“This has been an incredible journey that began with a visit to Knoxville, Tennessee. Leanne Morgan is the whole package. A comedic genius, a warm, loving human being, and an absolute joy to work with.”
Kristen Johnston, Celia Weston, Blake Clark, Ryan Stiles, Jayma Mays, Tim Daly, Graham Rogers, Hannah Pilkes, and Andrea Anders are all set to reprise their roles for the second season. Fresh faces are also joining Season 2 and here’s everything you need to know about the new series.
When is Leanne Season 2 out?
Leanne is making its Netflix comeback for a second season on August 27, with the sitcom’s latest run consisting of 10 episodes.
Fortunately for devotees, all 10 instalments will arrive simultaneously, allowing them to binge-watch to their hearts’ desire.
The second run is considerably more compact than the first, which featured 16 episodes, and it remains inspired by Leanne’s stand-up performances.
The sitcom chronicles Leanne’s journey as her world gets flipped upside down when her husband of 33 years unexpectedly walks out on her for another woman.
Throughout the series, “Leanne learns to embrace the chaos and finds strength, laughter, and hope in the most unexpected places”.
Who is joining the cast of Leanne Season 2?
Fresh faces include country music sensation and Yellowstone star Lainey Wilson.
The 34 year old country artist from Louisiana made her television debut in Yellowstone in 2022, taking on the role of Abbey.
She also has her own Netflix documentary chronicling her career, and made her big-screen debut in the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s novel Reminders of Him.
Actress and model Jaime Pressly is also joining the cast, best recognised for her portrayal of Joy Turner in the NBC sitcom My Name Is Earl.
Actor and comedian Billy Gardell, famous for Mike & Molly, has similarly signed up for the series, alongside accomplished film and theatre actress Tyne Daly.
The 2004 drama balances comedy with timely social commentary
Danny Dyer leads the cast in the noughties film(Image: Handout)
Netflix fans are completely hooked on a gritty sports drama that came out over 22 years ago.
The streaming giant’s most-watched charts are currently dominated by recent releases, including hit romcom Voicemails for Isabelle and chilling documentary Maternal Instinct.
But UK viewers are also streaming 2004 sports drama The Football Factory, which is no surprise considering all eyes are on the FIFA World Cup.
Directed by Nick Love, the film is presently sitting at Number 9 on the trending list. It focuses on a devoted Chelsea football hooligan called Tommy Johnson (played by Danny Dyer).
Tommy and his friends spend their days drinking, womanising, using drugs and “occasionally kicking the f*** out of someone”.
But the sports fan is forced to reconsider his violent lifestyle when one of his football-fuelled fights leads to serious consequences.
Adapted from John King’s 1997 novel, the story touches on important themes such as young men’s search for belonging, as well as their frustration with unfair socio-economic systems. It also offers insight into escapism through drug and alcohol abuse.
While Dyer is the face of this film, he is joined by other recognisable stars. One of his most notable co-stars is Tamer Hassan, who Love Island fans will know as recent All Stars contestant Belle Hassan’s dad.
He plays Fred, a Milwall hooligan and arch enemy of the Chelsea club.
Fans have been raving about the noughties drama for years. “One of the best football films,” said one Rotten Tomatoes user.
Someone else praised: “10/10 – Brilliant film! Easily in my top 5 favourite movies. A must see for football fans.”
While another said: “One of the best English films you will ever see for sure, got everything in it! now this is funny and gripping!”
Yet another film fanatic shared their verdict on IMDb: “It’s top drawer entertainment and better than most of the garbage that fills your DVD store. I would highly recommend this to anyone who likes realistic and gritty films, and doesn’t mind occasional stomach turning violence.”
And a final moviegoer insisted: “I can honestly say this is by far the best British film I’ve ever seen.”
A Southern California music festival featuring only women musicians and created by Olivia Rodrigo? That’s not such a bad idea.
Rodrigo, fresh off the release of her junior album, on Monday unveiled her Daisy Chain Fields music festival and the roster of all-women artists set to take over Irvine’s Great Park on Aug. 29. The lineup will include Rodrigo, Chappell Roan, Katseye, Mitski, Doechii and special guests Karen O, Sarah McLachlan and Stevie Nicks.
The 23-year-old Grammy winner and vocal advocate for women’s rights said in her post that her dream festival has finally become a reality and that earnings from the spectacular will go to charities benefiting women and girls.
“The lineup is truly insane and full of my heroes and friends,” Rodrigo said in her announcement. “I firmly believe that joy, community, and music can be the drivers of meaningful change and I’m hopeful this festival will be just that.”
Artists Bikini Kill, Die Spitz, Eli, Garbage, Not for Radio, Quiet Light, Rachel Chinouriri, Santigold and the Breeders are also set to perform. Fans hoping to snag tickets can sign up for pre-sale access on the festival’s website.
Rodrigo’s Daisy Chain Fields comes to Irvine a month before the former Disney Channel star kicks off her massive Unraveled tour, promoting her latest release “You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love.” She will take over Inglewood’s Intuit Dome for four nights in 2027: Jan. 12, 13, 16 and 17.
In his album review, Times pop music critic Mikael Wood writes that Rodrigo’s latest release sees the singer-songwriter approach romance and heartbreak with “new wisdom, drawing sophisticated conclusions about why people in love do the things they do (and don’t do the things they don’t).”
A federal judge on Friday rejected former President Biden’s attempt to block the Trump administration from releasing to a conservative group the recordings that Biden made with a ghostwriter.
U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich found that the public interest in the material outweighed whatever privacy rights Biden had.
The recordings were obtained by special counsel Robert Hur in the course of his investigation into whether Biden improperly retained classified documents while a senator and vice president. Republicans in Congress demanded them after Hur declined to file charges against the then-president.
Biden’s Democratic administration refused to turn over the 2017 recordings and transcripts, leading congressional Republicans to hold his attorney general, Merrick Garland, in contempt.
President Trump’s Department of Justice authorized the release of the materials. That led Biden last month to sue to seek to block the release to a staffer at the conservative Heritage Foundation who had formally requested the records.
Biden objected to the release as an invasion of privacy, saying the recordings included him discussing sensitive personal matters such as the death of his older son, Beau Biden. But Friedrich found that the administration redacted that material.
The judge wrote that the materials “contain no mention of highly sensitive topics like illness or death, nor do they mention any non-public persons, including members of Biden’s family.”
Representatives for Biden did not immediately comment but asked Friedrich to bar release of the material while they appeal her decision. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Friedrich was nominated by Trump, a Republican, in 2017.
Sean “Diddy” Combs is expected to be released from federal prison earlier than expected in 2028.
The disgraced music and alcohol mogul, 56, is now set to be released from FCI Fort Dix, a low-security federal prison in New Jersey, on Feb. 23, 2028, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate database. Combs was sentenced in October 2025 to 50 months in prison after he was convicted of transporting prostitutes across state lines for drug-fueled sex performances known as “freak-offs.”
The updated release date shaves off even more prison time for Combs, who was initially projected to be freed in June 2028. Earlier this year, the producer’s release date was moved up to April 2028.
A legal representative for Combs did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday. People reported that Combs is participating in a drug-abuse rehabilitation program in the federal prison. The outlet also reported that the musician’s legal team preferred Combs carry out his sentence at FCI Fort Dix because of its treatment program and proximity to his family.
Combs was sentenced last year after a lengthy and highly public legal saga involving damning allegations of sexual assault and other violence. Singer Casandra “Cassie” Ventura and producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones were among the accusers who lodged civil complaints against Combs. Though he was found guilty in July on two counts of a prostitution-related charge, jurors cleared Combs on racketeering and sex trafficking.
“Mr. Combs has been given his life by this jury,” defense attorney Marc Agnifilo said at the time.
