Laura Kuenssberg presses Rachel Reeves on whether the public was misled before Budget
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has rejected claims she misled the public about the nation’s finances in the run-up to her Budget.
Reeves was challenged on the BBC to explain why she had repeatedly warned about a downgrade to the UK’s economic productivity forecasts – including in a speech on 4 November – ahead of Wednesday’s Budget.
It has since emerged the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) told her in mid-September the public finances were in better shape than widely thought, with Reeves omitting to mention a forecast of higher wages.
Reeves said the OBR figures were clear there had been “less fiscal space than there was” and that she had been “upfront” about her decision-making. But Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch repeated her call for the chancellor to quit.
When pressed on the issue on BBC One’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Reeves said she did not “accept” she had been misleading.
Badenoch, also appearing on the programme, said she was not satisfied with the chancellor’s denial, however.
The Conservatives have accused the chancellor of giving an overly pessimistic impression of the public finances as a “smokescreen” to raise taxes, with Badenoch claiming Reeves had “lied to the public”.
But Downing Street has denied the accusations and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is expected to back Reeves’ budget decisions in a speech on Monday, saying the chancellor’s decisions would help tackle cost of living pressures and lower inflation.
Reeves was asked by Kuenssberg if she could be trusted, responding that she could.
Kuenssberg then outlined what the chancellor said in a speech on 4 November, when Reeves indicated there was less cash than previously forecast due to a productivity downgrade, and she was likely going to need to raise taxes as a result.
Reeves explained that, despite what critics were saying, “I didn’t have an extra £4bn to play with” but instead that the OBR figures had been downgraded from £9.9bn headroom in spring to £4.2bn in the autumn.
Headroom is the term for money left over after the government meets its expected budget costs under its own fiscal rules, providing a financial buffer for unexpected costs.
“I clearly could not deliver a budget with just £4.2bn of headroom,” she said, as that would have been “the lowest surplus any chancellor ever delivered”, and she would “rightly” have been facing criticism for the headroom being too small.
She said: “I was clear that I wanted to build up that resilience and that is why I took those decisions to get that headroom up to £21.7bn.”
Pushed on whether she had exaggerated the situation in order to pave the way for a £16bn increase in welfare, Reeves said she also had to factor in policy choices made in the previous six months on welfare and the Winter Fuel Allowance.
She said: “I did say when those policies changed just before the summer that we would have to find that money in the Budget, so I was very upfront about that.
“Yes, I did make the decision in the Budget to scrap the two-child [benefit] limit – that was funded by increases on online gambling taxes and also by cracking down on tax avoidance and tax evasion, fully costed and fully funded, and lifting half a million children out of poverty.”
Asked if she had broken the spirit, if not the letter, of her manifesto commitment on taxation by freezing income tax thresholds, Reeves said: “I recognise I did not say that in the manifesto, but since then we’ve had both a significant downgrade in the productivity forecast but also huge global turbulence.”
She added: “I have to respond to all those things because, if I were to lose control of the public finances, we would be punished.
“Punished by financial markets that hold £2.6tn of public debt, and punished with higher interest rates, which wouldn’t affect just the country but would also affect every single business that borrows, and every single family that has a mortgage.”
Kemi Badenoch on Reeves: ‘I believe she should resign’
Badenoch said she was “absolutely not” satisfied with Reeves’ explanation and she should instead have cut welfare spending.
She said: “The chancellor called an emergency press conference telling everyone about how terrible the state of the finances were and now we have seen that the OBR was telling her the complete opposite.
“She was raising taxes to pay for welfare – the only thing that was unfunded was the welfare payments that she has made, and she’s doing it on the backs of a lot of people out there who are working very hard and getting poorer – and because of that I believe she should resign.”
She accused the chancellor of trying to “pitch-roll her budget – tell everyone how awful it would be and then they wouldn’t be as upset when she finally announced it”, which could constitute “market manipulation”.
Tory shadow chancellor Mel Stride has written to the Financial Conduct Authority asking it to investigate “possible market abuse” by people working in the Treasury and Downing Street in the run-up to the Budget. The SNP has also written to the body.
The Conservatives have also written to the prime minister calling for Reeves to come before MPs on Monday to explain her conduct surrounding the Budget and period leading to it.
Reform UK Leader Nigel Farage has reported Reeves to the the independent adviser on ministerial ethics to investigate whether she broke the ministerial code over her pre-Budget interventions.
Meanwhile, Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper said there were “very serious questions to answer” and is understood to have submitted an urgent question in Parliament on the issue.
WASHINGTON — Rep. Robert Garcia and his team faced a monumental task on Nov. 5: Sift through more than 20,000 documents obtained from the estate of Jeffrey Epstein in search for something that would shed more light into President Trump’s relationship with the now-deceased convicted sex offender.
After six tedious days combing through the records, Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, and four staff members identified three emails that would go on to ignite a political firestorm.
In the emails, Epstein wrote that Trump had “spent hours” at the late financier’s house with one of his victims and that he “knew about the girls,” suggesting the president knew more about Epstein’s abuse than he had previously acknowledged. The estate released the emails to the committee after receiving a subpoena.
“We thought [the emails] really raised questions about the relationship between the president and Jeffrey Epstein,” Garcia said in an interview last week. “We knew we had to get those out as soon as possible.”
Garcia’s plan to release the emails quickly thrust the second-term Democrat into the national spotlight, elevating his profile as a chief antagonist of Trump on a issue that has dogged the president since his first term. It also increased the pressure on the White House to release its investigative Epstein files.
The assertions in Epstein’s emails about Trump’s involvement or awareness of Epstein’s illicit acts have not been corroborated and the White House has denied the veracity of those accounts.
The White House accused Democrats of “selectively” leaking emails to create a “fake narrative to smear President Trump,” adding that Democrats redacted the name of one of the victims, Virginia Giuffre, who died by suicide in April and had previously said she had not witnessed Trump participating in abuse at Epstein’s house.
The email disclosures on Nov. 12 prompted Republicans on the committee to publish the full cache of records just hours later. At the same time, Democrats — joined by a handful of Republicans — were on the verge of forcing a House vote to compel the Justice Department to release its Epstein files. Days later, Trump urged GOP lawmakers to back the bill he had long resisted, and he ultimately signed it into law.
“If we hadn’t released the initial emails, Republicans would likely have released nothing,” Garcia said. “They never release anything until we push them and we bring pressure from the public.”
Garcia said Democrats were prepared to publish the full set themselves — but incrementally over the course of the week, arguing that such a release needed to be done carefully to protect victims’ privacy.
Republicans on the committee have criticized the minority party’s approach, arguing that it focuses on sensationalizing select pieces of information to damage Trump and politicizing the Epstein investigation.
