Former New York Jets executive Scott Pioli, who also played a key role in Bill Belichick’s New England Patriots dynasty, gives his reaction to the Jets trading away defensive stars Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams at the NFL’s trade deadline.
Former England footballer Alex Scott has reportedly been lined up by ITV bosses to star in this year’s I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here and is said to be in ‘advanced talks’
23:00, 24 Oct 2025Updated 23:00, 24 Oct 2025
Alex Scott is reportedly heading to the jungle for this year’s I’m A Celebrity(Image: Getty Images)
A former England football star turned TV presenter is reportedly in “advanced talks” with ITV bosses to appear on this year’s I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here.
Alex Scott, a former Lioness, who has been in a relationship with singer Jess Glynne since 2023, looks set to fly out to Australia after impressing ITV bosses.
According to reports, Alex is keen to show the British public a different side to her personality as they only see her in a professional manner.
A source recently revealed to The Sun: “Alex loves pushing herself out of her comfort zone and where better to do it than the jungle? The public know her as a sportswoman and a serious broadcaster so she thinks she can show people a side to her that they’ve never seen before. “
They added: “Alex is game for anything and is a tough cookie so she’s ready for anything that gets thrown at her — literally.”
Alex recently caused a stir after it emerged that she was considering leaving BBC’s Football Focus, which she joined in 2021, after she was blamed for a drop in viewing figures after replacing Dan Walker.
Another source said: “Alex felt deeply hurt by the unfair criticism, she felt like she had been thrown under the bus. The viewing figures were not as reported and she feels no-one backed her up and issued the correct viewing figures.”
However, ITV refuse to conform reports. A show spokesman told the Mirror: “Any names suggested for I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here are just speculation.”
Other names thrown into the mix include actresses Shona McGarty and Lisa Riley, Kelly Brook, Vogue Williams, rapper Aitch, YouTube star Morgan Burtwistle, better known as Angry Ginge, and radio host Nick Ferrari.
Alex’s personal life has been a talking point after it emerged that she was in a relationship with singer Jess Glynne.
But the football pundit revealed that she found it difficult to show emotion after living in an abusive household.
She has described her father as being “stupidly cruel”, and revealed to The Times that he was physically and mentally abusive. This claim has been strongly denied by her father.
She told the publication in March this year: “We weren’t allowed to express emotion. Dad didn’t allow us to hug each other or say ‘I love you’. It had a huge impact on us all.
“To this day, if I want to show people love, I’ll do it by taking them out to dinner and paying. I remember one of the first times Jess hugged me. I was like… [rigid]. She was like, ‘Are you not going to put your arms around me?’ But I didn’t know how to do that.”
On hearing the allegations made about him, her father responded at the time and said: “I have no idea why she’s saying all this stuff. I was raised in a strict but loving Jamaican family and Alex should know what they are like. I taught her discipline, I did a lot to help her.”
Carson was also at Liverpool when the Reds won the Champions League, FA Cup and Super Cup, while he made more than 100 appearances for Derby County and West Brom.
But it was at City where he enjoyed glittering success, including the Treble of Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League in 2023, after spending two seasons initially on loan from Derby in 2019.
Carson became a cult hero among fans, having played only 117 minutes in total as third-choice keeper behind Ederson and Stefan Ortega for much of his time at the club.
His last competitive appearance was as a late substitute in a Champions League last-16 second-leg draw with Sporting in March 2022.
Manchester City defender Manuel Akanji, currently on loan at Inter Milan, called Carson an “absolute legend” in response to his announcement, while “The Goat” was how former team-mate Fernandinho reacted.
Norwegian striker Erling Haaland was among the other City players – past and present – to comment, writing: “Miss you pal, all the best.”
Derby, where Carson spent six years, posted on Instagram: “Wishing all the best to Scott Carson. Congratulations on a magnificent career, Scott.”
SACRAMENTO — State Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), who has emerged as one of California’s most vocal critics of President Trump, will run next year for the congressional seat held by former House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi.
A formal announcement from Wiener is expected next week, the San Francisco Standard reported.
Erik Mebust, a spokesperson for Wiener, declined to comment.
Wiener, 55, has already declared his intention to eventually run for the seat held by Pelosi and has raised $1 million through an exploratory committee. But he previously indicated that he would wait until Pelosi, who was first elected in 1987, stepped down.
That calculus changed, according to the Standard, when Saikat Chakrabarti, a progressive candidate, entered the race for Pelosi’s seat.
Ian Krager, spokesperson for Pelosi, released a statement saying Pelosi was focused on Proposition 50, which will be on the ballot in California’s Nov. 4 special election. The measure would redraw California’s congressional districts in favor of Democrats and was pushed by Gov. Gavin Newsom and California Democratic leaders after President Trump urged Texas to reconfigure the state’s district to elect five more Republicans to Congress, part of an effort to keep the GOP in control of the U.S. House of Representatives.
“Speaker Pelosi is fully focused on her mission to win the Yes on 50 special election in California on November 4th. She urges all Californians to join in that mission on the path to taking back the House for the Democrats.”
Pelosi, 85, hasn’t indicated whether will she run again. If she does seek another term, her age could be a factor at a time when younger Democrats are eager to see a new wave of leaders.
Pelosi was among several top politicians who persuaded then-President Biden to forgo a second term after widespread concerns about his age.
Wiener, elected to the state Senate in 2016, is best-known for his work pushing local governments to add more housing density.
He is a member of the California LGBTQ+ Caucus and has been a leading advocate for LGBTQ+ rights. If elected, Wiener would be the first openly gay person to represent San Francisco in Congress.
Before his election to the state Legislature, Wiener served as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and worked as a deputy city attorney in the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office.
Newsom last week signed Wiener’s Senate Bill 79, one the most ambitious state-imposed housing efforts in recent memory. The bill upzones areas across California, overriding local zoning laws to allow taller, denser projects near public transit.
The bill was fiercely opposed by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and other L.A. leaders who want to retain power over housing decisions.
Wiener has repeatedly criticized the Trump administration, sparring on social media with the president’s supporters. Another one of his recent bills, to prohibit on-duty law enforcement officers from masking their faces during immigration raids, was signed into law by Newsom.