Earlier this month, the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office said it was investigating two sexual assault cases against the Bad Boy Records founder. A Florida music producer alleged last year that Combs sexually assaulted him in 2020 and 2021. When the claims first surfaced in 2025, Combs’ civil attorney dismissed them.
“Let me make it absolutely clear, Mr. Combs categorically denies as false and defamatory all claims that he sexually abused anyone,” attorney Jonathan Davis said at the time. “He looks forward to vindicating himself in court, where such matters are decided — and not in the media — based on admissible, material evidence, not rank speculation and unsubstantiated allegations.”
Times staff writers James Queally and Richard Winton contributed to this report.
Olivia Rodrigo has officially begun her new era, and this time she invited her fans to experience it alongside her.
To celebrate the release of her latest album, “You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love,” Rodrigo collaborated with American Express to re-create the set of her music video for “The Cure.” The pop-up event, which opened last Thursday and ran until Sunday at Mica Studios, featured props from the video, storyboards, exclusive merchandise and several photo ops for fans.
With a beating felt heart and lab beakers to pose with, the pop-up transformed an industrial studio space in the Arts District into a pastel-painted cardboard hospital. Ahead of the public opening, Rodrigo surprised a small group of AMEX cardholders and select fans.
“I have an album that’s coming out today in about one hour, which is crazy,” Rodrigo said, wearing a blue “Nurses Do It Better” baby tee. “I figured since we’re all here, maybe we should just listen to a few of them together? Would that be cool?”
A little over an hour before the album’s release, Rodrigo played four songs from the album as the room brewed with excitement. She began with “Maggots for Brains,” a song about being so infatuated you can’t focus when your partner is away. Although it was their first listen, the song’s catchy chorus already had fans dancing along.
Banner for Rodridgo’s pop-up event hands above Mica Studios
(American Express)
Rodrigo explained that her next song, “Purple,” paid homage to the aesthetics of her previous albums, “Guts” and “Sour.”
“Obviously, this is my first non-purple album, but I just had to shout out purple somehow,” Rodrigo joked. “This song started out as a love song and sort of devolved from there, so I’ll let you guys be the judge.”
Playing off the somber vibes of “Purple,” Rodrigo played “Less” next. The piano ballad follows the dissolution of a relationship as the couple grows apart.
“I’ve been going back and forth on what the saddest song on the record is, but I think this one might be it,” Rodrigo said.
In a room full of fans, the song struck an emotional chord with many of the listeners. To bring the mood back up, Rodrigo finished the night by playing her new single, “Stupid Song.”
“This next one is a happy one, and it actually has a music video that comes out tonight,” Rodrigo said. “I love this song so much. It’s basically about having such an intense crush on someone that it drives you totally f— insane. I feel like we’ve all been there at some point in our lives.”
Rodrigo was all smiles at her event celebrating her latest album steeped in heartbreak and romance.
(American Express)
After Rodrigo previewed her music, “The Cure” music video exhibition was opened up to the fans. The showcase ranged from interactive photo ops to gallery walls featuring behind-the-scenes photos from the video shoot and Rodrigo’s nurse costume on display. The video’s props, which were primarily designed using cardboard and felt, were displayed in glass cases for visitors to admire.
Dressed in fun fashion including light pink and polka-dot outfits, fans posed throughout the set, re-creating scenes from the music video as “The Cure” played overhead. Many had thrown on a piece of the Los Angeles-exclusive merchandise on sale at the pop-up, with shirts and hats reading “You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl in Los Angeles.”
So while some fans teared up at her lyrics and others beamed with excitement, everyone was hyped to experience Rodrigo’s new album.
“I really hope you enjoy this little exhibition. It is so gorgeous, and I am so proud of it,” Rodrigo said. “Thank you guys for being here, and I really hope you love ‘You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love’ as much as I do.”
KATIE Price has emotionally reunited with her husband Lee Andrews just days after his release from prison.
The Sun revealed how the self-proclaimed ‘billionaire businessman’ – who has spent the last month locked up in Dubai’s notorious Al-Awir prison –was freed on Friday.
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Katie Price has been reunited with her husband Lee Andrews after over a month apart while he was in prisonCredit: BackGridThe married couple had an emotional reunion which saw Katie jump into his armsCredit: BackGrid
Sharing an emotional reunion on Sunday evening, the former glamour model jumped into Lee’s arms as he picked her up and hugged her.
The beaming couple were pictured kissing, hugging and holding hands as they headed to Vox Dubai, an outdoor rooftop cinema, to catch a World Cup football game.
While Katie previously told The Sun she had plenty of questions for her elusive husband upon their reunion, it appeared those could wait as the couple got straight back to PDA – with the reconciliation appearing to be a far cry from crisis talks.
Despite the many questions surrounding Lee and the untruths he has told over recent months, all appeared to be forgiven between the coupleCredit: BackGridA beaming Katie appeared overjoyed to be back with Lee after touching down in DubaiCredit: BackGridIt comes after Katie said she would be confronting the ‘businessman’ with an onslaught of questions and grilling him upon their reunionCredit: BackGridThe couple headed to an outdoor rooftop cinema to watch a World Cup game during their first outing togetherCredit: BackGrid
The mum-of-five said earlier this month that she will only divorce the suspected conman once she has questioned him herself.
She said: “I cannot just walk away from my marriage without seeing him again.”
The Sun previously reported how Lee had been locked up in Al-Awir over a “private civil matter”, believed to be related to allegations of fraud, on May 14.
Among the claims, one of the cases against the self-proclaimed businessman is understood to be over a bounced cheque.
He initially claimed to Katie that he had been arrested on suspicion of spying. Authorities in Dubai later confirmed to The Sun that this was not the case.
Failed actor is just another title to add toLee’s questionable CV, after he claimed to have once worked as the Director of Philanthropy at The Prince’s Trust (now The King’s Trust)
Lee also shared images – since proven to be AI – of him working with Elon Musk and Kim Kardashian
It’s been revealed shameless Lee told former girlfriends that he had studied at Cambridge University, and has a PhD in biotechnology science
But The Sun has seen a response from the university explaining it could not find a record of Lee being registered as a student with a date of birth they had provided
His LinkedIn profile says Lee has been a Member of the Board of Advisors to the Labour Party since 2015
Lee was also mocked for repeating theexact same wedding proposalon Katie – that he did for another woman just four months ago.
Katie’s return to the UAE comes just a week after she headed out there in the hopes of freeing him from prison, but was told she’d need a hefty £140,000 to bail him out – which she refused.
She gave The Sun exclusive access to the trip, with Showbiz Editor Clemmie Moodie joining her.
During which, Clemmie sat Katie down to confront her about Lee and the many untruths he has told over recent months – with the full 56 minute sit down available to watchhere.
At the time, Katie admitted there were several questions she didn’t know the answer to, and was waiting for Lee to exit prison to quiz him.
“I’M still the same person as the 15-year-old me,” decides Blur guitarist Graham Coxon.
“Still a romantic idiot, still reasonably innocent — and I think that’s a healthy way to be,” he continues.
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Blur’s Graham Coxon discusses his ‘lost’ solo album Castle Park, recorded in 2011 and named after his Colchester teenage stomping groundCredit: UnknownDamon Albarn and Graham at Wembley in 2023Credit: Getty
“I don’t want to be a cynical old bastard, so I’m lucky I still have a magical outlook on life.”
I’m talking to Coxon, 57, about his “lost” solo album, Castle Park, which is finally set to come blinking into the sunlight.
The product of sessions which took place in the winter of 2011, it is named after his teenage stomping ground in the centre of Colchester — an affirmation of that younger “same person” self.
