moving

After taking his normal round of infield grounders during the Dodgers’ off-day workout Sunday, Kiké Hernández jogged to center field and spent a noticeable amount of time fielding fly balls there.

On the eve of Game 3 of the World Series, it might not have been a coincidence.

After using the same nine players in their starting lineup in six straight games since the start of the National League Championship Series, the Dodgers have been considering a change for Monday — one that could drop struggling second-year slugger Andy Pages to the bench.

While the Dodgers’ overall offense has been inconsistent this postseason, Pages has endured the most glaring slump. He has collected just four hits in 43 at-bats, registering a .093 average. He has 11 strikeouts, no walks, and only one extra-base knock, providing little pop or spark from the No. 9 spot.

Manager Dave Roberts acknowledged before Game 2 that he was mulling whether to keep Pages in the lineup. And though the 24-year-old outfielder, who had 27 home runs and 86 RBIs in the regular season, had a hit and run scored on Saturday, Roberts reiterated Sunday that making a move with Pages was “still on the table” and “front of mind.”

“Just trying to figure out where he’s at mentally, physically,” Roberts said. “The performance hasn’t been there. So thinking of other options, yeah.”

One reason the Dodgers have stuck with Pages is because of their limited defensive alternatives — including, first and foremost, utilityman Tommy Edman being restricted to only second base this October because of a lingering ankle injury.

Edman, who split time last postseason between center field and shortstop, did say this weekend that his ankle was feeling better (even though he didn’t close the door on potentially needing surgery this offseason). But Roberts noted that Edman “hasn’t taken a fly ball out there in a month,” casting continued doubt over his ability to play anywhere else.

Without Edman, Hernández is the only other true center-field option for the Dodgers to use in their starting lineup, having also played there during the team’s World Series run last year. This postseason, Hernández has been a fixture in left (while also mixing in at third base). But if he were to slide to center field for Game 3, it could open left field for someone like Alex Call.

Call, a trade deadline acquisition who was a part-time player down the stretch in the regular season, does not represent as much of a power threat as Pages, but is a better contact hitter with more on-base ability.

Of course, the Dodgers’ offensive inconsistencies have gone beyond Pages.

They have not topped five runs in a game since the wild-card round. They have hit just .216 as a team since the start of the division series. Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman are still batting under .225 in the playoffs. Mookie Betts is batting .136 since the start of the NLCS.

During their Game 2 win, Roberts felt the club missed a lot of hittable pitches against Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman, before Will Smith and Max Muncy finally broke through with home runs in the seventh.

That, Roberts felt, was a sign his lineup was “a little bit in between” in its approach, squandering opportunities to do damage against fastballs over the plate while also trying to protect against breaking stuff out of the zone.

“They have made good pitches, but we have missed pitches as well,” Roberts said. “I do think that coming home, I feel that we’re back into a little bit of a rhythm offensively.”

Perhaps shaking up the lineup will help, as well.

Stellantis announced a $13bn investment in the US, which will see production of the Jeep Compass move to the US from Canada.

Canada has threatened legal action against carmaker Stellantis NV over what Ottawa says is the company’s unacceptable plan to shift production of one model to a United States plant.

On Wednesday, Minister of Industry Melanie Joly sent a letter to Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa noting that the company had agreed to maintain its Canadian presence in exchange for substantial financial support.

“Anything short of fulfilling that commitment will be considered a default under our agreement,” she said. If Stellantis did not live up to its commitment, Canada would “exercise all options, including legal”, she said.

Stellantis announced a $13bn investment in the US on Tuesday, a move that it said would bring five new models to the market. As part of the plan, production of the Jeep Compass will move to the US state of Illinois from a facility in Brampton in the Canadian province of Ontario.

A copy of the letter was made available to the Reuters news agency. The existence of the letter was first reported by Bloomberg.

Stellantis had paused retooling of the Brampton plant in February, shortly after US President Donald Trump announced tariffs against Canadian goods, upending the highly integrated North American auto industry.

In a statement on Tuesday night, Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney said Ottawa had made clear it expected Stellantis to fulfil the undertakings it had made to the workers at the plant.

“We are working with the company to develop the right measures to protect Stellantis employees,” he said.

Ontario is Canada’s industrial heartland and accounts for about 40 percent of its national gross domestic product (GDP).

“I have spoken with Stellantis to stress my disappointment with their decision,” Ontario Premier Doug Ford said on social media on Wednesday.

Stellantis spokesperson LouAnn Gosselin said the company was investing in Canada and noted plans to add a third shift to a plant in Windsor, Ontario.

“Canada is very important to us. We have plans for Brampton and will share them upon further discussions with the Canadian government,” she said in an emailed statement.

I’ve been a big fan of high-yield savings accounts these past couple of years. Earning over 4.00% APY on completely safe, FDIC-insured cash has been a gift. But after the Federal Reserve’s September rate cut, and with another one likely coming at the end of this month, I’m starting to move a chunk of my money elsewhere.

Not because I don’t love high-yield savings accounts. I do. But because I hate watching my returns fall month after month when I could easily lock in today’s higher rates instead.

Savings account rates are heading south

When the Fed cuts rates, banks follow fast. That 4.00% APY you see on your savings account right now? It’ll probably be closer to 3.75% by November, and possibly under 3.50% by early next year if the Fed continues cutting rates.

And unlike a CD, there’s no way to “lock in” that rate. Your yield floats with the market. So while you might feel safe sitting in cash, your earning power is shrinking quietly in the background.

I’m not draining my savings completely. I still keep three to six months of expenses in a high-yield account for emergencies. But for the extra cash I won’t need soon I’m taking action before the next cut hits.

Where I’m moving the money

I’m shifting part of my savings into certificates of deposit (CDs). CDs let you lock in a guaranteed rate for a set period, typically anywhere from six months to five years.

To keep some flexibility, I’m using a CD ladder. That means splitting my money across multiple CDs with different maturity dates. A few months from now, one CD will mature, giving me access to some cash, while others keep earning higher locked-in yields. It’s a great balance between liquidity and security. Lock in a guaranteed 4.00%+ APY before the next Fed cut.

The math says it all

Let’s say you’ve got $20,000 parked in a savings account.

• At 4.25% APY, that earns about $850 over the next year.
• If rates slide to 3.50%, you’re suddenly earning just $700.

That’s $150 gone just for waiting. And the larger your cash balance, the more those small percentage drops sting.

Acting before the next cut

The Fed’s next meeting is scheduled for Oct. 28–29, and markets are already pricing in another 0.25% rate cut. Once that happens, banks won’t wait to slash their APYs.

That’s why I’m locking in my rates now. High-yield savings accounts have been incredible for the past two years, but this window of 4.00%+ returns is closing fast.

I’ll always keep my emergency fund in a liquid savings account. But for money I don’t need right away, I’d rather secure guaranteed returns than watch them disappear week by week.

Compare today’s top CD rates and lock in before they drop again.

European leaders have met to discuss Russia and the Ukraine war after a surge in attacks by both sides in September.

More sanctions are under discussion – as are new defences against Russian drones.

So what’s next for peace efforts? Or are Russia and Europe moving closer to conflict?

Presenter:

Dareen Abughaida

Guests:

Mattia Nelles, CEO and cofounder of the German-Ukrainian Bureau, a think tank promoting stronger support for Ukraine

Eldar Mamedov, nonresident fellow at the Quincy Institute, former Latvian diplomat and former foreign policy adviser in the European Parliament

Alexey Muraviev, associate professor of national security and strategic studies at Curtin University in Perth, Australia

You’re ready for a change of pace — not just leaving the workforce, but moving to another state or country in order to start fresh. While exciting, you’re probably also prepared for some challenges, like learning your way around your new neighborhood and coming up with a new retirement budget.

Though you might not expect it, you could also face Social Security challenges that affect your benefit delivery or how far your checks go. Fortunately, you can minimize the difficulty these issues pose by planning for them well in advance.

Image source: Getty Images.

