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Good morning, and welcome to L.A. on the Record — our City Hall newsletter. It’s Rebecca Ellis, with an assist from David Zahniser, Noah Goldberg and Matt Hamilton, giving you the latest on city and county government.

There is no shortage of budget-busting costs facing Los Angeles County, Supervisor Lindsey Horvath recently told guests at this week’s Los Angeles Current Affairs Forum luncheon.

There’s the costly fire recovery effort. And the deep cuts from the federal government. And a continuing homeless crisis.

As Horvath wrapped up her remarks, Emma Schafer, the host of the clubby luncheon, asked about yet another expenditure: What was up with that $2-million settlement to the county’s chief executive officer Fesia Davenport?

“We were faced with two bad options,” Horvath told the crowd dining on skewered shrimp.

Horvath said she disagreed with Davenport’s demand for $2 million, but also believed “that we have to focus on a functional county government and saving taxpayer money.”

Three months ago, all five supervisors quietly voted behind closed doors to pay Davenport $2 million, after she sought damages due to professional fallout from Measure G, the voter-approved ballot measure that will eventually eliminate her job.

Measure G, which voters passed in November, reshaped the government, in part, turning the county’s chief executive into an elected position — not one selected by the board. The elected county executive, who would manage the county government and oversee its budget, will be in place by 2028. Davenport, a longtime county employee, had been in her post since 2021.

Davenport, as part of her financial demand, said Measure G caused her “reputational harm, embarrassment, and physical, emotional and mental distress.”

Critics contend unpleasant job changes happen all the time — and without the employee securing a multimillion dollar payout.

“Los Angeles County residents should be outraged,” said Morgan Miller, who worked on the Measure G campaign and called the board’s decision a “blatant misuse of public money.”

Horvath, who crafted Measure G, promised during the campaign it would not cost taxpayers additional money. More recently, she voiced dissatisfaction with Davenport’s settlement, saying the agreement should have had additional language to avoid “future risk.”

Horvath said in a statement she considered having the settlement agreement include language to have Davenport and the county part ways — to avoid the risk of litigating additional claims down the road.

Supervisor Janice Hahn, who pushed for Measure G alongside Horvath, said she voted for the settlement based on the advice of county lawyers.

“In the years I worked to expand the board and create an elected county executive, I never disparaged our current CEO in any way,” she said in a statement. “I always envisioned the CEO team working alongside the new elected county executive.”

Davenport has been on medical leave since earlier this month and did not return a request for comment. She has told the staff she plans to return at the start of next year.

It’s not unusual for county department heads to get large payouts. But they usually get them when they’re on their way out.

Bobby Cagle, the former Department of Children and Family Services head who resigned in 2021, received $175,301. Former county counsel Rodrigo Castro-Silva got $213,199. Adolfo Gonzales, the former probation head, took in $172,521. Mary Wickham, the former county counsel, received $449,577.

The county said those severance payments, all of which were obtained through a records request by The Times, were outlined in the department heads’ contracts and therefore did not need to be voted on by the board.

Sachi Hamai, Davenport’s predecessor, also received $1.5 million after saying she faced “unrelenting and brutal” harassment from former Sheriff Alex Villanueva.

Davenport’s settlement was voted on, but not made public, until an inquiry from LAist, which first reported on the settlement.

David Loy, legal director for the First Amendment Coalition, says the county is required under the Brown Act to immediately report out a vote taken on a settlement if the deal is finalized and all parties have approved it. But if it’s not, he says, they don’t need to publicly report it — they just need to provide information when asked.

“You don’t have to proactively report it out in that meeting. You still have to disclose it on request,” said Loy. “ I don’t think that’s a good thing — don’t get me wrong. I’m telling you what the Brown Act says.”

State of play

— DEMANDING DOCUMENTS: Two U.S. senators intensified their investigation into the Palisades fire this week, asking the city for an enormous trove of records on Fire Department staffing, reservoir repairs and other issues. In their letter to Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson, Sens. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) showed much less interest in the Eaton fire, which devastated Altadena but did not burn in the city of Los Angeles. An aide to County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents Altadena, said neither she nor other county offices had received such a document request.

— BUMPY BEGINNING: The campaign of City Council candidate Jose Ugarte is off to a rocky start. Ugarte, who is backed by his boss, Councilmember Curren Price, recently agreed to pay a $17,500 fine from the Ethics Commission for failing to mention his outside consulting work on his financial disclosure forms, But on Wednesday, two ethics commissioners blocked the deal, saying they think his fine should be bigger. (Ugarte has called the violation “an unintentional clerical error.”) Stay tuned!

— A NEW CHIEF: Mayor Karen Bass announced Friday that she has selected Jaime Moore, a 30-year LAFD veteran, to serve as the city’s newest fire chief. He comes to the department as it grapples with the continuing fallout over the city’s response to Palisades fire.

— LAWSUIT EN ROUTE: Meanwhile, the head of the city’s firefighter union has accused Bass of retaliating against him after he publicly voiced alarm over department staffing during the January fires. Freddy Escobar, president of United Firefighters of Los Angeles City Local 112, said he’s preparing a lawsuit against the city. Escobar was suspended from his union position earlier this year, after an audit found that more than 70% of the transactions he made on his union credit card had no supporting documentation.

