The B&B owners faced a fiery clash as tensions mounted on payment day and one guest commented on another’s appearance.
16:32, 22 Aug 2026Updated 16:32, 22 Aug 2026
A guest on Four in a Bed made a shocking comment about ‘fat people’ (Image: Channel 4)
Guests on Four in a Bed faced a fiery clash after comments were made about one contestant’s appearance.
The Channel 4 programme returned with a series of repeat episodes on Saturday, August 22, which saw tensions rise between Lancashire couple, Stu and Ali, and their competitors.
On payment day, The Dog Inn owners discovered they’d been underpaid by a total of £27.90, after hearing feedback about dirty dishcloths and a lack of a hairdryer.
“It didn’t surprise us, but still, it is upsetting when you get underpaid,” Stu admitted at one point, while their competitors maintained that the standards of cleanliness they discovered were “unacceptable”.
Things took a turn for the worse however when Stu and Ali faced their turn to deliver feedback, reports Lancs Live. Earlier in the week of filming, they’d stayed at Julie and Sarah’s property in the Lake District, Ullswater View.
And while other guests were impressed, Stu and Ali weren’t too happy. In the property, they discovered a bath robe didn’t fit Stu, as he quipped at the time: “One size does not fit all.”
And they had another complaint over the bedding, claiming the single beds put together to form a double were “useless”. “It’s just wrong, isn’t it?” Stu said, as Ali claimed “it took away the romance and intimacy”.
Reading their complaints, Julie and Sarah had fumed: “Stu and Ali’s comments were really stupid, and a bit of an insult.”
They then clashed with the Lancashire couple over the dressing gown situation, as Stu explained: “It’s super nice that you provide that for people, but it is just large, XL, so if you do get fat people like me coming in, you don’t provide for them. So I had to put both of them on to cover myself. So if your guests are of a larger size, maybe you say, would you like me to replace the dressing gown?”
Julie at first replied: “To be fair, we don’t get a lot of big people because it is very outdoorsy,” before Stu said: “Big people can walk outdoors.”
“Well they don’t tend to walk up fells,” Julie hit back, leaving Ali and Stu speechless. She went on: “I think you’re then pointing it out, and if somebody is sensitive to the fact that they’re big, I think they might be offended.”
Ali said: “You just said fat people can’t go up hills.” As Julie claimed the dressing gowns are one size, Stu said: “But everybody isn’t are they? Enough said.”
“It could have got quite heated,” Julie later admitted, while Ali told cameras: “To say that normally people of a larger size don’t come here because there’s walking…” Stu added: “Bit rude, wasn’t it?”
Fifth in a series of stories profiling top high school football players by position. Today, Vincent Shields, Murrieta Valley offensive lineman.
For those who love dogs, offensive tackle Vincent Shields of Murrieta Valley High needs to be on your must-invite list. His mother and father run a dog training business. There are five dogs living at their home. All the female dogs are named after Disney characters. Vincent swears dogs can be trained to do anything, like open the refrigerator.
He just got a golden retriever puppy named Nala, the wife of Simba from “The Lion King.” The question is will Shields train her to rush the passer so he can practice his blocking techniques against someone with agility and a hunger to do anything for biscuits?
“That would be a good challenge,” he said.
The football journey of the 6-foot-6, 285-pound junior involves a change of positions, a change in eating habits and a recognition he has found his calling.
“He’s a freak athlete,” former Murrieta Valley offensive line coach Alex Rosenblum said. “That kid has had an amazing offseason.”
Teammates share a laugh with Vincent Shields as he engages in a power lifting exercise.
(Sandy Huffaker / For The Times)
By the end of the summer, Shields was nearing 20 scholarship offers after just one season as an offensive lineman. That’s what happens when college recruiters discover someone with size, good footwork and the ability to improve.
He started at right tackle last season for a school that has been producing outstanding linemen.
“We love to run the ball,” Shields said.
He was a defensive end as a freshman before Rosenblum convinced him to become a blocker. It opened a path that Shields has embraced.
“He told me at the end of my freshman year, ‘You’re going to start and if you make a mistake, it’s OK. Everything is a learning experience.’ I made mistakes and he was supportive,” Shields said.