Moving to another state

Moving to another state won’t change the monthly Social Security check you’re entitled to, whether you’re receiving a retirement or spousal benefit. But it could affect how far your checks go. For example, if you move from a city with a high cost of living to a rural area where living expenses are cheaper, you might find that your checks go further than they would in your current city. On the other hand, if you move to a pricier area, you may have to pay for more of your expenses out of your own pocket.

Moving could also put you at risk of or help you avoid state Social Security benefit taxes. Only nine states still have these, and each has its own rules that determine who owes these taxes. It’s possible to live in a state with a Social Security benefit tax and not pay any state taxes on your checks. But it’s worth reaching out to your new state’s department of taxation or an accountant in that state to learn how it could affect your tax bill.

You could also find yourself owing federal Social Security benefit taxes wherever you go. These depend on your provisional income — your adjusted gross income (AGI), plus any nontaxable interest you have from municipal bonds and half your annual Social Security benefit. If you’re forced to spend more due to a higher cost of living in your new home, this could increase your AGI and your provisional income, potentially forcing you to pay more in federal income taxes.

Moving to another country

If you decide to move to another country, you sidestep the issue of state Social Security benefit taxes. Depending on where you go, you might also be able to secure a lower cost of living to help your benefits go further.

You will still be responsible for paying federal Social Security benefit taxes if your provisional income is high enough. And you could also run into an accessibility issue if you retire in certain countries.

The Social Security Administration can pay you via direct deposit or a prepaid debit card in most parts of the world. However, if you retire in the following countries, you may not be able to receive your benefit payments:

• Azerbaijan
• Belarus
• Kazakhstan
• Kyrgyzstan
• Tajikistan
• Turkmenistan
• Uzbekistan

You may be able to petition the Social Security Administration to make an exception for you if you agree to certain restricted payment terms.

This isn’t an option for those who choose to retire in Cuba or North Korea, however. There, you cannot get Social Security benefits at all.

If you retire in a country where the U.S. government won’t send Social Security checks, you may still be able to receive all your back payments if you later move from that country to a place where the Social Security Administration can send benefits again.

It’s best to contact the Social Security Administration directly if you have any questions about how your move could affect your Social Security checks. This way, you’ll be able to get a personalized answer and then you can adjust your budget accordingly.

Shares of Micron (MU 4.59%), the U.S.-based memory chipmaker, were moving higher today in sympathy with SK Hynix, the world’s largest memory chip company, which hit an all-time high today after it announced the world’s first HBM4 product.

Though SK Hynix is a competitor to Micron, the news was seen as a positive for the broader memory-chip industry, as it should spark more demand for HBM. It also comes during a week when artificial intelligence (AI) stocks have been flying higher after Oracle gave blowout guidance for cloud infrastructure growth earlier this year.

Micron stock closed up 4.6% on the news.

Image source: Getty Images.

A rising tide in memory chips

SK Hynix, based on South Korea, jumped 7% today after it said this morning that it completed development of HBM4, its next-generation memory product for ultra-high performance AI.

Touting its capabilities, the company said that HBM4’s bandwidth has doubled, and its power efficiency improved 40% compared with the previous generation. HBM4 marks its sixth generation of HBM.

While that development might be seen as bad news for Micron, the memory chip sector is subject to many of the same supply and demand trends. Micron has already sold out its HBM capacity for the year, so the news shouldn’t have an immediate impact on its results, but it could help lift prices in the industry.

What’s next for Micron?

Today’s gain marks the second day in a row of upward momentum for Micron, as the stock moved higher yesterday after Citigroup raised its price target to $175 and reaffirmed its buy rating, noting that pricing for DRAM and NAND chips are trending higher.

Micron will report fiscal fourth-quarter earnings on Sept. 23, with analysts expecting revenue to jump 43% to $11.1 billion and for adjusted earnings per share to more than double from $1.18 to $2.85.

If the company tops those estimates, the stock could soar as Micron still looks cheap at a forward P/E of just 12.

I’ve loved high-yield savings accounts over the past two years. They’ve been paying over 4.00% APY, which is the kind of return we haven’t seen in more than a decade. But those rates aren’t going to last.

The Federal Reserve is expected to begin cutting interest rates later this month, and savings account APYs will tumble right alongside. That’s why I’m moving a chunk of my money out of high-yield savings in September and locking it into places where I can preserve today’s higher returns.

Savings accounts are about to pay less

High-yield savings accounts are variable. When banks cut rates, they cut them fast. That 4.25% APY you see today could be under 3.75% by November. And once it drops, you have to wait for rate cycles to change to get it back.

I’m not closing my savings account completely. It’s still the best spot for my emergency fund and short-term goals. But I don’t want thousands of dollars sitting in cash earning less and less interest each month.

Where I’m moving the money

I’m moving my cash into certificates of deposit (CDs). CDs let me lock in today’s yields for a set term like 12, 24, 36 months, or longer. Once I’m in, the bank can’t cut the APY, no matter what the Fed does.

I’m also using a CD ladder. That means splitting my money across different term lengths so a portion comes due every year. It gives me steady access to cash if I need it, while still locking in higher rates on longer terms.

This way, I don’t have to guess exactly when I’ll need the money, and I don’t miss the chance to preserve today’s top APYs.

The math behind the move

Let’s say you have $20,000 sitting in savings:

• At 4.25% APY, that earns about $850 in interest over the next year.
• If rates fall to 3.50% by year’s end, that drops to $700 in interest.

That’s $150 less just because you waited. Now scale that up if you’ve got a bigger emergency fund or down payment fund. The lost interest adds up fast.

Why now is the time to act

Waiting until after the Fed cuts rates is too late. By then, banks will already have slashed their APYs. Moving money before the Fed meeting on Sept.17 gives you the chance to lock in one of the last rounds of 4%+ rates before they likely disappear.

I’m not abandoning high-yield savings altogether; they’ll always have a place for my emergency cash. But for the money I don’t need immediately, I’d rather secure today’s top rates than watch them slide lower. Compare the best CD rates today.

“So what?” Richard Martin, a US-based pan-Africanist, shot back on LinkedIn, dismissing another user who dared to call a trending speech of Burkina Faso’s military leader, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, by its real name: a deepfake.

It was the kind of fiery anti-imperialist speech delivered by Muammar Gaddafi at the United Nations in 2009. 

“You ask, ‘Why is Africa poor?’ That’s the wrong question,” Traoré tells the big news companies in crisp, accented English. “The real question is, how is Africa kept poor when it’s so rich?”

Patti Boulaye, a British-Nigerian singer and actress, shared it on LinkedIn, lending it an aura of authenticity. Many of the over 300 comments under her post on the social media platform echoed her conviction that the speech was real. Another sizable fraction recognised it as fake but embraced it anyway. Among those who raised concerns was London-based IT training consultant Andrian Moore, who was quickly pushed back by Richard: So what?

Undeterred by criticism, Patti, who, according to her LinkedIn bio, leads a fundraising effort to build healthcare clinics and a school in some African countries, posted yet another AI-generated speech.

“All I ask is that you do not throw away the baby with the bath water,” she wrote.

The new video shows the same man in his signature brownish camouflage, speaking on a global podium. Like the first, which was reposted over 250 times and received reactions from more than 1,300 users, the second video also went viral.

Captain Traoré seized power in Burkina Faso on September 30, 2022, citing military leader Paul-Henri Damiba’s failure to curb an escalating Islamic insurgency, and pledged to restore democracy within two years. But as the deadline approached, he extended his rule by five more years, cementing his place as president of the Francophone nation.

In office, Traoré has overseen notable agricultural and industrial initiatives, while also drawing international criticism. In May, Burkina Faso’s military was accused of killing at least 130 civilians in Solenzo, a town in the country’s west.

His rule has been marked by bold geopolitical shifts: withdrawing from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), forging a new alliance with other military-led neighbours, severing ties with France, and deepening relations with Russia.

A dictator loved by some and criticised by others across borders, Traoré’s complex personality made him a tool of choice in the deepfake videos now making the rounds in Africa.