— HE’S BACK! (KINDA): Former Mayor Eric Garcetti returned to City Hall for the first time since leaving office in 2022, appearing alongside Councilmember Nithya Raman in the council chamber for a celebration of Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights. Garcetti, a former U.S. ambassador to India, described Diwali as a “reawakening,” saying it may be “the longest continuous human holiday on earth.”

— GENERATIONS OF GALPIN: The San Fernando Valley auto dealership known as Galpin Motors has had a long history with the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners, the civilian oversight panel at the LAPD. On Wednesday, the council approved the nomination of Galpin vice president Jeffrey Skobin, to serve on the commission — making him the third executive with the dealership to serve over the past 40 years.

— AIRPORT OVERHAUL: Los Angeles World Airports is temporarily closing Terminal 5 at Los Angeles International Airport, carrying out a “complete demolition” and renovation of the space in the run-up to the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. During construction, JetBlue will be operating out of Terminal 1, Spirit shifts to Terminal 2 and American Airlines lands in Terminal 4, the airport agency said.

— OUT THE DOOR: Two of the five citizen commissioners who oversee the Department of Water and Power have submitted their resignations. DWP Commissioner George McGraw, appointed by Bass two years ago, told The Times he’d been laying the groundwork for a departure for six months. McGraw said he found he could no longer balance the needs of the commission, where he sometimes put in 30 to 40 hours per week, with the other parts of his life. “I needed extra capacity,” he said.

— NO MORE MIA: DWP Commissioner Mia Lehrer was a little more blunt, telling Bass in her Sept. 29 resignation letter that her stint on the board was negatively affecting her work at Studio-MLA, her L.A.-based design studio. Lehrer said the firm has been disqualified from city projects based on “misinterpretations” of her role on the commission.

“As a result, I am experiencing unanticipated limitations on my professional opportunities that were neither expected nor justified under existing ethical frameworks,” she wrote. “These constraints not only affect my own business endeavors but also carry significant consequences for the forty-five professional and their families who rely on the continued success of our work.”

QUICK HITS

• Where is Inside Safe? The mayor’s signature program to address homelessness went to Cotner Avenue near the 405 Freeway in Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky’s Westside district.
• On the docket next week: The board votes Tuesday on an $828-million payout to victims who say they were sexually abused in county facilities as children. The vote comes months after agreeing to the largest sex abuse settlement in U.S. history.

That’s it for this week! Send your questions, comments and gossip to [email protected]. Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up here to get it in your inbox every Saturday morning.

Nvidia is arguably the king of Wall Street these days. As the maker of high-performing graphics processing units (GPUs) that power artificial intelligence (AI) programs and large language models, Nvidia’s stock price exploded in the last three years, up nearly 1,500%. The company now boasts a market capitalization of $4.6 trillion, making it the biggest company in the world by valuation, and it seems to be a lock to reach $5 trillion soon.

While Nvidia is having another solid year in 2025, boasting a 41% gain, there’s another AI stock that’s doing even better — one that’s essential to the success of Nvidia and nearly every other major chipmaker.

Better than Nvidia

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSM 3.46%), better known as TSMC, is the biggest semiconductor fabricator in the world. It doesn’t design chips, but it builds them in its fabrication plants for Nvidia and other customers, including Broadcom, Advanced Micro Devices, Apple, Tesla, and more.

TSMC stock is up 45% so far this year, beating Nvidia’s year-to-date gain, and just set a new all-time high. And it’s also a better valued stock, with price-to-earnings and price-to-sales ratios that are much more appealing than Nvidia.

TSM PE Ratio data by YCharts

Now for the icing on the cake. Nvidia’s CEO loves Taiwan Semiconductor and recently tipped his cap to TSMC. “They are a world-class foundry and support customers of diverse needs. You can’t overstate the magic that is TSMC,” Jensen Huang told reporters in September.

Image source: The Motley Fool.

What makes TSMC tick?

Taiwan Semiconductor’s biggest business is making 3-nanometer and 5nm chips. The company gets 60% of its revenue from making the chips.

TSMC is one of a select few fabricators that can make the highly sought-after 3nm chips at scale, and that’s a big deal. The smaller the transistors on chips, the more that companies such as Tesla and Nvidia can cram into them to make them more powerful. And TSMC already has plans to mass-produce its 2nm process this year.

TSMC also makes semiconductors used in smartphones, making 5G communication possible for a mass audience. 5G allows wireless users to access the internet at broadband speeds, which means you can do pretty much anything you need from your laptop, tablet, or phone, including streaming high-resolution videos or content, or work remotely.

The company gets a smaller portion of its revenue from Internet of Things devices such as smart home products and wearable technology. It also makes chips for electric vehicles, driver assistance programs, and vehicle information and entertainment systems.

Revenue in the second quarter was $30.07 billion, up 44.4% from a year ago, with an outstanding net profit margin of 42.7%. And the numbers are expected to be even better next quarter, when the company is projecting revenue between $31.8 billion and $33 billion.

TSMC is also expanding rapidly, investing $165 billion into creating fabrication plants and other facilities in Arizona. That’s important to help insulate Taiwan Semiconductor from the threat of tariffs or other economic headwinds as the U.S. government seeks to bring manufacturing to American soil.

Should you buy Nvidia or TSMC?