“I feel like this is going to be so powerful for all of the United States because there shouldn’t be disasters that are preventable,” Pratt, who lost his home during the fire, told reporters.
Sen. Rick Scott of Florida said the main goal of the investigation is to figure out why the fire happened, why the state and local governments were unable to prevent it and how officials are helping the victims recover.
“We are going to get answers,” Scott said. “We are going to do everything we can to help the victim and we’re going to do everything we can to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
The congressional investigation, which launched on Monday, is focused only on the Palisades fire, but Scott said the probe could expand to other destructive fires that have taken place in Los Angeles County.
“We are going to start with this,” Scott said. “We’ll just let the facts take us where they are.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has welcomed the congressional investigation. At the news conference, Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin warned that if officials fail to cooperate, the panel is ready to issue subpoenas to compel them to do so.
“We don’t want to use it and we hope we don’t have to,” Johnson said. “It is a good sign Gov. Newsom is willing to do so, and that’s the best way of doing it. But if they don’t, you’ve always got that backstop of compelling testimony, compelling documents, and that’s what we’ll do if we have to.”
“But I don’t think we will have to, quite honestly,” he added.
It was like Orel Hershiser could hear what Dodger fans were screaming at their TV.
Because, as slumping closer Tanner Scott came trotting into a nightmare ninth inning in Baltimore on Saturday night, the club’s color analyst on SportsNet LA immediately tried to offer a rationalization for his entrance.
“You might be asking, why Tanner Scott tonight?” Hershiser said, moments after the SNLA broadcast showed a clip of the left-hander getting walked off the night before, and moments before he’d get walked off again on a bases-loaded single to end Saturday’s disastrous loss to the Orioles.
Well, Hershiser continued, “If the Dodgers are going to go deep into October, and go back-to-back as world champions, the people Dave Roberts is bringing in have to get it right.”
An unsatisfying answer, perhaps. But one that reflects the precarious reality of the Dodgers’ bullpen situation — with the team feeling little choice but to rely on the high-profile relievers this year’s team was built around.
Granted, Saturday’s collapse epitomized just how difficult that faith has been to maintain.
It starts with Scott, the $72-million offseason signing who was supposed to cement the back end of the unit — not require an explanation from team broadcasters upon entering games in key situations.
It’s been compounded by inconsistencies elsewhere, from similarly scuffling offseason signing Kirby Yates; to Blake Treinen and the unreliable form he has shown since returning from an elbow injury, including a meltdown earlier in Saturday’s ninth inning that forced Scott into an unforgiving situation.
Injuries have also hampered the continuity of the bullpen time and again this season. Hard-throwing right-hander Michael Kopech has been limited to 10 appearances because of arm and knee troubles. Left-handed stalwart Alex Vesia has missed the last two weeks with an oblique strain (though he was set to be activated for this week’s homestand). The team’s only notable trade deadline reliever acquisition, Brock Stewart, made just four outings before going down with a shoulder injury. Evan Phillips is already out for the year with Tommy John surgery. It’s unclear if Brusdar Graterol will return from a shoulder procedure in time to pitch at all this year.
All of those names were supposed to make up the core of this year’s relief unit — the high-leverage pieces that the front office decided to invest in, and Roberts expected he’d be able to trust.
Instead, they’ve been the biggest culprits behind the bullpen’s 4.21 ERA on the season (which ranks 19th in the majors) and a spate of recent painful late-game losses that have kept the Dodgers mired in a two-month slump.
Moving forward, it has left Roberts and his club facing a difficult decision: Continue to trust that underperforming crop of supposed lockdown arms, or look for alternatives from less proven options elsewhere?
For now, the former appears to remain their preferred choice.
If the bullpen is to turn things around, they’ve decided, it will require their biggest names to simply start pitching better.
“These are the guys we signed off on, we believe in,” Roberts said Sunday. “Not to say that you’ve got to have blind faith forever. I understand that. But … I’m going to keep giving [opportunities] to them, until I don’t.”
Pitching coach Mark Prior echoed that same message, reiterating that “those are our guys, and we believe in them,” even as the team searches for late-season improvements.
“The results haven’t been there. It hasn’t been good,” Prior added. “[But we have to] move forward with the three weeks we have left in the season and get on a run. Things happen very fast in this game.”
Prior pointed to last season, when the Dodgers faced other — though much less alarming — bullpen questions leading up to the playoffs. At that time, they didn’t have a set closer in the ninth inning. Several key pieces were either hurt or scuffling in the second half.
Treinen, in particular, was one of the bigger uncertainties, after missing two weeks in August with a hip injury that also doubled as a reset amid a midseason slump. Once he returned, however, the right-hander transformed into the Dodgers’ most trusted late-game option. “Next thing you know, he’s the MVP of our team in the playoffs,” Prior said.
The stability he provided also helped the rest of the bullpen, which effectively carried the Dodgers to their World Series title, flourish around him.
“If they see a guy having some success, things just snowball,” Prior said, describing how successes (and failures) can often feel contagious among a bullpen at large.
That’s the kind of dynamic the Dodgers are trying to rediscover again this year.
It’s why Scott (despite his 4.56 ERA and 12 combined blown saves and losing decisions) keeps getting late-game opportunities. And why Treinen (4.26 ERA), Yates (4.71 ERA) and other disappointments in the Dodgers’ beleaguered relief corps have been given continued leash to work to get back to the best version of themselves.
On paper, those are the most veteran, most experienced, and most trustworthy options on this year’s team. They have, as Roberts has repeatedly reiterated of late, the kind of “track record” the club is still willing to bet on. If just a couple of them can figure things out and get on a dominant run, more unit-wide success might follow in their wake.
“When you’re talking about winning 11 games in October, getting there [requires] guys that you can trust in that hot box of moments,” Roberts said.
“[This] is who we have, it’s not like that’s changing,” Prior added. “So we just gotta keep getting there.”
That doesn’t mean the team will endure more struggles forever. The clock is ticking on the Dodgers’ expected leverage group to finally find a way to realize their potential.
