Dodgers fans filled the streets of downtown Los Angeles early Monday morning, to celebrate the Dodgers becoming baseball’s first back-to-back World Series champion in 25 years.
The celebratory parade is commenced at 11 a.m., with the Dodgers traveling on top of double-decker buses through downtown with a final stop at Dodger Stadium.
The 2025 Dodgers team has been a bright spot for many Angelenos during an otherwise tumultuous year for the region, after historic firestorms devastated thousands of homes in January and then widespread immigration sweeps over the summer by the Trump administration.
(Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times)
Manager Dave Roberts holds the Commissioner’s Trophy during the Dodgers World Championship Parade and Celebration Monday.
(Kayla Bartkowsk/Los Angeles Times)
Ramon Ontivros, left, and Michelle Ruiz, both from Redlands, join fans lining the streets of downtown Los Angeles.
(Kayla Bartkowsk/Los Angeles Times)
From left, Mike Soto, Luis Espino, and Francisco Espino, join fans lining the streets of downtown Los Angeles.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
Mia Nava, 9, waves a flag. “She’s skipping school today and her teachers know her passion.” Said her mom, Jennie Nava.
(Carlin Stiehl/For The Times)
Alex Portugal holds onto a championship belt at Dodger Stadium. Claudia Villar Lee, poses with a model of the World Series trophy around her neck.
(Kayla Bartkowsk/Los Angeles Times)
Young fans line the streets of downtown Los Angeles for the Dodgers World Championship Parade and Celebration.
For those who know of the spectacle that is Juan Gabriel there is no explanation necessary, for those who don’t, no explanation will suffice.
A new Netflix docuseries attempts to capture the magic of the frequently bedazzled genre- and gender-defying showmanship of “El Divo de Juárez,” who died at 66 of natural causes in 2016, while also investigating the internality of the man behind Gabriel — Alberto Aguilera Valadez.
Juan Gabriel was known for his epic stage performances, where he was often accompanied by an orchestra, dancers and dozens of mariachis dressed in tight jackets and sombreros, while belting out such hits as “Hasta Que Te Conocí,” “El Noa Noa” and “Amor Eterno.”
His colorful outfits and flamboyant dance moves drew speculation about his sexuality, but he famously preferred to remain coy on the issue and to this day remains a queer icon throughout the Latin American world.
“Juan Gabriel: I Must, I Can, I Will,” which premieres Oct. 30, utilizes a goldmine of hundreds of thousands of personal and never-before-seen voice recordings, photos and videos of one of Mexico’s most revered singer-songwriters, giving audiences a holistic look at the pain, joy, contradictions, artistry and genius that informed Gabriel’s worldview and perception of himself.
The project is director María José Cuevas’ second production with the streaming giant — her 2023 documentary feature “The Lady of Silence: The Mataviejitas Murders” recounted the story of famous Mexican serial killer Juana Barraza, who was sentenced to 759 years in prison for killing 16 elderly women and the suspected killing of dozens more.
Cuevas’ implementation of the juxtaposed duality of Juan Gabriel and Alberto Aguilera Valadez was inspired by his insistence that the two entities were distinct yet symbiotic, as was shown in a 2014 filmed self-interview the singer conducted.
“In order to understand the greatness of Juan Gabriel, I had to know Alberto. He always played with that duality,” she said. “From a very young age he would say in interviews that he invented Juan Gabriel to shield Alberto, he invented an idol in order to protect his private identity.”
In an interview with The Times, Cuevas spoke about her personal connection to the famed singer, the overwhelming archives she had access to and the ways in which Juan Gabriel united and continues to unite people to this day.
This interview was translated and edited for length.
What was your relationship to Juan Gabriel before taking on the task of directing this documentary?
I remember clearly turning on the TV [when I was young] and seeing video clips of Juan Gabriel with his red sweater and white jeans. I later had the opportunity to go to his first performance at the Palacios de Bellas Artes in 1990 with my parents. One is accustomed to going to Bellas Artes for opera, ballet, classical music and the concert began with that formal tone, but there reached a moment where audience members couldn’t keep up the facade of elegance and everyone let their hair down.
For me that moment was incredibly revelatory, I finally noticed that he was a whirlwind in every sense of the word. I didn’t realize at the time that I was present at a such an important cultural milestone. When I watched it in retrospect, from all the camera angles we were privy to for this documentary, I got goosebumps and I wish I could go back to being 18 years old and experience it with the intensity that I have for his music now.
I think that Juan Gabriel always transports us to something personal, but also to something collective. In Mexico, Juan Gabriel’s death was a very collective experience. You would go out into the street and you would hear his music in cars, the corner store, coming out of neighbors’ houses.
How did you gain access to the vast collection of archived materials that are present in the documentary?
That’s really the treasure of the project. Juan Gabriel’s story has already been told, but what makes this project unique is that it’s a story told by [the recordings and photos] he left behind. One of the first things he did after reaching success wasn’t just to buy his mom a house, but also to buy himself a Super 8 camera. From then on he picked up the habit of recording his everyday activities as Alberto Aguilera and later on he always had a camera following around as Juan Gabriel.
From our first meetings with Netflix, I figured we should ask Gabriel’s family if they had anything to share with us. I thought maybe it would be a photo album that was laying around, maybe a box of memorabilia or a few cassettes. So it was to our great surprises when they sent us over a photo of a warehouse with shelves full of every different kind of film. It was crazy. And that’s when I remembered that Juan Gabriel’s close friend and actor Isela Vega was helping him catalog all of his videography.
I never imagined that within those videos that we’d find the public persona of Juan Gabriel and the private persona of Alberto Aguilera. Another elucidating moment was that Juan Gabriel reached a moment where he became conscious of the level of his celebrity and that it wasn’t a coincidence that he recorded most of his life. And there reached a moment where I realized he saved all these recordings so that one day people could revisit all his saved materials and they could reconstruct his personal story through what he left behind.
There’s a moment in the documentary where we’re at one of his concerts and there are men of all orientations in the crowd that are asking JuanGa to marry them. That seemed particularly powerful to me because in that moment the veil of machismo seemed to fall.
Yeah, I think an important part of making this portrait of Juan Gabriel was understanding the context of Mexico in the ‘80s. It was very conservative, very machista and then all of a sudden this guy drops in with all this talent and charisma and he says, “Here I come, get out of the way because I’m gonna conquer everyone.” And that wasn’t so simple at that time. He showed his greatness at any and every stage he was put on. He was able to win over people in every social class in a very elitist Mexico. He won over everyone from the most macho man to women.
Even greater than the achievement that was his performance at Bellas Artes were his performances in palenques when he was young. Palenques being these circular stages where you can’t hide because you’re standing right in the middle of everything. And he would take the stage late at night when everyone was already drunk and they were audiences that were, in general, very machista.
Suddenly a very young Juan Gabriel would appear to perform rancheras. I always say he was a provocateur, but also a seducer because of his ability to win over a crowd. There were audiences that would yell derogatory things at him and that’s when he’d really play with the audience.
It feels almost impossible not to be moved by the music as you watch your documentary.
He’s really magnificent. I remember throughout the whole process of making the doc and I was watching the intimate home videos of Alberto Aguilera and it really reminded me that Juan Gabriel was a human like everyone else [not just this grand entertainer]. I’d put any concert of his and I was bowing at the altar of a star. It’s amazing what a powerful character he was up on that stage.
