Shows

EX-TOWIE star Amber Dowding has shown off her baby bump in a bikini and said “I got everything I wanted.”

Amber revealed she and boyfriend Jamie Enver were expecting their first child last month.

Now, Amber has shared stunning snaps to Instagram and captioned them: “I had a dream… I got everything I wanted.”

The snaps, shot in soft black‑and‑white, showed Amber on the beach as she proudly showed off her baby bump.

In one shot, she is sitting in the sand near the shoreline, forming a heart shape over her stomach as waves roll in behind her.

In another, she is seen walking along the water’s edge in a bikini and a wide‑brimmed hat, as she holds the hat against the breeze.

TOP HATT

My mum is Corrie’s Sally Webster but I’m no ‘nepo baby’ – Cobbles turned me down

DANCE OFF

‘Man eater’ Maura Higgins ‘being watched’ by wife of dance pro partner on DWTS

Amber‘s followers and famous pals rushed to comment on the sweet images.

Georgia Kousoulou said: “Most beautiful mumma.”

Another wrote: “Just beautiful.”

While a third added: “Oh babe this is so special. Lovely photos.”

Amber starred on Towie from 2016 until 2018 and had a high- profile relationship with Chris Clark during her time on the show.

Speaking after leaving the reality show, she said: “We all come to a time in our lives when you’re looking for what is coming next.

‘I’ll miss the people on the show, I have genuine friends on Towie.

“Like Tommy and Georgia – they’re my genuine friends. I’ll miss seeing them on screen but I see them all the time anyway.

‘In fact, there’s nothing I won’t miss, but I’m looking forward to what’s coming next.”

She and car salesman Jamie have been in a relationship since 2018.

VICKY Pattison left jaws on the floor as she showed off her stunning figure in a monochrome bikini this weekend.

The 38-year-old looked sensational in snaps she shared from a romantic spa break with her husband Ercan Ramadan.

Vicky and Ercan kicked back and relaxed at Serenity Spa, just outside of Newcastle.

In true Vicky style, she soaked up the rays of the autumn sun as she posed up perched on the edge of the spa hot tub.

Bare-faced Vicky looked gorgeous in the purple patterned two-piece, which accentuated her toned physique.

The brunette beauty told fans she’s on a mission to convince Ercan to one day move back to her home city of Newcastle.

Read more on Vicky Pattison

TEARFUL ADMISSION

Vicky Pattison shares heartbreak over sister’s uterine cancer battle

BRAVE FIGHT

Vicky Pattison’s sister Laura reveals she’s been secretly battling cancer

She wrote in the caption of her post on Instagram: “Newcastle Diaries… I’ve been down in London for about 12 years now.. and whereas I love this little life we’ve created here, the friends I’ve made, my wonderful job, Erc’s lush family… 

“I miss my home town so much! I don’t know if it’s because we’re trying to grow our family..

“And the thought of not having my mam and sister close by as a first time mam is daunting or if it’s just because I’m genuinely a bit homesick.”

“We filmed escape to the country in the summer… (no spoilers I promise.. but it was fab! And it’s out at Christmas!!) anyway, since then I’ve been on a mission to make Ercan fall in love with the north east,” continued Vicky.

“So last weekend I tried to show him so much of our gorgeous region… spent a day at @serenityspa.seahamhall.

” A day eating everything in sight at @stacknewcastle and generally just showed him that there’s so much more to my wonderful little pocket of the country than @greggs_official (not that I don’t LOVE a pasty mind).

“Operation make Ercan fall in love with the toon is a go.”

This comes after Vicky admitted to feeling “lost” without a baby at 38.

Vicky, who rose to fame after appearing on Geordie Shore,  revealed that she didn’t think she’d be this age “without a baby or a family.”

Speaking on the BBC’s Sort Your Life Out Unpacked podcast, Vicky confessed: “It’s just the way the cookie crumbles and how life sometimes like presents you with different things and different opportunities and stuff.

“And I’ve never really felt ready until now.

“It’s wild but like something just clicks, and the minute you feel ready it’s like you need a baby straight away.” 

MARRIED At First Sight groom Adrian Sanderson has slammed the show experts after the show was permanently axed.

Channel 4 confirmed yesterday that the dating show had officially been axed, six months after The Sun first revealed the series would be canned over rape allegations.

The broadcaster shared findings of a bombshell external review and confirmed MAFS UK, including a series filmed earlier this year and a planned all-stars spin-off were all axed.

Adrian, who starred on season seven in 2022 and was paired with Thomas Hartley, hit out at MAFS UK experts Paul C Brunson and Charlene Douglas for staying silent after news of the axing broke.

Mel Schilling had been the third expert since 2021, but sadly passed away in March following a battle with colon cancer.

Adrian wrote: “Isn’t it interesting that Channel 4 chose to release its MAFS review findings, well a summary of, on the very day Russell Brand’s courts case is dominating the headlines?

MAFS AXE

C4’s desperate bid to save MAFS exposed as cast reveal how they learnt of axe

WED END

The MAFS UK 2026 stars that you’ll NEVER see on screen as entire series axed

“Coincidence? Perhaps. But the timing is certainly interesting.”

Adrian added: “Thoughts on the fact the ‘experts’ from MAFS haven’t spoken on this?

“Funny I bumped into one last night at a restaurant.”

Findings of the MAFS UK review were published on Thursday morning, hours before the court in the Russell Brand trial reconvened and came to a verdict.

Execs fervently denied The Sun’s story from May that MAFS’ ‘lost’ series six, which was shot in March, would be canned and even slammed it in Westminster, when chief executive Priya Dogra was grilled by the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee.

As recently as last week, cast of that season have told The Sun that producers were reassuring them all would be well.

It meant they were blindsided to learn yesterday that their footage would be scrapped – devastating those who had engaged media agents ready to build a profile.

One told how they received an email four minutes before the news broke, so most learnt through media reports.

Another, who asked not to be named, told The Sun: “We were being told that the investigation was nearly over, things were looking positive and the programme would still air.

“I feel like we were repeatedly given false hope and reassurances that everything was going ahead, only to discover through the media that two months of our lives were wasted.

“Ever since the scandal broke, production has been in regular contact, repeatedly reassuring us everything would be fine.

“Some of us genuinely hoped to find love but others saw the programme as an opportunity to build a career and potentially change their lives and that’s now over.”

Separately, a cast member lined up for Second Marriage At First Sight – the planned spin-off – has told how a call with execs last month had left them under the impression filming would commence soon.

Two women who appeared on past runs of the show claimed to have been raped by their on-screen husbands, and another – Shona Manderson, who waived her anonymity – accused her TV partner of sexual misconduct.

All three men deny the claims.

The Met police confirmed one groom who was arrested on suspicion of rape on June 18 remains on bail.

MARTIN Scorsese’s daughter Francesca turned heads this weekend with her VERY sexy look on the red carpet.

The 26-year-old actress showed off her dangerous curves in see-through blue lingerie at Heidi Klum’s Halloween party in New York on Saturday.

Francesca – the youngest daughter of iconic filmmaker Martin, 84 – arrived to the big bash in a plunging blue nightie and nude fishnet tights.