Many of them hit the internet in May, attributed to Traoré and conveying similar messages – Africa, a historical victim of Western exploitation, must deliver itself. 

The videos appear to premiere on YouTube before spreading to social media platforms like TikTok, Facebook, and LinkedIn. The responses, from thousands of people, are often the same: tears, admiration, accolades, as well as scepticism. 

“This is not a simple speech, it’s rather a textbook of freedom for Africa,” one YouTube comment reads.

The numerous fact-checks that followed, proving the videos are synthetic, could not stop the people from believing them.

One, “President Ibrahim Traoré’s Bold Speech to the IMF Shocks the West,” has got close to 1.5 million YouTube views, while “Africa Will Not Kneel: Traoré’s UN Speech Shocks the West and Defies Neocolonial Power” has over 600,000. Now deleted by YouTube, “Pope Leo XIV Responds to Captain Ibrahim Traoré| A Message of Truth, Justice & Reconciliation” was streamed nearly a million times. Its description as “a work of fiction inspired by the life of IBRAHIM TRAORÉ” had little effect on the thousands who flooded the comment section.

“They sound like what leaders should say but seldom dare to,” Ghanaian strategic communicator Rifkin Dodo said of the moving speeches.

Yaw Kissi, a pan-African writer popular on LinkedIn, shares the same view: “When people hear voices, even artificial ones, boldly articulating what they’ve always felt but rarely heard echoed, it sparks something powerful.”

Where are they from?

Because of their anti-West rhetoric and pan-African posture, the biggest bet would be that these speeches originated in Africa itself. Yet an in-depth analysis of seven of them, collected from different YouTube channels, tells a different story.

The earliest uploads can be traced to three channels: Pan-African Dreams, Black Rebellion, and Univers Inspirant. The latter two were both created in March this year. Though Pan-African Dreams, which premiered the viral deepfake of the newly-inaugurated head of the Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV, responding to Traoré, has since been deleted by YouTube, archived records show it shared the same “Welcome to …” opening line in its page description as the other two.

Labelled D1 through D7, metadata extracted from the three channels was subjected to forensic linguistic analysis, using advanced AI language models.

An analysis of authorship and voice, lexical patterns, and stylistic markers revealed overlaps suggesting the channels are from one source:

Black Rebellion and Univers Inspirant both joined YouTube…in March 2025, within 9 days of each other.

Pan-African Dreams shares the same “Welcome to …” channel intro formula despite deletion.

All seven videos were released within 10 days (May 15–24, 2025) — a compressed schedule suggesting a campaign roll-out rather than organic posting.

While Black Rebellion chose a different core style, Pan-African Dreams and Univers Inspirant share the same linguistic fingerprint in their video descriptions. In one instance, Black Rebellion merged the styles of the other two channels.

This pattern implies one production team testing multiple rhetorical frames (religious/spiritual, militant/anti-colonial, media-critique) to maximise resonance across audiences.

YouTube transcripts of two videos from Black Rebellion and Univers Inspirant were also subjected to a similar analysis:

The core linguistic fingerprint—the ideology, the confrontational pronoun strategy, the complete lack of filler words, the passionate tone, and the reliance on specific rhetorical patterns—is remarkably consistent across both texts.

The significant differences in structure, pacing, and lexical focus are best explained not by a change in author but by a deliberate and skilful adaptation to audience and medium.

The underlying idiolect is the same; only the presentational style has been modified to fit the specific context.

Surprisingly, Black Rebellion and Univers Inspirant are both located in France, prompting an AI model to conclude:

The timing, registration, style overlaps, disclaimers, and cross-channel duplication all strongly suggest that Pan-African Dreams, Black Rebellion, and Univers Inspirant are not independent outlets but rather part of a single coordinated network, seeded from France in March 2025, with the May videos representing a first major campaign wave.

Truths, lies, and half-truths 

Richard repeated the same statement many times under Patti’s post: It’s absolutely true. Like him, many embrace the AI speeches, convinced they contain undiluted truths about Africa. 

But a fact-check revealed a mix of accurate data, exaggerations, and popular opinions.

Take Captain Traoré’s age. Official records show he was born in 1988, making him 37 in 2025. Yet in one of the videos, he declares: “I am 34 years old.”

Misleading claims of 46 US military bases in Africa, and the unverifiable annual transfer of $500 billion to France by the African CFA franc bloc, among others, further erode the speeches’ credibility. 

But one cannot deny the compelling manner in which facts are presented, shining light on historical exploitation and suppression of pan-African voices. 

It’s true, for instance, that Africa is a “net creditor of the world,” receiving $134 billion in aid and losing $192 billion annually through illicit channels. It’s also true that citizens derive little benefit from resources taken from African soils.

“Africa has 70 per cent of the world’s cobalt,” one deepfake Traoré declares. The mineral powers cell phones, computers, and electric cars, but many Congolese, from whose soil it is mined, cannot afford these products.

A significant share of the world’s diamonds and gold comes from Africa. But several miners in those regions remain extremely poor.

“Africa does not owe you,” Traoré tells the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in another deepfake. “You owe Africa. You owe us for the gold taken under colonial boots. You owe us for the minerals that power your smartphones while our villages remain in darkness.”

Declassified documents and government inquiries have linked Belgium to the removal of Congo’s anti-imperialism leader Patrice Lumumba in 1960, which culminated in his murder. Thomas Sankara’s 1987 overthrow and assassination have also raised questions about France’s role.

“Lumumba spoke the truth and paid the price,” said Rifnikin. “Sankara challenged the system, and bullets followed. Leaders today remember these as if it was yesterday.

“AI speaks openly because it has nothing to lose and cannot be arrested, poisoned or assassinated. African leaders remain silent because they have everything to lose: power, comfort, and sometimes even their lives.”

Yet, as Yaw warns, the same technology that gives voice to suppressed truths also carries the risk of distortion when cloaked in the aura of charismatic leaders.

“Communities must be equipped to critically engage with these narratives, separating emotional resonance from factual accuracy, while leveraging the technology to reclaim our own stories,” he said.

To what end?

“What are the objectives of those who posted the video?” Adrian asked during our conversation. “Are we advancing this agenda by sharing it?” 

A closer look at the YouTube channels provided some answers. Mid-roll and interactive overlay ads, features tied to AdSense, Google’s monetisation programme, were embedded in the videos, suggesting that profit, not ideology, is at play.

While a ‘Join’ button and fan-funding features that could have confirmed channel monetisation are absent, further analysis indicates significant background, voice, and musical variations in videos that are substantially the same. This could be explained by the YouTube policy requiring that borrowed content be significantly altered to qualify for monetisation.

Black Rebellion (28,000+ subscribers and more than 2.5 million views) and Univers Inspirant (46,000+ subscribers and more than 6 million views) are likely generating revenue from disinformation targeting Africans. On Black Rebellion, only three of its 40 videos are not about Traoré, but they are still about Africa. Univers Inspirant hosts 112 videos; just six do not feature Traoré. Those six, produced in French, highlight the achievements of France’s past and present leaders, a divergence that hints at the channel’s possible origin.

While metadata alone does not conclusively prove that the channels were registered in France, as creators can obscure their real location, the French-language content, French name (Inspiring Universe in English), and page description in French reinforce the suspicion.

“Today, we have an inspiring message from Ibrahim Traoré,” said Adrian, who also told me his surprise at finding such a deepfake circulating on LinkedIn, shared by someone from whom one would ordinarily expect due diligence.

“Tomorrow, we could have Ibrahim Traoré promoting prejudice or justifying crimes, and it would be accepted, even acted upon, simply because it came in the voice of a visionary African leader.”

Africa has endured centuries of exploitation. Yet the ongoing weaponisation of her pain, packaged through deepfakes by individuals linked to a country that once colonised her, opens a new chapter in the history of human exploitation.

“Colonialism never ended,” says Traoré in one such deepfake. “It just changed its face.”