On Sunday morning, for example, Roberts said Scott could be shifted out of his ninth-inning role as he tries to iron out command problems that have led him to consistently miss down the middle. Later that day, the manager entrusted a late-game lead to three rookies in Edgardo Henriquez (who escaped a jam but had shaky command), Justin Wrobleski (who struck out five over two scoreless innings in one of his best outings this year) and Jack Dreyer (a steady left-hander this season who now has three saves to go along with his sub-3.00 ERA) to close out a skid-snapping win against the Orioles.
Come the playoffs, there could be another wild card. Two-way star Shohei Ohtani will likely be needed in the starting rotation, but Roberts acknowledged there have been “thoughts about” whether he could factor into some kind of potential ninth-inning role as well.
“I can’t answer that question right now,” Roberts said. “But I think that we’re going to do whatever we feel is the best chance to give us a chance to win. And I know Shohei would be open to whatever. We certainly haven’t made that decision yet, though.”
But before they get there, much will depend on the actual relievers they expected to be able to count on this season. For as ugly as the performances have been to this point, the Dodgers haven’t yet abandoned all hope for a turnaround.
“I live in a world of, what’s the alternative?” Roberts said. “I just don’t feel that Edgardo Henriquez, for example” — who has 17 career major-league innings — “is now the savior.”
“It’s not a knock on Edgardo, because he’s throwing the heck out of the baseball,” Roberts added. “But you look at our ‘pen, there’s a confidence thing right now that [other guys have] got to get over.”
Over the final three weeks of the regular season, the Dodgers feel their best bet is banking on them to do just that.
“Look, it can turn really quick,” Prior said. “This game is so much about feeling confident … Getting, and being able to stack good outings or quality at-bats. When you’re able to start stacking those things, you feel good. And like anything, if you feel good, you feel better about your stuff. You have more confidence. You feel that you can get anybody out in any situation.”
The Dodgers’ top relievers, of course, appear to be a long way from that at the moment.
But “at the core of it,” Prior insisted, even after the frustrations of the bullpen’s continued failures, “we believe in who we have.”
Coverage: Live on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer from 14:30, BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra from 14:30 and BBC Radio Ulster and Foyle from 14:00; also live with text commentary on the BBC Sport website.
Ireland head coach Scott Bemand says he is “confident” Aoife Wafer will be ready for a World Cup quarter-final after resisting the urge to include her for Sunday’s final Pool C game against New Zealand in Brighton.
The back row is yet to feature in the competition because of pre-tournament knee surgery and although she was considered for Sunday’s game against the defending champions, the Irish camp has erred on the side of caution.
Bemand confirmed there was a temptation to introduce the Wexford woman for the meeting with the Black Ferns, but with either France or South Africa to come next week, having the Women’s Six Nations player of the tournament ready for then takes priority.
“All the way through there has been a bit of a plan around Aoife, from the very beginning to her joining up with the group a couple of days after we arrived, and everything is tracking and trending,” Bemand said.
“Aoife is back in training, she’s doing well, and she’s desperate to be involved.
“We considered picking her this week, but we’ve made a decision as her best opportunity and the team’s best opportunity, is to go hard in training again next week and we’ll see where that stands us for the following week.
“I’m really confident and if you look in her eyes you can see she is really confident as well.”
Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. The way I see it, the Dodgers needed to go 21-10 in their final 31 games to guarantee that they win the NL West (remember, they only have to tie the Padres), which means the Padres would have to go 22-9. Right now the Dodgers are 4-2, the Padres are 2-5.
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Random thoughts
—The most frustrating thing about this year’s team is they seem to defeat themselves much more frequently than last year’s team. Baserunning mistakes. Fielding problems, with balls that seem to be catchable dropping. Going two or three games seemingly forgetting what makes them a great offense: working the count and tiring the pitcher. So, while I do believe in the importance of not taking any one loss too hard, the frustration can be understandable.
—Case in point, the Dodgers sweep Cincinnati, which is battling for a postseason spot, then almost get swept by Arizona, which is on the fringe of battling for a spot at best.
—The other thing to keep in mind: The Dodgers are defending World Series champions. For some teams, playing the Dodgers is their postseason. If they can play spoiler, they can hold their heads up just a little bit higher. Should the Dodgers respond? Sure. But the narrative that this is an underachieving franchise went away after last season’s title.
—Those of you hoping that the Dodgers would move Mookie Betts back to right field can stop rubbing your lucky rabbit’s foot. It didn’t work. “Mookie,” manager Dave Roberts told reporters, “will not go to right field…. When you’re talking about shortstop play, you’re looking for consistency, and I’ve just loved the consistency. He’s made every play he’s supposed to make, and then the last couple weeks, he’s made spectacular plays. He’s been a big part of preventing runs.“
—By the way, since Aug. 8, when a certain newsletter writer said Betts should move down in the order, he has hit .321/.398/.444.
—The Dodgers play Pittsburgh next. The Pirates have the third-worst record in the NL, so another trap series for the Dodgers.
—I still miss the Cool-a-Coo.
—The Dodgers were cruising along Sunday behind one of Yoshinobu Yamamoto‘s best starts in the majors (seven innings, one run, four hits, no walks, 10 strikeouts) when Tanner Scott came in and lost the entire three-run lead in the eighth inning.
Scott was signed to a four-year, $72-million deal during the offseason after he went 9-6 with a 1.75 ERA and 22 saves for the Marlins and Padres last season. It was his second strong season in a row and the signing was heralded as another example of the Dodgers outspending their opponents and ruining the game of baseball. Andrew Friedman had rarely shown a willingness to give a long, large deal to a reliever (and he probably will think twice before doing it again). Scott signed two days after the Dodgers landed Roki Sasaki and before they signed reliever Kirby Yates, sort of a triumvirate of sadness for the team this season.
“He’s someone that we have watched and admired from afar over the years and have tried to acquire multiple times,” general manager Brandon Gomes said at Scott’s introductory news conference. “Tanner possesses all of the qualities we value as an organization when looking to bring on a free agent.”
