England lock Victor Radley has ruled himself out of the three-Test autumn series against Australia, a week after his club Sydney Roosters banned him for 10 matches.
The Roosters banned Radley after he was implicated in a drug investigation into former team-mate Brandon Smith.
Radley, 27, has not been charged by police. Smith, who appeared before magistrates in Queensland last week, is planning to contest police allegations that he supplied drugs and disclosed inside information for illegal betting.
At the time they suspended Radley, the Roosters said in a statement he had brought the National Rugby League club into disrepute in relation to “allegedly obtaining an illegal substance”.
Experts are predicting a cut in interest rates at the Federal Reserve’s meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday this week. And even more cuts could follow in late 2025 and beyond.
That means certificate of deposit (CD) rates of 4.00% or higher will likely disappear, too.
If you’ve been thinking about opening a CD, now is definitely the time. Here’s what you should know if you’re opening a CD.
What to know when opening a CD
A CD is a type of savings account where you deposit your money for a set period, earning a fixed interest rate in return for the commitment. For example, you might open a 1-year CD that earns 4.00% APY. That means when your CD matures after a full year, you’ll get your money back, plus 4.00% in interest.
Here’s how to pick the right CD for you:
Find the right term length: Shorter terms (3-12 months) give you quicker access to your cash. Longer terms (a few years) give you a longer guaranteed rate of return.
Shop for the best rate: Online banks usually offer higher APYs.
Fund your account: Transfer money from an existing bank account to a CD.
Wait it out — and don’t touch your money: Most CDs charge a penalty for early withdrawals.
Plan your next move: Once your CD matures, you can either withdraw your money or roll it over into another CD.
Who should open a CD now?
CDs are a great fit for you if:
You already have an emergency fund in a savings account
You want a guaranteed return over a few months or years
You’re saving for a short- to medium-term goal
You want to lock in a high interest rate while you still can
With rates expected to fall as soon as this week, now is definitely the time to lock in your CD rate.
Act now before rates drop
Traders expect the Fed to announce an interest rate cut this week, and Fed leadership recently projected that rates would fall through 2027 and beyond. That means today’s high CD rates could soon disappear — for a very long time.
If those predictions turn out to be true, you’ll be glad you locked in a 4.00%-plus APY while you still could.
Sept. 11 (UPI) — Six historically black colleges and universities in the South locked down on Thursday morning amid potential threats that various law enforcement agencies are investigating.
Alabama State University, Virginia State University, Hampton University in Virginia, Clark Atlanta University in Georgia and Southern University in Louisiana locked down after receiving possible threats of an unknown nature, ABC News reported.
Spelman College in Atlanta did not receive any threats but locked down out of caution.
Officials at Alabama State said they received “terroristic threats” and locked down the campus.
“We are working in close coordination with the appropriate law enforcement agencies to assess the situation and to ensure the safety and security of our students, faculty, staff and the broader ASU community,” ASU officials told USA Today in a prepared statement.
Officials at Virginia State and Hampton temporarily ceased operations and notified students, faculty and staff to stay at home after receiving possible threats, according to HBCU Buzz.
Virginia State officials shared an email with ABC News that they sent to students, faculty and staff.
The message told them to remain locked down while campus police worked with local, state and federal law enforcement to determine if the threat there is credible.
Other colleges and universities have announced that classes and school-related activities are canceled through the weekend.
No incidents or injuries have been reported after the HBCUs received threats, which has plagued many colleges and universities amid hoaxes and swatting incidents so far this school year.
Several HBCUs in 2022 were among at least 57 colleges and universities that received bomb threats made through phone calls, e-mails, messages and anonymous online posts, according to the FBI.
Thursday’s threats came a day after conservative activistCharlie Kirk was shot and killed during a Wednesday afternoon event at Utah Valley University in Orem.
HELLO AND HAPPY THURSDAY. IT’S ME, ANITA LYNNE CHABRIA, COMING TO YOU IN ALL CAPS — BECAUSE THAT’S NOW HOW POLITICS IS DONE.