“The most dangerous place in D.C. is between Robert Garcia and a cable news camera,” Republican strategist Matthew Gorman said. “This is simply a ploy for him to draw more attention to himself, and he’s using this issue to do it.”
‘Sometimes you gotta punch back harder’
Garcia’s allies view the 47-year-old’s rise as both foreseeable and reflective of his past.
Born in Peru, Garcia immigrated to the United States as a young child and became a citizen in his early 20s. He later became Long Beach’s first Latino and first openly gay mayor before arriving in Washington — where he is now one of the youngest to ever serve as the ranking member of the main investigative panel in the House.
Five months into the role, Garcia says he remains in disbelief that he is in the position that has been held by people like Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), whom he considers one of his “heroes.”
“To be in a place where I’m doing the job that he was in when I got to Congress a couple of years ago is not something that I expected,” Garcia said. “I want to contribute back as best I can, and take on this corruption, take on what is happening with the Jeffrey Epstein case and holding the administration accountable.”
The oversight committee is one of the House’s most high-profile panels and its chair, Republican Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, has broad subpoena power. Comer, a staunch Trump ally, has been leading a review of the government’s investigation into Epstein and his longtime associate, Ghislaine Maxwell. Comer has subpoenaed both the Epstein estate and the Justice Department.
Comer declined to be interviewed for this article, as did other House Republicans. But Comer told Politico last week that he was “done with Garcia” and that the Democrat had “burned his bridges with this.”
“He just needs to do TikTok videos or something. … He’s not a serious investigator. He’s like a TikTok video kind of guy,” Comer said.
Garcia responded to Comer’s comments with a reference to the movie “Mean Girls.”
“Why’s he so obsessed with me?” he said Wednesday in an Instagram post — an example of how Garcia often uses pop culture to communicate to a more general audience.
Garcia says his tactics are motivated by an allergy to bullies.
“I grew up as an immigrant kid. … I know what it is like to be on the other side of the bully,” he said. “If the bully is going to punch or cause harm to you or others that you care about, you have to punch back. Sometimes you gotta punch back harder.”
Democrats credit Garcia for pushing Comer to act. In July, a Republican-led subcommittee passed a Democrat-led motion to subpoena the Justice Department’s Epstein documents — a move that ultimately prompted Comer to issue his subpoenas.
Rep. Robert Garcia speaks at a ceremonial swearing-in event in Long Beach in August to commemorate his new role as ranking member of the House oversight committee.
(Jonathan Alcorn / For The Times)
Rep. Greg Casar, a Texas Democrat, said the vote “began knocking over the dominoes” that eventually led to the public seeing a copy of Epstein’s “50th birthday book,” which includes Trump’s name, as well as the three emails linking Trump to Epstein.
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Fremont), a member of the oversight committee, praised Garcia for securing bipartisan support to secure documents and pushing records out to the public. Khanna, who led the push to force a vote on the House floor to demand the Justice Department release the Epstein files, also co-wrote a letter with Garcia to Epstein’s estate requesting an unredacted copy of the birthday book.
Attorneys for the estate said that they would cooperate, but that they required a subpoena to release materials due to privacy concerns. Khanna said he believes the letter set in motion the push that ultimately led Comer to subpoena the estate.
“I think the way he has worked with Comer to make sure a lot of the investigation has been bipartisan, has been effective,” Khanna said in an interview.
A ‘dynamic’ approach to oversight
Garcia — who is known to use social media and pop culture to amplify his message — has folded those communication tactics into his role on the oversight committee.
The day the emails were released, Garcia promoted them in social media posts and videos and gave multiple interviews. The congressman — a self-described Bravo fan — is scheduled to appear this week on the cable channel’s “What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.”
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) told The Times that Garcia’s “dynamic” leadership approach is creating new ways to communicate to a younger generation about the work Congress is doing.
“He seems to thrive on it, and that’s a joy to behold,” the former speaker said. “He is young, but has brought members along and the public along as to what the challenge is.”
Rep. Robert Garcia speaks with Mayor Karen Bass at a congressional field hearing at the Metropolitan Water District on Monday.
(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
Republicans on the committee have accused Garcia and Democrats of intentionally using the Epstein investigation to generate a false narrative against Trump — criticism that Democrats see as Garcia being willing to “fight fire with fire.”
Sen. Adam Schiff, who served on the House Select Committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, said Garcia’s push to seek records “outside of traditional channels,” including the Epstein estate, helped drive a “public narrative that broke through.”
“Under such a lawless and corrupt administration, we need talented and creative leaders to do oversight work, expose the malfeasance to the public and break through in a fractured media environment, and Congressman Garcia has proven adept at all three,” Schiff said.
Matthew Bartlett, a Republican strategist and former Trump administration appointee, said Garcia’s strategy could backfire if or when all the information on the Epstein investigation comes out.
“I believe that they’ve sprung Pandora’s box with a whole bunch of conspiracy theories, fake memes and news that the left is fully embracing and that may not actually be real,” he said.
As more records from Epstein’s estate are expected to come to light in the coming weeks, Garcia says he is committed to exposing wrongdoing from anyone, regardless of party. The documents have already shown Epstein’s links to prominent Democrats.
The records have also shown links to major banks, a thread Garcia says he believes could be central in understanding Epstein’s plea deal negotiated by a prosecutor who served in Trump’s Cabinet during his first term.
“I am not interested in protecting anybody,” he said. “I’m interested in justice for the survivors.”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will give his backing to the chancellor’s Budget in a speech on Monday, and commit the government to going “further and faster” on pro-growth measures.
He will say Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s statement will help to alleviate cost of living pressures, lower inflation and ensure economic stability.
It comes as the Treasury faces questions over whether it was transparent about the state of the public finances in the run-up to the Budget.
No 10 has denied that Reeves misled voters and defended her statement.
Despite the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) downgrading growth from next year, the prime minister will argue that “economic growth is beating forecasts”, but the government must do more to encourage it.
Protecting investment and public services will further drive financial growth, Sir Keir is expected to say.
He will call for reform in the sector and an urgent correction to “fundamentally misguided environmental regulation”.
Business Secretary Peter Kyle is to be tasked with applying the lessons of the nuclear power report to infrastructure more widely.
The prime minister’s speech on Monday, just five days after the Budget, may suggest some nervousness over how the government’s economic plans have been received by the public, though No 10 say a statement was already planned.
In the days since the Budget, Downing Street has been forced to publicly back Reeves after she was accused by political opponents of repeatedly warning about a downgrade to the UK’s economic productivity forecasts, paving the way for tax hikes.