Roberts told Jack Harrisjust before the season began: “The fear in the batter’s box against him is certainly real,” he said of Scott, who pitched three scoreless innings in the NLDS and struck out Shohei Ohtani all four times he faced him. “I’m happy he’s on our side 1756824254,” Roberts added, comparing the quiet, bearded pitcher to an “assassin” on the mound.
So far, less like an “assassin” and more like Maxwell Smart.
This season, Scott is 1-2 with a 4.44 ERA. Last season, Scott blew only two saves. This season? Eight, which is second in the majors. Last season, he came in with 19 runners on base…. and none of them scored. That’s amazing! This season, two of nine runners he inherited have scored. Last season, he allowed 5.6 hits per nine innings. This season, 8.5.
So, what’s going to happen? Based on Dodgers history, nothing. The Dodgers don’t give up on players. They keep trotting them out there, hoping it will turn around. Sometimes it doesn’t work: Chris Taylor. Sometimes it works: Max Muncy.
So don’t be surprised if nothing happens. If they keep sending him out there, hoping he turns things around. This is how the Dodgers operate. Let’s not be surprised about it.
However, Roberts did say recently, “I just think that we’ve got to play the best players and that’s just the way it should be, right?… “Obviously Shohei is going to be playing. Mookie is going to be playing. But the point being is, we’ve got to ramp it up and we’ve got to be better. If some other guys deserve more opportunities, then they’re going to get them. That’s just the way it should be.”
By the way, Scott is one of the rare left-handed closers in history. There have been many great right-handed closers, but comparatively few left-handed. The best left-handed closers of all time were Billy Wagner, John Franco, Sparky Lyle and Randy Myers. Only seven of the top 50 all-time in saves were left-handed. That’s 14%. Historically, around 25% of pitchers in MLB history each year are left-handed.
Walker Buehler
Some fans were unhappy when the Dodgers didn’t make a real attempt to re-sign Walker Buehler after his postseason heroics. And while it’s true that Buehler does have that swagger that has been missing often this season with the team, it appears they made the right decision. The Boston Red Sox gave him a one-year, $21.05-million deal. Buehler went 7-7 with a 5.38 ERA and the Red Sox released him last week. After he cleared waivers, he signed with the Philadelphia Phillies and will join their rotation after making a start in the minors. Which leads me to my new nightmare: Game 7 of the NLCS, the Dodgers trail by one in the ninth inning. Bases loaded, one out. And who comes in to shut the Dodgers down and save the game?
By the way, if the Dodgers do tie the Padres for first in the NL West this season, you can thank Buehler for the Padres not getting that one extra win they needed. Buehler’s best start this season came on Aug. 8 at San Diego when he pitched six shutout innings against the Padres. It was Buehler’s last win this season.
It’s never fun to see a storied Dodger fail, no matter where he goes. Hopefully Buehler can recapture his old magic at some point and have a long, good career. Just not against the Dodgers.
Notes
—The Dodgers activated Hyeseong Kim and Michael Kopech from the IL on Monday, bringing their roster to the 28 allowed in September.
—The Dodgers signed pitcher Andrew Heaney, who had been released by Pittsburgh. Heaney, a left-hander, is 5-10 with a 5.39 ERA this season. He was signed in time to be postseason eligible if need be. He was sent to triple-A Oklahoma City. Heaney had one of the best seasons of his career in 2022 with the Dodgers, when he went 4-4 with a 3.10 ERA in 14 starts. It’s hard to see exactly where he fits in on this team, but if injuries crop up, he could contribute.
—Max Muncy’s return was delayed after he came down with some sort of cold or flu. He should be back during the next homestand.
—Since moving to the bullpen at Oklahoma City, Bobby Miller has given up eight hits in 12.2 innings, walking seven and striking out 14 with an ERA of 3.68.
—The Padres were dealt a tough injury Sunday when reliever Jason Adam suffered a ruptured tendon in his left quadriceps and will be out for the season. Adam was their primary setup man and was 8-3 with a 1.81 ERA this season.
A different race
The race for the NL batting title is going to be interesting to follow. Here are the top seven after Monday’s games:
Trea Turner, Philadelphia, .301 (.300 over last week) Freddie Freeman, .300 (.235) Sal Frelick, Milwaukee, .298 (.269) Will Smith, .293 (.167) Ketel Marte, Arizona, .290 (.316) Brice Turang, Milwaukee, .2888 (.300) Nico Hoerner, Chicago, .2886 (.263)
Dropping out of the top seven since we last checked: Geraldo Perdomo. Joining the list: Turang.
The postseason
Here’s how the postseason race pans out after Monday’s games:
Wild-cards 4. Chicago, 79-59 5. San Diego, 76-62 6. New York, 74-64
7. Cincinnati, 70-68 8. San Francisco, 69-69
AL 1. Detroit, 80-59 2. Toronto, 79-59 3. Houston, 76-62
Wild-cards 4. New York, 76-61 5. Boston, 77-62 6. Seattle, 73-65
7. Texas, 72-67 8. Kansas City, 70-67 9. Cleveland, 68-68
The Dodgers have three games remaining with Philadelphia, which could be crucial in determining the No. 2 seed. Right now, the Phillies lead the season series, 2-1. Whoever wins the season series has the tiebreaker advantage. If they tie, 3-3, in games, then the second tiebreaker is record within their own division. Right now, the Dodgers are 26-13 against the West and the Phillies are 23-19 against the East.
The top two teams in each league get a first-round bye. The other four teams in each league play in the best-of-three wild-card round, with No. 3 hosting all three games against No. 6, and No. 4 hosting all three against No. 5.
The division winners are guaranteed to get the top three seeds, even if a wild-card team has a better record.
In the best-of-five second round, No. 1 hosts the No. 4-5 winner and No. 2 hosts the No. 3-6 winner. That way the No. 1 seed is guaranteed not to play a divisional winner until the LCS.
Steve Yeager hits a three-run homer during the 1977 World Series. Watch and listen here.
Until next time…
Have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future Dodgers newsletter? Email me at [email protected]. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
All good things come in threes — including reliability.