She completed the look with a sparkly cape, silver heels and a round purse.

Francesca proudly reposted her most glam photos to her Instagram page on Monday.

Heidi hosted other big names at her famous annual bash, including Ice-T and wife Coco Austin as a sexy burglar, Neil Patrick Harris and his husband David Burtka, Questlove, and Taylor Momsen.

Francesca has appeared in a number of her father’s films over the years, including The Departed and The Aviator.

She has defended being a nepo-baby, insisting it’s “natural” for kids to follow in their parents’ footsteps.

 “It just became like a word that everyone started throwing around,” she said in July.

“And the funniest thing is I used to think it was a good thing.

“If my dad was a doctor, I’d probably be a doctor, you know what I mean? I think kids just look up to their parents naturally.”

Despite her nepo-baby pride, Francesca is carving her own path in Hollywood.

She has become an influencer with nearly half a million TikTok followers, and even directed miniseries Family Blend starring her famous father.

The success of Palestinian-led parties – who won 15% of the vote in Israel’s elections – has created a conundrum for Israel’s leadership: partner with non-Zionists or accept political gridlock. While the bloc led by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu got the most support from Israeli voters, it didn’t win enough seats in Israel’s parliament (Knesset) to build a ruling coalition so far.

Israeli politician Ofer Cassif, a member of one of the Palestinian-led parties, tells host Steve Clemons that the Israeli people “need to understand that the future must be a future of Jewish-Palestinian partnership and not another form of exclusion.”

STACEY Solomon has stripped naked in a hot tub as Pretty Woman and Liz Hurley has showed off her insane figure as Poison Ivy this weekend.

When it comes to Halloween, showbiz stars don’t settle for a pointy hat and a splash of green make-up to celebrate the spooky season.

Stacey Solomon and Joe Swash kept their celebrations at home as they recreated a scene from the film Pretty Woman.

Taking to social media, Stacey captioned the images: “Happy Halloween. Love from The Temu Version of Pretty Woman.

“I’ll be honest as soon as I saw this bathroom I wanted to recreate this scene. The kids wanted to be skeletons & witches this year so it was our perfect opportunity for a couples costume,

“Sorry about the copy and paste fake bubbles I had to add in but fun fact, this bath has no water so here we are. Happy Halloween! Hope you have the best day! P.S we are clothed under the bubbles.”

G-OWEN, GONE

Gemma Owen’s ’embarrassing’ business blow laid bare

BROKEN BONDS

Christine McGuinness’ huge money blunder that wrecked friendship with best pal

The cute snaps showed Stacey’s marble bathroom in her new home, with her bathtub overflowing in a cloud of bubbles.

Stacey rocked curly hair as she lounged in the bath wearing bright orange headphones connected to a yellow retro cassette player perched on the tub’s edge.

Joe was also seen in a grey wig as he planted a kiss on his wife’s cheek while they relaxed under the bubbles.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth Hurley also shared a stunning snap to her socials which she captioned: “Poison Ivy and Batman, Happy Halloween.”

In the image, Liz looked stunning as she showed off her gorgeous figure in a tiny bikini made out of green leaves.

Her husband Billy Ray Cyrus looked fabuous standing beside her as Batman.

Meanwhile, Myleene Klass looked unrecognisable in her Halloween outfit as Edward Scissorhands from Tim Burton’s 1990 film.

While, Holly Willoughby shared a snap of herself dressed as a scary looking pilgrim which she captioned: “Tis the season of the Witch… Happy Halloween everyone.”

However, one of TV’s most glamorous women looked totally different after transforming into Sir Mo Farah for Halloween.

Maya Jama pulled out all the stops to become the sporting legend, donning a bald cap, fake eyebrows and beard, and a Team GB running kit.

SACRAMENTO — Xavier Becerra is poised to make history as California’s first elected Latino governor, according to a new poll.

But the survey shows voters, and Latinos in particular, have mixed views on the significance and impact of Becerra’s probable win.

According to the poll by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies and co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times, the veteran Democratic politician was backed by 61% of likely California voters, compared with 34% who supported his Republican rival, former Fox News commentator Steve Hilton. That is slightly up from a September IGS survey that showed Becerra leading by 25 percentage points.

“He’s solidified almost unanimous support now among Democrats. Republicans are almost unanimous in the other direction,” IGS Poll Director Mark DiCamillo said.

Becerra, a former U.S. Health and Human Services secretary, congressman and state attorney general, “hasn’t offended any significant parts of the Democratic Party” and has united the party’s voters by “hammering away” against President Trump, DiCamillo said.

When asked to name one or two top priorities for the election, 40% of likely voters chose pushing back against the Trump administration, followed by 34% who cited reducing the cost of living. It’s a reversal from the mid-September survey, when 44% of likely voters said the cost of living was a top issue and 37% listed fighting Trump.

Both of those issues far outweighed the concerns of California voters about other issues that dominated the political discourse in past elections, including fighting crime, creating jobs and improving public education and healthcare.

Becerra’s supporters “are over the top on fighting Trump administration policies,” DiCamillo said. “I mean, 62% of his supporters state that as their greatest concern in this election. It’s really uniting the Democrats.”

The veteran pollster attributed the surge in anti-Trump sentiment in recent weeks to actions that “irritate” Democrats, such as the federal government’s quest to find illegal voting in California elections, continuing immigration raids and the president’s downplaying voter concerns about inflation and gas prices.

The survey reveals a generational split between voters: Those younger than 50 were more likely to name the cost of living as a top issue, while voters 50 and older were more likely to name Trump’s policies.

Latino voters were more evenly split between the two issues, and more focused on other needs than voters of other ethnic and racial groups. They were more likely to list priorities including reducing taxes, fighting crime and protecting immigrant communities than white, Black, or Asian American likely voters.

Days before voting ends in the Nov. 3 election, 53% of likely voters have a favorable view of Becerra and 41% see him unfavorably. Hilton’s image continues its upside-down trend: 56% view him unfavorably and 34% have a positive opinion.

“There’s been a lot of negative campaigning by Hilton, but it doesn’t seem to have had any impact,” DiCamillo said. “Becerra is just riding high on his image rating with the voters. This is the highest image rating we’ve measured for him.”

The survey asked voters whom they expected to win the race, regardless of which candidate they are supporting. Ninety percent of Democrats and 80% of voters not affiliated with a major party expected Becerra to win. Half of Republicans and 58% of those who identify as MAGA said they believed Hilton will win — a striking number in a state where Democratic voters outnumber Republicans nearly 2 to 1 and the GOP has not won a statewide race in 20 years.

“They are hoping against hope,” DiCamillo said.

If he wins Tuesday’s election to replace termed-out Gov. Gavin Newsom, Becerra would become the first-ever Latino elected governor and the first Latino in that office in 150 years.

Becerra’s support among Latino and white voters closely mirrors that of the overall electorate, with 60% favoring him. Becerra received a warmer reception from Black and Asian American voters in the state, according to the poll.

Asked how they felt about the possibility of electing a Latino governor, just over a third of all likely voters and 45% of Latino voters said they felt “proud.” But majorities of both groups — 52% of Latino voters and 58% of likely voters — believe electing the state’s first Latino governor is either “not too important” or “not at all important.”