And how have you seen JuanGa’s legacy represent something very specific in the U.S.?
For Latinos in the U.S. he’s such an important figure because his work pulls people back to their roots. One of his greatest accomplishments as a performer was when he filled the Rose Bowl in 1993. In that moment he showed his influence and strength within the Latino world. He’s absolutely one of the key figures in Latin music.
Despite a handful of popular Día de los Muertos events facing cancellation due to community fears surrounding ICE operations, many annual celebrations throughout Southern California will continue to honor the dearly departed as planned.
Organizers for the Oct. 18 El Sereno Día de los Muertos Festival are working with Councilwoman Ysabel Jurado and her team to ensure the safety of its attendees during a precarious time for immigrant communities. Others, like the Museum of Latin American Art’s Day of the Dead Family Festival on Oct. 26, are placing an added emphasis on resilience.
This year, De Los is hosting a free community celebration to commemorate the holiday on Oct. 25 from 2 to 10 p.m. at the Las Fotos Project. Attendees can enjoy a community altar, a skull decorating workshop, face painting and more.
De Los will also be accepting submissions for our annual digital altar from Oct. 15 to Nov. 2. Community members can submit a photograph or memento to honor the memory of their dearly departed — pets included.
Here is a list of other Día de los Muertos observations and events taking place across Southern California.
One of two trained hawks stolen from outside SoFi Stadium during a Rams game was recovered Sunday in Hacienda Heights, nearly 25 miles from where the vehicle taken during the heist was found a week ago.
A two-seat motorized cart with a key left in the ignition was stolen Sept. 28 from the stadium. The hawks — named Bubba and Alice — were housed in green containers in the back seat and vanished along with the vehicle.
Bubba was recovered near Seventh Street in Hacienda Heights after a homeowner spotted the hawk in her backyard and contacted the Inglewood Police Department. Falconer Charles Cogger, who trained and owned the hawks, raced to the location.
“I made arrangements, got over there as quick as I could and got Bubba back,” Cogger told NBC Los Angeles. “Alice is still out there, but this gives me hope she will show up.”
The hawks were employed by SoFi Stadium to deter other birds from flying over SoFi Stadium during the game, keeping fans safe from unpleasant aerial droppings and also keeping birds from eating discarded food.
The Kawasaki Mule UTV that housed the hawks was found abandoned Sept. 29 in a South L.A. neighborhood about five miles from SoFi Stadium and 25 miles from Hacienda Heights.
Inglewood police released a photo of the suspect taken by stadium security cameras, describing him as a male adult “wearing a black jacket with a white stripe going down the shoulder, black pants and black shoes.”
Cogger is holding out hope that Alice will turn up. Each of Cogger’s hawks wears a metal band around its leg that identifies it as captive-bred.
“They can only go so long without eating or getting water,” he said.
Anyone with information about Alice can contact the Inglewood Police Department watch commander at (310) 412-5206. Crime Stoppers is offering a reward for the hawk’s safe return.
Ibiza Final Boss Jack Kay looks completely unrecognisable in an unearthed snap that was taken before his incredible rise to fame on social media over the summer
Ibiza Final Boss Jack Kay shot to fame on TikTok(Image: Jack kay Instagram)
Ibiza Final Boss Jack Kay looks completely unrecognisable in an unearthed snap that was taken before his incredible rise to fame. The 26-year-old construction worker, who hails from Newcastle, has become instantly known thanks to an eight second video posted on TikTok that has landed him a Channel 4 documentary and a multi-figure brand deal.
The viral social media star is known for his famous haircut, but in a newly-resurfaced photograph, the influencer looks totally different with a style that is worlds away from his signature look.
Standing on the right end in a snap taken in a pub, Jack can posing in front of a pint and is sporting with a much-less defined fringe whilst his beard and chain are nowhere to be seen.
Speaking about his incredible rise to fame, he said: “Where I’m from is like a council estate. Not much happens round there for people like me. People like me don’t get the chance to make it to this level, do you know what I mean? To make it to this level is like a dream, honest to god!”
On August 3, Jack was dancing at a party when he caught the attention of clothing label Zero Six West Ibiza. He had black and gold sunglasses on to match his black vest and massive gold chain. His muscled arms were on display and his now iconic bowl haircut had been shaped to perfection. The clothing label posted an eight-second clip of Jack dancing, and asked: “Does anyone know this absolute legend coz we’ve got 2 free guestlist with his name on it!”
On TikTok alone, the video has had almost 30million views and Jack became a meme, dubbed the Ibiza Final Boss. He captured the attention of many and soon signed with a talent agency and embarking on a club appearance tour, which one PR expert estimated could earn him £1k-5k per night. With at least eight appearances under his belt, that is an estimated earning of anywhere between £8k and £40k from club appearances.
The new film follows Jack as he adjusts to life in the spotlight and tries to find longevity in his newfound career as an internet personality. When asked why millions went wild for his unique look, Jack said: “I think why people love that video because it’s just my aura.
“I think no one has seen us before. When I’ve just stepped in the dance, looking the way I’m looking with my shades and my hair. My tattoos, my muscles, my beard and stuff. People think, ‘Who’s he?’ That’s what I think.”
He went onto reveal that he now goes to the hairdresser three times a week to keep up his look – and spends nearly £80 weekly.
“Before the fame, it was twice a week but now it’s three times,” he said. “I’ve got to keep myself on point.
“Three, four years ago, I had long hair, like a slick-back. I got sick of it and changed it to a Scouse trim. It’s basically just a low fade. Brush my hair to the side, put a bit of hairspray on. It’s got to be spot on.”
He added: “It looks fresh doesn’t it? Everyone loves it. Especially the birds. They loved it before the fame and now.”
Bella Hadid offered her social media followers an apology and an inside look at her recent hospital stay, sharing photos of herself wearing an oxygen mask and in bed with tubes hooked up to various parts of her body.
“I’m sorry I always go MIA I love you guys,” the 28-year-old model and activist captioned her Instagram carousel, shared Wednesday.
She posted snaps of quaint scenes of calm skies, golden sunsets and blooming flowers. But the photos posted in between captured a different tone: In one photo Hadid crouches on the floor in the corner of an elevator. Dark red fluid can be seen coursing through medical tubing in another, and in a selfie Hadid’s eyes are puffy and teary.
Though she did not reveal which ailment landed her in the hospital, her mother Yolanda Hadid left a hint in the comments section, where she praised her daughter as a “Lyme warrior.” In a separate post of her own, mother shared much more about her youngest daughter’s health.
“As you will understand watching my Bella struggle in silence, has cut the deepest core of hopelessness inside me,” the elder Hadid said on Instagram. She shared photos of her daughter’s hospital stay.
She added: “To my beautiful Bellita: You are relentless and courageous. No child is suppose to suffer in their body with an incurable chronic disease.”
Bella Hadid, sister of model Gigi Hadid, previously disclosed her battle with Lyme disease and other chronic illnesses in 2023, when she shared photos from another hospital stay.
At the time, she shared photos of medical documents dated February 2014 that disclosed her struggles with numerous of health problems, including fatigue, attention deficit disorder, memory disturbances, depression, sleep disorders, headaches, disequilibrium, nightmares, muscular weakness, chest pain and palpitations. The visit summary notes that Bella, then 17, “feels ill all the time.”