Anchored by kicker Cameron Dicker, punter JK Scott and long snapper Josh Harris, the Chargers’ specialists have been a bedrock of stability the past three seasons. That steadiness seemed in jeopardy when Scott’s contract expired this offseason.
Like a rock band losing its guitarist, it looked as though the group might have played its final tour together. But for Scott — whose bond with Dicker and Harris runs deeper than football — staying in L.A. felt like divine intervention.
“Truly, it was something me and my wife made a decision together from a place of prayer,” Scott said of re-signing. “We felt like we were supposed to be here. The relationships that we have here, we just felt like this was the right fit.”
Assembled by special teams coordinator Ryan Ficken, the unit thrives on contrast. Dicker is the lively free spirit. Scott brings a reserved, thoughtful presence. Harris, 36, is the seasoned veteran.
“They’re like big brothers,” Dicker, the youngest of the group, said. “It’s been really cool to have them in my life and helping with things on the field, off the field. Leading me through it all, and just going through the journey of life coming out of college, it’s nice to have those guys.”
The three specialists, along with Ficken, are holdovers from the previous regime. Ficken, one of the few coaches retained when Jim Harbaugh was hired as head coach, engineered the transformation.
Before his arrival, the Chargers ranked near the bottom in special teams DVOA, or defense-adjusted value over average — 32nd in 2020 and 28th in 2021. With Harris and Scott’s offseason signing and Dicker’s arrival midseason, the unit rose to sixth by the end of 2022 and second in 2023.
“The way they approach the game and how they respect one another and they understand that each other’s success is going to help all of us,” Ficken said. “Having all three of them back another year just continues to allow us to grow.”
Under Ficken’s guidance, Dicker has become one of the league’s most accurate, converting 89 of 95 kicks since 2022. He had a franchise-record 150 points last season with 39 field goals and 33 extra points.
Chargers special teams coordinator Ryan Ficken, left, works with long snapper Josh Harris before a game against the Buffalo Bills in December 2023.
(Kyusung Gong / Associated Press)
Scott finished top 10 in downed punts inside the 20-yard line and posted the second-highest hang time in the league at 4.65 seconds last season.
“Selfishly, I’m going to say we have the best room in the league,” Harris said. “Getting to come to work with JK, Dick and Fick, we really work well together. … There’s nobody else that I’d rather go out there with.”
When the Jacksonville Jaguars cut Scott early in the 2021 season and he went unsigned for the rest of the year, Ficken advocated bringing him to the Chargers.
“He called me and told me he wanted to have me as his punter for a while,” Scott said. “I attribute a lot of just me being here to him. So I’m grateful for him. Really, really love that guy.”
And when there was a chance the trio could drift apart, Ficken acted as the glue keeping them together. His faith in Scott ultimately factored into Scott’s decision to re-sign.
“He really believes in me, believes in Josh and Cameron,” Scott said. “He always expressed that, and it’s crazy, the power of when you have people believing in you, it helps you believe in yourself more.”
The group is guaranteed to stay together for at least one more year.
Scott signed a two-year, $6-million contract in March. Dicker secured a four-year, $22-million extension last season, making him among the highest-paid kickers. Harris, however, is in the final year of his contract and will miss at least the first four games after being placed on injured reserve with a shoulder injury. Rick Lovato will take over until Harris returns.
While the turnaround of a once-abysmal special teams unit is the measurement of success, the playful off-field moments define their time together.
Sometimes it’s Harris offering Scott smelling salts — a practice Dicker, who is naturally amped, skips. Or it’s Harris snapping a photo of Dicker, Scott and Ficken next to the Dicker’s famous fair-catch kick cleats on display at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Then there’s Scott, who asked Harris a loaded question during a recent news conference: “Who do you like more, JK Scott or Cameron Dicker?”
“I can’t answer,” Harris said with a chuckle. “You guys are the best, but you’re sitting in here, so I guess I’ll have to go with my guy right now, showing support.”
For over 40 years, Scott Anderson has been one of America’s most incisive foreign correspondents, filing dispatches from trouble spots around the world with a novelist’s eye and a talent for disentangling complex issues. The author of seven previous books, Anderson’s latest is “King of Kings,” an immersive history of the events that led to the 1979 downfall of the shah of Iran and the rise of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini’s theocratic republic. Anderson traces the roots of the Iranian revolution to the U.S. government’s sponsorship of the 1953 coup that restored Mohammad Reza Pahlavi to power. A creeping co-dependency between the U.S. and Iran followed, abetted by massive military and oil contracts, at the same time that U.S. representatives in Iran turned a blind eye to the shah’s abuses of power and, later, Khomeini’s anti-Western jihadism.
I spoke with Anderson about his book, and the long tail of missteps that led to the occupation of the United States Embassy by Khomeini’s followers on Nov. 4, 1979.
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✍️ Author Chat
Author Scott Anderson.
(Nanette Burstein)
The overall feeling I get reading the book is fecklessness and foot–dragging on the part of the American government in the service of protecting our oil sales and military contracts with Iran. There seems to be a complete misunderstanding of, well, just about everything.
Even after the revolution when Khomeini had come in — that nine month period before the hostages were taken — the Americans pretty much replicated the mistakes they’d made with the shah. There’s this whole idea of like, well, they’re going through this revolutionary anti-American fervor right now, but they need us. They’re going to come back around because our economies are so intertwined. All their weapons are American, so they’re going to need us to service them. So there’s just this manner that everything was going to work out and, of course, that became institutionalized.
With a few exceptions, none of the U.S. officials in Iran even spoke Farsi. You talk about how they had all those cassettes of Khomeini’s speeches in the drawers at the CIA and no one bothered to translate them.
So Khomeini comes back from exile on Feb. 1, 1979, with 4 million people greeting him. He goes to the cemetery to give his inaugural speech and the Americans don’t even send an embassy worker. They don’t even send a local out to the cemetery to hear the speech. They didn’t know whether it is a pro- or anti-American speech. It was just astonishing.
Do you feel like 1972 is the turning point? This is the year that President Nixon lifted all restrictions for arms sales to Iran.