For better or worse, voters also have low expectations about the impact of a potentially historic election.

Sixty-one percent of likely Latino voters, and 57% of total voters surveyed, do not believe that having a Latino governor would reduce racial inequalities in the state. And similar numbers doubt it would worsen racial tensions.

Among Latino voters, 40% believed electing a Latino governor would ease fear in their communities, but 43% disagreed. The remainder had no opinion.

“While greater than 4 in 10 Latinos feel proud and think it is important to elect a Latino governor, they also recognize that it will take much more than a single elected official to ease the fears and difficulties experienced by the Latino immigrant community,” IGS Co-Director G. Cristina Mora said. “With Trump still in office and prices still high, Latino voters seem cautious yet hopeful about the new governor.”

The poll was conducted online in English and Spanish from Oct. 19 to Sunday. Responses for the governor’s race poll came from a weighted sample of 1,477 respondents who already voted or were considered likely to vote in the November election, from a larger group of 2,787 registered voters throughout California. It has a margin of error of 3 percentage points in either direction.

California voters are souring on a Nov. 3 ballot measure to impose a one-time tax on billionaires to help fund healthcare programs, a proposal that has triggered one of the most expensive political battles in state history.

Half of likely voters plan to vote against Proposition 40, the proposed wealth tax on billionaires’ assets, while 42% support it, according to a new poll by UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies that was co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times. The findings mark a significant decline in support of the measure, which was crafted by an influential California healthcare union to compensate for an estimated $100 billion in federal healthcare cuts approved by President Trump and congressional Republicans.

The survey also found that a solid majority of likely voters opposed Proposition 39, which would require Californians to provide identification when voting and election officials to verify registered voters are U.S. citizens. The findings come as the Trump administration continues to attack California as a haven for voter fraud, including unfounded allegations of rampant illegal voting by undocumented immigrants.

Mark DiCamillo, the poll’s director, said previous surveys showed support for Proposition 40 has been fragile, and the most recent shows its prospects have dimmed as election day approaches.

The increase in opposition to Proposition 40 is “broad-based and spans virtually all major segments of the electorate,” DiCamillio said. The ballot measure was leading in a Berkeley poll conducted just six weeks ago, albeit by a slim margin, so its reversal of fortune is significant, he said.

The declining support comes after an onslaught of money spent opposing Proposition 40, including a torrent of television and social media ads airing everywhere from NFL games to “Everybody Loves Raymond” reruns. Nearly $368 million has been contributed to efforts opposing the billionaire tax, while $36 million has been donated to support the proposed levy.

Proposition 40 would impose a one-time 5% tax on the assets of billionaires who resided in California as of Jan. 1, with some exceptions. Democrats and their allies are splintered over the proposal. Some, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, argue it will prompt the wealthy to flee California, further harming its volatile budget, which is dependent on the state’s richest residents. The California Democratic Party and leading progressives support the measure, with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) calling it a modest tax necessary to help Californians struggling because of cuts imposed by Republicans to pay for tax breaks for the wealthy.

While Republican voters overwhelmingly oppose Proposition 40, nearly two-thirds of Democrats support it and more than a quarter opposing it. There is also a generational divide, with 6 out of 10 voters 65 years old or older opposing the measure, while more than two-thirds of those under 30 supporting it, according to the poll.

The findings are similar to a Public Policy Institute of California poll released Tuesday, which found 52% of likely voters would vote against Proposition 40, while 46% supported it.

The campaign against the wealth tax, funded by some of California’s richest tech moguls, is centered on three intertwined ballot initiatives: Proposition 40 and Propositions 41 and 42, both of which would undercut Proposition 40 through a series of changes to state tax laws and spending restrictions.

Proposition 41 would cut wasteful government spending by requiring audits of new state special taxes and would bar new state taxes that are exempt from a state spending limit. Proposition 42 would prohibit new taxes on retirement holdings, individually owned assets and other personal savings. Both Propositions 41 and 42 would nullify the billionaire tax if it passes, provided either measure receives more votes.

A plurality of voters oppose Propositions 41 and 42, a reversal from just six week ago, according to the poll.

In mid-September, voters were closely divided about Proposition 41 — 37% in favor and 33% opposed — with a large number of undecided. In the current poll, 38% of likely voters favor the measure and 47% oppose it. Proposition 42 led by 9 percentage points in the Berkeley/L.A. Times poll in September — 43% in favor and 34% opposed. Now, 43% of likely voters support it and 45% oppose it.

DiCamillo said backers of a ballot measure also should be concerned any time support registers below 50%, since voters who are undecided or unsure tend to vote no.

“It’s below 50%, and it’s trending down. Both of those are ominous signs,” DiCamillo said. Proposition 42 is “still very close. I’m not saying it’s definitely going down, but it’s moving in the wrong direction late in the campaign, and usually movement in a late poll is even more significant than the actual numbers themselves,”

He added that while many voters were unaware the two proposed ballot measures were designed as poison pills to kill the billionaire tax, among those who knew, the opposition was significantly greater.

If all three measures fail, that still would be a victory for the billionaires who spent aggressively to tank the wealth tax.

Another notable finding was voters’ support of Proposition 3, which would make permanent a higher income tax rate on the wealthy that funds education. A majority of voters — 54% — support continuing the levy, while 37% oppose it, according to the poll. DiCamillo says the disparity in support of the proposed billionaire tax and the extension of the existing wealth tax has been consistent in IGS’s polls, and is likely because of the differing foundations of the levies.

“Proposition 3 is already in place, and if you read the fiscal impact, if this were to pass, it maintains $5 billion to $15 billion of annual funding,” he said, “It’s a big revenue generator, and I think that is something that’s already in place.”

“Voters kind of understand the progressive nature of California’s tax system, and they kind of support that, but they don’t support nearly as much the idea of some new kind of tax, the wealth tax, which is taxing assets rather than income,” he said. “So that’s the distinction.”

These ballot measures are among 14 that voters will decide on Nov. 3, as well as statewide, congressional, local and judicial elections.

Among the other controversial measures is Proposition 39, a measure pushed by Republicans that would require all voters in future elections to show government-issued identification every time they vote in person or provide a special PIN or the last four digits of their Social Security number when submitting mail-in ballots.

The measure also would require the California secretary of state and county election officials to verify that registered voters are U.S. citizens by “using government data,” which according to supporters could include information in the federal Social Security Administration database, jury summons information and other government records.

Nearly 6 in 10 likely voters oppose the effort, while more than a third support it, split largely along party lines. More than half of voters who are registered as “no party preference” or with a smaller political party oppose the proposal, which DiCamillo said was an indication of trouble for the proposition given the state’s Democratic majority electorate and the proximity of the election.

“It’s hard for Republicans to push something over the finish line by themselves,” he said.

Other prominent ballot measures:

• Proposition 43, which would prohibit local governments from imposing certain new special taxes unless two-thirds of voters approve the proposal. Such proposals need a simple majority vote to be approved. While 46% of likely voters oppose the proposal, 36% support it, challenging numbers this close to election day, DiCamillo said. “It needs to get to 50,” he said. “We’ll see how you do that this late in the campaign.”