Sept. 2 (UPI) — President Donald Trump is expected to announce Tuesday that the U.S. Space Command headquarters will releocate from Colorado to Alabama.

The move would shift the U.S. Space Command headquarters from its current spot Colorado Springs, Colorado, to Huntsville, Alabama, CBS News, Politico and CNN reported.

The U.S. Department of Defense had posted to its Defense Visual Information Distribution Service, or DVIDS, that Trump was to make a 2 p.m. EDT statement on its website that was initially titled “U.S. Space Command HQ announcement.”

The site has since replaced that with “President Trump Makes an Announcement.”

Trump’s decision to uproot the military branch’s current spot follows an April report from the Department of Defense Inspector General that “could not determine why the (former) [Secretary of the Air Force] did not make an announcement decision for the transition of [U.S. Space Command headquarters] from Colorado Springs to [the Redstone Arsenal].”

The Redstone Arsenal is a U.S. Army base adjacent to Huntsville, Alabama.

The first Trump administration had planned to move Space Command to Alabama, but after a 2022 report from the Government Accountability Office which found fault with that conclusion, then-President Joe Biden decided in 2023 to keep it in Colorado, to the chagrin of officials in Alabama.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has pushed for the move to her state even before Biden’s call to leave the base in Colorado.

“I couldn’t be more pleased to learn that Alabama will be the new home to the United States Space Command,” she posted to X in January of 2021.

However, following Biden’s decision, she posted in May of 2023 that “Alabama is the only rightful home for Space Command Headquarters, and supporting this mission is critical to the advancement of our national security.”

In April, Kay signed a resolution that urged Space Command Headquarters to be permanently established in Huntsville.

Meanwhile, Republican Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville introduced a resolution in the Senate in January that “encourages President Donald J. Trump and his incoming second Presidential administration to halt the Biden administration’s disastrous decision and immediately proceed in establishing a permanent headquarters for United States Space Command at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama.”

“Space Command coming to Huntsville?” Kay posted to X Sunday. “Count on it.”

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts wanted to set the record straight: Mookie Betts is his shortstop.

“Mookie,” Roberts said, “will not go to right field.”

Roberts repeated the phrase a couple of times, as if he was determined to quash any speculation about another late-season position change for Betts.

“Mookie,” Roberts said again, “will not go to right field.”

There it is, directly from the man who hands the lineup card to the umpire every night.

So ignore the noise and stop the chatter.

Mookie Betts is the Dodgers’ shortstop.

Betts is the Dodgers’ shortstop now, Betts will be the Dodgers’ shortstop next week, and Betts will be the Dodgers’ shortstop in the postseason.

The only times Roberts said he envisioned Betts returning to right field was late in games in which the Dodgers ran out of bench players. A situation like that came up a few weeks ago in a game against the Angels. Miguel Rojas, an infielder, was deployed as a pinch hitter in the top of the eighth inning and remained in the game at shortstop. Betts defended right field for an inning.

Roberts isn’t sticking with Betts at shortstop because of their close relationship. He’s sticking with Betts at shortstop because of how Betts has played the position.

Betts entered his team’s weekend series against the Arizona Diamondbacks leading all major league shortstops in defensive runs saved (15).

He was ninth in outs above average (four).

He was also fifth in fielding percentage (.985).

“When you’re talking about shortstop play, you’re looking for consistency, and I’ve just loved the consistency,” Roberts said. “He’s made every play he’s supposed to make, and then the last couple weeks, he’s made spectacular plays. He’s been a big part of preventing runs. “

Roberts is equally, if not more, encouraged by how Betts has looked.

“Right now, it’s all instinct instead of the technical part of it, how to do this or that,” Roberts said. “I think he’s free to just be a major league shortstop. I truly, to this day, have never seen a position change like Mookie has.”

Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts throws to first base after forcing out Padres baserunner Freddy Fermin at second on Aug. 15.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

A six-time Gold Glove Award winner as a right fielder, Betts moved to shortstop late in spring training last year when it became evident the team didn’t have an everyday player at the position. The last time he spent significant time at shortstop was in high school.

By mid-June, Betts was about a league-average shortstop but further progress was derailed by a broken hand that landed him on the injured list. When Betts was activated a couple of months later, he returned as a right fielder. He remained there throughout the Dodgers’ World Series run.

However, Betts was determined to take another shot at playing shortstop. Unlike the previous year, he was able to train at this position over the offseason, working with Dodgers coaches and former All-Star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki. The preparation has made a noticeable difference.

Betts has improved to where he now feels comfortable dispensing advice on how to play the position, regularly offering pointers to rookie infielder Alex Freeland.

“It’s the smallest details,” Freeland said. “I give him so much credit because he makes the small things matter the most because a lot of those smaller details go overlooked by a lot of players where they’re like, ‘Oh, we don’t need to focus on that, something so minute, it’s not going to matter.’ But Mookie takes all the small details and makes them very important.”

Roberts expected this of Betts, whom he considers one of the team’s leaders alongside Freddie Freeman and Clayton Kershaw. He pointed to how Betts has carried himself in the worst offensive season of his career, his relentless work resulting in him batting .329 over the last three weeks.

“I love how Mookie is always accountable,” Roberts said. “There’s been times where he’s been really good and times he hasn’t but he’s never run from having the conversation or owning the fact that he’s underperforming. His work has never wavered. So for me, that’s something that when you’re talking about one of the leaders in your clubhouse, it really resonates with everyone, coaches included. I’m always going to bet on him.”

So much so that Roberts has wagered the season on him.

Mookie Betts is his shortstop — now, next week and in the postseason.

“Long Story Short,” premiering Friday on Netflix, is the sweet, melancholy, satirical, silly, poignant, hopeful, sometimes slapstick cartoon tale of a middle-class Jewish family, told nonchronologically from the 1990s to the 2020s. For all its exaggerations — and unexaggerated portrayals of exaggerated behaviors — it is remarkably acute, and surprisingly moving, about relations between parents and children and brothers and sisters and about the passage of time and the lives time contains. The eight-episode season is bookended with funerals.

On a plane ride home, Avi Schwooper (Ben Feldman), his last name combining his parents’ Schwartz and Cooper, plays new girlfriend Jen (Angelique Cabral) a recording of Paul Simon’s “The Obvious Child,” in which a character goes from a baby to a married man in the space of a verse. “That’s time, right?” he says, setting a theme and a strategy. In the episodes that follow, we’ll see relationships begin and end; children born and grown, not necessarily in that order. Things change, things fall apart, things last.

Created by “BoJack Horseman” creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg — Avi is drawn to resemble him — and designed by Lisa Hanawalt (who inspired and designed the “BoJack” characters and created “Tuca & Bertie”), it has the look of a children’s book, bright, colorful and busy, aggressively two-dimensional, with wobbly bold lines and squiggly patterns. Deceptively sophisticated and wonderfully expressive, it is full of lifelike details, without being made to resemble life.

Avi’s parents are Naomi Schwartz (Lisa Edelstein), intense and serious, and Elliot Cooper (Paul Reiser), laid-back and humorous. Avi, who writes about music, will go on to marry Jen (blond, gentile); Hannah (Michaela Dietz) is their smart, socially isolated daughter. Avi’s sister Shira (Abbi Jacobson), the angry middle child, will start a family with Kendra (Nicole Byer), a Black woman who is Jewish by choice. Younger brother Yoshi (Max Greenfield) is a bit of a lost soul — “sometimes I just feel like the extra one,” he’ll say — diagnosed as an adolescent with ADD, dyslexia and executive function disorder. (“I never gave him enough attention,” Naomi says, rushing to claim the guilt. “Now he has a deficit.”)

Created by Raphael Bob-Waksberg and designed by Lisa Hanawalt, the series has the look of a children’s book, bright, colorful and busy, aggressively two-dimensional, with wobbly bold lines and squiggly patterns.