I really do. And for what I think is a pretty interesting reason. The shah was a congenitally insecure man. He could never be affirmed enough. And it doesn’t matter how many presidents said, “You’re our man,” he always needed to hear more and more. So what happened in ’72 was the shah’s dream came true. He had knelt at the feet of FDR in 1943. Kennedy was dismissive of him. He had always been trying to push in the door with the Americans. He’d been humiliated again and again. And now he’s got carte blanche from Nixon and Kissinger. This is when you saw the huge escalation in arms purchases and the catapulting of the Iranian military into the first tier of militaries around the world.
Do you think the revolution could have been prevented?
I spent a lot of time studying the revolution as it unfolded, and what struck me was how mysterious the whole thing was, how it came to be. There were so many moments where the outcome might have been different. If the shah’s confidante Asadollah Alam hadn’t died in the early days of the revolution, for example, because he was decisive and the shah was not. There were so many odd quirks that took things down a certain path.
📰 The Week(s) in Books
Justin Currie, lead singer of Scottish rock band Del Amitri, chronicles his struggle with Parkinson’s in the book “The Tremolo Diaries.”
(Colin Constance)
“Helen Oyeyemi’s books are getting weirder — and I mean that in the best way,” Ilana Masad writes about the author’s new novel, “A New New Me.” “Such whimsy … could be overwhelming, but Oyeyemi is such a confident writer … that you know you are in good hands.”
R.F. Kuang’s new novel, “Katabasis,” is “a dark academic fantasy” that is “more mature and less showy” than the author’s earlier works, according to Valorie Castellanos Clark.
David Baron has written a book called “The Martians” about the frenzy over extraterrestrial life that gripped America at the turn of the 20th century, and Chris Vognar approves. Baron “approaches his subject with clarity, style and narrative drive,” he writes.
Finally, Stuart Miller talked with Justin Currie of the band Del Amitri about his new book, “The Tremolo Diaries,” about Currie’s struggles with Parkinson’s disease.
📖 Bookstore Faves
Malibu Village Books is the only general interest bookstore in Malibu. We spoke to owner Michelle Pierce about the beachside literary hub.
(Malibu Village Books)
Malibu Village Books is the first new bookstore to arrive in the beach city in 15 years. A small yet inviting space with a well curated selection of books, the store has had its share of challenges over the past year. I spoke to the store’s owner, Michelle Pierce, about it.
This is the first new bookstore to open in Malibu in quite some time. How did you come to open it?
I also own Lido Village Books in Newport Beach, and the owners of the Malibu Village Mall came by and liked what I was doing there, so they asked me if I wanted to open a store in their mall.
The fires have affected us enormously. With the Franklin fire, we lost so much of our holiday book sales, and then the Palisades fire shut down PCH for six months. So our sales are definitely down, and the summer tourism traffic has not been what it should be, so yes, we are definitely in a challenging period.
What about the locals? Are they shopping in your store?
Local residents are really excited that we’re here. We have a lot of active book clubs, and we’re working with the library on a lecture series at the Soho House, where we will bring in authors to speak. We’re still fighting, and the community is definitely supporting us. It’s true what they say — bookstores are all about community.
Malibu Village Books is located at 23359 Pacific Coast Highway #23359, Malibu, 90265.
NPR’s “All Things Considered” is getting a new weekday voice.
Scott Detrow will become a full-time weekday host of NPR’s afternoon radio show starting Sept. 29, while maintaining his role at “Consider This,” the outlet’s daily news podcast, the public radio firm said.
“I can’t wait to bring listeners the news five days a week now. And at this moment where we are all focusing on strengthening the entire public media network and working together more closely than ever before,” Detrow said in a statement.
This news comes a week after journalist Ari Shapiro announced his departure from the news magazine show. Shapiro had been hosting the show for nearly a decade.
For the last two years, Detrow could be heard on weekend episodes of “All Things Considered.” He steered coverage of breaking news events, including the attempted assassination of President Trump in Pennsylvania, earning him the Edward R. Murrow Award for breaking news.
He initially joined NPR in 2015. From getting his start as a Fordham student at WFUV in New York to working as a statehouse reporter at WITF in Pennsylvania and at KQED in the Bay Area, he has spent his entire career in public radio.
Since becoming a part of the national nonprofit, he has helped launch segments such as “Reporter’s Notebook,” in which listeners get a behind-the-scenes look at how journalism is produced, and most recently, he anchored live coverage surrounding Pope Leo’s election. He has also co-hosted the “NPR Politics Podcast” for seven years, focusing on the White House, Congress and two presidential campaigns.
“All Things Considered” is one of NPR’s longest-running shows, first airing in 1971. The flagship program presents a mix of news, commentary, interviews and analysis on a daily basis.
In a full-circle moment, Detrow’s first job out of college was working on the local version of “All Things Considered” in central Pennsylvania.
“I’m proud that I started out as an ATC host at a NPR Member station, and now will be doing that job nationally,” he said.
Coverage: Live on BBC iPlayer and website with live text commentary on the website and app
Ireland head coach Scott Bemand says their final warm-up game against Canada presents an “ideal opportunity” for his side to test themselves against a “World Cup contender”.
Canada are ranked second in the world and are in Pool B for the World Cup in England where they will face Scotland, Wales and Fiji.
Ireland will take on Japan, Spain and reigning champions New Zealand in Pool C and Bemand believes the Canada game will be good preparation for what is to come at the tournament.
“Them being number two in the world I think is well deserved. They have really taken their game up levels in the last four years and it is going to be a challenge, but we need that and we want a battle before we head into the World Cup,” he told BBC Sport NI.
“It is well-timed. We want to get our best performance out there to tee us up for the next six weeks.”
But Lana Skeldon has been selected despite the Bristol hooker, who is the most-capped member of the squad on 81, leaving the field on a stretcher in the same game on Saturday.
“To get Lana Skeldon cleared after that injury is a huge relief as she is an exceptional player and is the most experienced player we’ve got here,” Easson said.
“When we saw her go down against Ireland, it was heart in the mouth stuff.”