• Proposition 4, which would repeal a prohibition of public financing of campaigns, allowing state and local governments to support candidates if they abide by several rules. Likely voters are evenly split about the proposal, with 41% supporting it and opposing it, and 18% undecided. “It’s close, but it’s still below 50%. Most voters tend to vote no in the late going if they’re not convinced,” DiCamillo said, adding that he viewed the lack of support among voters who do not affiliate with a political party as a signal of potential failure.

The poll of 2,787 registered California voters was conducted online in English and Spanish Oct. 19-25 and has a margin of error of about 3 percentage points in either direction.

Protecting this region from climate change is a theme of the King’s trip and was the focus of his visit to the Bonefish Pond National Park. The site was once a rubbish dump but has been redeveloped and now protects 1,235 acres of mangroves.

The King walked along a new boardwalk through the wetlands to see the conservation work being done to protect this vulnerable, low lying island from climate change.

He met students carrying out field work in the wetland waters asking them about their exams and ambitions to be marine biologists.

“We’ve so been looking forward to this,” said Joanne Smith, president of the Bahamas National Trust Council.

“We want more Bahamians to get involved in our national parks so they can use it to better themselves… we are so pleased to have the King here, this is really significant for us.”

Then it was on to the Junkanoo, where the King could be seen dancing alongside attendees dressed in feathered headdresses and bright costumes.

The history of the Junkanoo is not clear but it’s believed it emerged out of the slave trade when enslaved men and women were given time off to mark Christmas.

A small protest near the parade, which had activists holding placards with the words “Pay us what you owe us”, was moved on by the police.

The small group of protesters were from the Bahamas National Reparations Committee.

The King acknowledged the “great suffering of the past” when he first arrived in the Bahamas, as he faced calls for slavery reparations.

Noelle Nicholls, chair of the reparations committee, said :”We are demanding an apology for those crimes, and reparations for the harm that was done.”

Nicholls said the protesters’ presence “amidst the pomp and pageantry of the celebrations… are for us also a sombre occasion, because this is the King returning in a way that has still not atoned for the sins of the past.”

The King has confirmed that Commonwealth leaders will discuss the legacy of slavery at a major summit in Antigua next week.

The race for mayor of Los Angeles is a dead heat as the campaign draws to a close, with a new poll showing incumbent Karen Bass erasing the double-digit lead previously held by Councilmember Nithya Raman.

Raman and Bass now each have 40% of likely L.A. voters in their camps, with 19% still undecided ahead of the Nov. 3 election, according to the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll, co-sponsored by The Times.

The neck-and-neck contest is a big change from September, when Raman jumped out to an 11-percentage-point lead with support from 39% of likely voters compared with Bass at 28%.

It follows weeks of relentless attacks on Raman by Bass, whom some analysts had predicted would need to campaign more aggressively to close the gap with her challenger.

“It’s certainly a breath of fresh air for Bass to see the race close. She’ll probably feel the campaign is having the effect she wants it to have, which is to put more focus on Raman and put Raman on the defensive,” said Mark DiCamillo, the director of the Berkeley IGS Poll.

Mayor Karen Bass greets phone banking volunteers at her South L.A. campaign headquarters.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

The survey released Wednesday was conducted online in English and Spanish with a sample of 2,197 likely city voters between Oct. 19 and Oct. 25. It has a margin of error of about three percentage points.

“The momentum in this race is with Karen Bass,” said Alex Stack, a spokesperson for Bass’ campaign. “Ever since Angelenos got their ballots, Nithya Raman has made headlines for all the wrong reasons — voters know they can’t trust her on public safety and other key issues.”

The Raman campaign cited high unfavorable numbers for Bass in the poll, and noted that the mayor “still can’t get ahead” in voter surveys.

“Bass hasn’t led a poll since August and an aggregate of all publicly available polls continues to show Nithya in the lead,” the Raman campaign said in a news release.

The leveling off of the race, along with the sharp decline in undecided voters, was spurred largely by conservative voters who chose Republican Spencer Pratt in the primary deciding to vote for the mayor in the runoff, said DiCamillo.

In the September Berkeley IGS/L.A. Times poll, 22% of Pratt voters said they planned to support Bass, while 16% said they favored Raman. That left a whopping 63% of Pratt voters undecided still.

In the new poll, Bass shot up to 41% of the Pratt vote, while Raman dropped to 14% and 45% were still undecided. Pratt hasn’t endorsed either candidate in the race and continues to bash both Raman and Bass on social media.

“The Pratt voters are the biggest insertion,” DiCamillo said. “The question remains, since we’re looking at Pratt voters, 45% remain undecided. Will they vote?”

Raman trailed Bass in every poll during the primary campaign. Neither candidate had ever cleared 40% in any of the polls conducted by Berkeley IGS/L.A. Times.

In the June 2 primary election, Bass received 34% of the vote while Raman received 29%. Pratt placed third with 26%.

In the new poll, Raman shed support in key areas, including among groups that previously appeared to be leaning toward her.

Councilmember and mayoral hopeful Nithya Raman, center, with supporters at Grand Park in downtown Los Angeles.

(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

In the September poll, Raman led among Latinos by 24 percentage points, 45% to Bass’ 21%. In the October poll, Bass was up to 40% and Raman fell to 43%, leaving the two within the margin of error for that key constituency.

DiCamillo said part of that change had to do with the likely voter population becoming more clear as the election neared, and older Latinos appeared to be a larger portion of the electorate.

“The Latino likely electorate now includes more older Latinos; that benefits Bass,” he said.

Black voters, long considered the backbone of Bass’ coalition, solidified behind the mayor, with 71% of likely Black voters supporting her compared with 13% supporting Raman. While Bass led among Black likely voters in the September poll, the already wide margin was much slimmer at that time, at 48% to 20%.

The poll also affirmed a widely held belief among the Bass camp that the San Fernando Valley would tilt toward the mayor over Raman.

Raman was leading in the Valley in the September poll 34% to 26%, but that number flipped on its head over the past month, with Bass now in front of Raman 44% to 33%.

Bass’ surge in the poll was more notable because the mayor’s favorable ratings — which have been in the tank since the January 2025 wildfires — remained underwater, with 65% of Angelenos viewing her unfavorably compared to 64% in the last poll. Only 32% had a positive view of the mayor, up four percentage points from September.

Bass’ attacks on Raman appeared to be having a significant effect on voters’ opinions of the challenger.

For the first time in a poll by Berkeley IGS/L.A. Times this cycle, Raman posted a higher unfavorable rating than favorable, with 49% of likely voters saying they viewed her unfavorably compared to 42% who had positive views of her.

The mayor, her campaign team and her surrogates have stepped up their offensive toward Raman, seizing on any opportunity to hammer the council member over remarks she has made on the campaign trail that they argue make the her unfit for the mayoralty and “not ready for prime time” — a slogan the mayor and her allies have deployed against their rival.

In early October, the Bass campaign slammed Raman over a video she posted with a leftist influencer in which she urged viewers to “stop fascist liars” as a photo of Bass flashed on the screen. Raman criticized both Bass and LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell in the video.