In a letter to MPs sent on Friday, the chairman of the OBR revealed that he told the chancellor on 17 September that the public finances were in better shape than widely thought.
The Conservatives have accused Reeves of giving an overly pessimistic impression of the public finances as a “smokescreen” to raise taxes.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said the letter showed Reeves had “lied to the public” and should be sacked.
Last week, a spokesperson for the Treasury said: “We are not going to get into the OBR’s processes or speculate on how that relates to the internal decision‑making in the build‑up to a Budget, but the chancellor made her choices to cut the cost of living, cut hospital waiting lists and double headroom to cut the cost of our debt.”
Both the chancellor and Badenoch are scheduled to appear on the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme.
I’m A Celebrity will air the first elimination of the series on Friday with a group of campmates facing the public vote, as confirmed by hosts Ant McPartlin and Dec Donnelly
22:50, 27 Nov 2025Updated 22:50, 27 Nov 2025
I’m A Celebrity will air the first elimination of the series on Friday(Image: ITV)
As the first vote-off of this series of I’m a Celebrity draws closer, fans think they already know who will be sent home.
After a live trial on Thursday, hosts Ant and Dec confirmed which stars were up for the axe. Jack Osbourne, Alex Scott, Angry Ginge, Aitch, Martin Kemp, Ruby Wax and Kelly Brook all lost out on immunity after a series of challenges.
Controversially, Aitch and Ginge were told both of them would be up after they spilled too much liquid in the drinking challenge. In a trial that saw tension and plenty of vomit, stars including Jack and Kelly learned they could be leaving the jungle forever the next day.
But fans think they already know amid the vote opening who will leave first. Viewers repeated the same two names as the possible stars facing leaving camp.
Kelly and Alex were repeatedly named by viewers on X, with them predicted to be leaving the show. One fan said: “I think Alex or Kelly will go tbh.”
Another agreed: “I think Kelly or Alex will be the first person out,” as a third said: “Kelly out first.” A fourth viewer said: “I think it’ll be Kelly or Alex who go tomorrow,” while a further comment read: “Alex or Kelly to go first I think.”
It comes as hosts Ant and Dec commented on campmates Shona McGarty and Aitch being “very cosy” amid romance rumours. On Wednesday night, scenes saw the pair messing around, and Dec was quick to comment.
After Kelly Brook suggested a pillow fight in camp, the pair were seen rolling around and falling to the floor. Shona was leaning on Aitch as the pair laughed, with fans suggesting they were “looking into each other’s eyes”.
Aitch commented on his time in camp being “lovely” with him “seeing the beauty of it”, with a smirk on his face – just as the camera panned to him staring at Shona. Fans were sure he was talking about his time with Shona.
Speaking live on air at the end of Wednesday’s episode, Dec said to Ant: “Getting very cosy aren’t they,” before smirking. Ant then said back: “Well some of them are…”
Viewers also had their say after the playful scenes. Some fans even suggested Aitch deliberatly lost to be in the loser camp with Shona, with many viewers “rooting” for their possible romance.
One fan said: “Aitch and Shona ready for that Christmas love.” Another agreed: “Are we witnessing the chemistry between Aitch and Shona? You can feel the love.”
A third fan said: “Aitch and Shona are so cute and I am SO HERE FOR IT,” as a fourth added: “I know Aitch lost on purpose to be with Shona I just can’t prove it.” A fifth said: “I’m so rooting for Aitch and Shona.”
Another fan commented: “Aitch and Shona staring into each others eyes.” It’s not just fans who seem to be rooting for the pair though, with friends and family also commenting.
Aitch’s close pal and manager said the pair could make a “nice couple”. Shona’s sister Camila had her say too, and said: “He is a nice guy… I would definitely have him around for Christmas.”
Shona broke up with her musician fiancé, David Bracken, earlier this year. Insiders say the split is amicable, and he recently wished her all the best for the jungle on social media.
Romance talk started after Aitch spoke about Shona to Ginge in the camp. He said: “I’ve got a bit of a soft spot for Shona, me.” Ginge replied: “I think she’s really nice, if that’s what you mean, yeah?” Keeping things low-key, Aitch commented: “Yeah, that’s what I mean…”
At the end, there will also be t shirts on sale, and people will able to take pictures with a Vulcan Bomber aircraft currently on the tarmac.
Proceeds from the race are going towards the upkeep of it, as it also offers rare cockpit and wing tours still.
Libra Races said: “We are very excited to announce that Run the Runway is now open for entries, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to run a race on the DoncasterSheffield Airport Runway ahead of flights returning hopefully in 2027.”
The one-day event is set to take place next year on March 21.
Tickets are on sale with the shorter race costing £14 and the longer route costing £20.
More than 300 tickets have already been sold since they went on sale yesterday.
Runners will also be able to take pictures in front of the Vulcan BomberCredit: PA
Divisions mark the last days of the UN climate summit in the Brazilian city of Belem.
Division marked the COP30 climate summit in Brazil as countries struggled to reach a consensus on several sticking points, including a push to phase out fossil fuels.
As the world seeks to address the climate crisis, experts say scientists, politicians, media and business all have a role to play in keeping the public engaged.
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But are they succeeding?
Presenter: Neave Barker
Guests:
Professor John Sweeney – Contributor to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Nobel Peace Prize-winning assessment report
Professor Allam Ahmed – Leading scholar in sustainable development and the knowledge economy
Michael Shank – Climate communication expert and former director of media strategy at Climate Nexus
Public opinion shifts fast, often faster than people expect. Many readers believe they form their views independently, yet every choice — from which headline to click to the sources they trust — shapes how they understand global events. Halfway through the second sentence, reliable platforms such as gayaone.com help you keep these choices intentional. When you control the quality of your information, you protect your ability to think clearly and make balanced decisions.
Why the Sources You Follow Influence the Way You See the World
People tend to underestimate the extent to which their news diet influences their beliefs. A steady stream of dramatic stories changes how safe they feel. A calm, fact-based report changes how they judge a political event. This happens because the mind absorbs structure, tone, and context, not only raw facts. Your awareness grows when you select sources that value accuracy over noise. Before establishing this habit, consider the key factors that indicate whether a source is trustworthy:
check how clearly the outlet separates fact from opinion;
look for consistent attribution to verified experts and institutions;
review whether the platform shows full context, not isolated fragments;
read how the outlet corrects mistakes;
assess whether the publication avoids sensational framing.
Once you pay attention to these details, your relationship with news becomes more intentional. You feel less pressure, you filter information faster, and you avoid the emotional traps that come from reckless content. This approach gives you a healthier, more stable understanding of public affairs.