Lyme disease is a bacterial illness that people can contract if they are bitten by an infected tick, according to the Mayo Clinic. Symptoms can include joint stiffness, muscle aches and pains, fever and headache. Antibiotics are used to treat the infection, which according to the Cleveland Clinic is curable if diagnosed and treated early but can also lead to chronic or recurring symptoms. In addition to Hadid, celebrities who have gone public with the disease include Amy Schumer, Justin Bieber, Ben Stiller, Kelly Osbourne and Riley Keough. Earlier this year pop star Justin Timberlake revealed his diagnosis.
Yolanda Hadid concluded her post with words of encouragement for her daughter: “This disease has brought us to our knees, but we always get back up.”
“We will continue to fight for better days, together,” she continued. “You are a survivor…I love you so much my badass Warrior.”
Former Times staff writer Christi Carras contributed to this report.
The European Union’s (EU) new Entry/Exit System (EES) will begin next month, which will change requirements for British citizens travelling to the Schengen area
From October 12, you might be required to register your biometric details(Image: AFP)
Next month the European Union‘s (EU) new Entry/Exit System (EES) will commence. This represents a fresh digital border system that will alter requirements for British citizens journeying to the Schengen area.
The Schengen area permits more than 450 million people to move freely between member countries without passing through border controls. From October 12, if you are travelling to a country in the Schengen area for a short stay using a UK passport, you will be required to register your biometric details, such as fingerprints and a photo, when you arrive.
You do not need to take any action before you arrive at the border, and there is no cost for EES registration. Guidance on Gov.uk states: “After it is fully implemented, EES registration will replace the current system of manually stamping passports when visitors arrive in the EU. “.
When EES is launched, you may need to establish a digital record on your first visit to the Schengen area at the port or airport upon arrival, reports the Liverpool Echo.
You will need to submit your fingerprints and have your photograph taken at dedicated booths. The government has also revealed that if you enter the Schengen area through the Port of Dover, Eurotunnel at Folkestone or St Pancras International, EES checks will be completed at the border, before you depart the UK.
Your digital EES record remains valid for 3 years. If you enter the Schengen area again during this period, you will only need to provide a fingerprint or photo at the border, when you enter and exit.
The 29 countries in the Schengen area are:
Austria
Belgium
Bulgaria
Croatia
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
Italy
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
If you are travelling by air to a Schengen zone nation, you might face extended waiting times upon arrival at your destination. The fresh system is being rolled out to strengthen border security across the EU and its surrounding nations.
It could also prove useful in cutting down on illegal immigration within the Schengen region. Automated border monitoring procedures will be put in place to assist the EU in preventing visitors from outstaying their welcome.
Your arrivals and departures, or entry denials will be digitally recorded in the EES. The EES system is anticipated to make travel “simplified” and more secure.
Non-EU citizens journeying for brief visits to a European nation using the EES are impacted. Though there are exemptions which can be found here.
If you decline to supply your biometric information, you will be refused entry into the territory of the European countries operating the EES. Your information will only be retained in the system for the reasons it was gathered. The information held in the EES is safeguarded against misuse and access to it is limited to designated personnel within national authorities.
Activists unfurled a giant photograph of US President Donald Trump with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein near Windsor Castle on Tuesday, where King Charles is set to host him during his state visit.
Liam Hemsworth is ready to give marriage a second chance, now with Australian model Gabriella Brooks.
The “Hunger Games” actor and Brooks are engaged, the latter announced early Friday morning. Brooks revealed the news on Instagram, sharing photos of herself embracing Hemsworth — younger brother of “Thor” star Chris Hemsworth — and snaps of a shimmering seashore and her cushion-cut engagement ring. Brooks captioned her photos with an emoji of a white heart.
The ring featured in Brooks’ post is the same piece that sparked engagement rumors a few weeks back. People reported that the model was seen showing off the ring on her left-hand ring finger as she joined Hemsworth and his brothers for a getaway in Ibiza, where they celebrated Chris Hemsworth’s 42nd birthday.
Brooks, 29, and Hemsworth, 35, are engaged nearly six years after they began dating. They were first seen together in December 2019, just months after Hemsworth filed to divorce “Hannah Montana” star and singer Miley Cyrus. (The exes, who had been on-and-off since they started dating in 2009, got married in December 2018 and announced their separation in August 2019.)
“I wish her nothing but health and happiness going forward,” he said of Cyrus in a statement at the time. “This is a private matter and I have not made, nor will I be making, any comments to any journalists or media outlets.”
Since connecting, the pair of Australians have flaunted their relationship at public events including the Australian Open and the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The couple has, of course, hit multiple red-carpet premieres over the years, including those for Liam Hemsworth’s film “Poker Face” and Chris Hemsworth’s “Limitless,” “Extraction 2” and “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.”
In movies like ‘Triumph of the Will’ and ‘Olympia,’ Leni Riefenstahl all but invented the fascist aesthetic. A new documentary indicates that she knew what she was doing.
The Hollywood sign has been blown up in movies, altered by pranksters to read “Hollyweed,” “Jollygood” and “Hollyboob” and saw Tom Cruise staple some Olympic rings on it to promote the 2028 Games in Los Angeles. Politicians have used it as a prop for commercials and mailers the way they do kissing a baby or eating a taco. Out-of-town goobers and locals alike hike up to various vantage points around it for a selfie or group shot.
But the crown for the worst stunt involving the monument to everything dreamy and wonderful about L.A. now lies with the Border Patrol.
Earlier this week, Gregory Bovino, the Border Patrol sector chief in charge of Trump’s long, hot deportation summer in L.A., posted on social media a photo of him and dozens of his officers posing on a patch of dirt in what looks like Lake Hollywood Park. Behind them is the Hollywood sign.
Arms are crossed. Hands are on belts. A few National Guard troops, one with a K9 unit, join in. None of the faces are masked for once. That’s because they didn’t have to be: Almost every one of them is blurred out.
“This is the team. They’re the ones on the ground, making it happen,” wrote Bovino, one of only two in the photo without a blurry face. “The mean green team is not going anywhere. We are here to stay.” And just in case readers didn’t get that la migra is hard, Bovino concluded his post with a fire emoji.
Jeff Zarrinnam, chairman of the nonprofit in charge of maintaining the Hollywood sign, said “we have to stay neutral on these types of things,” so he didn’t offer his opinion on why a man who spent his summer terrorizing large swaths of the Southland would want to pose there. He did say the Border Patrol didn’t request special access to get closer to it as other politicians have in the past.
“It was probably a team-building effort for them, or a lot of them probably hadn’t seen it before,” he said. “It’s a symbol of America. Maybe that’s why they were standing up there. Who knows?”
L.A. Councilmember Nithya Raman, whose district is where the Hollywood sign stands, was not as charitable.
“To see an icon of this city used for an image designed to instill fear in Angelenos is chilling — particularly on the heels of Monday’s Supreme Court ruling which dealt a devastating blow to a city that has already faced so much hardship this year,” she said in a statement.
Bovino is expected to show up soon in Chicago to oversee the Border Patrol’s invasion of the Windy Cindy. His press team didn’t return my request for an interview or my questions about whether the photo was digitally altered — other than the face blurring and the ultra-sharp focusing on Bovino — and what he hoped to accomplish with it. The sign itself looks shrouded in fog, but who knows? The whole photo has a weirdness about it.