(Netflix)

Though each episode is a piece in the mosaic, each has its own story to tell: Yoshi selling mattresses that come in a tube; Avi mixed up with self-righteous parents as he campaigns to remove wolves from Hannah’s school (the wolves, by contrast, are drawn realistically); Kendra at work at a birthday arcade called BJ Barnacles; Yoshi on a nocturnal adventure in San Francisco — the show is set around the Bay Area — with a former friend of his sister, attempting to retrieve a lost bag; Shira attempting to make her mother’s knishes; an improvised shabbat in a desert motel. There are inside family jokes (“Is not a schnook,” Cousin Moishe) that will pay off after a while; a school holiday pageant (“Hanukkah, Ramadan, Kwanzaa too / We tolerate them all, but there’s nothing like Christmas,” runs a song in the background). Yoshi has a bar mitzvah; Naomi is honored for her charitable work. Occasional weird inventions are folded in: a “hambulance” delivering ham; food trucks selling potato ice cream and soup on a stick; something called Pacifier Shirt Syndrome, caused by rubbing a dropped pacifier on a short.

Although I suspect this subject is interesting only to (us) Jews, it took a long time for any sort of Jewish specificity to make it to the screen, especially given who built the movie business. (Assimilation was the name of the game for a people blamed for a scapegoated race.) Even now, it doesn’t happen all that much. You could sense it on “Seinfeld,” see it on “Curb Your Enthusiasm” a lot. There are the current Netflix rom-com “Nobody Wants This,” with Kristen Bell in a relationship with Adam Brody’s rabbi, and the recent Adam Sandler-produced “You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah.” And there is the odd Holocaust drama.

But in this moment, with its confounding mix of classical antisemitism, fake anti-antisemitism brandished as a weapon against universities and what gets called antisemitism simply because it’s critical of Israel, it’s not a bad thing to get a relatively straightforward look at a contemporary American Jewish family. Together, the characters represent the spectrum of religious attitudes — from atheist to convert, selectively to very observant — but all are steeped in the culture.

Hannah, whose gentile mother makes her “not Jewish,” wonders if her wanting a bat mitzvah might be “cultural appropriation.”

“Look, if Adolf Hitler saw you, I don’t think he’d be doing the math on technically how halachically Jewish you are,” says her father. “He’d throw you in the oven with the rest of us. … If you’re Jewish enough for Hitler, you’re Jewish enough for me.”

That the show can be a little obscure from time to time — I had to look up “Moshiach” to get one joke — just deepens its world. But anyone who’s ever shared a family joke, or wanted to ask a question of someone no longer around to answer it, or compared notes with a sibling on a parent never fully understood will recognize themself here.

The period drama is available to stream for free

Netflix fans can stream a “moving” period drama that is making fans “sob”.

All The Light We Cannot See is a limited series that was released back in 2023. It follows the story of a blind teenager, Marie-Laure, and her father, Daniel LeBlanc, who flee German-occupied Paris with a legendary diamond.

Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Anthony Doerr, fans see Aria Mia Loberti as Marie-Laure and Avengers star Mark Ruffalo as Daniel LeBlanc. Viewers may also recognise Hugh Laurie as Uncle Etienne, Louis Hofmann as Werner, Lars Eidinger as Von Rumpel, and Marion Bailey as Madame Manec.

Netflix teases: “Relentlessly pursued by a cruel Gestapo officer who seeks to possess the stone for his own selfish means, Marie-Laure and Daniel soon find refuge in St. Malo, where they take up residence with a reclusive uncle who transmits clandestine radio broadcasts as part of the resistance.

“Yet here in this once-idyllic seaside city, Marie-Laure’s path also collides inexorably with the unlikeliest of kindred spirits: Werner, a brilliant teenager enlisted by Hitler’s regime to track down illegal broadcasts, who instead shares a secret connection to Marie-Laure as well as her faith in humanity and the possibility of hope.”

Aria Mia Loberti herself is legally blind and has previously opened up on the importance of her role. Since its release in 2023, the four part series is available to stream on Netflix as fans have commented on its high emotion.

Over on Rotten Tomatoes, one fan said: “Even after all the war she’s been through she’s still standing . . this made me sob like a child deep inside my soul, just wow it’s perfection.”

Another wrote: “One of the most amazing war related TV shows out there. I wish more people knew of it. It has a beautiful, moving storyline, wonderful actors portraying strong and thoughtful characters.

“The atmosphere of war, the dressing, the music set the right mood for the viewer to enjoy. And it’s got deep messages, love, care, light in it. I highly recommend.”

A fourth replied: “Moving storylines, underlying statements about class, intelligence, and education. Excellent sets. A series with all the emotions.”

Another said: “We loved this series. There have been a million WW2 movies and series but they came from a perspective I have never seen before. Only thing I didn’t like was it was only 4 episodes.”

All The Light We Cannot See is available to stream on Netflix.

The Israeli government says it’s going to seize control of Gaza City, install a different administration and try to eliminate Hamas.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier said Israel planned to take over the entire Strip.

The Israeli military already controls about 80 percent of Gaza. The more-than-two-million people living there have been bombed, starved, repeatedly displaced and forced into temporary shelters.

So, why did Israel make this announcement now?

Is the prime minister trying to appease the right-wing members of his cabinet?

Or is he trying to detract international condemnation of the man-made hunger crisis?

Presenter: Adrian Finighan

Guests:

Dr Khamis Elessi – Neurorehabilitation and pain medicine consultant

Yossi Mekelberg – Senior consulting fellow at the MENA Programme of Chatham House

Phyllis Bennis – Fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies and author of Understanding Palestine and Israel

Donald Trump has ordered the repositioning of two United States nuclear submarines to “appropriate regions” relative to Russia, as the US president grows frustrated over stalling peace talks aimed at bringing an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine.

On Friday, Trump exchanged heated words with Dmitry Medvedev, Moscow’s military leader and former president.

The day before, Trump had issued an ultimatum to Russia: If it does not agree to a ceasefire by next Friday, August 8, he will impose a package of economic sanctions.

The next day, Medvedev posted on social media, describing Trump’s threat as “a step towards war”. He wrote that Trump was “playing the ultimatum game with Russia”.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump responded: “Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences, I hope this will not be one of those instances.”

What has Trump done?

On Friday, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that he had ordered two US “Nuclear Submarines” to be repositioned to “appropriate regions”.

Trump cited what he regarded as threatening comments made by former Russian President  Medvedev, now deputy chair of Russia’s Security Council. He called Medvedev’s statements “highly provocative”, adding that his actions were a precaution.

“I have ordered two Nuclear Submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that,” Trump wrote.

In the run-up to his presidential campaign, Trump promised to end Russia’s war in Ukraine within 24 hours; however, several discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin have since not yielded any results.

What do we know about the submarines Trump says he will reposition?

Not much – and we do not know which submarines Trump is referring to. Trump did not say if he had ordered the repositioning of submarines with nuclear engines or submarines carrying nuclear missiles.

Trump did not reveal the location of the submarines, either, as mandated by US military protocol.

However, Trump’s statement is so far being viewed as a rhetorical threat, rather than a military one, as security analysts noted that the US already has nuclear-powered submarines that are deployed and capable of striking Russia as a deterrent.

What prompted Trump’s submarine move?

Mostly, his frustration over the lack of progress of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. But, in this case, the social media spat with Medvedev seems to have tipped him over into action.

Trump and the Russian military leader have been engaged in mud-slinging on social media platforms for some time.

Earlier, responding to Trump’s new deadline for a ceasefire in Ukraine, Medvedev wrote in a post on X that Trump was playing an “ultimatum game” with Russia.

“Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war. Not between Russia and Ukraine, but with his own country. Don’t go down the Sleepy Joe road!” Medvedev had said.

Earlier in the week, while announcing trade tariffs for India – along with an extra penalty for buying Russian oil – Trump stated that he did not care if India and Russia “take their dead economies down together”.

In a Telegram post on Thursday, Medvedev wrote that Trump should “revisit his favourite movies about the living dead and recall just how dangerous the mythical ‘Dead Hand’ can be”.