How Credibility Guides Your Judgments Without You Noticing
Credible reporting does more than inform you. It shapes how you interpret social tension, economic shifts, and political decisions. When a publication stays consistent, you start to rely on its structure.
Clear reporting gives you room to form your own view instead of absorbing someone else’s assumptions. That independence matters when public narratives collide and every side claims authority. Without credible sources, your perspective drifts between loud opinions and short-lived trends.
Why Your Choice of Source Matters Even More During Complex Events
High-pressure events expose the difference between trustworthy journalism and shallow content. When countries face conflict, elections, or market shocks, the quality of your sources becomes crucial. A credible outlet explains what happened, why it matters, and what may come next. It avoids shortcuts that leave you confused. It also refuses to exaggerate uncertainty. This kind of structure protects your ability to stay calm while you process complicated issues.
In contrast, unreliable outlets flood you with claims that lack substance. They take advantage of confusion, and that confusion spreads from one reader to millions. Your choice of outlet then becomes a civic act: you decide whether you want to support responsible journalism or contribute to the noise that fuels misinformation.
Gaya One provides a clear and trustworthy path through crowded media spaces. The platform focuses on verified updates, sharp analysis, and balanced context, which helps readers develop informed perspectives instead of reactive opinions. You build stronger habits when you regularly return to a place that respects your time and intelligence. If you want reliable reporting that strengthens your understanding, explore Gaya One today and start using its curated categories to stay informed with confidence.
WASHINGTON — National Public Radio will receive approximately $36 million in grant money to operate the nation’s public radio interconnection system under the terms of a court settlement with the federal government’s steward of funding for public broadcasting stations.
The settlement, announced Monday, partially resolves a legal dispute in which NPR accused the Corporation for Public Broadcasting of bowing to pressure from President Trump to cut off its funding.
On March 25, Trump said at a news conference that he would “love to” defund NPR and PBS because he believes they are biased in favor of Democrats.
NPR accused the CPB of violating its 1st Amendment free speech rights when it moved to cut off its access to grant money appropriated by Congress. NPR also claims Trump, a Republican, wants to punish it for the content of its journalism.
On April 2, the CPB’s board initially approved a three-year, roughly $36-million extension of a grant for NPR to operate the “interconnection” satellite system for public radio. NPR has been operating and managing the Public Radio Satellite System since 1985.
But corporation officials reversed course and announced that the federal funds would go to an entity called Public Media Infrastructure. NPR claimed the CPB was under mounting pressure from the Trump administration when the agency redirected the money to PMI, a media coalition that didn’t exist and wasn’t statutorily authorized to receive the funds.
CPB attorneys denied that the agency retaliated against NPR to appease Trump. They had argued that NPR’s claims are factually and legally meritless.
On May 1, Trump issued an executive order that called for federal agencies to stop funding for NPR and PBS. The settlement doesn’t end a lawsuit in which NPR seeks to block any implementation or enforcement of Trump’s executive order. U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss is scheduled to preside over another hearing for the case on Dec. 4.
The settlement says NPR and CPB agree that the executive order is unconstitutional and that CPB won’t enforce it unless a court orders it to do so.
NPR, meanwhile, agreed to drop its request for a court order blocking CPB from disbursing funds to PMI under a separate grant agreement.
Katherine Maher, NPR’s president and CEO, said the settlement is “a victory for editorial independence and a step toward upholding the 1st Amendment rights of NPR and the public media system.”
Patricia Harrison, the corporation’s CEO, said CPB is pleased that the litigation is over “and that our investment in the future through PMI marks an exciting new era for public media.”
On Aug. 1, CPB announced it would take steps toward closing itself down after being defunded by Congress.
The destination is one of the smallest nations in Europe, but it’s a winter wonderland with Christmas markets and a UNESCO-listed capital city that is known for being easy to walk around
While many dream of visiting Munich or Vienna’s Christmas markets, one small European nation offers an enchanting festive experience without the crowds or hefty price tag. Luxembourg may be one of Europe’s tiniest nations, but it’s brimming with activities as the Christmas season approaches.
The compact Grand Duchy transforms into a magical winter wonderland, with the festive Wantermaart (Winter Market) taking over the UNESCO-listed capital. The city’s walkable layout means visitors can easily stroll between historic squares like Place d’Armes and Place de la Constitution.
Travel blog Together In Transit describes the snow-covered city as “a beautiful winter wonderland experience”, featuring gluhwein stalls to keep you cosy in the crisp December chill. But the biggest draw for budget-conscious Brits is that this delightful, welcoming destination became the world’s first country to provide completely free public transport nationwide.
The zero-fare system was launched in 2020 to cut carbon emissions and boost public transport use, covering all standard class bus, tram and train journeys within the country. This exceptional value is matched by its fascinating history, which can be readily discovered on foot, reports the Express.
The city boasts spectacular views from the Chemin de la Corniche – described by Luxembourg writer Batty Weber as the “most beautiful balcony in Europe”. Luxembourg’s scattered Christmas markets offer all the festive essentials, from fairground rides and ice skating to food and drink stalls.
The capital city undergoes a magical transformation for the annual Winterlights Festival, with the main markets operating from 21 November 2025, right up until New Year’s Day 2026. Luxembourg stands out as one of the few European Christmas market destinations that remain open beyond Christmas Day.
The main attractions are dotted across key squares: the Lëtzebuerger Chrëschtmaart is located at the traditional Place d’Armes, while the Wantermaart at Place de la Constitution houses the awe-inspiring 32-meter-high Ferris wheel, offering breathtaking panoramic views of the entire lit-up city.
Visitors can savour traditional local treats like Gromperekichelcher (potato pancakes) and Glühwäin (mulled wine) at all major market locations, including Place de Paris. The city also boasts numerous historical attractions worth visiting, with Vianden Castle standing as the top destination, recognized as one of Europe’s most impressive fortified strongholds.
Nestled in the country’s northern region, the castle has received glowing reviews from visitors and is ranked number one of 15 things to do in Vianden. One Tripadvisor reviewer wrote: “A real medieval jewel! Vianden Castle is superb, beautifully restored and overlooking the valley. The village, with its picturesque streets and museums, is definitely worth a visit. The surrounding nature is splendid, and the chairlift offers a unique view. A must-see visit to Luxembourg.”
Another added: “The Château de Vianden is without a doubt one of the most beautiful castles in Luxembourg and an absolute must for lovers of history, architecture and impressive views.”
For those who prioritise festive markets and seasonal atmosphere, December is ideal for visiting Luxembourg. However, if warm weather, hiking and outdoor activities are more important, late spring and summer months are best.