Nevertheless, Bovino’s smirk in the group portrait says it all.
This is the team. They’re the ones on the ground, making it happen. The ones not afraid to put in the work. Every person in this photo is part of our commitment to the mission. We don’t stop. We don’t slow down. We keep pressing forward.💪
— Commander Op At Large CA Gregory K. Bovino (@CMDROpAtLargeCA) September 9, 2025
This is a guy who came into town like so many newcomers before him wanting to make it big and willing to do whatever it took. Short, with a high fade haircut and nasal drawl, Bovino quickly became a constant on local news, selling himself as a mix of Andy Griffith (a fellow North Carolina native) and Lt. Col. Kilgore in “Apocalypse Now.”
He starred in slickly produced government-created videos portraying the Border Patrol as warriors on a divine mission to make the City of Angeles safe from immigrant infidels. He claimed local politicians were endangering residents with their sanctuary policies and gleefully thumbed his nose at a temporary restraining order barring indiscriminate raids like those, which the Supreme Court just ruled can start happening again. He was there, a cameraman filming his every strut, when National Guard troops in armed Humvees parked along Whittier Boulevard in July all so Border Patrol agents on horseback could trot through an empty MacArthur Park.
Bovino cheered on via social media when his “mean green team” rented a Penske truck to lure in day laborers at a Westlake Home Depot in August only to detain them. Even worse was Bovino showing up in front of the Japanese American National Museum with a phalanx of migra while California’s political class was inside decrying the gerrymandering push by President Trump. He pleaded ignorance on that last action when Gov. Gavin Newsom and others accused the sector chief of trying to intimidate them even as friendly media just happened to be there, just like they so happened to be embedded with immigration agents all summer as they chased after tamale ladies and day laborers.
Supporters played up his moves as if they were a master class in psyops, with grandiose codenames such as Operation Trojan Horse for the Penske truck raid and Operation Excalibur for the invasion of MacArthur Park. So Bovino and his janissaries posing in front of the Hollywood sign comes off like a hunter posing in front of his killed prey or a taunting postcard to L.A.: Thinking about you. See you soon.
But all of Bovino’s actions grabbed far more non-criminals than actual bad hombres and did nothing to make Southern California safer. Locals have countered his attempt at a shock-and-awe campaign with lawsuits, protests, mutual aid and neighborhood watches that won’t end. That resistance forced la migra to cry to their daddy Trump for National Guard and Marine backup, with an occasional call to the LAPD and L.A. Sheriff’s Department to keep away the boo birds who now track their every move.
Greg: hope you enjoyed your stay in L.A. Congrats — you made it! You’re the star of your own D-level Tinseltown production that no one except pendejos wants to see. You left L.A. as one of the most loathed outsiders since former Dodgers owner Frank McCourt. Stay gone. Wish you weren’t here.
Insights
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Perspectives
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Ideas expressed in the piece
The author condemns the Border Patrol’s group photo at the Hollywood sign as the “worst stunt” involving Los Angeles’ iconic monument, viewing it as an inappropriate use of a symbol representing “everything dreamy and wonderful about L.A.”
The author characterizes Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino’s enforcement operations throughout the summer as “terrorizing large swaths of the Southland” rather than legitimate law enforcement, arguing these actions were designed primarily to “instill fear in Angelenos”
The author criticizes Bovino’s tactics as ineffective at improving public safety, asserting that his operations “grabbed far more non-criminals than actual bad hombres and did nothing to make Southern California safer”
The author portrays Bovino as a publicity-seeking outsider who came to Los Angeles “wanting to make it big and willing to do whatever it took,” comparing the chief’s media presence to starring in “slickly produced government-created videos”
The author condemns specific enforcement operations, including using a rental truck to “lure in day laborers” and targeting vulnerable populations like “tamale ladies,” characterizing these as deceptive and cruel tactics
The author views the recent Supreme Court ruling lifting restrictions on immigration enforcement as enabling “state-sponsored racism” and creating conditions where Latino citizens become “second-class citizens” subject to racial profiling[3]
Different views on the topic
Jeff Zarrinnam, chairman of the nonprofit maintaining the Hollywood sign, offers a more charitable interpretation, suggesting the photo “was probably a team-building effort” and noting that the Hollywood sign serves as “a symbol of America,” potentially explaining why Border Patrol agents would want to pose there
Supporters of Bovino’s operations viewed his enforcement tactics as sophisticated strategic operations, describing them as “a master class in psyops” with organized codenames like “Operation Trojan Horse” and “Operation Excalibur”
The Trump administration has argued to the Supreme Court that racial profiling capabilities are necessary for effective immigration enforcement, contending that without these tools, “the prospect of contempt” would hang “over every investigative stop”[3]
Federal authorities and supporters frame these enforcement operations as necessary public safety measures targeting individuals who pose risks to communities, rather than random harassment of immigrant populations[1][2]
The Supreme Court majority, led by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, characterized immigration enforcement encounters as “brief investigative stops” where citizens and legal residents “will be free to go after the brief encounter,” minimizing concerns about prolonged detention or abuse[3]
I don’t remember the picture being taken. Somewhere in Scotland, sometime in the 1980s. It has that hazy quality you get with old colour prints: warm but also somehow melancholy. I’m wearing blue jeans, white trainers, an army surplus jumper – and am perched on a standing stone.
My mum gave me the photo when I turned 50. She found it up in the loft. Some of these childhood pictures, souvenirs of trips with my grandparents to historic sites, have the place names written on the back. This one was blank, a tantalising mystery. Though I didn’t recognise the location, something about the landscape and quality of light suggested it was Islay, an island I’d visited just once – when I was not quite 12. So I decided to see if I could find the spot, slipped the photograph into my notebook and set off.
Islay is the southernmost point of the Inner Hebrides, lying on the same latitude as Glasgow. That makes it sound an easy hop from the city, but the watery fractures of Scotland’s west coast require a long drive north and then south along the shores of sea lochs, before a two-hour crossing from the port of Kennacraig. Islay is the eighth largest of the British Isles (bigger than the Isle of Man and Isle of Wight) and yet not, I think, well known. Some of its communities – Ardbeg, Bowmore, Lagavulin – have given their names to famous whisky brands, but the island as a whole feels a little obscure.
A saltire (Scottish flag) flapped on the prow as the CalMac ferry eased up the Sound of Islay. The cloud-shrouded mountains of nearby island Jura were a dark presence to starboard. Islay, to port, appeared far more friendly, with its purple heather and bright strand. But appearances can deceive. A cormorant – the devil’s bird – flew in front of the ship in the direction of Islay, not Jura, and I wasn’t at all surprised. I remember, as a boy, being much taken by an illustrated map in which the island was made to look like a demon. The Rinns peninsula formed its horns and snout, the Oa peninsula its claws, and the north-east headland its leathery wings. It sat hunched on the edge of Scotland, poised to take flight for Irish shores.