Bristol Bears’ Elliann and Rhea Clarke have become the first set of Scottish sisters to be selected for the same Women’s Rugby World Cup.
Scrum-half Rhea has just one cap but joins prop Elliann, who has played for her country 22 times, in the party for the finals.
Edinburgh Rugby/University of Edinburgh winger Hannah Walker is the only uncapped player selected.
Trailfinders second row Emma Wassell has made her way back to international rugby after recovering from a benign tumour in her chest in September.
Captain Rachel Malcolm leads a selection comprising 18 forwards and 14 backs for a Pool B campaign against Wales, Fiji and Canada.
The flanker is one of 21 players to have appeared at the previous Rugby World Cup, played in 2022.
Easson is leaving his job at the end of the tournament and added: “To go to a rugby World Cup is the pinnacle for any player but also anyone in our management team as well, so real excitement to go to that, but the fact that it is the last dance, it does put that little bit of an edge on it.
“I am so excited to see what this group can do and I want to finish it off as well as I can.”
Aug. 5 (UPI) — President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is no longer on the list to replace Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.
“Well I love Scott, but he wants to stay where he is,” Trump said on CNBC’s Squawk Box. “I asked him just last night, ‘Is this something you want?’ ‘Nope I want to stay where I am.'”
“I just take him off. He does not want it. He likes being Treasury secretary,” Trump said.
Powell’s term as Fed chair ends in 2026, and Trump has been highly critical of his hesitation to lower interest rates, calling him a “moron” and “too late.”
Trump is considering his own replacements for the Fed’s board of governors amid his criticism of Powell over his stance on interest rates.
Others Trump is considering to replace Powell include Kevin Warsh, a financier and bank executive who previously served on the Fed’s board of governors, and Kevin Hassett, an economist and the head of the National Economic Council at the White House.
“Both Kevins are very good, and there are other people that are very good, too,” Trump said, adding that [Adriana] Kugler’s resignation “was a pleasant surprise.”
Kugler, a labor economist, announced Friday that she would step down from the Fed’s board of governors this Friday. She plans to return to teaching public policy at Georgetown University in the fall.
Another contender for Powell’s job is economist and Fed governor Christopher Waller, whom Trump appointed.
Trump nominated Powell for the Fed job in 2017, during his first term as president. President Joe Biden reappointed him during his term. Trump alleged Tuesday that Powell told him, “Sir, I’ll keep interest rates so low. I’m a low interest rate person.”
Last week, the Fed kept the interest rate unchanged at 4.25%-4.5%. Waller and governor Michelle Bowman, another Trump appointee, dissented. It was the first time two governors had dissented since 1993.
BBC Radio 2’s listening figures have plummeted since a presenter switch upCredit: PA
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Scott Mills took over the Breakfast Show slot, yet listeners have dropped as the year goes onCredit: Supplied
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Zoe Ball quit her Breakfast Show in DecemberCredit: PA
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For use in UK, Ireland or Benelux countries only Undated BBC handout photo of Zoe Ball presenting her last show on BBC Radio 2 breakfast show, which she has hosted for six years, at BBC Broadcasting House in central London. Issue date: Friday December 20, 2024. PA Photo. See PA story SHOWBIZ Ball. Photo credit […]Credit: PA
Yet at the time, Zoe said she would remain on BBC Radio 2.
She said: “After six incredible years on the Radio 2 Breakfast Show, it’s time for me to step away from the very early mornings and focus on family.”
Telling her listeners about her decision, she said: “I’ve decided it’s time to step away from the early alarm call and start a new chapter.
Zoe Ball’s career so far
Zoe was born in Blackpool and is daughter of the children’s TV presenter Johnny Ball and his wife Julia.
She appeared on television at a young age as part of the studio audience of the Saturday morning children’s show, Saturday Superstore when her father was a guest.
The star began her career in broadcasting as a presenter on the pre-school programme Playdays.
After various behind the scenes roles, she earned a spot as a regular host of Top of the Pops, when she alternated with the likes of Jayne Middlemiss and Jo Whiley.
In 1996, she was chosen to front BBC One‘s saturday morning show Live & Kicking, which led to stints on The Big Breakfast on Channel 4.
But she maintained a huge presence on the radio as she was chosen to be the co-host of BBC Radio 1 Breakfast alongside Kevin Greening in October 1997.
Zoe was later appointed the sole host of the show in a groundbreaking move by the corporation as she was the first female DJ to hold the post.
The presenter chose to leave the station in March 2000 to start a family, where she was succeeded by Sara Cox.
As a mainstream face in TV through the noughties, she hosted a range of huge programmes for ITV, including the Brit Awards in 2002, Extinct in 2006, and both Soapstar Superstar and Grease Is The Word in 2007.
In mid-2002, she returned to radio when she joined Xfm (later known as Radio X), when she was the voice of the weekday drivetime show until December 2003. In 2004, she stood in for Ricky Gervais while he filmed the second series of The Office.
In October 2005, she appeared as a contestant on the third series of Strictly Come Dancing, where she was partnered with Ian Waite, The star impressed viewers with her footwork and the duo waltzed into third place.
In 2011, she returned to the franchise as she took over as the host of the magazine spin-off show, It Takes Two.
She also filled in for Claudia Winkleman on the main show in 2014, when The Traitors star took leave after her daughter suffered serious burn injuries.
Dystopian drama “Severance” captured the imagination of overworked Americans when it depicted an employee revolt against an oppressive corporation. Now the series and its lead, Adam Scott, are being recognized by the Television Academy. On Tuesday, Scott was nominated for lead actor in a drama for his role as Mark Scout in the dark, sci-fi thriller.
The Apple TV+ series is the most nominated show this year, landing 27 nods for its second season, including for drama series. In Scott’s category, the competition features actors previously nominated for Emmys, including Sterling K. Brown for “Paradise,” Gary Oldman for “Slow Horses,” Pedro Pascal for “The Last of Us” and Noah Wyle for “The Pitt.”