During the last government shutdown six years ago, the main narrative when it came to public lands was the damage caused by unsupervised visitors. Trash cans and toilets overflowed with waste. Tourists reportedly mowed down Joshua trees to off-road in sensitive areas of Joshua Tree National Park.
This time around, national parks were directed to retain the staff needed to provide basic sanitation services, as I reported in a recent article with my colleague Lila Seidman. But meanwhile, something bigger and more coordinated was unfolding behind the scenes, said Chance Wilcox, California Desert program manager for the National Parks Conservation Association.
“We’re not seeing Joshua trees getting knocked down, things getting stolen, damage to parks by the American people, but we are seeing damage to parks by this presidential administration on an even larger scale,” Wilcox told me last week before lawmakers struck a deal to reopen the government.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Wilcox and other public lands advocates allege that President Trump’s administration used the shutdown to expedite an agenda that prioritizes extraction while slashing resources dedicated to conservation and education. What’s more, they fear the staffing priorities that came into sharp relief over the past 43 days offer a preview of how these lands will be managed going forward, especially in the aftermath of another potential mass layoff that could see the Interior Department cut 2,000 more jobs.
When I asked the Interior Department about its actions during the shutdown, a spokesperson responded via email that the administration “made deliberate, lawful decisions” to protect operations that sustain energy security and economic stability. “Activities that continued were those necessary to preserve critical infrastructure, safeguard natural resources, and prevent disruption to key supply chains that millions of Americans rely on,” the spokesperson wrote.
As a resident of the Mojave Desert on the outskirts of Joshua Tree National Park, I’ve taken particular interest in this topic. Out here, summer days can top 110 degrees, a trip to the grocery store is an hours-long excursion and there are rattlesnakes. Lots of rattlesnakes. But one huge bonus is the proximity to public lands: We’re surrounded by the park, the Mojave National Preserve and hundreds of miles of Bureau of Land Management wilderness.
These spaces not only provide endless entertainment for residents like my 3-year-old daughter, who would rather be turned loose in a boulder field than a jungle gym, but they play a key role in drawing visitors from around the world who support the stores, restaurants and other establishments that underpin our local economy.
Sentinel Rock in Hidden Valley, Joshua Tree National Park.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
In short, the health of our community depends on the health of these landscapes. Now, their future seems increasingly uncertain.
During the shutdown, roughly 64% of National Park Service employees were furloughed, according to a Department of the Interior contingency plan. At Joshua Tree National Park, those sidelined included Superintendent Jane Rodgers, along with most of the staff responsible for scientific research, resource management and educational and interpretive programs, according to a source at the park who asked not to be named out of fear of retaliation.
Over at the BLM, roughly 26% of staffers were furloughed. Among those who were allowed to keep working: employees responsible for processing oil, gas and coal permits and leases, along with items related to other energy and mineral resources, according to the contingency plan, which cited the president’s declared national energy emergency as rationale. As a result, the federal government issued 693 new oil and gas drilling permits and 52 new oil and gas leases on federal lands during the shutdown, according to tracking by the Center for Western Priorities.
And in Utah, the BLM is now reconsidering an application, which has been rejected seven times, to build a four-lane highway through desert tortoise habitats in the Red Cliffs National Conservation Area.
There’s real fear among federal employees and advocates that this dynamic — an emphasis on developing public lands, as stewardship and research efforts languish — will become the new reality, said Jordan Marbury, communications manager for Friends of the Inyo. What’s more, he said, is that some worry the administration will point to the shutdown as proof that public lands never really needed all that staffing in the first place.
“It could get to the point where conservation is totally an afterthought,” he said.
Homes sit in the shadow of the Inglewood Oil Field.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
Five California tribes have established an intertribal commission to co-manage Chuckwalla National Monument, marking a historic step toward tribal sovereignty over sacred desert lands. Times environment reporter Tyrone Beason examines how this will work — and why it’s a big deal.
President Trump has tapped former New Mexico Rep. Steve Pearce to lead the BLM — which manages about 10% of land in the U.S. — after his first pick, oil and gas lobbyist Kathleen Sgamma, withdrew her name from consideration in the wake of reporting on comments she made criticizing Trump’s role in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Industry trade organizations are praising Pearce’s nomination, while environmental groups allege that the former Republican Party of New Mexico chair is a climate change denier with a record of supporting expanded oil and gas drilling on public lands and shrinking national monuments, the Santa Fe New Mexican reports.
The Trump administration plans to allow new oil and gas drilling off the California coast, but energy companies may not be interested in battling the state’s strict environmental rules to try and tap into limited petroleum reserves, our climate policy reporter Hayley Smith writes. Citing these obstacles, some experts told Hayley the move may be politically motivated: It’s likely to set up a fight with California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has said that any such proposal will be dead on arrival.
Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks to reporters at the COP30 Climate Summit in Belém, Brazil, on Tuesday.
(Alessandro Falco)
Speaking of Newsom and Trump, the California governor is in Belém, Brazil, for the annual United Nations climate policy summit, which the Trump administration is sitting out. My colleague Melody Gutierrez, who’s also there, looks at how California hopes it can fill in the gap left by America’s absence as Newsom positions himself for a 2028 presidential run.
Meanwhile, diplomats have accused top U.S. officials of threatening and bullying leaders from poorer or small countries to defeat a historic deal to slash pollution from cargo ships that was slated by be approved by more than 100 nations, according to a bombshell New York Times report. Federal representatives denied that officials made threats but “acknowledged derailing the deal and repeated their opposition to international efforts to address climate change,” the paper reported.
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.
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court’s justices, citing the right to bear arms in the 2nd Amendment, sounded ready Wednesday to strike down laws in New York and California that deny most gun owners permits to carry concealed guns in public.
Most of the justices said people who live in “high-crime areas” and fear for their safety should be allowed to carry a gun for self-defense. And they said this applies equally to people who live in cities as well as in rural areas.
“Think about people who work late at night in Manhattan,” said Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. “It might be somebody who cleans offices. It might be a doorman at an apartment. It might be a nurse or an orderly [or] somebody who washes dishes” who is “scared to death” to head home. “How is it consistent with the core right to self-defense” to deny that person the right to have a gun with them? he asked.
In defense of New York’s law, state Solicitor General Barbara Underwood argued for limiting the number of guns in densely populated areas. Too many guns in too many hands would increase the danger of gun violence, she said.
But Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh disputed that view and said people there may have a greater need to protect themselves with a gun.
“How many muggings take place in the forest?” Roberts asked her.
Kavanaugh said the 2nd Amendment protects a right to have a gun for self-defense, which suggests the decision to be armed should rest with the gun owner, not a state or local licensing official.