Russia’s “Dead Hand system” is a Cold War-era automatic nuclear retaliation mechanism designed to launch a counterstrike even if the Russian leadership is wiped out in a first strike.

Trump replied: “Tell Medvedev, the failed former President of Russia, who thinks he’s still President, to watch his words. He’s entering very dangerous territory!”

Speaking to reporters after his post about the nuclear submarines, Trump said on Friday: “We just have to be careful. And a threat was made and we didn’t think it was appropriate, so I have to be very careful.

“A threat was made by a former president of Russia, and we’re going to protect our people.”

Who has more nuclear power: Russia or the US?

Combined, the US and Russia account for nearly 87 percent of the world’s total nuclear arsenal. The geopolitical rivals control about 83 percent of the nuclear warheads actually deployed or ready for operational use.

Despite significant post-Cold War reductions, global nuclear arsenals remain at a “very high level”, according to a report by the Federation of American Scientists. As of January 2025, just nine countries are estimated to possess a total of approximately 12,241 nuclear warheads.

Today, according to the nonprofit Arms Control Association, the US deploys 1,419 and Russia deploys 1,549 strategic warheads on several hundred bombers and missiles.

The US conducted its first nuclear test explosion in July 1945; the following month, it dropped two atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Four years later, the Soviet Union conducted its first nuclear test explosion.

As of 2025, the US Navy operates 71 submarines, all nuclear‑powered, making it the largest undersea force. This fleet includes 14 Ohio‑class ballistic missile subs (SSBNs), four Ohio‑class converted guided‑missile submarines (SSGNs) loaded with Tomahawk missiles for strikes or special operations, and about 53 fast‑attack submarines designed for intelligence gathering, anti‑submarine warfare and cruise‑missile support.

By comparison, the Russian Navy fields fewer than 30 nuclear‑powered submarines, including approximately 10 strategic SSBNs, a mix of modern Borei and older Delta IV classes, that carry Bulava missiles.

It also operates several strategic‑missile cruise boats and about six Akula‑class attack submarines equipped for anti‑ship and multi‑role missions. Russia is investing in modern fleet expansion through the Yasen‑M class.

Has Russia responded to Trump’s submarine manoeuvre?

No. Neither the Kremlin nor Medvedev has publicly responded to Trump’s order to move two nuclear submarines following their war of words.

Viktor Vodolatsky, a senior Russian lawmaker and deputy chairman of the State Duma’s committee on Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) affairs, however, stated that Russia possesses “significantly more nuclear submarines in the world’s oceans” than the US, claiming US subs have “long been under their control” and, therefore, no specific response is required.

Last month, the US President said he was “disappointed” with Putin.

“We’ll have a great conversation. I’ll say: ‘That’s good, I’ll think we’re close to getting it done,’ and then he’ll knock down a building in Kyiv,” he told the BBC in an interview.

On Friday, in an apparent reference to Trump’s comment, Putin said: “As for any disappointments on the part of anyone, all disappointments arise from inflated expectations. This is a well-known general rule.”

On a ceasefire with Kyiv, Putin said he wants a “lasting and stable peace” in Ukraine; however, he has not given any indication that Russia is willing to achieve it any quicker.

In 2017, during his first term as US president, Trump announced that he had sent two nuclear submarines to the Korean peninsula. Soon afterwards, he held a meeting with the North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un.

Whether this latest move will lead to a new meeting with Putin is yet to be seen, however.

THOUSANDS of Thames Water customers are stuck on tariffs which were set in the 90s and bills have jumped by up to 671%.

The water firm, which is in the midst of a multibillion-pound rescue deal, has said bills would rise by 31% from April.

1

Our investigation has discovered that:

• Customers without water meters have seen bills soar due to rates set in the 90s
• Thousands of homes are unable to get a water meter installed, which could lower their bill, because of where they live
• Customers are not being told about a tariff which could save them money
• Customers who ask to get a water meter but can’t get one could be automatically being moved onto a tariff for a three-bedroom home that is up to £93.72 more expensive annually

We have delivered a dossier of cases to Thames Water asking them to urgently investigate.

We have also shared our concerns with the Consumer Council for Water, regulator Ofwat and the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs.

Consumer expert Martyn James said: “I’m deeply concerned about affordability and supporting people who can’t afford this unavoidable, essential service.”

Bills rising by more than expected

The Sun has spoken to scores of people who have seen their bills double, with one customer being hit by a 671% increase.

Many do not have a water meter, so their bills are calculated using a metric known as the rateable value (RV).

The RV of a property is set by the government and is based on the location and size of your home.

The rates were set in 1990 and the values from March 31 of that year are still used to calculate customers’ bills.

The RV varies from house to house, so your bill could be different to your neighbour’s, even if your houses are identical.

Industry regulator Ofwat told The Sun that some customers, particularly those without a water meter whose bills are calculated in this way, may see their payments increase by more than average.

Ofwat added that the RV may not accurately reflect the amount of water they currently use.

In comparison, households with a water meter pay for the exact amount used.

As a result, their bill could be higher or lower than average based on their usage.

Water meter lottery

Installing a water meter is the main way households can reduce their bill.

Customers firstly must ask Thames Water for a water meter appointment and then an engineer will visit to install one – but thousands of homes around the UK are not suitable for them.

Bill rise is ridiculous – we’ll have to cut back

MUM-OF-TWO Susan Palmer, 46, said it’s “ridiculous

Susan, who lives in a two-bedroom, one-bathroom flat in Lewisham, London, with her husband James, 48, a warehouse operative and 13-year-old sons Callum & Reece.

She said: “It’s worrying. I’m a paramedic so I am not at home very often.

“There is no reason why we would be using a lot of water and we don’t have a bath. It doesn’t make sense.”

Susan called Thames Water to ask why her bill had risen but it couldn’t explain the increase.

Susan said her family will now need to cut back.

“I normally do overtime to keep our head above water. This bill increase will mean we need to tighten our purse strings,” she said.

This is due to a number of reasons, including sharing your water supply with other residents such as in a flat without your own stop cock or living in a home where there isn’t a suitable place to fit one.

Insiders at Thames Water have told this newspaper that around 70% of homes in London cannot get a water meter.

If you live in a home where you cannot get a water meter fitted then you can be moved onto new tariff called the Assessed Household Charge – but this only happens after your home has been assessed by an engineer.

The Sun has found that customers are not being told about this process and therefore cannot access the cheaper tariff.

However, households who are put on the Assessed Household Charge tariff will automatically be moved to the three-bedroom rate, unless they update Thames Water to tell them how many bedrooms they have.

This could mean a household with two bedrooms could be paying around £61.14 extra per year.

Thames Water will not backdate payments so customers need to contact them as soon as possible to check their tariff and update their details.

Experts have slammed the water company for making customers opt-in to find cheaper tariffs.

Martyn James said: “Anything that could reduce bills should absolutely not be conditional on getting a water meter.”

Discounts if you live alone

If you live alone you could also access a single occupier tariff.

However, the vast majority of homes will be on the rate of a three-bedroom home.

The tariff costs £606.58 a year – £93.72 less than for a standard three bed property.

I complained to my MP after bill hike

Natasha Tressillian complained to Thames Water after her water bill rose from £359 a year to £535.

Although Natasha lives alone in a flat in Lewisham, London, she is now spending £45 a month on her bill after it rose by £15 a month.

Thames Water estimates that if Natasha had a water meter her bill would be just £315 a year – £220 less than what she is currently paying.

Natasha, who is in her 30s, said: “Unfortunately a water meter cannot be fitted in my flat. 

“That means with a single occupier tariff I’m paying around double what I would otherwise have been charged if a water meter could be fitted.

“It just doesn’t seem fair or reasonable.”

She has complained to Thames Water and her local MP, Janet Daby, and plans to file a formal complaint to the Consumer Council for Water and Ofwat.

Surge in demand for water meters

Bill rises have caused a surge in demand for water meter installations, according to the Consumer Council for Water.