If you’re just picking one stock to buy now, my choice would be TSMC. The company has a 70% market share in the foundry market, according to market research firm TrendForce, giving it an enormous moat. And when you consider the semiconductor industry is a $600 billion business that’s projected to reach $1 trillion annually by 2030, the market opportunity for Taiwan Semiconductor is huge.

And it also has a dividend, which you don’t often see in an AI stock. Taiwan Semiconductor’s yield of 1.2% and payout of $3.34 per share won’t make you a millionaire, but it’s loads better than the skimpy $0.04 that Nvidia pays out annually.

All in, TSMC is a cheaper stock than Nvidia and is absolutely essential to the semiconductor and AI industries. But if you have room in your portfolio, you should invest in both. Together, TSMC and Nvidia are an unstoppable two-headed AI powerhouse that can anchor any portfolio.

Keeping your money in a Wells Fargo savings account could cost you $5,000 over the next decade.

The reason is simple: Wells Fargo pays just 0.01% APY, while top high-yield savings accounts are offering around 4.00%. That’s the difference between pennies in interest and thousands of dollars in growth.

If you’re still stashing cash with a traditional bank, it might be time to make the switch.

The hidden cost of low savings rates

Here’s a quick look at how much more you could earn by moving your money from a basic Wells Fargo savings account (0.01% APY) to a high-yield savings account paying 4.00% APY:

Data source: Author’s calculations.

Sadly, I’m a victim of missed interest myself. For years, I had over $20,000 sitting in a Chase checking account earning a pathetic 0.01% APY. At the time, I was stacking up cash for rental property down payments, thinking it was smart to keep it “safe” and liquid.

But one day I wisened up and compared rates at other banks. And whoa!… I realized keeping my cash with Chase all those years was a huge mistake. Honestly, I’ve likely missed out on over $5,000 in interest over the years — I feel sick just thinking about it.

Oh well, onwards and upwards… I’ve been making up for it ever since. My new bank has paid me over $2,000 in interest since switching, and I’m earning a 4.00% APY right now.

Online banks are just as safe

A big misconception about using online banks is that it’s risky or a hassle to access your cash. But that’s not really the case at all.

If anything, online banks are more easy and convenient to work with. And they’re super safe.

Most online high-yield savings accounts today are:

• FDIC-insured up to $250,000 — just like Wells Fargo, Chase, BofA, or other big bank accounts.
• Have no monthly fees or account minimums for most accounts.
• Fully digital — You can open an account and manage everything from your phone.
• Linked directly to your checking account for easy transfers.

I know it’s nerve wracking moving a chunk of your hard-earned savings to a new bank. But you’ll quickly realize that online banks are just as safe and secure as traditional, old-school banks.

Ready to stop earning pennies and start growing your savings? Explore the top high-yield savings accounts paying up to 4.00% APY or more.

How to switch in less than 10 minutes

I recently helped a friend open an HYSA, and it took us less than 10 minutes. Her money took one day to transfer from Wells Fargo to the new bank. And as soon as it landed in her new account she began earning daily interest.

Here’s a quick overview of the process:

1. Open a high-yield savings account online (it takes about five minutes).
2. Link it to your Wells Fargo checking account. Most apps allow you to “connect” your accounts at other banks for faster money transfers.
3. Transfer your savings and start earning real interest immediately.

That’s it. You’ll still have access to your money, but now it’ll actually be working for you.

You don’t even need to close your old Wells Fargo account. Keep it for everyday banking if you like (as long as you aren’t paying those pesky monthly fees).

These days, I make about $60 to $70 in interest every month depending on my balance.

This is real money, that I buy real stuff with.

You can earn bigger interest too. You just need to open an account and move some money over.

If you’re still stashing cash in a Wells Fargo savings account, this is your nudge to take action. Check out these top-rated high-yield savings accounts and start earning more today.

Before trade rumors heated up and dream scenarios were briefly envisioned, before the Dodgers were linked to a string of big names who all wound up anywhere but Los Angeles, the team’s front office foreshadowed what proved to be a rather straightforward, unremarkable trade deadline on Thursday afternoon.

“This group is really talented,” general manager Brandon Gomes said last week. “I would argue it’s better than the team that won the World Series last year.”

“It’s really about our internal guys, and the fact that these are veteran guys that have well-established watermarks,” echoed president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, amid a July slump that fueled deadline speculation about what the team would need.

“I think the fact that we see the work they put in, how much they care, just makes it easier to bet on.”

On Thursday, maintaining faith in their current group is exactly what the Dodgers did.

The team did address its two main needs ahead of MLB’s annual midseason trade deadline. In the bullpen, it reunited with right-handed veteran Brock Stewart in a trade with the Minnesota Twins. In the outfield, it added solid-hitting, defensively serviceable 30-year-old Alex Call in a deal with the Washington Nationals.

But compared with the flurry of blockbuster deals that reverberated around them in the National League — from a head-spinning seven-player shopping spree by the San Diego Padres, to a bullpen arms race between the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies — the Dodgers’ moves were mild, tame and certainly cost-conscientious.

They didn’t splurge for one of the several established closers that were dealt for sky-high prices throughout the league. They didn’t remake their lineup by landing someone such as Steven Kwan, or any other hitter with anything close to All-Star pedigree.

