second husband.

“The damage was mine,” she writes at the conclusion of her essay. “But so is the life rebuilt in its wake.”

Times staff writer Taryn Luna contributed to this report.

Emmy-nominated composer Bear McCreary has taken a reverse road to symphonic rock. Prog rockers have traditionally integrated symphonic elements; other rock bands have done orchestral versions of their songs. McCreary began creating television and film scores, discovered his inner metalhead, and has since bridged those worlds with his “Singularity” project. It all adds up to a different take on that time-honored formula.

The second of the two albums, “The Singularity: Ekleipsis,” is out Friday and features contributions from guitarist Steve Vai, Coheed and Cambria frontman Claudio Sanchez, Fall Out Boy frontman Patrick Stump and McCreary’s younger brother Brendan, who sings on half the tracks. The multifaceted album feels like “I am Bear, hear me roar.”

“I love that quote,” he says, laughing, during his two-hour interview with The Times. “I want to put that on the posters. I feel like ‘The Singularity’ is a temper tantrum of a record from someone who had been writing music for other people for 20 years, then all these ideas exploded out.” Two years after the release of the first “Singularity” album, “Ekleipsis” feels more focused and personal to him.

From Anthrax dinners to sessions with Slash, Stewart Copeland and Bulgarian choirs, McCreary’s restless curiosity drives genre-bending songs that wrestle with identity, diaspora and the world listeners are trying to survive.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

The first “Singularity” double album — which featured guests like Serj Tankian, Corey Taylor, Rufus Wainwright and Joe Satriani — tied into a graphic novel about a man who repeatedly experiences loss and death at the hands of a villainous character in his every life across their multiverse. This leads to a major revelation at the end. Although McCreary says that “Ekleipsis” is not disconnected from that universe, it is not strictly tied to a narrative.

“I wasn’t setting out to write a concept album again,” McCreary admits, “but there’s something immediate in all the lyrics. Half of them are specifically talking about the world that we all find ourselves living in and trying to overcome in some way.”

McCreary’s sonic diversity continues with “Ekleipsis.” Gojira frontman Joe Duplantier collaborated with the McCreary brothers and the Mystery of the Bulgarian Voices choir on “Black Box” to create a work of dissonant majesty. The composer improvised his way through the initial stages of “Pray for a Storm,” his high-energy collaboration with famed drummer Stewart Copeland.

“Let’s all go into your studio with nothing,” McCreary recalls telling the irrepressible percussionist. “I’m not even going to bring an idea. We’ll plug in our instruments, set the mics up and play. I want to capture your ideas and your energy, then shape it into a song based on the pieces that I get.”

McCreary sees new endeavors as a learning experience. He meets his collaborators in the way they like to work. He was awed while writing with Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith on the anthemic “Cool Kids.”

“Those guys are true songsmiths,” the composer declares. “I think they’re unrecognized as songwriters. They wrote for Ozzy Osbourne. They’re focused on hammering down a riff until it works. We walked into a studio with a riff that Duff had written and walked out with this song that we brought Slash onto. We got that band experience [with them].”

McCreary is best known for scoring series like “Battlestar Galactica,” “The Walking Dead” and “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” along with movies such as “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” and the “God of War” video game franchise. He gained entry into metal through a dinner with Anthrax guitarist and “Battlestar” fan Scott Ian two decades ago.

“‘I know you. You’re a guy who loves Sepultura,’” Ian told him, invoking a musical link for the composer. Intrigued, McCreary listened to Sepultura’s folk-infused Brazilian death metal and loved it. His metal journey began.

Ever since, McCreary has been itching to dive into that arena. He has an important collaborator in that quest.

“My brother’s my secret weapon when it comes to rock,” McCreary says. “His body of [rock] knowledge makes up for mine. Our emphasis is in a different place. He is a fantastic producer because he’s got a really good radar for when things are useless, when a part of a song isn’t pulling its weight. It’s a very good influence to have someone like that. He’s got a great lyrical sense and an incredible voice.”