No, I won’t really torment you with shift-lock psychosis. But we will be diving into Gov. Gavin Newsom’s wildly successful social media trolling of Donald Trump. Although much has been written about his parody of the president’s bombastic style, replete with weird syntax and tongue-in-cheek self-aggrandizement, it turns out it’s far more than just entertaining.
More than any other Democratic presidential hopeful out there, the social media offensive has raised both his profile and political fortunes — and highlighted some uncomfortable truths about American politics in this moment when the vast majority of voters are getting their information in 20-second snippets on TikTok, YouTube and X: Social media is not the sideshow, it’s the main event.
But it’s about more than GCN (Gavin Christopher Newsom, as he now signs his posts) making it to the Resolute desk.
Whether you love Newsom or hate him, California is the epicenter on the resistance to Trump’s push to expand presidential powers into authoritarianism. In courts, in the Legislature and on social media, this is the state that has fought back most effectively.
Newsom’s recent decision to throw caution and subservience to the wind is at the heart of that, a move from frenemy to fighter that is essential to shaping and protecting the future of our democracy. One cheeky post at a time.
The seed of inspiration
How did we wind up here? Although January may seem like eons ago, it was in reality only nine short months since Newsom showed up uninvited on the tarmac in L.A. to greet Trump, even embrace him, as the president came to view the fire damage in Pacific Palisades and Altadena.
Newsom was still in that frenemy phase, trying to reason with, flatter and cajole a president who demands praise, but who, like the fable of the scorpion and the frog, will always attack because it’s in his nature. California needs fire aid, and as Newsom said at the time, “I hope he comes with a spirit of cooperation and collaboration. That’s the spirit to which we welcome him.”
That, however, didn’t work out great. Trump not only dillydallied with fire money, threatening conditions, he also sent the National Guard into L.A. for a nonexistent emergency around immigration protests, then strong-armed Texas into redrawing voting maps to help ensure MAGA keeps control of Congress in the 2026 midterm elections.
So now California has Proposition 50, the effort to redraw our own maps to find more Democratic seats, and a hoppin’-mad governor (get that frog reference?) who knows a scorpion when he sees one.
What does this have to do with social media, you ask? In mid-August GCN wrote to DJT with one last peace offering: California would stop its push for redistricting if other states stopped as well. No luck, big surprise.
But staffers at Newsom’s office were in a mood, and thought it would be funny to tweet out the last paragraph of that letter in all caps, Trump-style. The only change? Switching the last line from the statesman-like “And America will be better for it” to the Trump-favored “Thank you for your attention to this matter.”
And there, in a moment of frustration and gallows humor — no grand strategy intended — the seed of inspiration was planted.
DONALD TRUMP, IF YOU DO NOT STAND DOWN, WE WILL BE FORCED TO LEAD AN EFFORT TO REDRAW THE MAPS IN CA TO OFFSET THE RIGGING OF MAPS IN RED STATES. BUT IF THE OTHER STATES CALL OFF THEIR REDISTRICTING EFFORTS, WE WILL DO THE SAME. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER!
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) August 11, 2025
The Result
That post has received 5 million views so far, and emboldened Newsom to go further. Since then, his trolling has been both prolific, pointed, and extremely popular.
The X account where Newsom does most of his smack-posting, @GovPressOffice, gained more than 500,000 followers in recent weeks, and racked up more than 480 million impressions. That’s up 450%, according to CNN’s Harry Enten.
He’s been in demand on traditional media as well (and seems to be living rent-free in the brains of right-wing Fox commentators), and has made himself available to digital content creators — who have helped him reach more than 30 million views across various platforms.
Newsom’s speech about the National Guard coming into L.A. — at nine minutes long, an eternity these days — was viewed more 40 million times in a week.
And, as Enten also pointed out, 75% of California Democrats now say they want Newsom to run for president, and betting markets give Newsom a 24% chance of being the Democratic nominee, rating him with the highest potential in the pack.
Love-bombed with all that success, Newsom has pushed further into the rage-baiting. The “GCN” sign-off? That came from Newsom himself. But there’s a team behind the effort, and they’re running 24/7 to keep the big, beautiful bludgeoning going.
But what about democracy?