In a wider sense, it serves as a nod to his Essex hometown — a city since 2022 — where he attended Stanway School, met Damon Albarn and where, in 1988, they formed Blur with Dave Rowntree and Alex James.
It was there, too, that his band leader and clarinet-playing dad introduced him to music, namely, “the Bs — Beethoven and The Beatles”.
The album cover resembles a classic picture postcard, divided into quarters and depicting scenes from the park with its vast Norman castle and an ornate Victorian bandstand.
Coxon says: “There were a few occasions when me and a group of friends would stay in the park rather too long, get locked in and have to climb over the fence.
“I remember being slightly inebriated and dancing around the bandstand — and then, of course, there was the statue.”
Graham is finally releasing his solo album Castle ParkCredit: James KellyThe guitarist performing with Blur at the Norwegian music festival Oyafestivalen 2023Credit: Alamy
He’s referring to the imposing bronze Angel Of Victory which stands atop the Colchester War Memorial at the southern entrance to Castle Park.
“I had some dangerous moments when I climbed up and gave that statue a kiss,” he admits. “I used to do it regularly — she was very beautiful.”
If that fearless act of youthful exuberance was an example of Coxon’s romantic nature, it’s clear that he carried it forward to the album that was shelved until now.
“It comes through,” he agrees, “even though there are songs about getting dumped.
“There’s a lot of processing my own romanticism on that album, but not in a heavy way.
“It’s reasonably light-hearted for the first half at least, even if it takes a tumble down to the most depressing song I’ve ever written [album closer All The Rage]. But that’s life, isn’t it?”
Looking back at ten tracks of “romance, break-ups, heartache and alienation”, he says: “When I was writing them, I was in a very problematic situation emotionally. Somehow, songs have a way of describing your situation more succinctly than whatever is going through your mind.”
In 2026, I’m happy to report that Coxon is in a much better place. It’s 10am when I’m connected via video call to the home he shares with partner and bandmate in The Waeve, Rose Elinor Dougall, and their daughter.
Blur with (L-R) Graham, Alex James, Damon Albarn and Dave Rowntree at the MTV Europe Music Awards in 1995Credit: GettyLooking back on his output, Coxon says: ‘I think it has had a lot to do with my development as a person’Credit: Unknown
“You’ve got me before my brains kick in,” he warns me, but he soon warms to the task of talking about his music outside of Blur.
Aside from the imminent release of Castle Park, this year sees reissues of Coxon’s back catalogue, beginning with his debut album The Sky Is Too High (1998) and its follow-up, The Golden D (2000).
He’s also working on the third Waeve album with Rose, which he describes as “a lot less hard-edged” than 2024’s City Lights.
“It’s more floaty and summery,” he reveals, before reaffirming his romantic credentials.
“Lyrically, there’s a lot more affection. Rose and I go through life together and, sometimes, saying things in lyrics is the nicest way to show affection away from our normal hectic lives.”
But it is his “lost” Castle Park, with lyricism and songcraft as assured as anything in his solo repertoire, that we are focusing on. So, how come the album joined a legendary list that includes The Who’s Lifehouse and The Beach Boys’ Smile by lying dormant for years?
Coxon casts his mind back to 2011 when he headed to The Pool studios in Bermondsey with Ben Hillier, co-producer of Blur’s 2003 album Think Tank (made without Graham except for one track) and engineer on The Golden D.
He says: “It was really odd because I recorded 20 songs and ten of them became A&E [released in 2012], which was based around improvised bass lines.
Aside from the imminent release of Castle Park, this year sees reissues of Coxon’s back catalogue, beginning with his debut album The Sky Is Too High…Credit: SuppliedThe Sky Is Too High follow-up, The Golden D (2000), is also being re-releasedCredit: Supplied
“The other ten were weirdly different — more trad indie, jingle-jangly, with a bit of Sixties influence.”
Those songs, you may have guessed, were earmarked for Castle Park.
Speaking of parks, Coxon had form thanks to Parklife, Blur’s immortal hit with lyrics by Damon Albarn and music by the whole band, not to mention a vocal masterclass from Phil Daniels.
Despite a widely held belief, the song wasn’t inspired by Castle Park but, as Albarn once explained, by London’s Hyde Park where he used “to watch people and pigeons”.
It seems as if the Britpop icons’ 2012 reunion, which included a momentous Hyde Park show to mark the end of the Olympics, is the chief reason why Coxon’s next album didn’t appear.
That rapturously received performance led to Blur’s run of festival shows in 2013 and a new album in 2015, The Magic Whip.
Then Coxon moved on to mastermind soundtracks for Channel Four comedy drama The End Of The F***ing World as well as embarking on a sci-fi music/graphic novel project in 2021 called Superstate.
In other words, while Castle Park gathered dust, Coxon kept himself busy.
He says: “I’m really not sure what happened. Maybe it was lack of confidence. Maybe I thought these songs weren’t fashionable and who would give a s**t?”
Over the years, however, his theory didn’t stand up as fans would repeatedly ask him to release Castle Park. “They even knew the name of the album.”
The clamour heightened when Coxon broke out some of the songs during live shows.
These include opening track Billy Says, a spiky three-minute slice of mod-pop, which finds him channelling his heroes, The Kinks and The Jam.
He says: “Ray Davies is the best songwriter we ever had, followed closely by Paul McCartney, and The Jam was a huge band for me. I thought that being a Jam fan elevated me as a person.”
Other tracks to receive a live airing were Alright, with its pithy putdowns of a love rival, a playful duet with Lucy Parnell called There’s A Little House, and gorgeous acoustic guitar-led Easy.
Of all the Castle Park songs, there’s one which Coxon is most proud of, the poised, richly atmospheric Isn’t It Funny.
“It came to me in the dream,” he says. “I had the chords and half of the chorus, I heard some words — and then I woke up. I thought, ‘My gosh, I need to make a quick note of this.’”
Isn’t It Funny contains the lines: “The sun made black her hair and the river her eyes. She needs no man, no sea, nor heather. She’ll change your mind and slip away.”
By way of explanation, Coxon says: “I realise that there’s always been this elusive feminine spirit or a goddess of nature in my work.
“I don’t write songs about this entity for my own excitement. They just come out.”
Then there’s the sublime Mélodie Pour Christine, a lyric-free classical piece for harp and strings with Lucy Parnell’s vocals serving as another instrument.
“That piece was important to me,” he says. “I devoted it to a French friend of mine — a wonderful person who I loved very much and is no longer with us.”
Another song that hits the mark is bleak All The Rage, which, he says, “communicates one’s despondency around the creative life — and that has got even worse 15 years later!”
If most of Castle Park is filled with distinctly English sensibilities, American influences arrive with a cover of When You Find Out by short-lived Seventies punk-pop trio The Nerves.
“It’s a great song, even Blondie would go, ‘Hey, this is a good one’. I just made it slightly less than perfect,” laughs Coxon.
Then there’s “an attempt at soul” with Forget Today which finds him employing his considerable saxophone skills and Ben Hillier providing Hammond organ. (Worth noting that Coxon played sax on Parklife.)
Dripping Soul ventures into territory occupied by Ennio Morricone’s spaghetti western soundtracks, “so it’s not exclusively weird south-east of England s**t”.
“I love westerns, particularly Sergio Leone films. A Fistful Of Dollars and all that,” says Coxon.
In the song, he is peering “beyond the veil” at the “souls of those cowboys who came from a place where life is cheap and death is taken for granted”.
With its galloping guitars, Coxon realised he couldn’t turn Dripping Soul into “a hanging out in Camden sort of thing”.
But he does believe that the house he shares with Rose in London is populated by the souls of dead people.
“I don’t even believe in ghosts, but I’ve seen them,” he reports. “So that’s a bit of a quandary.”