McCreary says Brendan is often the driving force of their lyrical efforts, and “sometimes we co-write with other people. Claudio Sanchez wrote all the lyrics on ‘Sweet Misery.’ It just depends.”

The younger McCreary was the propelling wordsmith on “One Fine Day.” “It’s about our experience as being in the Armenian diaspora and exploring what that means to us,” McCreary elaborates. “All the songs are very personal, which is another thing that sets this record apart from the last record. Many of them were personal, but I also had a weird song about an automaton that fell in love.”

Mentored at USC by Elmer Bernstein, McCreary now leaps from “God of War” themes to a Higgs boson rock musical and a roaring Singularity tour that hits L.A. on Sept. 17.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Before he jammed with rock icons, McCreary was mentored by the late, iconic Elmer Bernstein for nearly the last decade of his life. The burgeoning young composer organized Bernstein’s music archives, sat in on recording sessions and audited his senior-level classes for three years while studying at the Thornton School of Music at USC. McCreary says that Bernstein “really set me on the path that I am now on, not because I learned how to orchestrate or how to write music from him. But he showed me the life that I could envision myself having when I was 15 or 16, that crucial time when you’re really setting the rudder for where you’re going to go in life.”

That rudder has steered him to many shores. McCreary has been co-writing the musical “Particle Fever” with Zoe Sarnak (“Galileo).” Pulitzer Prize finalist and Tony winner David Henry Hwang (“M. Butterfly)” wrote the book, and Tony nominee Leigh Silverman (“Suffs”) is its director. It is based on the documentary of the same name about the discovery of the Higgs boson — the “God particle” — at the Large Hadron Collider in CERN. It will debut at the La Jolla Playhouse in February 2027.

“It is a really kick-ass, earnest rock musical about a really ambitious discovery,” McCreary says. “My hope is that it actually has some of the swagger and fun that people found in ‘Hamilton,’ which also was a very dry subject that you learned about in eighth grade.”

The 47-year-old composer exudes an infectiously upbeat energy. He loves challenges and says he learned that charisma and charm are valuable assets to get in the door to prove one’s talents.

“I’m wired to be very positive and collaborative,” he concedes. “But I got so oppressively excited in my 20s that I started annoying people. My lesson was walk it back.”

His creative energy continues unabated. He’s even scored shorts for filmmakers he met through Twitter. (“I’m down to work.”) He has been blogging about his musical life for 20 years for a core group of followers. (“In hindsight, if Jerry Goldsmith had done that in the ‘80s, my God, my life would be different.”)

McCreary started as a high school keyboardist, then found the accordion in college, an instrument that gave him greater stage motion and which he later used to great effect in his music for the “Outlander” series. He loves to headbang while playing the hurdy-gurdy, an instrument he picked up in 2010 and later employed in the “Black Sails” show and “God of War: Ragnarok” video game. He learned guitar to play rhythm during his 2025 shows.

Those riffs will be on display at the Wacken Open Air festival on Friday and during McCreary’s eight-date September “Singularity” tour of the West Coast that hits L.A. on Sept. 17. McCreary has performed his symphonic scores in Europe and America with orchestras, but now he also loves to rock out (loud).

A big secret of the ambitious McCreary’s success harks back to lessons of simplicity that Bernstein taught him.

“The giant theme that I wrote for ‘God of War’ can be played with one finger on a piano,” McCreary reveals. “That is the thing that it boils down to, and that is what I listen for in music. Most of the time it means there’s a melody in there that sticks with you, and it doesn’t matter how well it is produced or how epic it is or how loud it is. A good song is a good song is a good song, and it really doesn’t matter how good a band performs. If the song is good, it will connect with people.”

PRINCESS Andre has admitted she can’t keep up with mum Katie Price’s “extreme” love life and rollercoaster marriage to latest husband Lee Andrews.

The influencer and TV star, 19, spoke candidly on her reality series, The Princess Diaries, after her parent tied the knot with conman Lee in January.

Katie said I Do just 10 days after meeting Lee for the first time.