Bass accused the council member of calling the city’s police officers fascists. A Raman spokesperson said she was referring to the “Trump administration’s violent kidnappings” as fascist, not the mayor or police chief or officers. The story dominated headlines for days.

The Bass camp also needled Raman that week after photos surfaced of the council member attending a happy hour on the day federal immigration authorities began raids in Los Angeles last summer, though Raman said she attended a protest that same day.

The Bass campaign sent out a news release calling it “Nithya Raman’s terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week.”

The attacks continued the next week after Raman said during the mayoral debate that the “gold standard” for LAPD’s noncooperation with immigration enforcement took place during the tenure of former LAPD Police Chief Daryl F. Gates.

Gates, a controversial chief accused of racist remarks during his tenure, headed the department during the 1991 videotaped beating of Rodney King and Bass said Raman’s comments showed she was “not really familiar with L.A., especially the Black community.”

Raman retorted that Bass was twisting her words, but later apologized, saying that mentioning Gates was painful for people across L.A.

The poll also asked respondents for the top priorities for the next mayor to address. Reducing the number of homeless encampments was by far the top answer, chosen by 43% of likely voters.

Tied for second place among top concerns was ensuring public safety and building more affordable housing, selected by 29% each.

Protecting immigrant communities was the third-most cited concern, with 21%, followed by balancing the city budget at 17%.

The One About Matthew Perry is a new documentary exploring the life of the late Friends star, who played Chandler Bing on the beloved sitcom, three years on from his tragic death

Famously the Friends theme tune features the lyric “I’ll be there for you”.

And in real life actor Matthew Perry had both family and friends looking out for him along the way for most of his 54 years. Best known as Chandler Bing, he was regularly the stand out comic actor in the sitcom, both with physical gags and his comic timing of lines.

But often away from the cameras and the fame, there were problems in his life and we see and hear about those in abundance in the new Netflix series. I didn’t expect to react strongly to The One About Matthew Perry, but his sister Mia Perry Bowick is a captivating and unflinching interviewee.

Ahead of watching the documentary, I couldn’t really understand why she had agreed to take part and what good could come from it. But she does an incredible job by balancing her words to pay tribute to a brother she loved dearly, at the same time as also explaining the difficulties and pain of him struggling and battling with addiction.

I felt I understood the issues around addiction and Matthew Perry much more after watching and had huge sympathy for him and Mia. Here was an incredibly intelligent and talented man trying to manage a career as an A-list star as he fights desperately to not drink or turn to drugs when he feels depressed.

Those that worked with him point to his comic timing, his willingness to help with script tweaks or tiny scene changes to make projects even better. But for all his successes he never seemed to be able to be completely happy.

Despite having lots of friends and women falling at his feet, he would sometimes feel alone, perhaps thinking back to a time he would be put on planes on his own as a child flying between him mum in Canada and his dad in Los Angeles after they had separated

In one archive interview he says: “The beliefs that I had were I was too needy, I wasn’t enough, and I didn’t matter. And my whole life was about trying to have those three things not be true.”

Mia elaborates and says: “He would talk about that feeling of kind of a sense of emptiness or loneliness that he couldn’t quite fill.”

His closest friends and girlfriends discuss a recurring theme of poor Matthew losing the battle over and over again with relapses, and then his death. At one stage Mia says tearfully: “I know that a lot of parts of him did not think it was possible for him to live a sober life.” Going back further Mia recalls the good times, when Matthew first landed the Friends job, and when she was being cuddled on set by his cast mates like Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox as a young girl.

Her brother could be ridiculously generous and bought her a Corvette car when she was 15 and regularly treated friends and girlfriends to expensive gifts too. He also wasn’t against putting his hand in his pocket to try to help solve his own problems as Mia highlights he spent $7million on rehab to try to get clean and stay sober.

But another scene that lives long in the memory is when Mia describes visiting him in rehab in 2001 and being unable to control her despair at the situation, running and hiding in a cupboard in tears until her brother came to get her.

“This was my big brother, my idolised big brother. He was the most special person on the planet. Just seeing him suffering, I was really scared for him.”

As she grew older she matured and found she was having to help him even more, rushing to hospital to his aid in 2018 just six weeks after she had given birth. He came out of a coma that time and was released from hospital against the odds after three months, but the hopes that this would be rock bottom only lasted a few years.

At times this series if a tough watch because it does not sugarcoat what happened and the issues around addiction. But this decision should be applauded. It is a million miles away from so many of the other “celebrity documentaries” released these days which gloss over the difficult moments over simplify what really happened.

Explaining her reasoning for taking part, Mia said: As his sister, he shaped who I am today, the person I strive to be, and the work to which I’ve devoted my life. Matthew had a beautiful heart and a generous spirit, and even in his darkest moments, he could still make you laugh and feel loved. I hope this series gives everyone who loved him, whether personally or from afar, a deeper appreciation for who he truly was, and the legacy he leaves behind.”

Mia, you were there for him, and along with director Mary Robertson you have done Matthew proud with this documentary.

VERDICT: A challenging and heartbreaking series *****

* The One About Matthew Perry premieres globally on Netflix on October 27.

Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat ,

Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .

DENISE Van Outen, 52, has flaunted her endless pins in tiny hotpants and fishnet tights for a sizzling snap.

The broadcaster, looked stunning as she paired the look with a cream faux‑fur jacket and chunky black boots – in her latest Instagram story.

Mum of one Denise styled her blonde shoulder-length hair poker straight as she appeared at HOUSE V INDIE with her old friend Johnny Vaughan.

Earlier this month, the screen star – who recently told how she feels sexier in a bikini in her Fifties than she did when she was younger – sizzled in a daring bondage style dress.

Denise uploaded a mirror selfie showing her black attire – complete with a studded cut-out panel top and a ruffle skirt.

Meanwhile, Denise recently told The Sun how she oozes confidence in sexy outfits – including her bikinis.

KATIE’S HELL

I’ve had death threats for falling in love with Eamonn, says Katie Alexander

DAME OVER

Queen of Scotty Road faces career ruin following disastrous Big Brother stint

She said: “When I was younger, I’d have thought by the time I’m in my fifties I wouldn’t wear a bikini any more, and would opt for a one-piece.

“But actually, I love seeing women in mid-life rocking bikinis — because why shouldn’t we?

“I’m 52 and when I put my bikini on I feel really good. I’m surprised because I always thought that as I got older, I’d want to cover up more, but actually I’ve grown in confidence.

“We care less what people think, and just want to look and feel good”.

Denise recently released her new single, Just Another Day, which came after a summer of her DJ gigs.

She is also booked to DJ at the upcoming wedding reception of Towie’s Joe Blackman and Junaid Ahmed.

DAVID Beckham has showed off his ripped torso in a shirtless snap from New York City – and made a subtle nod to his estranged son Brooklyn.

Brooklyn let loose on his family in a scathing social media post in January, with things remaining tense ever since.

David shared the stunning snap on Instagram, which showed him standing topless on a NYC balcony with his morning coffee.

In later posts, he revealed he was having dinner in Brooklyn — the place his son was named after.

This appeared to be a subtle nod to Brooklyn as his mum Victoria discovered she was pregnant there with him.