A spokesperson said: “We know water companies have seen a surge in applications for water meters since the bill rises were announced and, in some cases, demand has doubled or even trebled.

“This means in some instances it is taking longer than expected to install water meters at properties where they can be fitted.”

Thames Water aims to install meters within 50 days.

This means that if you apply for an appointment now you could be forced to wait until the end of July for a visit from an engineer.

It also means if you are unable to get a water meter that you could be waiting weeks paying a higher rate before you can access the discounted tariff.

If it takes longer than 12 weeks for a water meter to be installed then you are entitled to compensation.

Act now to get help

Anyone who is worried about their bill should speak to Thames Water, the Consumer Council for Water recommends.

It should be able to explain why your bill has increased and double check if it is accurate.

You can contact Thames Water online or by calling 0800 980 8800.

The phone lines are open from Monday to Friday between 8am and 8pm or on Saturdays between 8am and 6pm.

If you are still concerned then you can complain to the Consumer Council for Water, who can investigate on your behalf.

If your bill has increased and you do not have a water meter then you should book an appointment now.

An engineer may be able to install a water meter at your home, so you will only be billed for what you use.

If they cannot install a meter then you will be moved onto the Assessed Household Charge, which should save you money.

Ofwat suggests that customers whose bills are calculated using the RV may benefit financially by switching to the Assessed Household Charge.

If your bill will be lower on the new tariff then Thames Water will switch you straight away.

But if your bill will be higher then it will not move you onto the tariff for a year to give you time to understand how you will be affected.

Thames Water will send you a letter to let you know how much you will pay.

If you live alone then contact Thames Water as soon as you can and ask to be moved onto a Single Occupier Tariff.

If you are unable to pay your bill then you may be able to get financial support from Thames Water.

You can complete an assessment online or call 0800 980 8800 to discuss our options.

To apply you will need the details of any income you receive, your debts, regular bills and outgoings and your Thames Water account number.

A Thames Water spokesperson said: “We offer comprehensive support for customers struggling to pay their bill, rated among the best in the sector. 

“We’re already helping around 450,000 customers pay their bills, and by 2030, one in ten households will be in receipt of support, including a discount of 50% on their bill.”

Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].

Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories

An unprecedented heat wave is baking Seattle, and Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital is overwhelmed.

Doctors scramble to treat people with heat stroke and pregnant women going into early labor due to triple-digit temperatures. The emergency room runs out of ice. Elective surgeries are canceled. Grey Sloan is so inundated — partly due to power outages at another hospital — that it’s forced to turn away patients.

In one scene — because this is all happening on the latest season of “Grey’s Anatomy” — several doctors operate on a young man who tried to rob a convenience store, only to wind up shot with his own gun during a scuffle.

“We should invite the lawmakers voting against background checks to assist,” says Teddy Altman (Kim Raver), the hospital’s chief of surgery.

“Well, violent crime rises along with the temperature,” responds intern Jules Millin (Adelaide Kane).

Fact check: Accurate. There’s real research linking gun violence to above-average temperatures.

There was also a real heat dome that inspired the writers of “Grey’s Anatomy.” Portland hit a record 116 degrees in 2021; between the U.S. and Canada, 1,400 people died. Global warming made it worse, researchers found.

If President Trump and other politicians keep doing the oil and gas industry’s bidding, the climate crisis will only get deadlier. But Hollywood can play a leading role in turning the tide.

Not by preaching. By entertaining.

I’d never seen “Grey’s Anatomy” before watching the heat wave episodes; soap operas aren’t really my thing. But the long-running ABC drama got me invested right away. The characters are sympathetic, the dialogue sharp and funny, the medical plotlines rife with tension. And I was impressed by how the writers kept the heat front of mind: a coffee cart running out of cold drinks, patients fanning themselves, several references to cooling centers.

In one of the final scenes of the two-episode arc, which concluded in March, surgical resident Ben Warren (Jason George) says the hospital needs an emergency plan for heat domes. It isn’t prepared for wildfires, either.

“They’re only increasing with climate change,” he says.

Sabina Ehmann and her daughter Vivian, visiting Seattle from North Carolina, use umbrellas to shield themselves from the sun during the June 2021 heat wave in the Pacific Northwest.

(John Froschauer / Associated Press)

Some of you may be thinking: Who cares about a bunch of fake doctors running around a fake hospital? We have real climate problems in the real world. Trump and congressional Republicans are eviscerating clean air rules and revoking clean energy grants. Let’s focus on politics and policy, not pop culture.

Thing is, people don’t form opinions in a vacuum. The media we consume inform our politics — fiction included.

Studies have shown, for instance, that the sitcom “Will & Grace” reduced prejudice against gay men, and that on-screen violence can increase the risk of violent behavior. Researchers found that a scene from HBO’s “Sex and the City” reboot “And Just Like That …” made viewers more likely to say eating less meat is good for the environment.

Millions of people watch “Grey’s Anatomy.” The impact is clear to producer Zoanne Clack, an emergency medicine physician who spoke at the Hollywood Climate Summit this month.

“In the ER, I could tell two people about diabetes. They might tell two people, and they might tell two people,” she said. “But I do a story on [diabetes] on ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ and 20 million people have seen it.”

“And if 10% of those people get something out of it, that’s a lot of people,” she added.

Already, researchers are studying viewer responses to the heat dome storyline. The conservation nonprofit Rare surveyed 3,600 people, showing some participants the first heat episode and others an unrelated episode.

Although the study isn’t done yet, Anirudh Tiwathia, Rare’s director of behavioral science for entertainment, told me it’s clear that viewers came away from the heat episode more concerned and better-informed about extreme heat. The nonprofit is still testing whether those effects persisted several weeks after watching.

Rare also showed some viewers the heat dome episode plus a social media video reiterating the health dangers of extreme heat. Those viewers may come away even more informed. Rare released a study last year finding that people who watched “Don’t Look Up” — a disaster movie with intentional climate parallels — were far more likely to support climate action if they also watched a climate-focused video starring lead actor Leonardo DiCaprio.

“People see stuff on screen, and then they see stuff on the second screen,” Tiwathia said, referring to phones and laptops. “The second screen is an opportunity to really pick up the baton from the main narrative.”

The videos used by Rare for its “Grey’s Anatomy” study were commissioned by Action for the Climate Emergency, which paid social media influencers to create 21 videos tied to the show. Rare chose four videos, including one by a gardener with 234,000 Instagram followers and one by an artist with 2 million followers.

A survey by Action for the Climate Emergency found that social media users who saw the videos were more likely than typical “Grey’s Anatomy” viewers to understand the links between heat, health and global warming.

“It’s an opportunity for us to reach outside the echo chamber,” said Leah Qusba, the group’s chief executive.

Jules Millin (Adelaide Kane) talks with Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr.) on the “Grey’s Anatomy” heat wave episode “Hit the Floor.”

(Christopher Willard / Disney)

Fortunately, there’s a small-but-growing ecosystem within Hollywood that’s increasingly able to support this kind of partnership. A few major studios have started teams to advise creatives on climate storytelling. Environmental groups, consulting firms and universities have stepped up to provide expertise and research.

The “Grey’s Anatomy” heat dome storyline might not have happened except for Adam Umhoefer, an executive at the CAA Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Creative Artists Agency, one of Hollywood’s top talent agencies. He co-founded Green Screen, an effort to connect CAA clients and others in the industry to sustainability experts.

“The idea is that I’m kind of operating as an agent for climate,” Umhoefer told me.

When Umhoefer heard from a friend in the “Grey’s Anatomy” writers’ room that the writers were looking to tell a climate story — after ending Season 20 with a massive wildfire — he connected them with the Natural Resources Defense Council, whose Rewrite the Future initiative consults with studios to improve climate storytelling.

“We were very interested in continuing that [fire] story, and the effect on the community of Seattle,” showrunner Meg Marinis said at the Hollywood Climate Summit. “We just didn’t want to pretend that never existed.”