Coxon says he still likes to talk to dear departed loved ones: His mum, Christine, drummer Graham Fox, the Irish journalist who first wrote about Blur, Leo Finlay, and the head of Food Records, Andy Ross.
“I don’t really see them as gone,” he says. “I can still talk to them — they may have disappeared but they’re still fully alive in my mind.”
With that said, we return to 1998 when all those people were still with us — to the making of Coxon’s debut solo album The Sky Is Too High.
It was an unvarnished, largely acoustic affair featuring his own artwork and, as he explains: “It was recorded through really good gear but approach was quite raw.”
Sandwiched between Blur’s self-titled fifth album and its follow-up, 13, “It was done in a bit of a hurry — I wasn’t f***ing about.”
The project had begun when a neighbour asked Coxon to write a couple of songs for a film about Victorian bare-knuckle fighter Tom Sayers — setting wheels in motion that are still spinning.
He says: “That request turned into an addiction to writing songs and releasing them.”
So, how did his solo endeavours affect his relationship with his Blur bandmates. “They didn’t talk about it,” replies Coxon, “Though I did once catch Damon singing R U Lonely? He said, ‘That’s quite a catchy little tune’.
“Attempting to develop as a songwriter when Damon Albarn is your best mate is hard work. I mean, he’d already written some bloody good songs by then.”
Released in 2000, Coxon’s second effort, The Golden D, is very different — heavier, more abrasive and driven by searing electric guitars.
The mood changes with the funky Oochy Woochy, which tapped into Coxon’s fascination with Nineties’ fusion of hip-hop and jazz — a style developed by American rapper Guru called Jazzmatazz.
He says: “I’ve always liked that skinny beat stuff with James Brown loops or similar. Stuff like Public Enemy and 3rd Bass. Oochy Woochy is not a mickey take but a go at that.”
With physical releases of Coxon’s other albums still to come this year, there’s plenty more scope to revisit his solo journey.
Then, in November, he’s hitting the road for a UK tour, bringing the songs back to life still further.
Looking back on his output, Coxon says: “I think it has had a lot to do with my development as a person.
“You know, that anxiety-ridden creative weirdo who puts all this stuff out there.
“I guess that’s why I like Castle Park coming out — because now there are no secrets. You’ve got it all.”
GRAHAM COXON
Castle Park
4.5 STARS
Castle Park is out 19th JuneCredit: Supplied
Also released: The Sky Is Too High and The Golden D
Residents were thrown into despair after a terrorist leader, Jammo Smally, abducted 39 community leaders who had gone to discuss a peace deal with him. The dramatic incident occurred on Sunday, June 7, in the Maradun Local Government Area (LGA) of Zamfara State, North West Nigeria.
Jammo had been sending messages to the leaders in the Magamin Diddi community for over two months, calling for a meeting to discuss the terms of the peace deal as the rainy season approached. The terrorist leader, whose parents live in a hamlet not far from Magamin Diddi, had claimed he was tired of the hostility between his terror group and the community.
Following another invitation a few days after the Islamic Eid al-Kabir celebrations, the traditional and religious leaders decided to meet Jammo and his gang members in the forest. The two parties agreed to meet on Sunday to reach what the community leaders thought would be a peaceful solution to the recurrent attacks on their farms and homes.
“The first thing he asked when we reached there was the whereabouts of the three rifles the Askarawa took away from his boys two months ago,” Malam Aliyu, one of those who went to strike the deal, told HumAngle over the phone on Monday. He had joined 46 other community leaders to strike the deal. “We were confused at first, because we were told that we would be discussing only a peace deal. We thought that he would ask us to give him money, but the first thing he asked was for his rifles.”
“Askawara” is a local term for security volunteers of the state-backed Community Protection Guards (CPG) in Zamfara State. Local sources told HumAngle that towards the end of March, terrorists from the Jammo group had a gunfight with the CPG fighters and other vigilante group members, leading to the killing of two terrorists. Three rifles belonging to the terrorists were taken away by the CPG fighters.
“We didn’t take his guns, but it’s obvious he has made up his mind,” Aliyu said. The terrorist leader released seven community leaders, instructing them to report back to the district head with his demands. He has one condition for the release of the 39 elders: either the rifles are returned, or an equivalent amount of money must be paid to him.
The terrorist leader also set ₦50 million for the peace deal. “He said if we’re still interested in negotiating with him, we should add ₦50 million to the rifles we’re returning. The money is for us to be able to live in peace, go to local markets, and go to our farms,” the community leader said.
Negotiations between terrorists and local communities aiming to establish peace are not uncommon in the ongoing crisis plaguing the northwestern region for over a decade. Typically, these discussions involve communities paying substantial sums to the terrorists under the guise of a peace agreement. However, such negotiations often yield little result, as terrorist attacks continue unabated even after agreements are reached, as seen in various regions of the state.
The Zamfara State government has consistently maintained its stance against negotiating with terrorists. Yazid Abubakar, the Zamfara State Police spokesperson, stated that they have initiated a rescue operation to free the captured individuals.
“Upon receipt of the report, the Zamfara State Police Command immediately initiated efforts to trace the victims’ whereabouts and secure their safe rescue. Operational assets have been deployed, and security operatives are working on available intelligence to locate the abducted persons,” Yazid Abubakar said in a statement on Monday.
Residents of Magamin Diddi, Zamfara State, Nigeria, have been thrust into turmoil after the abduction of 39 community leaders by terrorist Jammo Smally.
These leaders were negotiating a peace deal with Smally, who had been reaching out for over two months, desiring an end to hostilities.
However, during the meeting, Smally demanded the return of rifles taken by local security volunteers or payment in cash, along with an additional ₦50 million for peace.
This incident is emblematic of a broader crisis in northwestern Nigeria, where communities often pay terrorists under the guise of peace deals, yet attacks continue unabated. The Zamfara State government, adhering to a policy of non-negotiation with terrorists, has initiated a rescue operation for the abducted leaders, deploying operational assets based on available intelligence to ensure their safe return.
SACRAMENTO — The Democratic-led state Senate has voted to reconfirm five commissioners to the California Board of Parole Hearings, a move that drew outcry from Republicans who argued the board recently made several egregious decisions.
“The current board is clearly not doing a good job protecting children and should be replaced,” said Sen. Steven Choi (R-Irvine), speaking June 1 on the Senate floor.
The parole board consists of 21 commissioners who are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate for three-year terms. Five current commissioners — William Muniz, Michael Ruff, Rosalind Sargent-Burns, Mary Thornton and Jack Weiss — were reconfirmed June 1 in votes that fell along party lines.
Senate Republicans spoke out from the floor, expressing anger over the board’s recent decisions to grant parole to serial sex offenders David Allen Funston, Gregory Lee Vogelsang and Roberto Antonio Detrinidad. (The vote of individual commissioners was not made public.)
Democrats defended the board, saying it was following a landmark 2008 ruling from the California Supreme Court that declared denying parole must be supported by evidence that the person poses a current risk.
“Parole decisions must be based on current safety risks not on the seriousness of the original offense,” said Sen. Eloise Gómez Reyes (D-Colton). “Evidence based risk assessment exists for this exact purpose.”
California’s elderly parole program allows inmates 50 and older to qualify for a parole suitability hearing if they have been incarcerated for at least 20 continuous years. The individual can then be released if commissioners determine they do not pose a public safety risk.
Republicans, however, questioned the board’s judgment.
Sen. Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield) said a transcript of Funston’s initial parole hearing showed he acknowledged still being attracted to children and said he would splash cold water on his face to deter his urges.
Funston used candy and toys to lure children playing outside in the Sacramento suburbs into his vehicle in 1995 and 1996, prosecutors said. He was convicted of 16 counts of kidnapping and child molestation.