In fact, the Dodgers hardly gave up much at all, content to round out the margins of their roster while parting with little in the way of prospect capital.

High-A pitchers Eriq Swan and Sean Paul Liñan (the 16th- and 20th-ranked players in their farm system by MLB Pipeline) were shipped to Washington. But otherwise, the only other departures were 40-man roster players unlikely to factor much into the team’s late-season plans: James Outman, who went to Minnesota in exchange for Stewart; Dustin May, who was dealt to the Boston Red Sox for a prospect a few months before entering free agency; and minor league catcher Hunter Feduccia, who was part of a three-team deal late Wednesday night that netted the Dodgers two pitching prospects and a journeyman catcher.

The Dodgers’ James Outman (33) celebrates after hitting a three-run home run during a game against the Miami Marlins in May.

(Marta Lavandier / Associated Press)

Compared to last year — when the Dodgers added Jack Flaherty (their eventual Game 1 starter in the World Series), Tommy Edman (the eventual National League Championship Series MVP) and Michael Kopech (a key piece in a bullpen that carried the team to a World Series title) — it all felt rather anticlimactic.

Which, as the Dodgers’ top two executives had noted the week before, appeared to be perfectly fine by them.

In Stewart, the team got a lower-cost addition in what was an expensive seller’s reliever market.

The 33-year-old has only two career saves, and is unlikely to fix the Dodgers’ ninth-inning problems. But, he is having a strong statistical season with 14 holds and a 2.38 ERA, 14th-best in the American League among relievers with 30 innings. He will give the Dodgers a stout option against right-handed hitters, who have just a .104 average and .372 OPS against him. And he comes with familiarity in the organization, still thought highly of after starting his career with the Dodgers from 2016-2019 — back before he reinvented himself with a fastball that now sits in the mid-to-upper 90 mph range.

In Call, the Dodgers gave themselves more versatility in the outfield.

The right-handed hitter has appeared in just 277 career games over four MLB seasons with the Nationals and Cleveland Guardians.

But the former third-round draft pick is having a nice 2025 season, highlighted by a .274 batting average, .756 OPS and decent (if unspectacular) defensive grades at all three outfield positions.

While Call’s role wasn’t immediately clear, he could factor into a platoon with recently resurgent left-handed hitting outfielder Michael Conforto. He also gives the Dodgers another option in center field, specifically, which would allow Andy Pages to spend more time in a more naturally suited corner outfield spot.

For those Dodgers, the moves checked off their two big priorities: Adding another dependable right-handed reliever in the bullpen, and improving their defensive options in the outfield.

What was missing from the Dodgers’ deadline, however, was the kind of big splash so many other contenders reeled off this week. The Padres acquired Mason Miller, Ramon Laureano, and Ryan O’Hearn without sacrificing any key big-league pieces. The Mets added Tyler Rogers, Ryan Helsley and Gregory Soto to their already stout bullpen, while the Phillies upgraded theirs with the addition of Jhoan Durán.

Already this year, the rest of the NL was keeping pace with what was billed as a seemingly invincible Dodgers team. Suddenly, the competition looks that much stronger, not only for the club to defend its World Series, but even to preserve the narrow three-game lead it holds over the Padres in the NL West.

The Dodgers, however, see internal improvement as the key to the rest of the season.

Already, their pitching staff is getting healthy. Tyler Glasnow, Blake Treinen and (as of this coming Saturday) Blake Snell are all back from extended injuries. Michael Kopech, Brusdar Graterol, Tanner Scott and Roki Sasaki are also scheduled to return over the final two months.

Offensively, the club is confident that slumping stars Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Tesocar Hernández will get back on track, and that Max Muncy will provide a jolt in his return from injury next week. All that — coupled with the MVP-caliber play of Shohei Ohtani and Will Smith — they believe should yield a lineup capable of repeating a run to the World Series.

“It’s always tricky when you’re in the midst of a swoon in team performance, because in those moments you feel like we need everything,” Friedman acknowledged leading into the deadline, with the team enduring a 10-14 slide in July. “So for us, it’s about, all right, let’s look ahead to August, September. Let’s look at what our best-case scenario is. Let’s look at, if we have a few injuries here and there, what areas are we exposed? What areas do we feel like we have depth?”

Apparently, the Dodgers still liked what they already had, rolling the dice on their current group while other contenders stocked up all around them.

We seem to be in an era of endings. The end of ethical norms, of the rule of law, of science, of democracy, of Marc Maron’s “WTF” podcast, possibly the world and the just-announced end of “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” when the host’s contract runs out in 10 months — which may presage the end of late-night television, at least on CBS, which says it has no plans to replace him or keep the show.

“This is all just going away,” Colbert said in a statement taped Thursday.

Coincidentally, or not, Paramount Global, which owns CBS, is seeking regulatory approval from the Trump administration to sell itself to the Hollywood studio Skydance Media. (I’d never heard of it either.) An official statement, claiming that the “Late Show” cancellation represents “a purely financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night … not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount” (italics mine) is — however true it might be — just the sort of thing to make one say, “Pull the other one.”