In the series, Scott‘s Mark S. is a macrodata refinement manager employed by the biotechnology corporation Lumon Industries. In order to work in the highly secretive complex, the mild-mannered manager and his co-workers have undergone a “severance procedure.” Their brains have been surgically altered, dividing their work life and home life into separate consciousnesses which are described by the company as “innies” and “outies.” The trouble begins when the line between realms starts to blur.
Show creator Dan Erickson, executive producer and primary director Ben Stiller were also nominated, as were Britt Lower, Tramell Tillman, Zach Cherry, John Turturro, Patricia Arquette and Gwendoline Christie in the acting categories. Scott, who is also an executive producer on the show, spoke with The Times about the recognition, the series and how he separates himself from his work.
“Severance” has broken through in a way that I don’t think anyone expected when it first arrived in 2022. It’s a smart, heady show that requires some brain power. Now Season 2 leads the Emmy nominations.
The feeling is incredible. I just am always sort of at a default position of nothing’s going to happen, and I need to be braced for disappointment. I think that’s a healthy disposition for a career in show business, and then I’ll be delightfully surprised if anything goes in a different direction. I try not to read any of the stuff, the prognosticating. I stay away from it and keep it out of my head as much as possible, and then something like this [nomination] is just a pure delight.
I love the idea that you block out the hype and conjecture around the show. It’s a form of self-severance.
It’s true. I’ve been at this for 30 years now so I think that I’ve found ways to keep myself healthy, as much as possible, anyway. For me, that’s just trying to sever myself from anything beyond keeping my head down and trying to do the best work possible.
Clearly it’s a tactic that’s paid off, for you and your fellow cast mates.
I’m so honored for our show to be recognized and to be on a list with everyone else — Britt and Tramell. Zach and John and Patricia and Merritt [Wever] and Gwendoline. And Ben and Jessica [Lee Gagné] and Dan. His wonderful script is being recognized. We work so hard on the show, every single one of us. It’s a team effort, as any show is, but our show takes a lot of time. So getting recognized for that hard work is really gratifying,
And there’s something redeeming about such a smart show breaking through in such stupid times.
[Laughs] Thank you. “Severance” is sort of this intangible thing, so we work really hard to make it happen. While we’re making the show and while Dan and the writers are putting it together, there’s sort of this invisible third rail. You’re not sure exactly what it is, but when it feels right, it’s like OK, there’s our show. It’s a specific feeling, a specific tone that we’re seeking out and sometimes it takes a while to zero in and find it.
It’s an original story that Dan came up with and it’s very weird. For something this weird to be recognized is really gratifying because we were surprised when anyone watched. We didn’t know if it would be a tiny audience. We thought maybe it’s too weird, so when it broadened out popularity-wise, it was a huge surprise and a really lovely one.
Starting July 21, the streaming service will offer its first original program from ABC News with senior political correspondent Rachel Scott and international correspondent James Longman as co-anchors.
The short-form program, called “What You Need To Know,” will be taped each morning and made available to Disney + users on demand starting at 6 a.m. Eastern, ABC News announced Monday.
ABC News international correspondent James Longman.
(Heidi Gutman / ABC)
The title was originally used for the ABC television network’s afternoon edition of “Good Morning America,” now known as “GMA 3.”
The new program is another opportunity for ABC News to reach younger consumers who have abandoned traditional TV for streaming. The news division has its own 24-hour free streaming service, ABC News Live.
“This new effort expands ABC News’ significant footprint on Disney+, allowing us to reach and connect with new and diverse audiences,” ABC News President Almin Karamehmedovic said in a statement.
The program will be a quick-paced compendium with short segments that range from “breaking headlines and the day’s biggest stories to entertainment buzz and viral videos.”
“What You Need to Know” will be the first network anchor role for Scott, a Los Angeles native and rising star within ABC News. Scott, 32, raised her profile during the 2024 presidential campaign when she delivered tough questioning to President Trump at the National Assn. of Black Journalists’ convention in Chicago.
The appearance led to death threats against Scott, who needed security in the days that followed.
Scott was also honored by the White House Correspondents Assn. for her coverage of the assassination attempt on Trump in Butler, Pa.
Longman, 38, has been a foreign correspondent for ABC News since 2017. He will co-anchor “What You Need to Know” from London, where he is based.
Longman, who is gay, has reported on the challenges facing LGBTQ+ people in oppressive regimes around the world.
He recently wrote a memoir, “The Inherited Mind,” which traces the history of mental illness in his family.
Walter Scott, who with his twin brother Wallace founded the Los Angeles-based R&B group the Whispers — a hit-making force in the 1970s and ‘80s with songs like “And the Beat Goes On,” “Rock Steady,” “Lady” and “Seems Like I Gotta Do Wrong” — died Thursday, according to multiple media outlets, including Billboard and the Los Angeles Sentinel. He was 81.
The Sentinel reported that Scott’s family said he died in Northridge after a six-month bout with cancer.
With a smooth, danceable sound built on sturdy post-disco rhythms and carefully arranged group vocals, the Whispers put 15 songs inside the Top 10 of Billboard’s R&B chart; “And the Beat Goes On” reached No. 1 in 1980, followed by “Rock Steady,” which topped the tally in 1987. The band’s music was widely sampled in later years, including by 50 Cent, Mobb Deep, J. Cole and Will Smith, the last of whom used “And the Beat Goes On” as the basis for his late-‘90s hit “Miami.”
In a post on Instagram, the musician and filmmaker Questlove described Scott as “one of the most trusted voices in ‘70s soul music” and compared him to “the talented uncle in the family….who btw could DUST you inna min w his dizzying blink & you lost him squiggle gee doo dweedy scatlibs.”
Scott was born in 1944 in Fort Worth, Texas, and later moved to L.A. with his family; he and his brother started singing as students at Jordan High School, according to the Sentinel, and formed the Whispers in the mid-‘60s with Nicholas Caldwell, Marcus Hutson and Gordy Harmon. The group spent time in San Francisco before Scott was drafted to serve in the Vietnam War.
The group recorded for a series of record companies but found its biggest success on Dick Griffey’s Solar label. The Whispers were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame and the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame.
Billboard said Scott is survived by his wife, Jan; two sons; three grandchildren and his brother.