Port Ellen, near Cragabus standing stone. Photograph: Mats Lindberg/Alamy
Disembarking at Port Askaig, I drove to Port Charlotte, where the Museum of Islay Life, housed in a former church, is a charming jumble. A wooden figurehead poses next to the island’s old telephone switchboard; a stuffed red squirrel sits glassy-eyed in a bell jar; and an American flag, sewn by Islay women to be flown at the burials of the many US soldiers whose bodies washed ashore when the SS Tuscania was torpedoed by a German U-boat in 1918, hangs faded with age.
I’d spent a lot of time in this museum during my childhood stay, fascinated by one exhibit in particular: the skull of an Irish elk. It had been found in a peat bog in the 19th century, and in my recollection was stained almost black, but seeing it again now I realised that memory had played me false; it was greyish brown, no darker than an oatcake. Yet I had not misremembered its great size – an almost 2-metre span between the tips of its antlers. This creature, now extinct, lived and died on Islay about 12,000 years ago, at about the same time, it is thought, as the first people, a party of hunters, arrived on the island, travelling from Scandinavia or northern Germany. Perhaps they glimpsed the elk across the virgin landscape. Perhaps it scented the unfamiliar human stink and wisely kept its distance.
Islay has a great many ancient sites. The standing stone in my photograph could be any of them. I had arranged to speak with Steven Mithen, an archaeologist with a particular interest in the island, in the hope he would identify it. I was lucky to catch him. The University of Reading professor would soon leave for a few days camping on Nave, a tiny island off Islay’s northern coast, where he hoped to find a Viking boat burial. We met for a cuppa and I showed him the picture.
“That’s Cragabus,” he said. “Lovely photo. Wonderful place.”
The Museum of Islay Life in Port Charlotte is a charming jumble. Photograph: David Pearson/Alamy
The stone on which I was sitting, he explained, was a surviving part of a chambered cairn – a Neolithic stone tomb probably built around 3,500BC. It had been excavated in 1902. Human remains were found along with fragments of clay vessels, known as beakers, their presence indicating that the cairn had been reopened in the bronze age and used by those later people for the burial of their own dead. I knew a bit about beaker burials. I’d excavated one myself – in 1984, the same year, I think, as my visit to Islay, helping my grandparents to trowel up the bones of the person buried alongside a decorated pot.
My grandfather, Eric Ross – Grumps to his grandkids – was a coachbuilder. That was how he earned a wage, building buses in a factory, but archaeology was what he loved. He fell for it during the second world war. He had joined the RAF in 1941, aged 20, serving in north Africa and Italy. “He was the only man I knew who had used a genuine working Roman bath,” one of his friends once told me. “Just before the victory parade in Tunis, his squad was given a few minutes in the still-operational baths fed from the hot springs.”
So, washing desert sand from his body in Roman ruins is how history got under his skin? I like this very much as an origin story. I wish I could have asked him but, of course, it is too late. People slip away before we are ready to hear their stories. I wish, too, that I had become an archaeologist myself. Whenever I think back to our old adventures, it feels like a path not taken. This trip to Islay, and my new book, Upon a White Horse: Journeys in Ancient Britain and Ireland, are attempts to walk it a little.
Prof Mithen told me where to find Cragabus: in the south-west of the island, just off a single-track road, marked on the map with that gothic type so evocative of strange old places. At Port Ellen, I followed a sign marked Mull of Oa and was soon there. Climbing a farm gate, I walked up a short, steep rise. There was the megalith I had sat upon: nearly 2 metres tall, the same distinctive shape, tip bristling with a pelt of lichen, its lower parts soft with snagged wool where sheep had rubbed. I propped my phone on a fence post and took a photograph, 41 years after the first: a middle-aged man touching a stone.
People who were taken to ancient places as children often have fuzzy old photos of themselves at the sites. Such pictures increase in power as the years go by. The people who took us pass away, and we ourselves grow up and change, but the stones stay the same. So, when we return as adults, we can measure ourselves against them, see our little lives in relation to eternity. That was how I felt at Cragabus: bigger yet smaller, older yet no age at all.
Peter Ross’s Upon a White Horse: Journeys in Ancient Britain and Ireland is published by Headlineat £22. To buy a copy for £19.80, go to guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply.
Fox News doesn’t want to talk about the crude doodle of a naked woman, with its creepy message printed across her breasts and torso, and a signature — “Donald” — in her pubic area.
And it certainly doesn’t want to draw attention to a newly released photo of the convicted child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein holding an oversized check signed “DJTRUMP,” with a caption that reads, “Jeffrey showing early talents with money + women! Sells ‘fully depreciated’ [female’s name redacted] to Donald Trump for $22,500.”
While just about everyone has had something to say about the most damning documents yet to come out of the so-called Epstein files, America’s No. 1 cable news network has opted to sit this one out.
Questions about President Trump’s shared history with the nation’s most notorious sex offender shot to the top of news feeds Tuesday after the Republican-led House Oversight Committee released documents to the public that it had subpoenaed from the Epstein estate. The material included notes, drawings and photos from friends and associates to Epstein on his 50th birthday in 2003.
Donald Trump, his future wife Melania, Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell at Mar-a-Lago in 2000.
(Davidoff Studios Photography / Getty Images)
The “body art” letter that appears to be written by Trump features this bizarre, imaginary conversation:
Voice Over:There must be more to life than having everything. Donald: Yes, there is, but I won’t tell you what it is. Jeffrey: Nor will I, since I already know what it is. Donald: We have certain things in common, Jeffrey. Jeffrey: Yes, we do come to think of it. Donald: Enigmas never age, have you noticed that? Jeffrey: As a matter of fact, it was clear to me the last time I saw you. Donald: A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.
Fox News on Tuesday suppressed the skeezy birthday note like a dark family secret and instead focused on safer, more comfortable subject matter, like Bill Clinton. But there wasn’t much to say since the birthday greeting that appeared to have been signed by the former president lacked drawings of naked females or implications about buying girls and/or women for sex. The short passage praised Epstein’s “childlike curiosity.” Thankfully, Fox had other breaking stories to chase.
Host Sean Hannity focused on a deadly North Carolina train stabbing and how it implicated Democrats’ “woke” criminal policies. Earlier in the day, Fox News was busy plumbing the depths of the Biden “autopen” scandal after a “bombshell report.”
Fox News’ website was equally as busy avoiding the nation’s top story. It led with “Charlotte mayor scores primary reelection victory amid national backlash over gruesome train murder” and another breaking story: “Hellfire missile bounces off mysterious orb in stunning UAP footage shown to Congress.”
Its story on the scandalous documents? “Inside Epstein’s infamous ‘birthday book’: Clinton’s note, poolside candids and bizarre animal pics.” The piece was toward the bottom of the page, tucked away like dirty laundry. It never once mentioned Trump.
Ghislaine Maxwell compiled the birthday book, collecting sentiments from Epstein’s friends and then gifting the album to her high-rolling financier bestie. Less than two decades later, she would be convicted of sex trafficking, among other charges. Epstein died in jail of a reported suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on similar charges. Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison term.
Trump said Tuesday when asked to respond to the birthday letter, “I don’t comment on something that’s a dead issue. I gave all comments to the staff. It’s a dead issue.” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Tuesday during a briefing that “the president did not write this letter. He didn’t sign this letter.” She said the administration would be open to a handwriting expert reviewing the signature on the letter.
But several news organizations have beaten them to it and compared the signature on the Epstein letter against Trump’s signature on other documents, and found them to be similar.