“Other matters” would seem to refer to the merger and to Paramount’s recent payment of $16 million to settle a frivolous Trump lawsuit over the perfectly routine editing of a “60 Minutes” Kamala Harris interview that was somehow supposed to give Harris an unfair advantage in the 2024 election and to have caused her opponent “mental anguish” — a payment Colbert characterized in a monologue just a few days ago as a “big fat bribe”: “As someone who has always been a proud employee of this network, I am offended. And I don’t know if anything will ever repair my trust in this company. But just taking a stab at it, I’d say $16 million would help.”

Though he responded to his studio audience’s supportive boos saying, “Yeah, I share your feelings,” he was only kind to the network: “I do want to say that the folks at CBS have been great partners,” Colbert said. “I’m so grateful to the Tiffany network for giving me this chair and this beautiful theater to call home.”

But there have been plenty of surrogates to draw connections, provide context and bite harder, especially in light of the departure of “60 Minutes” executive producer Bill Owens and CBS News President Wendy McMahon. “Love you Stephen,” ABC host Jimmy Kimmel, posted on Instagram, “adding “F— you CBS and all your Sheldons.” (In January, ABC also settled a Trump suit for $16 million, over George Stephanopoulos erroneously saying that Trump had been found civilly liable of “rape.”)

Of the remaining late-night hosts, we may say that each is special in their own way. Colbert, 61, who has been at “The Late Show” for 10 years, is the most mature, professorial and philosophical — gentle, a gentleman, and at times a mock-gentleman, addressing his audience as “My fellow Americans,” or echoing Walter Winchell, “Mr. and Mrs. America and All the Ships at Sea,” or as “Ladies and Gentlemen.” He slaps himself in the face twice before every show to “be in the moment … [to] only do this for the next hour.” Though he may still kick up his heels during a monologue, as an interviewer he is composed and thoughtful and curious — and funny, to be sure — to the degree each conversation demands. A committed (liberal) Catholic, he co-narrated the English-language audiobook of Pope Francis’ “Life: My Story Through History,” with Franciscan Father John Quigley, at the same time, he’s a first-generation Dungeons & Dragons devotee, a lifelong reader of science fiction and a man of whom director Peter Jackson said, “I have never met a bigger Tolkien geek in my life.” (Jackson cast him as “Laketown spy” in “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.”) He’s a person who will quote Gandalf in a conversation on grief and loss with Anderson Cooper, or, on “The Friendship Onion” podcast with Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd, a.k.a. Merry and Pippin, declare that after reading “The Lord of the Rings” after college, “I realized that Aragorn is the Apollonian model of manhood … The Hobbits are us. And we should love life as much as they do.”

And he knows a thing or two about Ronnie James Dio. And grew up on Mad magazine, where young minds were taught to recognize the deceptions and hypocrisies of politics, business and media.

Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report,” which he hosted from 2005 through 2014, had a huge cultural effect beyond the reach of any late-night host now, Colbert included. Because it ran on basic cable and not network television, and because Colbert hid within the character of a pompous conservative pundit, the show could take wild swings; to the extent it looked respectable, it was only a matter of irony. Colbert and Jon Stewart, on whose “The Daily Show,” where Colbert had earlier worked, staged a “Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear” on the National Mall in Washington, which drew a crowd of more than 200,000; he ran for president twice and created a PAC, Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow, “100 percent legal and at least 10 percent ethical.”

During its run, he (or his writers) gave the world “truthiness,” named 2006’s Word of the Year by Merriam-Webster, which defined it as “a truthful or seemingly truthful quality that is claimed for something not because of supporting facts or evidence but because of a feeling that it is true or a desire for it to be true.” Colbert was twice named one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People. Ben & Jerry’s created an ice cream flavor, Stephen Colbert’s AmeriCone Dream, in his honor, and NASA dubbed a piece of exercise equipment for use on the International Space Station the “Combined Operational Load-Bearing External Resistance Treadmill,” or COLBERT.

Testifying in character in 2010, before a House Judiciary subcommittee on legal status for immigrant farmworkers, he said, as if looking into 2025, “This is America,” he said, “I don’t want my tomato picked by a Mexican. I want it picked by an American, then sliced by a Guatemalan and served by a Venezuelan in a spa where a Chilean gives me a Brazilian … My great grandfather did not travel over 4,000 miles of the Atlantic Ocean to see the country overrun by immigrants. He did it because he killed a man back in Ireland. That’s the rumor, I don’t know if that’s true. I’d like to have that stricken from the record.”

The signature segment of “The Late Show” is the “Colbert Questionert” in which the host poses 15 questions “ergonomically designed to penetrate straight to the soul of one of my guests and reveal their true being to the world.” (It’s “a scientifically verified survey; I’ve asked several scientists and they assured me — yeah, it’s a survey.”) Designed to create comic and/or sincere responses, they range from “What’s the best sandwich?” (Will Ferrell: “Salami and grapefruit on rye, with a light sheen of mayonnaise.”) to “Apples or oranges?” (Colbert considers apples the correct answer, because you can put peanut butter on them.) to “The rest of your life in five words.” (Tom Hanks: “A magnificent cavalcade of color.”) Cate Blanchett took it lying on Colbert’s desk, as if in therapy. “What do you think happens when we die?” he asked. “You turn into a soup,” she replied. “A human soup.”