Princess, who is Katie‘s child with ex Peter Andre, along with big brother Junior, revealed in her ITV show: “Mum’s in Dubai right now to see her husband and to be honest I don’t really know much about it.

“I’ve never met him but mum’s love life is everywhere at the moment.

“Mum’s love life stories are quite extreme and honestly I don’t even follow it myself, but as long as my mum’s happy, we’re happy, and that’s all that matters”.

PRINCESS DIARIES

Princess Andre lifts lid on her love life & mum Katie’s truce with Peter

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Princess Andre takes swipe at ‘copycat’ star online in surprise new feud

Back in June, Katie’s new spouse Lee made a bizarre claim he had “adopted” Princess – alongside the former glamour model’s four other kids.

The suggestion prompted Princess’ dad, Mysterious Girl hitmaker Pete, to deny Lee’s words.

At the time, his rep told Metro that Lee’s claims were “categorically untrue” and are “yet another lie” from the self-proclaimed business man.

Since then, former glamour model Katie has been presented with an explosive dossier from The Sun’s Clemmie Moodie covering her spouse’s misdemeanours – including his mental health lies and damning texts.

At the time, The Sun’s files against Lee – including a “gay affair rumour” – had, according to a source, left Katie with no choice but to consult a divorce lawyer.

Who is Katie Price’s husband Lee Andrews?

KATIE Price tied the knot with Lee Andrews in January 2026. Yet who is he?

• Katie Price has married businessman fiancé Lee Andrews in a whirlwind wedding
• It is the fourth time Katie, 47, has been a bride. She has also been married to Peter Andre, Alex Reid and Kieran Hayler
• Katie and Lee met just after being introduced on social media
• Lee claimed he is a billionaire in a failed clip from his acting career
• He now claims to be a Dubai-based businessman
• Yet The Sun has unmasked him as a fantasist who faked celebrity links using AI-generated photos and recently talked about marrying two other women
• Failed actor is just another title to add to Lee’s questionable CV, after he claimed to have once worked as the Director of Philanthropy at The Prince’s Trust (now The King’s Trust)
• Lee also shared images – since proven to be AI – of him working with Elon Musk and Kim Kardashian
• It’s been revealed shameless Lee told former girlfriends that he had studied at Cambridge University, and has a PhD in biotechnology science
• But The Sun has seen a response from the university explaining it could not find a record of Lee being registered as a student with a date of birth they had provided
• His LinkedIn profile says Lee has been a Member of the Board of Advisors to the Labour Party since 2015
• Lee was also mocked for repeating the exact same wedding proposal on Katie – that he did for another woman just four months ago.

Clemmie also confirmed in her in-depth article that Katie is refusing to return to Dubai – where Lee lives and is currently locked up in prison.

Meanwhile Katie has vowed to quiz her husband over his offer to sell a sex tape of them – as her sister Sophie branded him a “d***head”.

It comes after The Sun revealed Lee’s sickening plan of hawking an alleged “sex tape” with his wife.

Speaking on the latest episode of her podcast, Katie addressed the video and insisted she has no knowledge of it – but said finds the whole things “ridiculous” and “overwhelming”.

She said: “I commented when he went missing but he’s in prison and I will be questioning him about a lot of things when he’s out. I’m just getting on doing what I’m doing.

“There is so much, there is no smoke without fire.”

Within days of Katie marrying Lee in Dubai, stories started to emerge of the lies the conman has told.

Lee claimed he had connections with some of the richest stars in the world, but it proved to be fake, and that he had used AI to fake meetings and pictures with Kim Kardashian and Elon Musk.

In one of Lee’s only interviews, he told The Sun he planned to buy Chelsea FC as part of a £2billion bid.

Lee has also claimed that he has degrees from some of the UK’s top universities, including Cambridge, but the institution quickly clarified that they had no trace of Lee having ever attended as a student.

Through it all, Katie has stood by her husband and jetted back and forth to Dubai to be with him.

The couple also recently got a dog together in the UAE city, and despite her family’s on-going protests over the relationship – she had been planning to jet back out for another reunion with Lee before Clemmie’s bombshell dossier was published.