“There is not a single person in this chamber who would want this man to be alone with their children or grandchildren or any of our constituents,” Grove said. “But this board voted to let him out of prison.”
Sen. Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh (R-Yucaipa) criticized the board for not releasing the specific voting records of individual commissioners. She said she had asked the five commissioners to reveal their records, which California allows but does not require.
“They all refused,” Bogh said. “If you are not willing to publicly own how you voted to release a serial child molester or repeat rapist, you will not receive my vote.”
After the votes, Senate Minority Leader Brian W. Jones (R-Santee) criticized Democrats in a statement for “rubber-stamping” the reappointments and said the board had lost all credibility with the public.
A spokesperson for the board said commissioners follow California law and prioritize public safety.
“The Board’s standard is stringent, involves numerous steps and use of validated risk assessment tools, including evaluation by forensic psychologists,” spokesperson Emily Humpal wrote in an email. “Over 97% of parolees successfully transition into their communities without a new conviction within three years.”
Some prosecutors and victims recently expressed outrage over the board’s decisions. One victim, who was kidnapped by Funston at age 4 and sexually assaulted with a knife to her throat, previously told The Times that he should remain in prison.
Jones and Sen. Roger Niello (R-Fair Oaks) this year introduced Senate Bill 1278, which would have blocked those convicted of “rape, sodomy, lewd and lascivious acts, and habitual sex offenders” from the elderly parole program. Some offenders already are barred, including those convicted of first-degree murder of a law enforcement officer.
The bill ultimately died in the Senate Public Safety Committee in April.
Other legislation from Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen (D-Elk Grove) would raise the minimum parole age for sex offenders convicted of rape, sodomy, or the aggravated sexual assault of a child to 65. Assembly Bill 2727 is advancing through the Legislature with bipartisan support.
If signed into law, the measure would amend legislation from former Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), which was signed into law in 2020 and lowered the minimum age requirement for elderly parole consideration from 60 to 50 years old.
Hundreds marched in Tunisia’s capital demanding press freedom and the release of political prisoners detained during President Kais Saied’s crackdown on dissent, which has jailed opposition figures including Ennahda party leader Rached Ghannouchi.
WASHINGTON — President Trump announced Wednesday night at a White House dinner that he wanted to make acting Atty. Gen. Todd Blanche’s leadership of the Department of Justice permanent.
The president said he thought the confirmation of his onetime personal defense attorney would go “very quickly,” according to a video posted from the dinner.
But early indications suggest that the process could be anything but.
Blanche, who assumed his current role after Trump fired former Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi in April, has been the face of some of the administration’s most unpopular actions, including the $1.8-billion “anti-weaponization fund,” the Justice Department’s release of the so-called Epstein files and a spate of prosecutions that critics have seen as politically motivated.
“He was nominated because he’ll do whatever the President demands. Todd Blanche should be under investigation — not under consideration for a promotion,” Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), who sits on the committee, said in a statement.
Blanche was confirmed as deputy attorney general last year in a vote along party lines but now faces a changed political climate, in which Senate Republicans have felt more emboldened to question the administration’s actions.
Already, two Republicans who sit on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which will decide Blanche’s fate, have expressed reservations about his nomination.
Republicans hold a 12-to-10 majority in the committee, so losing two votes probably would torpedo Blanche’s confirmation.
Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn told CNN reporter Manu Raju Thursday that he was concerned about the independence of Blanche, who served as Trump’s personal attorney in a New York case about his alleged hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels.
“Being attorney general is probably one of the hardest jobs in the Cabinet, because you’re working for the president but you’re also supposed to be able to tell the president ‘no,’ ” Cornyn said. “So we need to talk about that.”
Cornyn recently lost his primary bid for reelection after Trump endorsed his opponent, Texas Atty. Gen. Ken Paxton.
In recent weeks, Blanche has faced withering criticism for the anti-weaponization fund, which was created last month to settle a lawsuit brought by Trump, two of his sons and their business against the Internal Revenue Service.
Blanche publicly walked back the fund at a congressional hearing this week, after critics had described it as a slush fund for allies of the president who believed they had been prosecuted for political purposes, including those who participated in the Jan. 6, 2021, storming of the Capitol.
Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, told reporters that the fund, and any support for participants in the Jan. 6 insurrection, would be a sticking point for him in Blanche’s nomination.
“The key for Todd or anyone going through the Judiciary Committee is being pretty tight on January the 6th,” Tillis said.
Tillis, who is not seeking reelection, previously held up the confirmation of another Trump appointee — Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh — over the senator’s concern about the prosecution of outgoing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell in connection with statements Powell had made about a renovation of the Federal Reserve headquarters.
And Blanche will probably face questions during the confirmation process about the department’s prosecution of other perceived political enemies of the president, including former FBI Director James Comey, who is facing charges in North Carolina over a picture he posted on social media of seashells spelling out the numbers “86 47,” a reference to removing the president that prosecutors described as a death threat.
During Blanche’s first nomination hearing to be deputy attorney general, Tillis specifically asked Blanche to promise not to pursue any politically motivated prosecutions.
“I’ve got your commitment there will not even be a whiff of an investigation that appears to have a political motivation to it?” Tillis asked.
“I commit to that,” Blanche responded.
Even if he were to advance out of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Blanche could face a tough confirmation vote in the full Senate, where Republicans hold 53 seats. Two Republican senators facing tough reelection matchups, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, along with lame duck Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, could prove to be hard votes to win.
Blanche has also been criticized for his handling of the release of millions of pages of records from the Justice Department’s investigation into deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as well as his interview with Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell.
Last week, Blanche’s predecessor, former Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi, placed the blame for the delayed release of files and improper redactions on Blanche’s shoulders.
He has also faced criticism for his decision to interview Maxwell in her Florida prison in July 2025, and for her transfer to a more comfortable prison in Texas soon after the interview was conducted. The former British socialite’s attorneys have made clear that she is seeking a pardon for her 2021 conviction and 20-year prison sentence.
Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has called on UFC president Dana White to release Tom Aspinall from his contract and says the heavyweight champion is not being paid his worth.
Aspinall has been the standout performer in the UFC’s heavyweight division in recent years, with seven of his eight wins ending in the first round.
Hearn is prepared to offer Aspinall higher earnings if the UFC allowed him to leave, as tensions continue to grow between himself and White, though it is unclear whether that would be in boxing or MMA.
Matchroom chairman Hearn is also willing to drop planned legal action over Conor Benn’s decision to leave his stable for White’s Zuffa Boxing promotional company if they release Aspinall.
Hearn, 46, previously described 29-year-old Benn’s departure as a “dagger in the heart”.
“I’ll walk away from all their problems they’ve got on the Conor Benn legal situation if they release Tom Aspinall,” Hearn said.
“And I will, in writing, it will be five or six times more money he’ll be making, but I will put in writing that Tom Aspinall will make a minimum of three times more than he will under his current contract.”
Aspinall remains under contract with the UFC and is one of its biggest stars.
Hearn has previously criticised the UFC’s pay structure and suggested leading fighters could earn considerably more elsewhere.
There is no indication the UFC would consider releasing Aspinall, but Hearn’s remarks have increased debate around fighter pay in mixed martial arts (MMA).
“I would like to propose that Dana White should be happy for Tom Aspinall, who is extremely unhappy, and he should release him of his obligations with the UFC,” Hearn added.
“And he should allow him to go out and make considerably more for himself and his family because that’s what Dana White’s all about, isn’t it? He’d be happy for Tom. So that’s what I would like.”
May 29 (UPI) — Former Attorney General Pam Bondi testified to some errors to the House Oversight Committee Friday over her handling of the release of the Epstein files, but said she is “proud” of the Department of Justice’s record and “commitment to transparency” while she was its head
“There were redaction errors,” Bondi said in her opening statement as reported by NPR, NBC News and Politico. The opening statement was obtained in advance by several news organizations. “But since day one of this process, this Department has been committed to accountability and transparency,” Bondi said.