But it’s Colbert’s extended interviews and discussions, from “The Late Show” and elsewhere, posted online, that dig the deepest and reveal the most about him in the bargain: a much circulated conversation with Nick Cave from last year; a long talk with Anderson Cooper, after the death of his mother, both about grief and gratitude; an episode of “The Spiritual Life With Fr. James Martin, S.J.,” from a couple of weeks ago. (Colbert describes himself as “publicly Catholic,” not “a public Catholic.”) Such discussions perhaps point the way to a post-”Late Show” practice for Colbert, much as it became one for David Letterman, who passed the seat on to him. (He’s only the second host since the show’s premiere in 1993.)

As to the field he’ll be leaving next May, who can say? Taylor Tomlinson‘s “After Midnight” game show, which followed “The Late Show,” expired this week. Kimmel and Seth Meyers, who go as hard against Trump as does Colbert, and the milder Jimmy Fallon, seem for the moment safely fixed at their desks. Though new platforms and viewing habits have changed the way, and how much, it’s consumed, late-night television by its temporal nature remains a special province, out at the edge of things, where edgy things may be said and tried. (Don’t expect Colbert to go quietly into that goodnight.) Yet even as the No. 1 show in late night, “The Late Show” reportedly loses money. There’s something to that “financial decision,” I’m sure; it’s the “purely” that smells. We’ll see.

“I absolutely love that Colbert got fired,” Trump posted on his vanity social media site, going on to say that he “hears” that “Jimmy Kimmel is next. Has even less talent than Colbert.” Trump and Colbert could not be farther apart as humans. The president sells fear; he uses it as a club. But the TV host is sanguine.

“You can’t laugh and be afraid at the same time,” Colbert is fond of saying, sometimes adding, “and the Devil cannot stand mockery.”

It first aired in 2019 and ran for four seasons before being cancelled.

ITV has subtly added all four series of a beloved mystery drama to its streaming platform. Roswell, New Mexico, originally broadcast on The CW from 2019 to 2002.

The show is a reboot of the 1999 version, inspired by the Roswell High book series penned by Melinda Metz.

Featuring Jeanine Mason, Nathan Dean and Michael Vlamis, the plot centres around Liz, the daughter of undocumented immigrants, who returns to her hometown of Roswell in New Mexico a decade after her older sister’s death, only to uncover a startling secret about her teenage sweetheart, Max.

It transpires that he is an alien who has been concealing his supernatural abilities and true identity for years.

As Liz and Max rekindle their relationship, she strives to safeguard his secret. However, when a violent incident suggests there are more aliens on Earth, his concealed identity becomes jeopardised, reports Devon Live.

“The politics of fear and hatred that run rampant in Roswell threaten to expose Max and his family and could endanger his deepening romance with Liz…as well as their lives,” the synopsis hints.

In addition to Grey’s Anatomy star Jeanine and General Hospital actor Nathan, the cast boasts Lily Cowles, Tyler Blackburn, Heather Hemmens and Michael Trevino.

Fans have been singing the praises of the series since its initial airing.

A viewer was effusive in their praise, saying: “This tv series is worth your time no matter who you are. Roswell New Mexico is my ultimate favourite tv show without doubt. From the excellent direction to captivating storyline. This tv series deserves more appreciation. its authenticity makes it even more enticing to watch.”

Another confessed their adoration for the show, remarking: “I love this show! Modern, smart, great at dodging some of the more cliché tropes-also has some really great acting.”

In a spirited review, a third fan declared: “This generates the adrenaline.. It felt like I had permanent goosebumps the entire show! I just love how every character has a role and has a part to play and is important.. This series has a good unpredictable plot. This show is VERY UNDERRATED.”

While Roswell, New Mexico got the chop from The CW, the finale gave fans closure, serving as a dignified farewell not originally planned.

Showrunner Chris Hollier shared with EW the ambitions laid to rest due to the cancellation: “This [finale] was intended to help launch us to a nice wrap-up of season five. More craziness would’ve followed.”

He discussed what might have been, including time leaps towards a “legacy ending”: “What does it mean when you start to find the people that you want to be with? How do you actually go and generate your own happy ever after? I loved where we were going to take those characters.”

Hollier revealed tantalising glimpses into a future that will never be aired: “We were talking about setting the ending multiple years in the future. It would’ve been another wrap-up with where all of our couples were.”

Roswell, New Mexico is available to watch on ITVX.

The drive south through County Cork grew prettier with every turn. From Gougane Barra, where a tiny chapel sits at the lake’s edge, the road winds through old rebel country, into deep forests where foxgloves bloom along the mountainside. Bantry House – a magnificent estate overlooking a lovely bay – marked our path toward Ballydehob, West Cork’s boho village just north of the Mizen Head peninsula.

It’s a suitably impressive setting for Native, a new off-grid eco-guesthouse just a stone’s throw from the village. The brainchild of Didi Ronan (who previously worked in public policy and the music industry) and husband Simon (who runs the sustainable landscape architect studio SRLA), the aim was to create somewhere that has a positive impact on both the environment and local community.

Previously a derelict farmhouse, the chic three-bedroom B&B, set in beautiful gardens, celebrates Ireland’s craft heritage, too. From the communal living room – with its art books and antique maps – to the timber-clad garden sauna, every element is carefully considered. The bedrooms lean into a modern-meets-vernacular aesthetic, with muted tones and tactile textures. Ours opens on to a private patio, and above the bed are hundreds of vintage National Geographic magazines – collected by Didi’s grandmother – arranged in artful symmetry across a bespoke bookshelf.