To foreshadow the heat dome, they started the season with climate protesters blocking a bridge, causing several characters to get stuck in traffic. One of them, Link (Chris Carmack), scolds his partner Jo (Camilla Luddington) for getting annoyed, since the protesters are fighting for a worthy cause. Tick populations are exploding, he reminds her, increasing the risk of Lyme disease. And the last 10 years have been the 10 hottest on record globally.

“When Camilla and Chris Carmack were in that car, it was like 95 degrees near Long Beach. … They were putting ice packs on their heads in between takes,” Marinis said. “It was all very relatable. We were all living through it.”

Lived experience aside, it’s hard to know how much appetite entertainment executives will have for more climate stories while Trump is in office. He’s flouted democratic norms by threatening and even pursuing lawsuits against media companies that irk him, including Paramount, Comcast and the Walt Disney Co., which owns ABC.

But the fossil fuel industry won’t stop winning the culture wars, and thus the political wars, until a much broader segment of the American public demands climate solutions, now. Hollywood can help make it happen.

The folks behind “Grey’s Anatomy,” at least, say they aren’t planning to back down. Stay tuned.

This is the latest edition of Boiling Point, a newsletter about climate change and the environment in the American West. Sign up here to get it in your inbox. And listen to our “Boiling Point” podcast here.

For more climate and environment news, follow @Sammy_Roth on X and @sammyroth.bsky.social on Bluesky.

Three years ago, an armed young man entered Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, and killed 19 students and two teachers. Hundreds of law enforcement officials reportedly stood around the school campus for more than an hour without approaching the shooter.

In the midst of the inaction, one mom — Angeli Rose Gomez — pleaded with officers to take action or let her go in to get her two children and nephew. She was apprehended and handcuffed, but ultimately talked her way out of arrest before she sprinted inside the school to grab the kids.

Videos on social media captured the moments that Gomez brought her sons and nephew out of the school. The Texas field worker and mother of two was quickly dubbed a hero in national and local publications for her courage.

The new documentary film “Uvalde Mom” follows Gomez after becoming nationally recognized — while examining the forces at play in the Uvalde community which allowed for the shooting to take place, as well as the aftermath of such a tragedy.

“All I wanted that day was my kids to come out of the school alive, and that’s what I got,” Gomez says in one pivotal moment in the film. “I don’t want to be called a hero. I don’t want to be looked at as the hero because the only job that I did that day was being a mom.”

The feature’s director Anayansi Prado was “moved” and “horrified” by what had happened and felt motivated to make a film about the event after seeing members of the affected families on TV.

“I saw that there were Latinos, they were Mexican American, that it was a border town, that it was an agricultural farming town, and that really resonated with me and with communities I’ve done film work with before,” Prado told The Times.

Prado began reaching out to people in Uvalde shortly after the shooting, but didn’t hear back from anyone for over two months due to the inundation of media requests everyone in the city was receiving. The only person to reply to her was Gomez.

Ahead of the film’s screening Saturday at the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival, Prado spoke with The Times about the process and the challenges of making her documentary.

This interview has been edited and shortened for clarity.

Was the idea always for this project to be a feature-length film? Or were there talks of making it a short or a series?

I’ve always thought about it as a feature because I really wanted to dive in and understand Uvalde as a character. I wanted to understand the history of the criminal justice system, the educational system. I knew I wanted to make something that was going to be of a longer form rather than just a piece that was about Angeli or something. And a few people told me this would make a great short, but as I uncovered more about Uvalde, I was like, “No, Uvalde itself has its own history, just like a person.”

When it came to choosing Angeli, was she the first and only person who responded to your outreach?

I think the people in town were oversaturated with media coverage, and Angeli was the one that got back to me. What was really interesting is that I learned on that first trip [to Uvalde] about her backstory and I learned about how the criminal justice system had failed her. I saw a parallel there of how the system failed the community the day of the shooting and how it was failing this woman also individually. I wanted to play with those two stories, the macro and the personal. Once I learned who she was, beyond the mom who ran into the school, I was like, “I have to tell this woman’s story.”

How did you go about balancing her personal stuff and the failures that happened on a larger scale?

So much of the way the film is structured is reflective of my own experience as a filmmaker. It was a sort of surreal world, these two worlds were going on: what was happening to Angeli and then what was going on outside with the lack of accountability and the cover-up. So that informed the way that I wanted to structure the film.

In terms of the personal, it was a journey to gain Angeli’s trust. At some point at the beginning, she wasn’t sure she wanted to participate in the film, and so I told her, “You don’t owe me anything. I’m a stranger, but all I ask is that you give me a chance to earn your trust.” And she was like, “OK.” From there on, she opened up and, pretty quickly, we became close and she trusted me. I was very cognizant [of] her legal past and even the way she’s perceived by some folks. I also didn’t want Angeli to come off as a victim and people to feel sorry for her, but I still wanted to tell her story in a way where you get mad at the system for failing her.

What kind of struggles did you have trying to get in communication with some of the officials of the city?

We used a lot of news [archives] to represent that part of the story. The [authorities] weren’t giving any interviews, they were just holding press conferences. So access was limited, but also the majority of the time that we were filming, we were very low-key about the production — because Angeli was on probation and there was retaliation for her speaking to the media. We tried to keep it under wraps that we were filming, so not a lot of people knew about it [besides] her family. Obviously other folks in town [were] part of the film, like her friend Tina and family members. Outside of that, it was too risky to let other people in town know what was going on.

Ultimately I wanted to make [“Uvalde Mome”] a personal portrait. I was just very selective on the people that we absolutely needed to interview. I’m happy with Tina, who’s an activist in town, and Arnie, a survivor of the shooting and a school teacher, [plus] Angeli’s legal team. I felt like those were people we needed to tell a fuller story. But we just couldn’t be out in the open making a film about her and let people know.

What kind of reception have you gotten from people of Uvalde that have seen the film?

We had our premiere at South by Southwest, which was great. A lot of folks came from Uvalde and spoke about how, almost three years later, a lot of this stuff is still going on. Every time Gov. Greg Abbott came on-screen, people would scream, “Loser!” It was really moving to have those screenings.

As was expected from the folks who are not fans of Angeli, there was some backlash. It’s the same narrative you see in the film of, “She’s a criminal, don’t believe her.” It’s a town that is an open wound. I just try to have compassion for people. Ultimately, Angeli’s story is the story of one person in Uvalde of many that need to continue to be told. And I hope that other filmmakers, journalists and other storytellers continue to tell the story there, especially with the lack of closure and accountability. I’m happy that the film is putting Uvalde back into the headlines in some way; that way we don’t forget about it.

Had you ever spent an extended amount of time in Texas before?

I had been to Texas, but I hadn’t done a project in Texas. Because I’m an outsider, it was very important for me to hire a 100% local Texas crew for this film. My crew was entirely Texas-based, from our PAs to our sound to our DPs. I also wanted to have a majority Texas-born Mexican American crew so that they could guide me. We began production in September of 2022 and the atmosphere was very tense.

This is a story that is deeply rooted in the Latino community and the tension about the law enforcement in Uvalde. What was it like dealing with that tension and how did you personally feel that when you went into the town?

When I got to Uvalde, I saw that the majority of the Latino community had been there for several generations. You would think a town with that kind of Mexican American history, and them being the majority, that they’d be pretty cemented and represented, right? It was really eye-opening to see [how] these folks are still considered second-class citizens. A lot of them are being repressed. And then you have folks that get in positions of power, but they’re whitewashed in line with the white conservative agenda. So even those that are able to get into positions of power don’t lean towards the community. They turn their back on it.

I heard from folks that the history of neglect was what led to the response that day at Robb Elementary. And they’re like, “Yeah, that’s what happens on that side of town. You call the cops, they don’t come. Our schools are run-down.” You really see the disparity. This was a Mexican American community that had been there for a long time. It’s fascinating how the conservative white community, even if they’re the smaller part of the population, they can still hold the power.