Great for Newsom, you say, but how does a meme of him with bulging biceps save democracy? Here’s the thing I learned covering the rise not just of Trump, but of the extremist and fringe ideologies such as QAnon that fueled his base: It would not happen without social media.
Social media is the sauce that has seasoned this change in our politics, which sounds obvious but is much deeper than most realize. Social media created communities, communities largely without physical or ethical boundaries. Anything goes, and the more intense and crazy, the deeper it tends to go. The more people believe, the more involved they become.
Short take: Social media spreads extremism.
But can social media also spread resistance?
The hardest parts of an autocracy are division and fear. It feels lonely and scary to speak out. Newsom has done two crucial things with his social media barrage.
First, he showed us that the Republicans were right all along. For years, the far-right has found Trump’s social media hilarious, and all the funnier because Democrats were outraged by its crassness, vulgarity and childishness. Many Democrats found no humor in a president behaving in ways that would get their own teenagers grounded.
But as soon as Newsom did it, Democrats were the ones who found it funny, especially the irony-free Republican outrage. And empowering. And awesome. Suddenly, they got the joke.
In copying, Newsom was subverting — not just holding up a mirror to the bad behavior, but revealing that Democrats have in fact had a stick somewhere unnecessary and need to admit that low humor tickles the American fancy. He has given Democrats something light and amusing to rally around, creating community that has been sadly lacking.
And community is where resistance thrives, same as with extremism. When people feel not alone, they feel stronger.
That’s the second thing Newsom has brought with his trolling. Democrats, Republicans, democracy-backers of any stripe are relieved to laugh at Trump together — because nothing undermines his power more than a collective chuckle at his expense.
IBIZA’S ‘Final Boss’ Jack Kay has continued his party tour of the island – spending the afternoon with Towie’s James Lock.
The pair were snapped together at Wi-Ki-Woo Hotel in Ibiza as James plugged his agave spirit brand, Cerrar.
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Jack posed with James Lock as they continues to party in IbizaCredit: Instagram
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The Towie star is currently over in Ibiza promoting his spirit brandCredit: TommyG Photography
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The Ibiza Final Boss went viral after being seen dancing at a partyCredit: TikTok/@zerosixwestibiza
Standing underneath a pink umbrella, Jack stood alongside Lock, showing off thick gold chains and rings posing with “finger guns” and a serious face.
James – who had brushed his hair forward in an attempt to emulate Jack’s distinctive bowl cut hairstyle – later uploaded the pic, and joked: “Essex final boss Vs Ibiza final boss 🧑🏽”
The pair’s day together comes after Jack shot to fame in the space of a month after being declared “Ibiza’s final boss” due to his deep tan, tattoos, veneers, goatee beard and signature hairstyle.
He was captured dancing by a TikToker who later gave him the moniker as they posted it online – with the clip quickly picking up steam.
READ MORE IBIZA FINAL BOSS
Jack’s hair in particular has been compared to a range of pop-culture icons from Ringo Starr to Friar Tuck and a Lego man.
“Final boss” is a joke from the gaming world used to suggest someone is the ultimate version of a particular stereotype.
Since then, Jack has been lapping up the attention, and it looks like it’s set to make him some serious cash as a result.
His viral fame caught the eye of ITV2’s Big Brother casting team and led to conversations about him joining the upcoming series.
With a potential Big Brother stint too, it’s clear Jack is set to get the last laugh – all the way to the bank.
Ibiza ‘Final Boss’ parties at £9million mansion in Ibiza with bikini girls
A source said: “The Ibiza Final Boss has really captured the nation’s imagination and is exactly the kind of character that makes for a fun Big Brother housemate.
“Bosses had talks with his management, it is very late in the casting process for housemates but everyone thought worth a chat whether it be in time for this series, even as part of a task, or for the future.
“Jack’s reps Neon Management have been inundated with offers for him so he’s certainly going to be busy for at least the next few months.
“They’ve seen an unprecedented level of interest in him, and that’s the nation loves him.”