The alleged Trump letter was first reported by the Wall Street Journal in July, when the president denied writing it and said it was “a fake thing.” He filed a lawsuit against the paper’s publisher, reporters and executives, including News Corp. owner Rupert Murdoch.
The album also contains messages that appear to be from other notable personalities, including the current U.K. ambassador to the U.S., Peter Mandelson; Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz, who was part of a legal team representing Trump during his first impeachment trial; and billionaire retail magnate Les Wexner.
The caption under the novelty-check photo appears to be written by Joel Pashcow, a Mar-a-Lago club member and former chairman of a New York real estate company. The woman’s name and photo are redacted in the caption and the image. Lawyers for Epstein’s estate removed the names and photos of women and minors who appeared in the book so possible victims of Epstein could not be identified.
Other drawings in the book make Trump’s alleged contribution look docile. They include a queasy illustration of Epstein handing out balloons to young girls. Fox did mention the drawings of Epstein being massaged by several topless women around a pool, and the one of a zebra having sex with a lion. How much time until it’s suggested that it could be the work of Biden’s autopen? 5,4,3…
Toronto, Ontario, Canada, September 5, 2025 — Elle Fanning from the film “SENTIMENTAL VALUE,” photographed in the Los Angeles Times Studios at RBC House, during the Toronto International Film Festival, (TIFF) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. (Christina House/Los Angeles Times) (Christina House/Los Angeles Times)
TORONTO — Welcome to a special daily edition of the Envelope at TIFF, a newsletter collecting the latest developments out of Canada’s annual film showcase. Sign up here to get it in your inbox.
Have you seen the images from our photo gallery? Staff photographer Christina House and her crew are truly capturing the best of the fest.
There are wonderful shots up now, including Elle Fanning, Ethan Hawke, Channing Tatum and more, but this link will be updated periodically with others.
Expect Cillian Murphy, the cast of Rian Johnson’s ‘Wake Up Dead Man,’ Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal, Cillian Murphy and more surprises!
The day’s buzziest premieres
‘Good Fortune’
Aziz Ansari, left, and Keanu Reeves in the movie “Good Fortune.”
(Eddy Chen/Lionsgate/Eddy Chen / Lionsgate)
A low-level guardian angel righting a wrong feels like the set-up to a classic comedy. But amid a premise motivated by income inequality, there’s a distinctly current edge to “Good Fortune,” the debut feature of writer-director-star Aziz Ansari.
A struggling film editor who makes ends meet as a food delivery driver, Arj (Ansari) is at the end of his rope when said angel Gabriel (Keanu Reeves) switches his life with Jeff (Seth Rogen), a wealthy, self-important tech investor.
Except, instead of realizing things are tough all over, Arj decides he likes Jeff’s life better and doesn’t want to switch back. Which is only the beginning of the complications for these three lost souls.
Looking for hope in an out-of-balance world while laced with a righteously indignant anger (and set against distinctly L.A. locations), “Good Fortune” is social satire with a big heart. — Mark Olsen
‘Canceled: The Paula Deen Story’
Paula Deen in the documentary “Canceled: The Paula Deen Story.”
(TIFF)
Hungry for a brisk, witty documentary that’s as easy to enjoy as a plate of hot biscuits? Filmmaker Billy Corben analyzes the tabloid feeding frenzy that chewed up celebrity TV chef Paula Deen when she admitted to using a racial slur.
Going in, I only knew two things about Deen: the 2013 scandal and her staunch devotion to butter. Her full story is fascinating, especially buttressed by contemporary interviews with Deen and her two sons, Bobby and Jamie, who all specialize in Southern-fried zingers: “It came on like a snowball full of chainsaws,” says Jamie of the media blitz.
A complex schematic of the cancelation machine, “Canceled” argues that Deen was punished double that summer because Trayvon Martin’s killer wasn’t punished at all. The great archival footage makes you get why audiences once loved Deen — and it’s evident how much her family and friends still do, even if Corben greases her mea culpa to the point that you feel a little queasy. — Amy Nicholson
‘Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery’
Josh O’Connor, left, and Daniel Craig in Rian Johnson’s movie “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery,” having its world premiere as part of the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival.
(Netflix)
One of the real pleasures of the witty, surprising films made by writer-director Rian Johnson starring Daniel Craig as Southern gentleman detective Benoit Blanc is that, within the confines of the murder mystery, they could take place just about anywhere: a patriarch’s creaky mansion, a billionaire’s private island and now a small town’s historic church.
Or at least that’s the best we know from the scant details made public about the new “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” ahead of its TIFF world premiere tonight. Craig returns as Blanc but joining the cast this time are Josh O’Connor, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Kerry Washington, Jeremy Renner, Daryl McCormack, Cailee Spaeny, Thomas Haden Church, Andrew Scott and Glenn Close.
The festival has been a good luck charm so far, with the previous two “Knives Out” movies premiering at TIFF in the same theater, day and time slot and both going on to Oscar nominations for their screenplays. — Mark Olsen
They couldn’t stop talking, even before the cameras for ‘Poetic License’ were rolling
Andrew Barth Feldman, left, Cooper Hoffman and Leslie Mann in “Poetic License,” having its world premiere as part of the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival.
(TIFF)
Mark Olsen has a fun interview with the banter-ific Andrew Barth Feldman and Cooper Hoffman, costars of Maude Apatow’s new movie “Poetic Licence.” They were friends before they shot the film and their verbal mutual affection — honed to a crazy degree of anticipation — is something to behold. They’ve raised bromance to an art form.
His apocalyptic art film ‘Sirât’ dances in the face of oblivion. That’s why people love it
Director Oliver Laxe, photographed in the Los Angeles Times Studios at RBC House during the Toronto International Film Festival.
(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
Director Oliver Laxe has made a truly unique art film about a restless group of ravers who drive out in the the desert on the eve of what could be the end of the world. Since its debut at Cannes, “Sirât” is acquiring superfans — critics and audiences alike — wherever it plays. On the occasion of his first TIFF screening, Laxe spoke to me about his commitment to risk.
Nothing says “awards season” like a fall film festival. The Times’ reporters, critics, videographers and photographers are on the ground at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival, bringing you all the news from TIFF’s 50th edition. Our coverage includes our TIFF Daily newsletter, along with photo and video highlights from the Los Angeles Times Studio.
Bookmark this site and revisit all weekend to see new actors, directors, documentarians and international icons who couldn’t wait to say hi to us. And be sure to check out our complete coverage of TIFF 2025 throughout the festival.
Elle Fanning from the film “Sentimental Value.”
(Christina House/Los Angeles Times)
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1.Back row left to right, Nadia Latif and Willem Dafoe. Front row left to right, Anna Diop and Corey Hawkins from the film “The Man in My Basement.”2.Anna Diop.
Channing Tatum, Kirsten Dunst and Derek Cianfrance from the film “Roofman.”
Back row left to right, Anita Afonu and Ben Proudfoot. Front row left to right, Nana Adwoa Frimpong and Ghanaian Brandon Somerhalder from the film “The Eye of Ghana.”
Pete Ohs from the film “Erupcja.”
Left to right, Lisa Barros D’sa, Glenn Leyburn and Eanna Hardwicke from the film “Saipan.”
Director Oliver Laxe from the film “Sirât.”