Brooklyn said at the start of the year that he did “not want to reconcile” with his family, and accused his parents of “controlling” the narrative.

IT’S ALPHA ROMEO

How Romeo has OVERTAKEN Brooklyn to become most successful Beckham brother

BECK & CALL

Brooklyn branded ‘accessory’ after Nicola no-shows & public ‘tense moments’

His initial statement read: “I have been silent for years and made every effort to keep these matters private.

“Unfortunately my parents and their team have continued to go to the press, leaving me with no choice but to speak for myself and tell the truth about only some of the lies that have been printed.

“I do not want to reconcile with my family. I’m not being controlled, I’m standing up for myself for the first time in my life.”

He then went on to recall the night of his wedding and how his mother danced in an “inappropriate way”.

Brooklyn also sent his parents David and Victoria a legal notice warning they can now contact him only via lawyers.

The extraordinary “desist” letter also instructed them not to “tag” him on social media.

Things then led to Brooklyn snubbing his father’s Hollywood star unveiling in June.

Just this month, Brooklyn let his shirt do the talking as he ramped up his family feud once more.

The telling ­message on Brooklyn’s top read: “It’s not clocking to you.” 

It refers to pop star Justin Bieber’s 2025 paparazzi meltdown, when he complained: “It’s not clocking to you I’m standing on business.” 

The singer meant photographers were not understanding he was busy and wanted to be left alone. 

RHIAN Sugden looked utterly sensational in her latest Instagram snaps, combining sexiness and sequins.

The former glamour model, 40, stripped down to a barely-there set of purple lingerie and posed up a storm for the camera.

Rhian looked over her shoulder in the set, which featured hot pink straps and a thong-style panty.

Her brunette hair fell beautifully down her back in soft waves, with her face framing pieces drawing attention to her pink pout.

The star finished the look off with a sparkly silver sequin bolero shrugged off down to her elbows.

Fans of Rhian’s gushed all about her beauty in the post’s comments section.

‘IT’S HARD’

Rhian Sugden admits marriage is under strain and she sleeps apart from husband

RED HOT

Rhian Sugden looks hotter than hell in sexy red lingerie after celebrating her 40th

One user said in utter awe: “Just wow”.

A second shared: “Absolutely gorgeous.”

Meanwhile a third added: “What a stunner.”

The post comes shortly after Rhian opened up about her marriage being under strain, admitting that she sleeps in a separate bed to her husband.

Speaking on the Private Parts podcast, Rhian explained: “The thing that’s changed our marriage is having [a] child.

“Like, we’re like strangers at the minute. It’s hard. Even when we go on holiday, we’re not really getting much time alone.

“George just didn’t sleep as a baby, and I was like, I can’t do this. Just get him in bed.

“So we’ve just bought him a double bed and now I’m in George’s bedroom.”

Rhian and Oliver began dating in 2013 and tied the knot in Turkey in 2018.

They welcomed their son George together back in 2024 after a five-year long journey with IVF.

HOLLY Ramsay gave a peek at her blossoming baby bump as she struck a series of poses in the autumn sunshine.

Chef Gordon Ramsay’s middle daughter, 26, revealed she was expecting her first child, a baby girl, with husband Adam Peaty, 31, in June.

The influencer has previously showcased her maternity style in a series of stylish snaps as well as while on holiday in Miami.

Now Holly has posted side-profile in a tight-fitting black top to show off her bump in full glory.

Holly beamed as she stepped out in the autumn sunshine, pulling on a leather jacket, designer Louis Vuitton rucksack and sunglasses to complete her trendy look.

She placed her hands protectively on her belly as she raised her face to the sunshine.

OUT OF HIS DEPTH

Adam Peaty is ‘more isolated than ever’ with wife Holly in latest move

sad loss

Pregnant Holly Ramsay shares heartbreak after her beloved dog dies

The mum-to-be shared other snippets of her life including a carved pumpkin, her husband Adam cuddling his son George, five, from his relationship with ex-girlfriend Eirianedd Munro, and a coffee trip out.

In her caption she wrote: “I heart October”.

One fan was quick to react and put: “The cutest baby bump”.

A second added: “The bump is perf”.

A third put: “You look like you’re glowing! I hope you have an easy quick delivery. Being a mom is the greatest. Best of luck!”

Last month, Holly flashed her growing baby bump in a stylish co-ord with fans claiming she’s “glowing” during her first pregnancy.

Although her maternity experience has been in part overshadowed by her spouse’s family feud.

He has been estranged from his mum Caroline and the rest of his clan for the last 12 months, with all members of the Peaty family – other than his sister – not appearing at his wedding to Holly in December.

Recently, Adam opened up on his wider family feud and said “there has to be forgiveness”.

We also reported that he is “more isolated than ever” as the bad blood rumbles on

TOMMY Fury hinted he’s ready to grant Molly-Mae Hague’s wish for more children after purchasing a £150,000 Range Rover on Thursday.

The boxer showed off his sleek new vehicle, a black seven-seater shortly after collecting it from a local dealer in Knutsford, Cheshire.

Taking to Instagram, Tommy, 27, gave his followers a first glimpse at the family friendly four-wheel drive and its luxury interiors – but admitted he still has some way to go before he can fill every seat.

Captioning the post, he wrote: “A treat to myself today. 7 seats… just need to fill them now.”

The update comes after Molly-Mae, 27, revealed she is open to the possibility of having more children – just four months after welcoming her second child with Tommy.

The influencer, who has spoken of juggling mum guilt and her career, previously told how she was happily content with two kids following the birth of her son, Midas, in June.

READ MORE ABOUT TOMMY HERE:

EIGHT TO SAY IT

Jake Paul withdraws ‘eight-figure’ offer to Fury after Brit snubs rematch

GLOVE AT FIRST SIGHT

KSI’s secret girlfriend was ‘f***ing terrified’ about Tommy Fury fight

But in her latest vlog Molly-Mae, who is also mum to three-year-old Bambi, shared with her YouTube fans that she is having a change of heart – and “wants to have more babies”.

She said: “This baby right here and his cuteness makes me want to have more babies. And I was so adamant that I factually didn’t want any more babies.

“I have a lot to talk to you guys about really, because I am having a lot of thoughts …

“Do you know what I mean? I am sorry but looking at him makes me want to have another baby, which is deeply concerning”.

Molly-Mae then told how she struggled to keep her “head above water” with both one and two children and quizzed how she would managed with a third.

She added: “Maybe I am just having a weird month where I am thinking ‘maybe I do want another one’”.

In June, Molly-Mae said she was “ready to stop at two”.

She said: “I’m 99.99 per cent sure I only want to have two children. So, as much as I want to give Bambi a sister… I also feel like I’m ready to stop at two.

“So the fact we were blessed with a boy and we have a son is just genuinely… we couldn’t be luckier and I couldn’t be happier and I just can’t process that we have a boy.

“I just can’t believe it guys, like we literally have a son, that will never feel real.”

Molly-Mae previously disclosed a ‘terrifying’ health scare involving her baby son Midas.

The former Love Island star said her four-month-old boy has become so poorly that she recently took him to be checked by a doctor after initially thinking he had caught his first cold.