“Why isn’t it good enough to say I live in a violent area and I want to be able to defend myself?” he asked.
During their comments and questions, the court’s six conservative justices made clear they are highly skeptical of laws that authorize state or local officials to deny gun permits to law-abiding residents.
Only the court’s three liberal justices spoke in defense of these laws and said there has been a long history of regulating guns in public.
Still, a gun rights ruling in the New York case could be limited. The justices, both conservative and liberal, said cities and local governments would not be prevented from enforcing bans on guns in “sensitive places,” and that could include subways, football stadiums and university campuses.
“Can’t we just say Times Square on New Year’s Eve is a sensitive place?” said Justice Amy Coney Barrett.
Washington attorney Paul Clement, who was representing the gun owners, avoided a clear answer on where guns could be excluded, but he agreed the city would retain that authority to restrict guns in certain places.
At issue on Wednesday in the case of New York State Rifle & Pistol Assn. vs. Bruen were the laws in New York as well as similar measures in California and six other states that limit who may obtain a license to carry a concealed handgun in public.
Typically gun owners are required to show they have a “special need” or “good cause” to be armed, not simply a general fear for their safety. In New York City and Los Angeles, these permits are rarely granted.
UCLA law professor Adam Winkler, who has written widely on the 2nd Amendment, said the outcome could force local officials to shift their focus to declaring certain places off-limits to guns.
“New York may be forced to allow more people to carry but can still broadly define sensitive places to make it hard practically to carry in New York City,” he said.
The ruling will also have a direct effect in California as well. “If New York’s law is struck down, the precedent will lead to overturning California’s carry laws too,” he said.
Gun control advocates heard little to cheer from the argument.
“We are on high alert about the dangerous consequences of a potential ruling in favor of gun extremists,” said Hannah Shearer, litigation director for the Giffords Law Center. “But the court still has an opportunity to reject the unprecedented and historically inaccurate view that the 2nd Amendment precludes meaningful gun safety regulations in public.”
But Eric Tirschwell, executive director of Everytown Law, pointed to the justices’ comments about restricting guns in sensitive places.
“Even the court’s most conservative justices have hesitations about granting the gun lobby its ultimate goal in this case — the unrestricted right to carry guns in all public places,” he said.
The case heard Wednesday and the likely outcome highlight the change in the makeup of the court.
In the last decade, the justices had turned down several challenges to the gun-permitting laws, including in California. But with the arrival of Justices Kavanaugh and Barrett, the court appears to have a new majority to bolster individual rights under the 2nd Amendment.
The case began when Robert Nash and Brandon Koch, who live near Albany, N.Y., applied for general concealed-carry permits but were turned down by a county judge because they did not “face any special or unique danger.” They were, however, licensed to carry guns for hunting or target shooting.
They sued along with the New York State Rifle & Pistol Assn., alleging the restrictions violated their rights under the 2nd Amendment to bear arms for self-defense.
Eric Preven, one of L.A. County’s most prominent citizen watchdogs, has died at 63, according to his family.
Preven, a well-known government transparency advocate, garnered a reputation as an eagle-eyed observer of local meetings, a savvy wielder of the state’s public records act, and a reliable thorn in the sides of his government.
Relatives said Preven died Saturday in his Studio City home of a suspected heart attack.
The term “gadfly” often is bandied about local government to describe those who never miss a public meeting. But politicians and his family say the term doesn’t quite do Preven justice.
“You may not agree with him, but it wasn’t just like [he was] shooting from the hip. He would do his research,” said Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who watched Preven testify for more than a decade. “He would let the facts speak for themselves.”
In 2016, Preven and the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California took a lawsuit all the way to the California Supreme Court, which ruled in his favor, finding the public had a right to know how much the county was paying outside lawyers in closed cases. Three years later he successfully forced the city to expand its rules around public testimony after he argued he’d been unlawfully barred from weighing in on a Studio City development.
Many attendees of local public meetings tend to drift into offensive diatribes that have little to do with the matter at hand. Preven never did.
Instead he fine-tuned the art of presenting minute-long, logical arguments on everything from budget shortfalls to seemingly excessive settlements. He could be cutting but he always had a point to make.
And he never missed a meeting.
“Thank you for this exhausting dressing down of the probation department,” Preven said last Tuesday after the supervisors wrapped up rebuking officials for paltry programming inside juvenile halls. “The idea that we’re paying for these programs, these programs are scheduled, and nothing is happening is terrible.”
A New York native, Preven moved to Los Angeles to work in Hollywood, landing TV writing gigs on shows including “Popular” and “Reba.” His path into local activism began 15 years ago after his mother’s two chocolate labs were removed by the county’s animal control department following a fight with an off-leash dog, according to his family.
Preven, a canine lover known to throw parties with members of his local dog park, found the removal of the labs unjustifiable. He went to the Board of Supervisors meeting to tell them so. Then he went again. And again. And again.
Long after the dogs were returned, Preven kept going back.
“He started listening to the meeting and looking at the agenda, and he became just appalled at so many things that he saw,” said his brother, Joshua Preven. “He became so incensed by it.”
Preven became a fierce advocate for the public’s right to know what was happening in local meetings and kept close track of staff changes at City Hall. He was known to text local government reporters early on weekend mornings to ask why someone had stepped down from a city agency, or self-deprecatingly share his latest blog post on CityWatch, a local news site.
“My latest deep dive into my own navel,” he texted two weeks ago with his new article on the famed architect behind his historic home in Studio City’s foothills.
He often sent Times editors and reporters weekly emails on successes and shortcomings in their coverage. The county’s politicians and officials received similar messages about their governance.
“He could be irascible,” his brother said. “When he came and encountered the L.A. County Board of Supervisors, it became a really good use of that stubbornness.”
Preven was a dogged user of the California Public Records Act, finding gems of records buried in seldom-scrutinized agencies. He filed so many record requests to the Animal Care and Control department that the county assigned an attorney just to deal with them, according to Dawyn Harrison, the county’s top lawyer.
“Eric was the epitome of an engaged constituent and critic of local government, persistently questioning and challenging government officials,” Harrison said. “As his interest in County government grew, so did the range of his requests; so, my office decentralized the handling of his requests because no one person could cover all the subjects he looked into. He was a true watchdog.”
Supervisor Janice Hahn said Preven had been scrutinizing her and her colleagues ever since she was a councilmember at City Hall.
“Eric Preven never let those with power in government forget who we work for. … He pushed us, he challenged us, and he had an opinion on everything — from the biggest issue of the day to the more routine contract votes that too often go overlooked,” she said. “While some people wrote him off, I thought there was always truth in what he had to say.”
Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, whose district includes parts of Studio City, said he “took seriously the role of citizen, religiously participating in County meetings.”
In addition to his brother, Preven is survived by his sister, Anne Preven, his mother, Ruth Preven, his father, David Preven, and two children, 28-year-old Isaac Rooks Preven and 26-year-old Reva Jay Preven.
Preven ran several times for public office, launching idiosyncratic campaigns for mayor, city council and county supervisor. He barely fundraised and wasn’t allowed in many of the debates, said his brother, who helped out as his campaign manager.
“We didn’t know what the hell we were doing at all,” Joshua Preven said. “But he kept showing up.”
Times reporters Dakota Smith and David Zahniser contributed to this report.
TASHA Ghouri just debuted her new beau, as they made their first VERY public appearance.
The Love Island season eight alum and former Strictly Come Dancing contestant, 27, travelled down to the live Strictly show on Saturday along with her new partner, YouTuber and animal lover Cam Whitnall.
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Tasha and Cam were spotted in the Strictly front row last nightCredit: Refer to sourceIt’s Tasha’s first relationship since her split from Andrew Le Page in JanuaryCredit: GettyIt was revealed in May that Tasha was dating Cam after the splitCredit: Instagram
The beauty competed on the programme last year, impressing the judges and public with her dancing skills.
Merely five months later, Tasha and Cam met, but only yesterday they made their first appearance together in public – and it was a big one, on national TV!
The couple were spotted on camera sitting together in the front row of the audience, following a Charleston from Karen Carney.
He also claimed she “couldn’t keep his name out of her mouth” after appearing on “one too many podcast” speaking about him and their relationship.
Shortly after the accusations and plenty of trolling online, the sunk couple release a set of emotional public statements about wanting to leave the past behind them and avoid unnecessary hurt.
Tasha’s read: “No one deserves to be torn down, especially when they’re already trying to heal.
“We’ve both made mistakes, we’ve both learned, and we’ve both grown.
“But the judgement and cruelty we are facing from people online has been hard.
“Please remember that behind every nasty post, every comment, every story, there are real people with real emotions.
“Always be kind.”
Andrew added: “Tasha and I want to address the noise around our breakup, as there’s been hate going around that neither of us ever wanted.
“Things were said on both sides, but at the end of the day, no relationship is perfect, but ours still had some incredible moments I’ll always be grateful for.
“I truly just want us both to move on and be happy.
“Wishing Tasha nothing but the best, and I’ll always be proud of her.”
Andrew is now dating actress and singer Hannah Peglar.
The pair are rumoured to have began dating back in August after his split from Tasha.
She’s known largely for her role as an extra in hit Netflix series Sex Education.
SITTING in her ex-fiance’s car, Sydney Sweeney looked a far cry from her usual glamourous self as she screamed during a very heated row.
And now we can reveal that the secret meeting with Jonathan Davino sparked a huge row with her new boyfriend Scooter Braun, who was left feeling “furious” and “disrespected” – and the fallout could have grave consequences.
We reveal the truth behind Sydney Sweeney’s car showdown with ex-fiance Jonathan DavinoCredit: GettySydney was spotted arguing with former fiance Jonathan over the weekend in Santa MonicaCredit: BackGridIt forced her to hold crisis talks with her new man Scooter BraunCredit: Getty
The 28-year-old Hollywood star had been enjoying dinner with friends and her ex in Santa Monica over the weekend when things appeared to turn sour.
She was later seen in Jonathan’s car and, according to reports from TMZ, she could be heard screaming and telling him: “I don’t believe you. Please leave, leave me alone.”
The unlikely scene raised eyebrows, even more so when just days later Sydney headed out for dinner again – this time with Scooter, putting on a united front after the pair held crisis talks.
“He’s made it clear that he wants her 100%, that she needs to compromise on some things, and that seeing her ex like that crossed a line.”
Scooter Braun insider
An insider close to the couple told us how Scooter, 44, made it clear to the actress that she had ‘crossed a line’.
They explained: “Scooter got really mad. He doesn’t like that kind of behaviour at all, especially knowing the history between her and Jonathan.
“He knows they had a serious relationship, were together for a long time, and even got engaged. So, seeing her with him again — and getting caught on camera getting into his car — really set him off.”
Scooter’s upset is said to stem from just how much he loves the Euphoria star, who we previously revealed he is planning to move in with.
The insider continued: “He’s not controlling, but he wants her to know that he truly cares about her and that his feelings are real.
“He’s deeply in love and serious about building a future together. Scooter’s a man with strong values and morals — and for him, it’s not acceptable for his partner to be seen with other men, especially exes.
“He thought what she did with Jonathan was disrespectful and not cool, and he didn’t want to stay silent about it.
“He was hurt and wanted her to know. What he wants is full transparency between them — and for her to be the same way, but also to act like someone who’s in a committed relationship, not single anymore.
“He’s made it clear that he wants her 100%, that she needs to compromise on some things, and that seeing her ex like that crossed a line.”
Scooter is said to be aware that, given their age difference, he could be considered “old fashioned”.
Our insider says he “does a lot” for the star, stating he’s “present, supportive, and fully committed”.
‘Public humiliation’
Sydney was due to marry businessman Jonathan, 41, earlier this year but called off their engagement after mounting speculation over the state of their relationship.
The pair met in 2018 and got engaged in February 2022.
At the time, the actress spoke at length about their wedding and future before things came to an end.
Sydney had been planning to marry businessman Jonathan this yearCredit: GettyShe is understood to have left Jonathan to concentrate on her careerCredit: Getty
Our insider added: “It has to be a blow for Jonathan that she has moved on so publicly and seems really ready to settle down this time.
“He feels like he was a huge part of her career to start with, really building up her confidence but now she’s flying without him. It’s painful to see.”
At the time it was reported that they split so she could concentrate on her career.
“He thought what she did with Jonathan was disrespectful and not cool, and he didn’t want to stay silent about it.
Scooter Braun insider
She certainly did that – she’s currently promoting Christy – her new biopic about the female boxing trailblazer Christy Martin – and there’s already been some Oscar buzz round her role.
It hasn’t just been work and no play though… over the summer she was first linked to Scooter – the billionaire businessman and record executive who became public enemy number one for Swifties worldwide in 2019 after he bought pop megastar Taylor Swift’s master recordings.
They started dating back in August after being seen spending time together at Jeff Bezos’s wedding in Italy two months before.
In August they were seen together in public for the first time on a date after having dinner at Jon & Vinny’s restaurant in Los Angeles.
The romance has proved to be more than just a summer fling, and Scooter seems to have well and truly fallen for her charms, even after the public humiliation of her arguing with her ex.