Kirsten Dunst from the film “Roofman.”
Stephen Amell, left, and Sean Astin from the film “Little Lorraine.”
Elle Fanning and Stellan Skarsgard from the film “Sentimental Value.”
than Hawke from the film “The Lowdown.”
Riz Ahmed and Aneil Karia from the film “Hamlet.”
Left to right, Thomas DeGrezia, Director Eif Rivera, Brad Feinstein and Christina Weiss Lurie and Diego Boneta from the film “Killing Castro.”
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1.Jay McCarrol.2.Matt Johnson from the film “Nirvana: The Band – The Show – The Movie.”
Connor O’Malley, Vanessa Bayer, Kate Berlant, Claudia O’Doherty, Eric Rahill and John Early from the film “Maddie’s Secret.”
Channing Tatum from the film “Roofman.”
Left to right, Samara Weaving, Kyle Gallner, seated, and Adam Carter Rehmeier from the film “Carolina Carolina.”
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1.Samara Weaving from the film “Carolina Carolina.”
Left to right, Idan Weiss and Agnieszka Holland from the film “Franz.”
Left to righy, Chris Candy, Jennifer Candy and Colin Hanks from the film “John Candy: I Like Me.”
Potsy Ponciroli from the film “Motor City.”
Back row, co-Director Tom Dean and Emilia Jones. Front row, co-Director Mac Eldridge and Nick Robinson from the film “Charlie Harper,”
Left to right, Megan Lawless, Cooper Tomlinson, Curry Barker, Michael Johnston and Inde Navarrette from the film “Obsession.”
Back row, Chandler Levack and Juliette Gariepy. Middle row, Stanley Simons and Barbie Ferreira. Front row, Devon Bostick from the film “Mile End Kicks.”
Jimmy posed in a fun family snap with his wife and two daughtersCredit: Instagram/jimmyfallon
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The star has fronted the long-standing Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight ShowCredit: Getty
The family-of-four can be seen enjoying a lakeside getaway in the fun snap on their holiday wearing casual summer gear.
Comedian Fallon and his loved ones threw their arms in the air and struck some comedy poses in the playful shot.
His partner Juvonen flashed a peace sign and wrapped an arm around her daughter, wearing a pastel cross-over stripped dress.
“This is before my sister-in-law said, ‘a little less,’” Fallon joked in his caption.
Famous friends commented on the cute photo with a string of heart emojis, including Camila Cabello, Paris Hilton, while Ellen DeGeneres liked the snap.
Fans praised: “Beautiful family.”
A second added: “Awesome family post!”
A third agreed: “Such a joy to see a happy and loved Jimmy’s family.”
The fun family moment comes nearly a year after Fallon opened up about fatherhood in an interview with Parents magazine.
Greg Gutfeld embarrasses Jimmy Fallon during Tonight Show appearance by revealing they ‘wrestled’ when they first met
He admitted that becoming a dad has completely reshaped his outlook on life and work.
“I used to work hard on my career for myself. Now it’s about my kids,” he explained.
“I want to show them they can be creative, enjoy the process, and do what makes them happy — not for money or praise, but for the love of it.”
The TV star is best known for his long-standing talk show on NBC’s The Tonight Show.
The stand-up comedian, television host, actor, writer, and singer was born on September 19, 1974, in Bay Ridge, New York.
He first gained recognition as a cast member on Saturday Night Live but later became a household name in 2014 after taking over The Tonight Show following Jay Leno’s departure.
Fallon’s extensive career in the entertainment industry has helped him amass a $70 million fortune, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
He has also written several books and two comedy albums.
In 1998, he joined the cast ofSaturday Night Liveand remained there until 2004.
Jimmy’s big break came in 2009 when he landed his own talk show, Late Night With Jimmy Fallon.
In May last year The Tonight Show aired a special two-hour program to celebrateFallon’s 10th anniversaryon the show.
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Jimmy and his wife Nancy with their two daughters at an event in 2017Credit: Getty
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Jimmy and Nancy at Time’s 100 Most Influential People in the World Gala in 2009Credit: Getty
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Nancy and Jimmy met on the set of Saturday Night Live in the early 2000sCredit: Getty
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Host Jimmy during an infamous monologue on Wednesday, August 13, 2025Credit: Getty
Bill Anderson was close to 70 when he first spotted the clock.
It looked like a ship’s wheel, a kitschy bit of decor you might see at a nautically themed bar. But he was drawn to it because of its maker.
Timepieces from Chelsea Clock Co. were renowned for their design and precision. The company’s clocks could once be found on Navy battleships during World War II, and adorned mantels, walls and desks at the White House for presidents ranging from Dwight Eisenhower to Joe Biden.
Anderson, a retired watchmaker and collector, was particularly interested in the base of the Chelsea Comet, which was engraved with the initials “J.F.K.”
John Fitzgerald Kennedy?
Although watch collectors obsess over celebrity ownership, and a Camelot connection counts for a lot, the prospect of a payday was only part of the allure for Anderson.
Retired watchmaker Bill Anderson owns more than 200 timepieces, including a Chelsea Comet with a plaque featuring a “J.F.K.” engraving.
(Courtesy of Bill Anderson)
The mystery of the clock’s provenance — could it possibly be the real deal? — has animated his life for years. This, Anderson said, “is a nice game that I’ve got going here.”
He’d purchased the clock in 1999 from a seller on EBay, a New Hampshire dealer who’d picked it up at an estate sale in Wellesley, Mass., for $280.
In the intervening years, Anderson, who is 95, has plumbed the cloistered world of clock collectors. His hunt would take him to the online message boards of watch and clock aficionados, and the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. It would eventually lead to a refrigerated vault 200 feet below ground in a former limestone mine in rural Pennsylvania.
Anderson, who lives in Eugene, Ore., may not use the word “obsession” to describe his interest in his J.F.K. clock, but others do. All those decades he’s spent trying to uncover its backstory are evidence of its almost gravitational pull.
Anderson, whose parents ran a grocery store, grew up in Roseburg, Ore., south of Eugene. In the late 1940s, he left the University of Oregon after just one quarter and enrolled in a watchmaking school run by the Elgin National Watch Co.
Anderson’s maternal grandfather had been in the trade. “I leaned over his watchmaker’s bench and watched him as a little boy,” he explained. “He let me have the insides of an alarm clock … that was the beginning of it.”
In time, Anderson became a retail liquidator, helping to close jewelry and watch stores and sell their remaining inventories. Along the way, Anderson married and started a family. He gained a reputation as an honest broker — and for being able to spot the value in merchandise that others couldn’t sell.
“Bill is like the George Washington of people — you know, ‘I cannot tell a lie,’ that type of thing,” said Errol Stewart, a Maine watchmaker who has known Anderson for about 40 years.
In 1974, Anderson paid $15,000 for the inventory of a jeweler in Baker City, Ore., selling what he could and bringing the leftovers home. Forty years later, he came across them while cleaning out his attic; among the wares was an old football helmet.
It turned out to be a rare Spalding head harness from the early 1900s. No more than 10 are believed to still be in existence, and Anderson sold it for about $14,000.
He has retained more than 200 timepieces for his collection, including several from Chelsea, and has watched the prices for celebrity-owned timepieces surge in the last few decades.