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The star has already released music and is in talks to star on Big BrotherCredit: instagram/@jack.kayy1
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Jack shot to fame overnight after clip went viralCredit: instagram/@jack.kayy1
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The Ibiza Final Boss has been picturing himself in the lap of luxuryCredit: Instagram/@jack.kayy1
He said it is “kind of crazy” to be told that he looks like the infamous stalker and serial killer and the amount of messages he gets about it is “insane”.
Nikita even claims women on dating apps ask him to kidnap them and lock them in a cage – like Joe does in the show.
Some women will even send him their address for him to go over – but insists he’s never taken anyone up on the offer.
Nikita, a content creator, from Dover, Kent, said: “I have a lot of family and friends say that I look like Joe from You.
“A lot of people tell me that I have a serial killer vibe, which is kind of scary as I am not trying to be a serial killer.
“People really love the idea of being stalked by Joe.
“I will be sent locations, people will ask me to stalk them and lock them in a glass cage.”
Nikita started posting videos on TikTok three weeks ago, and his messages were soon flooded by strangers who said he bears striking resemblance to Joe Goldberg.
He said he found it “crazy” to be likened to a serial killer but has leaned into the stereotype.
Nikita said: “I have had a lot of people in my life who tell me I look like Joe.
“So I thought I would start posting online, it has been kind of crazy.
“I get thousands upon thousands of messages every day of people telling me that I look like Joe and asking me to stalk them.”
Nikita – who is single – says women on dating apps will often message him with their location.
He says he will often jokingly tell them that he is Joe’s brother.
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The creepy character of Joe often stalks girls and traps them in cagesCredit: CLIFTON PRESCOD/NETFLIX
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Nikita claims people message him asking if he’ll put them in a glass cageCredit: SWNS
Nikita said: “I get people on dating apps messaging me asking if I can put them in a glass cage.
“People will send me their live location and ask me to stalk them.
“They don’t think I am a catfish, they just think I am a really good lookalike.
“I just respond to them saying I’m his brother and their reaction is always a surprise.”
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The fifth and final season of You is now streaming on NetflixCredit: Netflix
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Joe embarks on an affair with Bronte in the latest seasonCredit: PA
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Nikita claims women will send him their live location and ask him to stalk themCredit: SWNS
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Nikita said he tells women who mistake him for Joe that he is his brotherCredit: SWNS
Nikita said he is a huge fan of You, but doesn’t understand why women are fascinated by Joe as a character.
He said every day he leaves the house, someone will come up to him – mistaking him for the actor.
Nikita said: “My initial response is always ‘I get that a lot’.
I get people on dating apps messaging me asking if I can put them in a glass cage
Nikita Darwin
“I will leave the house and people come up to me asking me to stalk them.
“In all honesty, I don’t think people would enjoy it as much as they think they would.
“I think he is really bad, but all the girls seem to be fascinated by this serial killer, which is really messed up.”
The final season of You
IN the fifth and final series, which is now streaming, viewers see Joe embarking on an affair with a young woman named Bronte, played by Madeline Brewer.
They meet after she gains employment at his bookstore but it soon becomes clear that she has an ulterior motive after she developed suspicions that Joe was responsible for the death of her close friend.
Penn Badgley reprises his role of Joe Goldberg, the serial killer who has gotten away with numerous murders.
The show is based on the book series by Caroline Kepnes.
You started out on Lifetime, after Netflix originally passed on it.
But, with low ratings on the cable channel, the streaming network picked it up and saw massive success.
Leicester Tigers have named former England and British and Irish Lions lock Geoff Parling as their new head coach from next season.
The 41-year-old has signed a long-term deal and replaces former Australia coach Michael Cheika, who leaves after just one season at Welford Road.
Parling, who won two Premiership titles as a Tigers player, is currently an assistant coach with Australia and will take over in August after working with the Wallabies for the series against British and Irish Lions.
“I was lucky enough to have some incredible moments in the Leicester Tigers jersey, made through hard work by good people, and so I am extremely proud to be coming back to lead the club,” Parling told the club’s website., external
“There are not many opportunities that would make myself and my family think about leaving Australia, the place we’ve called home for the past seven years, but coming back to Leicester Tigers is one that we are really looking forward to.”