The testimony was closed to the public and wasn’t recorded on video. A transcript of the proceeding will be released to the public. Bondi wasn’t under oath.
“Our diligent and good-faith effort to collect materials ensured that all potentially responsive documents that could be reasonably located would see the light of day,” Bondi said. “I have spent my entire career fighting for victims, and I will continue to do so. I am deeply sorry for what any victim has been through, especially as a result of that monster.”
“Our stance has always been that the Department stands ready to review any potential evidence of criminal activity related to Epstein and his associates and would pursue appropriate investigative or prosecutorial action wherever the facts and law warrant,” Bondi said.
The committee subpoenaed Bondi in March after months of documents releases. Her critics say she released files haphazardly and her team was sloppy in its redactions. The Epstein Files Transparency Act required the Department of Justice to redact only the name and identifiers of victims, but many of the files redacted the names of alleged perpetrators.
Convicted sex offender and billionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking charges.
Bondi said she delegated oversight of the release process to Todd Blanche, who was then her deputy and is now acting attorney general since April 2 when President Donald Trumpfired her.
“We haven’t seen the full release of the files, so that’s already a violation of the law,” Dani Bensky, referencing the Epstein Files Transparency Act, told NPR before the testimony. Bensky, who alleged that Epstein sexually abused her when she was a young ballet dancer, said Bondi’s release of the files without proper redactions, “sends such a chilling effect to the rest of the survivor community.”
“It should be transcribed, it should be filmed and it should be publicly released as quickly as possible,” Bensky said. She added that transcription only isn’t good enough because, “context is lost.”
The survivors have repeated “same talking points over and over” to the DOJ, Bensky said. “And it’s just not getting any better.”
A group of survivors came to Washington for the testimony Friday. They asked the committee to record the testimony on video and release it to the public.
Sharlene Rochard, an Epstein victim, confronted Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., on Friday morning while he spoke to survivors before the meeting. She asked him to promise that people brought in as part of the congressional investigation testify under oath, Politico reported.
“If you lie to Congress, it’s a felony,” Comer replied. “We’re bringing people in that have never been brought in before.”
Liz Stein, also an Epstein survivor, asked Comer to find out about the department’s redaction process, specifically about why victims’ identities were exposed and why Epstein’s friends’ names were sometimes redacted.
“Those are questions we’re going to ask, and we’re doing this. We want justice for the survivors,” Comer said. He added that if Epstein’s victims were not satisfied by Bondi’s responses, the committee would work to get answers for them.
Some politicians are continuing to push for more transparency.
“We’re demanding that it be both videotaped under oath and released to the public,” Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., the ranking Democrat on the committee, told NPR.
The committee has questioned several important people about Epstein, including Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The Clintons’ testimonies were filmed, and the videos were released to the public.
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., said earlier Friday that it was “highly disappointing” that Bondi would not appear for an official deposition.
“She deserves the same treatment as the Clintons and as everybody else,” Mace said. “I’ll be there, though, with bells on,” Mace said, “and I’ll be asking her the tough questions.”
Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general for human rights, will be alongside Bondi as her lawyer at the hearing, which has raised some eyebrows.
But legal scholars say it’s not unusual.
Barbara McQuade, former federal prosecutor and professor at the University of Michigan Law School, told NPR that when a government official testifies on issues of that office, “an attorney for the government often appears on behalf of the United States to assert privileges.”
Rep. James Walkinshaw, D-Va., another member of the Oversight Committee, told Politico earlier that “the lack of videotape … contributes to the feeling that Americans have that there’s been a cover-up here.”
“I think she recognizes that she doesn’t have good answers to the questions that we’re going to ask, and a videotape makes it more real and brings more attention to it,” Walkinshaw said.
Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., told Politico he wanted to ask Bondi what specific directives she received from Trump or others on the handling of the Epstein case.
“I spoke with some of the survivors in Florida,” Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va., told Politico. “They were curious why [Bondi has] been hiding so much and what she has to hide herself. Why wouldn’t she be more forthcoming about the files? … Who got to her? What do they have on her? Those are the kinds of questions that the survivors are curious about.”
“So am I, and so are the American people,” he added.
KATIE Price put on an on eye-popping display in a tiny bikini as she stripped off in the heatwave.
Katie, 48, who used to go by her alter-ego name Jordan, looked like she was going back to her pin-up roots as she put all of her husband in jail drama behind her.
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Katie Price went back to her pin-up roots for her latest sexy selfieCredit: Backgrid / Katie Price / SnapchatThe star looked every inch her former alter-ego JordanCredit: Backgrid / Katie Price / Snapchat
It comes as Katie awaits for her husband Lee Andrews’ jail releaseCredit: mistraesthetics/InstagramAfter going ‘missing’, Lee was found at Dubai’s Al Awir jailCredit: Instagram
The next pic looked like she was about to burst out of the top, as she sunbathed in her garden.
Revealing that she was feeling happy that the sun was out, Katie told her fans: “The good thing about being here is it is just me, the swimming pool, the animals, no people, so I can walk around naked if I want, and I love it!”
The relaxing time in the sun comes after a VERY turbulent few weeks for the star due to ongoing speculation surrounding her relationship with her husband.
WASHINGTON — Democrats on Friday called former Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi’s interview with the House Oversight Committee about her handling of the Epstein files a “sham” and a “coverup,” and said she refused to answer numerous questions about President Trump in the closed-door session with lawmakers.
“It’s a sham in there. They’re not answering any questions,” Rep. Dave Min (D-Irvine) told reporters during a break from the interview.
Bondi was joined in her interview by attorneys from the Department of Justice, including Assistant Atty. Gen. Harmeet Dhillon, who intervened to prevent answers to some questions about Trump, Democrats said.
“The DOJ is in there right now stopping questions about President Trump and about what happened in the release of these files,” said Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Long Beach), the ranking Democrat on the committee.
He said Bondi, who was not under oath, declined to answer five questions he posed about the president.
The committee said it will release a transcript of the interview, which was not recorded on video.
The committee subpoenaed Bondi in March to appear for a deposition when she was still in office, but she didn’t initially comply, agreeing to the voluntary interview only after Democrats filed a resolution last month seeking to hold her in contempt.
Dhillon, a San Francisco attorney and longtime Republican activist who has been floated as a potential future attorney general, wouldn’t say whether she expressly prevented Bondi from answering questions about Bondi’s interactions with the president.
“There were ground rules laid with the committee before we walked in there and we simply wanted to stick to those,” Dhillon said.
Garcia said that Bondi blamed Acting Atty. Gen. Todd Blanche, then her deputy, for problems with the release of the files.
Bondi, who didn’t meet with reporters after her interview, disputed Garcia’s characterization.
“NOT TRUE. I praised Acting AG Blanche’s management of this Herculean task. I said his ethics are beyond reproach and that he is an incredible Attorney General,” Bondi wrote on X.
The department was criticized for not releasing the files as quickly as required under a law passed last year mandating release of all records from the department’s investigations into sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, who died in federal custody in 2019.
The department also came under fire for failing to redact the names of some of Epstein’s victims, while redacting the names of some of Epstein’s alleged co-conspirators, as well as for its removal of some of the files it initially posted.
A group of Epstein victims who spoke with reporters in front of the closed doors of the Bondi interview criticized the department’s rollout of the files and the department’s lack of communication with victims.
“Pam Bondi and Todd Blanche have derailed the lives of so many survivors,” said Dani Bensky, who said she was abused by Epstein when she was a 17-year-old high school student in New York City.
Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M) said that in the interview, Bondi acknowledged she had never met with any of Epstein’s victims.