Molly-Mae, who shares Midas and three-year-old daughter Bambi with boxer Tommy, said: “The doctor actually thinks he’s got… she wasn’t really sure, but she was like, ‘It does sound a bit like RSV, which can be really serious in babies.”

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) usually causes cold-like symptoms but can be dangerous for young babies. It can lead to bronchiolitis, a chest infection that can cause breathing difficulties and sometimes requires hospital treatment.

DO you love the theatre, gigs and stand-up but the prices make you wince?

You don’t need to spend a fortune though – as there are bags of secret loopholes and clever hacks to experience all sorts of culture, from Shakespearean plays to comedy gigs and arena concerts for virtually nothing.

Before you know it, you could be gushing to your mates about the “must-see” West End musical or cool band you saw – and you don’t even have to bankrupt yourself. Here’s how to get the best deals…

TodayTix

This app lets people book highly discounted last-minute tickets to West End and off-West End shows.

It operates worldwide, so if you are on holiday in New York you could pick up a Broadway bargain, too.

Our reporter saw the hit play The Book of Mormon for a knockdown price in the Big Apple, booking in the morning, and it was problem-free. But we’ve also taken advantage of their “rush tickets” and “digital lotteries”.

Rush tickets go on sale inside the app on the day, usually at 10am, and get you seats for a fraction of the price – typically £25 to £30.

Shows including The Devil Wears Prada and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child are included among the options.

Lottery tickets are picked from a pool – the most famous example is Hamilton, which usually sells out months in advance. People can “win” them for as little as £10.

Our reporter won £10 lottery tickets to see Orlando Bloom get his kit off in Killer Joe in the West End in 2018 via TodayTix – so it really works!

SeatFillers UK

This connects slow-filling productions and gigs with eager audience members… it’s win-win.

Called ‘papering’, it’s a technique theatre producers use to fill empty seats and create buzz.

However, while the app is free and used nationwide – you submit your county and where else you might like to watch things – we can’t actually tell you what could come up for grabs.

Because some audience members will have paid full price for tickets, you’re strictly forbidden from shouting out: “I’ve got a freebie!” so discretion is a must.

Central Tickets

If you can be discreet, then Central Tickets will be perfect for you. Like SeatFillers UK, it’s free to join and it works on the same principle.

You get tickets to gigs, the opera, dance, shows and comedy shows for between £4 and £15. It’s got a 4.9 out of 5 Trustpilot rating with more than 3,000 reviews.

The cash goes towards an admin fee – but they also raise money for NHS Charities Together.

The Audience Club

This costs £5 a year – or is free if you’re a Blue Light Card or Defence Privilege Card holder.

It’s largely London-based, but is perfect if you live in or near the capital or regularly visit and love the arts.

You can browse hundreds of shows, including West End ones. But it also offers quirky, niche plays – great if you love branching out a bit!

ShowFilmFirst

Founded in 2001, don’t let the name fool you – this isn’t just a movie seat-filler platform; they also offer theatre, comedy, music and days out.

Happily, it’s free to join and it’s not just London. You can find offers as far afield as Manchester, Birmingham, Bath, Cardiff, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Leeds, Bristol, Belfast, Nottingham, Brighton, Southampton and even more.

There’s only one catch – afterwards you have to fill out a quick survey… but that’s nothing for a free experience!

My Box Office

You can either choose a lifetime membership for £12.99 or an annual membership for £5. Once signed up, you’re offered seats through papering – usually paying an admin fee of around £1 to £5 per show.

They deliver access to more than 42,000 events, from burlesque to cabaret and even sports.

Tickets For Good

This initiative requires a small booking fee but gives free tickets to major events for NHS staff, contractors, students, teachers, education staff and charity staff.

It also gives tickets to volunteers and people associated with The Ticket Bank – those who might face barriers that make it trickier to access live events, for example, unpaid carers.

It operates across the UK, so people might see anything from West End musicals to stand-up comedy, and UK music festivals to live sporting events.

National Theatre Concessions

London’s National Theatre offers £10 tickets to 16–25-year-olds – and you don’t have to live in the capital. You can book online.

Additionally, every Friday the theatre issues a limited number of “friday rush” tickets for the subsequent week – even for sold-out shows!

With actors like Jodie Comer, Andrew Garfield, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jonny Lee Miller, Judi Dench, Ian McKellen, Andrew Scott and Hugh Jackman having trod the boards there, bargain tickets are a win.

Royal Shakespeare Company

If you’re Midlands-based, then a trip to Shakespeare’s birthplace, Stratford-upon-Avon, might be in order.

The RSC offers £10 tickets for 14–25-year-olds for shows performed there.

The discount is available on its website here. Not Bard going!

Festival ballots and free tickets

Live near a major UK festival? Then check if they run residents’ lotteries for free shows or heavily discounted tickets.

Our reporter snagged free tickets to see Skepta and The Streets thanks to a lotto win in Crystal Palace, London, and bagged cheap tickets to see Blondie, Iggy Pop and Noel Gallagher for the same reason.

But similar schemes exist if you live close in other parts of London, Sheffield, Winchester, Oxon, Dorset and Bucks.

You can similarly volunteer at many festivals and receive free tickets.

Occasionally this offer is emailed directly to local residents, as with above, but bigger charities also offer it for events like Glastonbury.

Writer Becky Pemberton told how her friend watched Glastonbury in 2022 for free, having volunteered.

Meanwhile, she enjoyed the event too as she helped out at a toasted cheese sandwich stand which she found out about through “word of mouth”.

She said: “I worked on a cheese toasty stand and got a free ticket for Glastonbury in 2022 (plus fed during shifts!).

“I did it by Pyramid Stage and saw Billie Eilish and Diana Ross. My friend also volunteered for the charity WaterAid and got in for free too. We’d meet up after our shifts and danced the night away into the early hours without having paid a penny!”

Visit WaterAid here and Oxfam here.

Sit in the audience at massive BBC shows like Strictly

This is all done by a random draw – but you might get lucky!

From Strictly to Bookclub, there are loads on offer and they come up all the time. Crucially, they take place all over the UK, with shows being filmed in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Leeds, London and Margate.

If you fancy your luck visit the Beeb’s site here.

A wave of youth-led protests has returned to the streets of India’s capital, Delhi, after media reports revealed that the Electoral Commission removed about 130 million names from voter lists.

These protests differ from the unrest that exploded in July, though, by the attacks on the media.

Dozens of journalists and content creators have been detained, assaulted or blocked from doing their jobs. But tightening the screws on critical reporting doesn’t appear to be working, as a new generation rises to challenge the government.

Contributors:
Saba Naqvi – Author and journalist
Smita Sharma – Multimedia journalist
Shyam Meera Singh – Founder, Strike Originals
Sushant Singh – Lecturer, Yale University

On our radar

Pakistan has declared a state of emergency in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, following protests calling for the release of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The state’s response has followed a familiar pattern: A media blackout and internet shutdown, while casting protesters as rebels.

Reporter: Tariq Nafi

The rise of digital micro-Bolsonaros

It’s been more than three years since Jair Bolsonaro fell from power, yet the right-wing movement he started is still without a clear leader. Into that gap has stepped a new crop of young evangelical political influencers, who are tapping into a decades-old religious media machine to build their audience.