Over dinner, a delicate crab risotto with fresh farm greens (evening meals, booked in advance, are intimate home-cooked affairs), the couple share their vision. Sparked by a flash of clarity Simon had while designing high-end eco-resorts in the Maldives, when the true cost of tourism on Indigenous land and ecology became unavoidable, they began dreaming of a new kind of hospitality. “Could a hotel not only tread lightly, but also give back to the land?” they wondered.

Sustainability is baked into the whole project, from the build to what they do with their profits. Instead of conventional plaster, Didi chose hemp – a more natural alternative – while Simon ensured that every existing material was reused, from the original foundations to the retaining walls. Two new cabins opening this summer aim to be the “gold standard in sustainable architecture”, made of local timber, hemp and wood wool fibre. A newly restored barn will open as a creative hub for workshops, natural wine tastings, and collaborations with foragers and craftspeople, too.

But perhaps most impressive of all is that 20% of Native’s profits go directly to their 75-acre rewilding site nearby – a living laboratory of native tree planting, invasive species removal, and ecological education. Guests are encouraged to visit – and the next day we drive 10 minutes along winding roads and walk across fields, their dog, Peig, darting ahead through rushes and briars, to learn more. “First, you eradicate invasive species. Then you conserve what you have, protect it from overgrazing, and then plant native trees to help things along,” Simon says.

At the ridge, the land opens into a sweep of sea and scattered islands. Below us lies Roaringwater Bay; behind, the skeletal remains of an old cottage clings to the earth. Didi gestures toward a patch of young trees. “The problem is huge – biodiversity, climate – but the solution’s simple: trees, wetlands, space.”

We carry on down towards an artificial lake, where dragonflies hover and moorhens skitter through the reeds. There we meet Sam Keane, a coastal forager and artist who runs immersive coastal tours guests can book, unlocking the powers of the sea, and demonstrating the tastes and powerful healing properties of seaweed and other ocean plant life.

Native is just a short stroll from the heart of Ballydehob, a village of just a few hundred but with plenty of pubs, and later that day I wander the pretty streets, soaking up a different kind of energy: human, social, alive. It’s a place that over-delivers, not in size but in spirit. At Levis Corner House the Wednesday market spills out on to the street. The heart of a thriving community, Levis is a pub, concert venue that hosts live performances from behind the old shop counter, and essentially a welcoming village living room.

There’s a lively art scene here too. The late potters Christa Reichel and Nora Golden helped found the local craft movement in the 1970s, still seen in venues like The Working Artist Studios on Main Street, and in the homegrown ceramics, textiles and artisan food shops crammed between colourful pub fronts and gable-end murals.

It’s a village that’s hard to leave, but the next day I set out to explore the area further. A 12-arch viaduct from the old rail line arcs across the estuary at the town’s edge. Pastel shop fronts curl along the hill. The 17th-century Butter Road leads from Ballydehob to Schull, a bright little harbour village. I stop and follow a walking trail through green lanes and quiet country roads, a soft scenic route, edged by hedgerows and sea glimpses, once used to carry churns of West Cork butter to market.

From here, Mizen Head begins, a tapering peninsula where the past is never far away. A Neolithic portal tomb lies accessible, close to the roadside overlooking the bay. I follow a path to Three Castle Head. Fields give way to a wide sweep of jagged coastline, steep tufty hills rising and falling in tandem with the Atlantic. The hike climbs gradually, then steeply,

and the ruins of three weather-beaten towers, 15th-century remnants of a defensive castle on a limestone ridge, come into view. From a distance, they seem almost grown from the rock itself, overlooking an indigo bay cupped in a lush green valley. Back in the car, the road dips and rises again toward Mizen Head Signal Station, mainland Ireland’s most southwesterly point. The footbridge to Fastnet signal station arches across sheer cliffs, a solid span above the Atlantic, cinematic in scale.

That evening, back in Ballydehob, I discover Chestnut, a Michelin-starred restaurant, where former pub walls now host a dining room led by chef Rob Krawczyk. His tasting menu captures the season with clear flavours: preserved, foraged and grown. Everything is impeccable and in keeping with the narrative I’ve uncovered in this progressive, ecologically minded, quietly radical corner of West Cork. As Didi put it, “Sustainability is only part of the story – regeneration is the next step.”

The trip was provided by Native. Double rooms from €200 a night B&B (two-night minimum). Exclusive hire of the guesthouse, sleeping six, from €650 per night, and garden sauna experience €75. Cabins, sleeping two, from €350. For more inspiration visit ireland.com

BBC and ITV sports presenting icon Steve Ryder gave his last broadcast on Sunday as he presented the British Touring Car Championship at Oulton Park for ITV4

Sports presenter Steve Ryder has announced his retirement from broadcasting after an impressive 48-year career. The 75-year-old covered major sporting fixtures for both the BBC and ITV over the course of his time on the air.

On Sunday, the star was broadcasting from the British Touring Car Championship at Oulton Park in Cheshire when he revealed he would be hanging up his microphone. He was covering the event for ITV4 when he announced the news of his departure from the screen.