Will her new romance survive?Credit: Getty
Get the look: Expert tips to swoon like Sweeney
Looking to create that doe-eyed look at home? Here, pro make-up artist Sarah-Jane Froom shares her exclusive top tips on how to achieve Sydney’s signature eyes…
TOP TIPS
Start with a good primer: This ensures the eye shadow stays in place all day and gives a smooth base for blending.
Define the crease: Use warm, neutral shades such as soft browns or terracotta to add depth to the crease. This helps enhance the natural shape of the eye without it feeling too heavy.
Smoky eyes: Sydney often favours a smoky eye, typically with dark eyeliner along the lash line. I recommend blending a dark brown or black shadow into the liner to soften it and create that sultry, lived-in look.
Lashes are essential: To get Sydney’s eye-popping lashes, I always recommend a volumising mascara. For a more dramatic effect, you can add some natural-looking false lashes that provide length and lift, but without being too over-the-top.
Highlight the inner corners: This little trick instantly brightens the eyes, making them look more awake and larger – perfect for achieving Sydney’s signature bright-eyed gaze.
For a historian who writes about war, Rick Atkinson is surprisingly optimistic. The Pulitzer Prize-winning author and former journalist — who recently released the second volume in a trilogy of books about the American Revolution — believes that the bedrock of American democracy is solid enough to withstand any assaults on its founding principles.
As the guest of honor at a Sunday night dinner sponsored by the Library Foundation of Los Angeles as part of its biennial Literary Feasts fundraiser, Atkinson was the most upbeat person at the event, which took place just before Election Day. Speaking to about 18 guests gathered around two circular tables carefully laid out on the back patio at the home of fellow writers and hosts Meenakshi and Liaquat Ahamed, Atkinson buoyed the flagging spirits of those certain that the country was currently dangling on the precipice of disaster at the hands of the Trump administration.
Book lovers attend a Literary Feast dinner featuring Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Rick Atkinson at the home of writers Meenakshi and Liaquat Ahamed.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
“We’re the beneficiaries of an enlightened political heritage handed down to us from that founding generation, and it includes strictures on how to divide power and keep it from concentrating in the hands of authoritarians who think primarily of themselves,” Atkinson said with the cheery aplomb of a man who has spent the bulk of his time burrowing deep inside archives filled with harrowing stories of the darkest days the world has ever seen. “We can’t let that slip away. We can’t allow it to be taken away, and we can’t allow ourselves to forget the hundreds of thousands who’ve given their lives to affirm and sustain it over the past 250 years.”
The questions and conversation that followed Atkinson’s rousing speech about the history of the Revolution — including riveting details about key players like George Washington who Atkinson noted had “remarkably dead eyes” in order to not give away a scintilla of his inner life to curious onlookers — was what the evening’s book-loving guests had come for.
“We’re the beneficiaries of an enlightened political heritage handed down to us from that founding generation,” said Rick Atkinson.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
A total of 40 authors are hosted at salon-style events at 40 houses with more than 750 guests over the course of a single evening, raising more than $2 million for the Library Foundation, which is a separate entity from the public library. Founded in 1992 in the wake of the devastating 1986 fire at downtown’s Central Library, which destroyed more than 400,000 books, the foundation seeks to continue the community-driven mission of the library when funding runs short, including supporting adult education, early literacy programs for children, and services for immigrants and the unhoused.
“I often describe it as the dream-fueling work, the life-changing work,” said Stacy Lieberman, the Library Foundation’s president and chief executive. “Because it’s a lot of the one-on-one support that people will get.”
The Foundation typically raises about $7 million to $8 million a year, with an operating budget of nearly $11 million, so money raised through the Literary Feasts is a significant slice of the funding pie. The feasts began in 1997 and have continued apace every other year since then, featuring a who’s who of literary accomplishment across every genre. Writers past and present include Sue Grafton, Jane Fonda, Ann Patchett, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Abraham Verghese, Scott Turow and Michael Connelly.
Dinner hosts fund the events themselves — no small outlay considering the lavish offerings.
Guests were served steak with roasted carrots, turnips and potatoes.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
The Ahameds delighted guests with a tangy grapefruit and greens salad, followed by tender steak with roasted carrots, turnips and potatoes; a dessert of hot apple tart à la mode drizzled with caramel sauce; and plenty of crisp red and white wine. Both hosts are literary luminaries in their own right: Liaquat, a former investment manager, won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for history for his book “Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World” and Meenakshi recently published “Indian Genius: The Meteoric Rise of Indians in America.”
The couple travels in bookish circles and enjoys hosting salons at their home, including one earlier this year in support of New Yorker political columnist Susan Glasser and her husband, New York Times chief White House correspondent Peter Baker. As friends of Atkinson, the Ahameds did their part to introduce him, and later tried their best to entice him to stop taking questions and eat his dinner.
The guest of honor could not be persuaded. There was too much to say. “The Fate of the Day,” which explores the bloody middle years of the Revolution from 1777 to 1780, was released in April, and Atkinson has spent the past eight months touring and speaking on panels with documentarian Ken Burns to promote Burns’ six-part documentary series “The American Revolution,” which premieres Nov. 16 on PBS.
Atkinson is a featured speaker in the series and has been involved with it for about four years.
The dinner featuring Rick Atkinson was one of 40 taking place across town that evening. The events raised $2 million for the Library Foundation of Los Angeles.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
The week before the Literary Feast, Atkinson and Burns spoke to members of Congress in Washington, D.C., and also screened a 40-minute clip at Mount Vernon where Atkinson discussed Washington’s unique talents as a general.
“I’ve seen the whole thing several times and it’s fantastic,” Atkinson said of the 12-hour film. “It’s as you would expect: beautifully filmed, wonderfully told, great narrative.”
The country is now more than four months into its semiquincentennial, which Atkinson joked “sounds like a medical procedure,” but is actually the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. It’s well known that Trump is planning a splashy party, with festivities and commemorations intensifying over the next eight months, culminating in a grand celebration in Washington, D.C., on July 4, 2026.
Rick Atkinson’s book “The Fate of the Day,” which explores the bloody middle years of the Revolution from 1777 to 1780, was released in April.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
“My hope is that as a country, we use the opportunity to reflect on those basic questions of who we are, where we came from, what our forebears believed and what they were willing to die for,” said Atkinson. “I’m optimistic because I’m a historian, because I know our history. No matter how grim things seem in 2025, we have faced grimmer times in the past, existential threats of the first order, starting with the Revolution.”
The politically deflated might also consider World War II — the subject of Atkinson’s Liberation Trilogy — the second volume of which won the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for history. The writer knows his stuff. Guests — and readers — take heart.