Their viral content ricochets across social feeds, mobilising followers and voters in ways old-school politicians just can’t match.

The Listening Post’s Nicholas Muirhead reports on Brazil’s evangelical influencers and the political space they are looking to take over.

Featuring: 
Anna Virginia Balloussier – Journalist, Folha De Sao Paulo
Caro Evangelista – Executive director, Iser
Magali Cunha – Editor-in-chief, Berreia Project

John McLellan is not old enough to have a driver’s license at 13 years old, but the Redondo Beach teenager has been racing kart cars at speeds nearing 80 mph in Italy this month.

Last week, he had a breakthrough performance, finishing third among 117 drivers representing 33 countries at the FIA Karting World Cup OK-N Junior Final at Leopard Circuit Viterbo, Italy.

His father, John Sr., sent him to Italy for four weeks to compete for Sweden-based Ward Racing.

“Dad is on him all the time,” his father said. “Do your homework, brush your teeth.”

“Yes and yes,” John Jr. said this week after returning home.

John Jr. is enrolled in a Texas-based online middle school to help with his unpredictable traveling schedule. He had been a club soccer player until deciding racing is what he wants to do.

First he was into motocross at age 6. After an accident resulting in a broken hand and broken collarbone, kart racing became his specialty, with a dream of racing Formula 1 cars.

John McLellan, 13, in his Kart car.

(Matteo Segago)

His mother is from Australia and his father is a Torrance native who chose racing motorcycles over playing high school soccer. Like father, like son.

“He loves it,” John Sr. said. “What kid wouldn’t want to race cars?”

John said of the strangeness driving high speeds at 13: “Whenever you have a kid going 80 mph without a driver’s license and going to middle school, you would think that’s absolute carnage and crazy. Karting is just a very competitive sport.”

The average lap speeds are 56 mph. John wants to attend a regular high school when he enters ninth grade next year, so whether it’s Rolling Hills Prep or Redondo Union, new friends need to know they’re hanging out with a teenager who, as Tom Cruise said in “Top Gun,” “I feel the need … the need for speed.”

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.

The biggest tech battles many people face are things like frequent two-factor authentication, a time suck that makes you want to hurl a device across the room, and sigh-inducing texts to parents letting them know that the video of a cat cooking eggs they 100% believe is real is actually AI slop.

But in “Cupertino,” the legal minds at the center of the show are taking on more consequential tech disputes in the courtroom.

The series joins a wave of recent films and TV shows exploring and confronting the rapidly evolving tech sector. Created by Robert and Michelle King, veterans of the legal drama genre with shows like “The Good Wife” and its spinoff “The Good Fight,” the Silicon Valley-set courtroom drama is interested in David vs. Goliath tension. It follows Michael Price (Mike Colter), an attorney fired by his tech startup employer S-Talk, as he teams up with fellow ousted lawyer Olivia Siffre (Rachel Keller) to launch their own ad-hoc law firm to take on cases — including their own — for everyday people against tech giants.

“There are big companies that have a lot of money, deep pockets — they could suffocate you, they can bog you down in litigation to the point where you can’t financially match them,” Colter said. “They’re planning on people just rolling over because they don’t want to deal with it. That’s where Michael and Olivia come in. We get the justice for people who otherwise won’t see any. I’m just excited and intrigued by the stories they [the Kings] want to tell here.”

The Kings’ exploration of tech’s litigation underbelly arrives at at a critical moment. High-stakes conflicts over artificial intelligence, data privacy, workplace culture, antitrust laws and other issues are dominating the news and defining our modern era. “The headlines, the way that it lines up is crazy,” Keller said. “It’s really important some of the cases they’re bringing to the show — real things that are happening to real people.”

But the show’s origins are grounded in personal history — Robert grew up in San José; his father worked on mainframes for IBM and the now-defunct Control Data Corp. before personal computers took over — and a desire to bring a fresh backdrop to the Kings’ signature legal drama style.

“When you go back and visit family, you started to see how Silicon Valley — we just call it the Bay Area — was changing,” Robert said. “Not only in the make of cars that everyone was buying, but in these massive offices that were taking over suburban streets; homes were just being plowed under and house values were going up. There was good and bad. It started with that — how much it was changing the world.”

They were also inspired to explore a new legal angle: “It felt like other shows weren’t really looking at the way tech was impacting the law,” he said.

“We were less interested in looking at the tech titans than the Davids of this world — the people that were fighting them,” Michelle added. But she stresses the show is not anti-tech or meant to be a soapbox, even while showing the power everyday people can and do wield: “It wasn’t created to be vegetables. It’s created to be crème brûlée — it’s meant to be funny, or tasty. If it isn’t delicious to people, I really feel as though we’ve wasted our time.”

Fans of “The Good Wife” or “The Good Fight” are familiar with how the Kings turned emerging tech issues — particularly ones involving Google, Amazon or Facebook — into narrative catalysts for cases. It was often through the lens of a fictional tech giant known as ChumHum, a Google-like search engine created by a guy named Neil Gross (John Benjamin Hickey), that got embroiled in a variety of cases, including ones about secrecy and search result modifications. “Cupertino” blends real and fictitious companies.

The second episode of the CBS drama aired Thursday. We spoke with the Kings to unpack some of the cases they chose to kick off the season.

Poll shows right-wing candidate with two percent advantage over Lula going into second round of voting on October 25.

A new poll has found that right-wing Senator Flavio Bolsonaro maintains a slight lead over President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva as the two candidates seek an edge ahead of Brazil’s tense October 25 run-off vote.

A Quaest poll released on Thursday found that Bolsonaro, son of former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, would receive 46 percent of the vote compared to Lula’s 44 percent, a difference within the two-percent margin of error.

Bolsonaro outperformed expectations during the first round of voting on October 4, beating Lula by less than two points despite most polls suggesting that the leftist president was on track for a marginal first-round win. Neither candidate secured a majority that would have avoided a run-off.

The poll, the first released by Quaest since the initial round of voting, shows that Bolsonaro has held onto his lead and remains the favourite heading into the second round.

Lula has sought to rally his supporters after the October 4 loss, holding large rallies that have drawn millions of people onto the street.

While Bolsonaro has remained ahead in the polls, analysts have pointed out that he has not benefitted as much from the elimination of several conservative candidates, whose supporters would presumably prefer him to Lula, as might have been expected after the first round.

Bolsonaro has made progress securing endorsements from right and centre-right parties, however, seeking to consolidate support from conservatives and build a coalition friendly to business interests and a policy agenda sought by investors.

Brazil’s Senate approved a constitutional amendment on Wednesday reducing the country’s maximum workweek from 44 to 40 hours per week without a reduction in pay, delivering a key priority for Lula as the president presses his case to an electorate that is anxious about cost-of-living issues.

“Today is a day to celebrate a historic achievement for millions of workers,” Lula said in a statement. “This means having more time to live, rest, be with family, watch your children grow up, take care of yourself, and enjoy life. Those who work so hard to build Brazil also deserve to have time to live.”

The president also recently banned sports betting, which had caused an explosion of gambling addiction and contributed to surging household debt across the country.