In Bondi’s opening statement, reviewed by The Times, she acknowledged issues with the rollout of the files, but defended the administration’s handling of the release.
“There were redaction errors,” Bondi’s opening statement said. “But since day one of this process, this Department has been committed to accountability and transparency.”
Bondi was fired by Trump on April 2 and faced questions throughout her tenure about the department’s investigations into Epstein.
In February 2025, she claimed on Fox News that she had a copy of Epstein’s supposed client list, showing the names of the financier’s high-powered friends that he had directed girls to have sex with.
But in July 2025, as Trump faced questions about his relationship with Epstein, whom he knew socially, the Justice Department closed its investigation into Epstein’s alleged crimes and said no such client list existed.
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Fremont) and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) introduced the bipartisan Epstein Files Transparency Act soon after, requiring the Justice Department to release all of the records from its investigation into Epstein. Despite initially opposing it, Trump signed it into law on Nov. 19, 2025.
When asked about what Trump might have known about Epstein’s crimes, Bondi said she did not know, according to Rep. James Walkinshaw (D-Va.)
“I’m not certain of the extent of his knowledge,” Bondi said, according to Walkinshaw.
Bondi responded to Walkinshaw’s claims, writing on X: “MISREPRESENTATION by Walkinshaw. What the world knows to be true is President Trump banned Epstein from Mar a Lago decades ago bc Epstein was a despicable creep!!”
Garcia, the top Democrat on the committee, said Democrats would seek to speak with Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel next about the handling of the Epstein files and the department’s investigations into Epstein and his alleged co-conspirators.
Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) was the only Republican member of Congress to attend the interview and Democrats called out their Republican colleagues for not joining.
“I have an election in four days, a very important one,” said Min, the Democrat from Irvine. “But I’m here, rather than in my district, because this is important.”
WASHINGTON — Joe Biden sued the Justice Department on Tuesday in an effort to block the release of audio recordings and transcripts of the former president’s interview with a ghostwriter that were obtained by the special counsel who investigated his handling of classified documents.
Biden’s lawyers said in a lawsuit filed in Washington’s federal court that the Justice Department plans to release the files to Congress and a conservative group, the Heritage Foundation, after the department had previously argued that they were exempt from disclosure under the public records law.
Biden’s lawyers argued that the disclosure would “constitute an unwarranted invasion of President Biden’s privacy.”
“Every American, including a sitting or former Vice President, has a right to privacy in the personal conversations he has within his own home,” his attorneys wrote. “And when the U.S. Department of Justice obtains that private information through a criminal investigation, the Department bears a particular responsibility to protect it from disclosure.”
At issue in the case are audio recordings and transcripts of Biden’s interviews at his home in 2016 and 2017 with Mark Zwonitzer, who worked with Biden on his two memoirs. The files were scrutinized by special counsel Robert Hur as part of his investigation into the president’s improper retention of classified documents, from his time as a senator and as vice president.
Hur’s yearlong investigation led to a 345-page report that questioned Biden’s age and mental competence but recommended no criminal charges against the then-81-year-old. Hur said he found insufficient evidence to successfully prosecute a case in court.
Biden has separately fought the release of the audio of his interview with Hur. The House in 2024 voted to hold Biden Atty. Gen. Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress for refusing to turn over that audio after the White House exerted executive privilege, shielding it from Congress.
The transcripts of five hours of Biden interviews with federal prosecutors was released that same year. While Biden was adamant that he treated classified information seriously, the transcript shows that he was at times fuzzy about dates and details and he said he was unfamiliar with the paper trail for some of the sensitive documents he handled.
Republicans have argued Biden was being given a pass by his own Justice Department and that Trump had been unfairly victimized by prosecutors. Democrats, for their part, stressed Biden’s cooperation in the investigation and strongly contrasted that with the separate criminal case against Trump, who was accused of refusing to return classified documents requested by the National Archives that he had at his Florida estate.
LILY ALLEN has long been a fan of Jade Thirlwall and now they’ve teamed up for a collaboration.
I can reveal she has recorded a new version of her West End Girl album track Beg For Me with the Angel Of My Dreams singer, with the new take set to drop tomorrow.
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Lily Allen has recorded a new version of her West End Girl album track Beg For MeCredit: APThe singer has long been a fan of Jade Thirlwall and now they’ve teamed up for a collaborationCredit: Reuters
Lily teased the release of a new track on Instagram on Tuesday night – which I can confirm will be this one.
She shared a video with the caption: “Oops decided I’m not done ;)) got another song for youuu.”
The move will raise hopes that Jade could be a special guest when Lily headlines Mighty Hoopla festival in Brockwell Park, South London, on Saturday night.
Jade is a massive fan of the event and performed there last year, with Lily previously teasing she had surprises in store for fans at the show.
Lily teased the release of a new track on Instagram on Tuesday nightCredit: GettyThe move will raise hopes that Jade could be a special guest when Lily headlines Mighty Hoopla festival in Brockwell ParkCredit: Getty
The Smile singer rocketed back into the spotlight last October when she dropped West End Girl.
It documented, in gritty detail, the breakdown of her marriage to Stranger Things actor David Harbour.
Then in January, Lily confirmed: “I’m doing a remix version of the album, where different female artists are responsible for each of the songs.”
Getting Jade on board is certainly a strong start.
Rodrigo-go dancers
Olivia Rodrigo was snapped in New York wearing a dark jumper and knee-high boots, flanked by a troupe of ballerinasCredit: Getty
OLIVIA RODRIGO made a right song and dance on the set of her new video.
She was in New York wearing a dark jumper and knee-high boots, flanked by a troupe of ballerinas.
Olivia has unveiled the tracklist to her third album, You Seem Pretty Sad For A Girl So In Love, which will be out in a fortnight.
It will be split into two halves, with the first, Girl So In Love, featuring recent single Drop Dead.
The second half, You Seem Pretty Sad, the track The Cure.
Alfie on facing himself
Alfie Boe has revealed the truth about his new album Face MyselfCredit: Getty
ALFIE BOE delivered a magical performance at the Royal Albert Hall on Tuesday as he revealed the truth about his new album Face Myself.
The singer and musical theatre star had the crowd belting out his new songs as well as previous covers, including Leona Lewis’s Run and Bring Him Home from Les Miserables.
He said of the album: “The reason why I call it Face Myself is because I wanted to really look back at everything that has gone on for me in my life, and how I’ve got here today, got to this point, this minute, on stage at the Royal Albert Hall. I wanted to share with you the real Alfie Boe, the guy from Fleetwood in Lancashire.”
Macca: I’d be a teacher
Sir Paul McCartney has revealed what he might have been if music mega-stardom had not come callingCredit: Getty
SIR PAUL McCARTNEY has revealed what he might have been if music mega-stardom had not come calling – an English teacher.
The Beatles legend said: “Well, when I was at school, there’s always like the careers master who tells you, you know, ‘You’re no good, you’re hopeless, I see no future for you’.
“I’d done not very well in my exams.
“I had a couple of qualifications and they told me I could maybe be an English teacher.
“So I could have been your friendly English teacher.”
During a TikTok Live, Macca, who is worth an estimated £1billion and will release his 20th solo album The Boys Of Dungeon Lane tomorrow, added:
“I probably would have enjoyed that because I like that subject, and I like English literature and stuff. So that was my fallback position.”
‘Definetly a three’ says Perrie as Jesy is out of Little Mix reunion
Perrie Edwards has ruled out Jesy Nelson ever returning to Little MixCredit: GettyJesy quit the group in 2020 and then cut off all contact with her former bandmatesCredit: Instagram/jesynelson
PERRIE EDWARDS has ruled out Jesy Nelson ever returning to Little Mix – but said she is raring to go with a reunion as a three-piece .