A montage of clips was then shared showing drivers including Lando Norris, Nigel Mansell, Damon Hill, Jenson Button and David Coulthard all bidding farewell to the broadcaster. Over the years, he has hosted Sportsnight and Sports Personality of the Year, as well as the BBC’s coverage of every Olympic Games between 1988 and 2004.

He departed the BBC in 2005 and joined ITV where he presented coverage of Formula One, as well as the football and rugby World Cups. His final appearance proved to be a muted exit, but he has previously explained why he decided the time had come to quit.

He told the Daily Mail: “The biggest emotion as you get into the last two minutes of something like that is, ‘For God’s sake, don’t c**k it up.’

“Because you’d be thinking about that for the next 20 years. I’ve probably outstayed my welcome. I’ve been hugely lucky with the places that the career has taken me. But it’s close to 50 years now, so the cracks are showing.”

Steve famously used to present Match of the Day and was left miffed when he was replaced by Gary Lineker as the main host – admitting he had cut the former footballer out of his life.

The beef began when Gary said in 2015 that he though the R&A as ‘pompous’ and accused them of feeling like ‘superior beings’. This, in turn, provoked a furious reaction from Steve.

He told the Golf Paper: “I hold Gary Lineker in the highest regard as a football presenter, but his reflections on his experiences as a golf presenter need a huge reality check. For four years, the R&A and most other observers knew that Gary was the wrong man in the wrong job. Hazel Irvine has just delivered once again at the Open presentation skills of the highest quality. Not many people can do that and Gary certainly came up short.

“Roger Mosey, the head of sport, knew Gary was a golf fanatic and was further encouraged by Gary apparently volunteering for the Masters vacancy within a few minutes of my exit from Television Centre.

“But if Mosey thought long and hard before offering Gary the golf job, it’s even more baffling. Match of the Day is scripted and rehearsed. Golf presentation, especially at Augusta, is seat of the pants, unpredictable and demanding.”

Away from sport, Steve also won praise for being open about a battle against prostate cancer after he was diagnosed with the disease in October 2023.

He underwent emergency surgery which stopped the cancer from spreading. He previously told BBC Breakfast: “They took one look and said, ‘We’re going to operate in two weeks’.

“No messing around. We did Brands Hatch for ITV on the Sunday and I had the operation on the Thursday. So it slotted into the schedule quite nicely!”

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Eight years after its release, the film is gaining a second life on Netflix.

Netflix UK has added a real gem to its collection with the wartime drama Defiance, featuring the star power of James Bond’s Daniel Craig and Ray Donovan’s Liev Schreiber in an incredible true story from WWII.

Daniel Craig and Liev Schreiber team up in the enthralling historical drama Defiance, the 2008 offering that’s been garnering a cult following and is now thrilling Netflix UK audiences who hail it as “one of the best films ever.”

Set against the backdrop of Nazi-occupied Belarus, Defiance follows the extraordinary tale of the Bielski brothers – Tuvia, Zus, Asael, and Aron – four Jewish rebels who defiantly took on the Nazis by forming a vigilante group in the wilderness.

Based on Nechama Tec’s factual book Defiance: The Bielski Partisans, the film recounts their heroic saga of providing sanctuary to over 1,200 Jews in forest hideouts, building a veritable secret village threatened with constant jeopardy.

The cast features Daniel Craig as Tuvia Bielski, the group’s appointed head, whilst Liev Schreiber portrays his combative sibling Zus. Jamie Bell appears as their younger brother Asael, and a pre-1917 George MacKay plays the junior member of the clan, Aron, reports the Express.

Helmed by Edward Zwick of The Last Samurai fame, Defiance had its US debut just shy of the 2009 awards season and was tipped for an Oscar for Best Original Score by composer extraordinaire James Newton Howard, with a Golden Globe nod to match.

Filmed right in the heart of Lithuania, merely 200 kilometres from the original saga’s setting, ‘Defiance’ took storytelling to the next level, utilising authentic forest backdrops and even enlisting extras with personal ties to Jewish kin saved by the Bielskis.

The movie started off with a low key in selected theatres, but once it spread its wings for a wider showing, it managed to rake in an impressive $52 million across the globe. Reviewers sent out mixed signals, however, as time passed, it has only received more adulation from movie-goers.

A gleaming review on Letterboxd enthused: “Must watch 10/10. Whenever you have Daniel Craig (Bond) and Liev Schreiber (Ray Donovan) play two Nazi-hunting Jews navigating a group of a thousand displaced Belorussian Jews through the Yarden forest, facing the ultimate adversity – you have me sold”. Another chimed in with high praise: “Action-packed, great quotes, accurate, and a thrill ride from start to finish. You’ll be rethinking how powerful a sense of community is. (People forget! )”

Scores of cinema enthusiasts have lauded the film’s potent narrative, a blend of vast survival themes and deeply personal character journeys. Defiance further delves into the intense pressure of steering a multitude amidst dire straits, especially as the numbers swell from a mere band to a throng surpassing one thousand souls.

One viewer mused: “For me, one of the best films ever. So inspiring and tragic at the same time. Worth watching.”

Another queried its lack of wider acclaim, stating: “I still find it crazy that this film is not considered a modern classic, with its stunning cinematography, fantastic performances, and gripping story.”

Defiance can now be streamed on Netflix UK.