“With Kennedy you get the highest multiplication factor for any political figure,” said Paul Boutros, who heads the U.S. watch business for Phillips, a London-based auction house.
Anderson knew if he could confirm the ownership, it would be a boon — perhaps a capstone to his legacy as a watchmaker and collector. The first thing he did was get in touch with Chelsea to request the clock’s certificate of origin.
When it arrived, the spot for the original buyer’s name was marked “no record.” Could that have been a courtesy extended to a VIP customer? JFK’s father, Joseph P. Kennedy Sr., had visited the company’s headquarters in Massachusetts — home to the Kennedy clan — where he purchased several items.
Chelsea had published a feature on its website about in-house master clockmaker Jean Yeo that touched on that celebrity connection. She said that she began working at Chelsea in 1951, a time when “all of the Kennedys came in here” and had special praise for the family’s patriarch, calling him a “nice guy” who talked to her about her work.
But Anderson wasn’t sure what to think. The growing allure of watches with A-list history was enticing people to peddle dubious timepieces.
In 2005, a Rolex that was said to be a gift from Marilyn Monroe to JFK was auctioned for $120,000. The gold Day-Date, reportedly given by the actress to the president in 1962 on the occasion of his 45th birthday, featured an inscription that reads, “Jack / With love as always / from / Marilyn.” But collectors and watch scholars have noted that the timepiece in question featured a serial number that dated it to 1965.
At one point in his search, Anderson had a breakthrough when he discovered an online photograph of the future president and his wife at home in 1954. A clock was positioned on a desk, and it looked just like Anderson’s Comet, but the low-resolution picture was so blurry that any engraving it may have had was impossible to discern.
Then-Sen. John F. Kennedy and his wife, Jacqueline, at their home in Washington, D.C., in 1954. A Chelsea Comet clock sits on the desk.
(Bettmann Archive)
James Archer Abbott, co-author of “Designing Camelot: The Kennedy White House Restoration and Its Legacy,” said there was no record of the Comet having been displayed at the White House, and cautioned that if it were important to the family, it probably would have been earmarked for JFK’s presidential library. A representative of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum said that it has no record of or information on the Comet clock.
But Tony LaChapelle, president of Chelsea, was open to the possibility that it had once been owned by JFK.
“Could somebody who had nothing better to do in their life take that photo of JFK, Jackie and that clock, and get a Comet clock and try to capitalize on that? I suppose they could,” he said. “We look at [Anderson’s ] clock and we look at that photo of [JFK’s clock] sitting out on the table, and in our opinion it is highly probable” they were one and the same.
Anderson tried to find the original high-resolution image for years but couldn’t turn anything up. No one seemed to know the source of the photo. There were tens of thousands of pictures of JFK to comb through online. Or more.
But eventually, after a serpentine, multiyear effort, the whereabouts of the original negative were finally uncovered. It was in a photo archive stored inside a Boyers, Pa., facility known as the Iron Mountain, a formidable place that securely maintains records of all types, including for the federal government.
The Bettmann Archive, which comprises millions of photos and is managed by Getty Images, is housed in a section of the Mountain that’s more than 10 stories underground.
Last year, an archivist located the negative and brought it to one of Bettmann’s labs, where she placed it on a flatbed scanner. Soon, a new, ultra-high-resolution version of the 1954 image glowed on her computer screen. The clarity was remarkable.
The Comet could be clearly seen in the photo, including the clock’s wooden base.
It was blank.
When he heard the news — relayed via telephone — Anderson grew quiet.
But he offered no lamentations and later he said he wasn’t disappointed: “Not a bit.” He’d come to realize how important the hunt had been for him, especially after his wife, Sallie, died in July 2023. She was 93.
“She understood that I loved that kind of stuff,” he said.
The research made a dark time just a little easier.
During a recent interview, Anderson sat at his dining room table, where there was an array of photos of his wife. The Comet was there too. He explained that over the last year or so, he has asked each of his five children to select clocks from his collection that they will inherit when he dies.
Marilyn Monroe, seen in a 1962 photograph, is said to have gifted President Kennedy a Rolex that was later auctioned for $120,000.
(Cecil Stoughton / White House Photographs / John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum / Associated Press)
“I don’t know how many more miles down the road I’ve got,” he said.
But Anderson has yet to offer the Comet. “Why that hasn’t happened yet, I don’t know,” he said.
One of his sons, Mike Anderson, a watchmaker who owns Anderson Jewelers in Corvallis, Ore., has an idea. “There’s no doubt in my mind he wants to link [the clock] to JFK — he wants to believe that that was on his desk,” the younger Anderson said. “That’s what drives him.”
After all these years, Anderson still loves the chase.
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are taking their love story to the next chapter.
The Grammy-winning “Love Story” pop icon and the Kansas City Chiefs tight end are engaged, the couple announced Tuesday in a joint Instagram post.
“Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married,” Swift captioned photos from the garden engagement.
Weeks before getting engaged, the pair hit another personal milestone: They finally finally appeared together on Kelce’s “New Heights” podcast, which he co-hosts with his brother, retired Philadelphia Eagles star Jason Kelce. The podcast was also where Travis Kelce took his shot at a romance with the singer-songwriter back in 2023.
During the “New Heights” episode, which marked Swift’s podcasting debut, she said her relationship with Kelce “is sort of what I’ve been writing songs about wanting to happen to me since I was a teenager.”
With marriage on the horizon, it seems Swift and Kelce have come a long way since officially becoming an item in fall 2023. Their romance can be traced back to July 2023, when Kelce attended an Eras tour concert at Arrowhead Stadium, the Chiefs’ house. The NFL star managed to get a friendship bracelet with his phone number to Swift’s camp and the two eventually got in touch.
Their rumored romance quickly became commentary fodder for NFL broadcasts (sometimes to sports fans’ chagrin). Then things took a turn when Swift seemingly accepted Kelce’s personal invitation to a home game in September 2023 and was seen cheering for him in a private box alongside his mother, Donna Kelce. Soon enough, Swift became a staple in the Chiefs audience.
Swift and Kelce’s relationship dominated the news cycle and most coverage of the NFL season. Feeding into the obsession, both Swifties and sports fans on social media created memes, TikTok videos and other social media content dissecting nearly every detail of the couple’s interactions and public appearances.
From late 2023 to early 2024, their blooming relationship also proved to be a boon as Swift carried on with her blockbuster, career-spanning Eras tour and Kelce prepared for Super Bowl LVIII, where the Chiefs faced the San Fransisco 49ers. When the Chiefs won, Swift joined Kelce on the field, kissing and hugging her athlete boyfriend.
Swift and Kelce’s love didn’t just play out on the field. During a November 2023 show, Swift changed lyrics to her hit “Karma” to mention “the guy on the Chiefs, coming straight home to me,” sending fans and Kelce into a frenzy. Then in June 2024, as Swift‘s tour continued, Kelce joined his superstar girlfriend on stage in London.
When the 2024-25 NFL season began in September, Swift returned regularly to Arrowhead Stadium for Chiefs home games.
Swift brought her Eras tour to an end in December 2024 and hosted a private wrap party to celebrate her musical marathon. As photos from the party went public, eagle-eyed fans noticed more than Swift, Kelce and their VIP attendees. Social media sleuths claimed photos of Swift’s hands had been Photoshopped to conceal the presence of an engagement ring, Page Six reported at the time.