Jesy quit the group in 2020 and then cut off all contact.
She has since spoken to the girls again, but Perrie said that a future comeback would only involve her, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Jade Thirlwall.
Asked whether there will be a reunion, she told Attitude: “Oh, 100 per cent. I’m ready and raring.
“We always message each other and are bantering like, ‘So how long until we do a reunion? Are we going to do one? Where is it?’.
“I’m like, just give me a ballpark time. Do you know what I mean? Just let me know when.”
And pushed on whether it would be as a three or a four, she added: “A three. Definitely a three.”
For now though, Perrie – who is engaged to Celtic and former Arsenal footballer Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – is still a solo artist and will release new single Passenger Princess on Friday.
On what the latest song is about, she said: “I love being independent, I love having my own s**t, I love doing everything for myself, being strong and a powerful woman.
“But you know, sometimes I can’t be f**ed.
“Sometimes I just want to do nothing and be like, ‘Alex, can you just help me, look after me?’, you know?”
JUDY FINNIGAN is considering a return to showbiz by launching a podcast with hubby Richard Madeley, 17 years on from their last TV series.
He said on Channel 5’s Vanessa yesterday: “We’ve had a conversation with a very good producer friend of ours, an ex-editor of This Morning, and we have kicked a few ideas around. It’s in the air.”
BAD BUNNY has joined the voice cast of new movie Toy Story 5 – as a slice of pizza in sunglasses.
The rapper has recorded his part for the film, which is out on June 19, and will arrive in the UK a week later for two sold-out shows at the Tottenham Stadium in London.
His character will be one of several items abandoned in a shed, alongside a garden gnome voiced by Capital’s Jordan North and an inflatable flamingo voiced by Sian Welby.
May 27 (UPI) — Former President Joe Biden filed suit against the Department of Justice Tuesday to block the release of unredacted audio recordings and transcripts of his private conversations with the ghostwriter of his 2017 memoir.
In 2024, the Heritage Foundation filed a Freedom of Information Act to get Biden’s comments to Mark Zwonitzer while writing, Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship, and Purpose.
Under the Biden administration, the Justice Department had withheld the materials. But when Trump took over the presidency, “the Department has reversed that position,” the suit said.
In February, Biden’s attorney Amy Jeffress wrote, “without any formal explanation for its about-face, the Department notified President Biden of its intention to release the audio recordings and transcripts to the plaintiffs in the FOIA Action.”
On May 5, “the Office of the Deputy Attorney General informed President Biden, through counsel, that the Department had made a final decision to release the materials, with limited redactions, to the Heritage Plaintiffs and to Congress on June 15,” the lawsuit says.
“Every American, including a sitting or former vice president, has a right to privacy in the personal conversations he has within his own home,” Jeffress wrote in the lawsuit. “And when the U.S. Department of Justice obtains that private information through a criminal investigation, the Department bears a particular responsibility to protect it from disclosure.”
The documents were from records that then-special counsel Robert Hur used to write some parts of a 2023 report on Biden’s handling of classified documents that described him as “painfully slow, with Mr. Biden struggling to remember events and straining at times to read and relay his own notebook entries.” Hur didn’t bring charges against Biden.
Redacted transcripts of those conversations have already been released to the public.
Rep. Jim Jordan, D-Ohio, chair of the House Judiciary Committee, said he wanted the tapes released.
“I think it’s just important for the American people to know exactly where the President of the United States was… . (W)e’d like to see all that information, I think, to underscore what the Democrats were trying to hide just a few years ago,” CNN reported Jordan said.
Vice President JD Vance speaks during a roundtable on anti-fraud initiatives in the Indian Treaty Room in the Eisenhower Executive Building near the White House on Tuesday. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo
The deadpan comedian sailed through to the Season 2 finale, outlasting the show’s returning champion, Bob Mortimer. He went toe-to-toe with David Mitchell in the final episode, with neither comedian breaking as they fed each other buffet food.
It resulted in an unprecedented tie-breaker in which the person who made the most people laugh over the course of the series was awarded the crown, meaning David scooped the win while Sam was awarded the runner-up title.
Sam is set to return to TV screens again in just a few days with his brand new comedy series, but what is it about, when is it released, and who is in it? Here’s everything you need to know.
What is Make That Movie about?
The six-part Channel 4 comedy series follows a director called Sam (played by Sam Campbell) who attempts to make feature films based on the weird and wonderful ideas of everyday people. He goes on a trip around the country seeking out people to share their ideas with him, before attempting to make their movies in just three days.
While Sam appears to play himself, the series is a scripted comedy show and not real life. Alongside Sam in the cast are Michell and Webb Are Not Helping star Lara Ricote as runner Jess, and Am I Being Unreasonable’s Helen Bauer, who plays sound engineer Pat.
Meanwhile Aaron Chen (Fisk) plays intimacy coordinator Sebastian and This Country’s David Hargreaves takes on the role of cinematographer Winnie.
The series is directed and co-written by Joe Pelling who may already be known to some as the director of nightmarish comedy-horror puppet show, Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared.
Make That Movie’s release date and time
The very first 30-minute episode will air on Channel 4 on Thursday, May 28 at 10pm. The second episode will be broadcast immediately after at 10.30pm.
Announcing its release date, Sam posted: “This show is on channel 4. 28th of May ~ so pretty soon in fact. We hope it wets so many people’s whistles. Hopefully not a dry whistle left in the whole world. Hopefully. Please watch.”
A flurry of excited fans were quick to comment, with one penning: “I don’t understand any of this but that’s okay, I trust Sam,” in reference to Sam’s surreal comedy style.
“Nathan Fielder has been real quite since this dropped,” joked another. “Can’t wait for this dynamite series!” a third fan remarked.
Make That Movie begins on Channel 4 on May 28 at 10pm.
Pope Leo XIV waves to supporters as he leaves after his visit in April to the Ngul Zamba orphanage in Yaounde, Cameroon. The Vatican will release the pope’s first encyclical, a pastoral letter, on Monday. Photo by Alberto Pizzoli/EPA/POOL
May 20 (UPI) — Pope Leo XIV will release the first encyclical of his papacy next week, the Vatican announced Wednesday. Magnifica Humanitas will address artificial intelligence and human dignity.
The title of the encyclical (a pastoral letter written to the church) means “magnificent humanity” in Latin. The pope will appear Monday at a press conference for the encyclical’s release, along with other speakers, including academics, cardinals and Christopher Olah, co-founder of Anthropic, a U.S. AI company. Olah is also Anthropic’s head of research on the interpretability of AI.
Pope Leo spoke about AI early on in his tenure and has mentioned the topic frequently, The Catholic Register reported. The Vatican also created a study group on AI and its use days ago.
“In our own day, the church offers to everyone the treasury of her social teaching in response to another industrial revolution and to developments in the field of artificial intelligence that pose new challenges for the defense of human dignity, justice and labor,” the pontiff said only days after his election in 2025.
Some of Anthropic’s founders have spoken on ethical concerns about AI. In fact, the company gathered Christian religious leaders this year to speak to AI researchers about its AI chatbot, Claude, and how to steer its “moral and spiritual” development, including ethical questions and how to respond to those grieving, The Washington Post reported.
Also like Pope Leo, the company has run afoul of U.S. President Donald Trump. CEO Dario Amodei said in a blog post that he opposes the Defense Department’s use of Anthropic’s technology, leading Trump to call it a “radical left, woke company” and order federal agencies to stop using it, Forbes reported. Pete Hegseth, the secretary of defense, then called Anthropic a supply chain risk to national security, drawing a lawsuit.
Pope Leo signed the new encyclical on May 15, a day that marks 135 years since Pope Leo XIII’s encyclical Rerum Novarum, which dealt with social teachings.