He has been receiving private instruction to understand his role of blocking specific defenders and adjusting when linebackers blitz. All that was thrown at him as a sophomore, so it was no surprise he had some offside penalties. A year later, there’s no telling how dominant he can become.
“It takes a different person to play O-line,” he said. “It’s violent and that takes a special person. Not everyone is meant for the mental part and physical part. Are you going to take another man against his will and drive him down the field?”
Murrieta Valley offensive tackle Vincent Shields, center, does exercises during practice.
(Sandy Huffaker / For The Times)
Shields said he has been playing tackle football since he was 11. He was primarily a linebacker to take advantage of his athleticism. Then he started to grow and eat and eat.
Those were the days he loved French fries, chips, hamburgers and anything fried. He once ordered three 4×4 burgers from In-N-Out, which is four beef patties and four slices of cheese. He used to order from Chick-fil-A two chicken sandwiches, four chicken strips and 10 chicken nuggets.
Then he learned about nutrition and choices. He’s been eating steak and grilled chicken lately.
“I’ve done a good job shedding the bad weight,” he said.
His father, a former Marine, likes to cook, so everyone is watching Shields’ eating habits. He’s 17 with an appetite like a dog.
And speaking of dogs, the family has Shields’ golden retriever, a Rottweiler named Fancy, a giant schnauzer named Goose and two Belgian Malinois named Hero and Baymax.
That’s enough dogs to form a starting offensive line. But one of them has to beat out Shields, who intends to cause a whole lot of trouble blocking opponents over the next two seasons.
“I can’t wait,” he said. “You’re going to see a jump and a lot of people are going to wonder how it happened.”
Third in a series of stories profiling top high school football players by position. Today, Austin Miller, Bellflower receiver.
Dozens of college football recruiters traveling in their rental cars to powerhouse St. John Bosco have learned there’s a new must-stop place on the way to Bellflower.
“Don’t come through Bellflower and not come through Bellflower,” is the motto of Bellflower High, where the emergence of 6-foot-5, 200-pound sophomore receiver Austin Miller is proving to be as attractive as a stop at In-N-Out.
“Bosco is a great program, but we don’t take a backseat to anyone,” said the 15-year-old Austin , whose father, Keith, is the head coach. “We’re here to put Bellflower on the map.”
Videographers covering Bellflower games know Austin is capable of dong something spectacular at any moment because of his speed, size, athleticism and jumping ability. He caught 35 passes for 609 yards and eight touchdowns as a freshman. He rushed for 885 yards and 13 touchdowns. He had four sacks and 35 tackles.
Imagine the highlight films coming this season with added strength and a maturing body.
He’s been fed hundreds of footballs from a Jugs machine to develop hands that don’t drop passes. He has the size and physicality of a tight end, which creates mismatches with smaller cornerbacks. He has no sympathy.
“As a receiver being bigger than everybody, you play to your advantage,” he said.
Because he has been playing multiple sports since he was young, versatility is his superpower, allowing him to catch passes, block, sack quarterbacks from the edge or play any position his father needs him to play.
Just hearing him describe the importance of blocking as a receiver shows the effect having a coach as a father has had on him.
“My dad taught me staying low, driving through your hips and making sure you block for your teammates like they block for you,” he said. “For receivers, sometimes you watch the play instead of doing your job. The biggest thing is putting your man in the dirt. Being bigger receiver, taking contact and delivering contact is a big thing for me.”
Austin is one of those rare teenagers who looks and acts like someone destined to reach the highest level possible because of his physical gifts and mental outlook. He committed to Ohio State in June even though he has three seasons left of high school football. His goals are high, and he feels the Buckeyes are the perfect landing place to fulfill his dreams.
Austin Miller, a 15-year-old sophomore receiver, is helping bring attention to Bellflower’s football program.
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)
His parents wanted nothing to do with the flavor of the month, holdbacks. It has become so common that most assume a top freshman or sophomore are holdbacks, which means repeating a grade or two to look for a competitive advantage in high school.
Austin welcomes competition of any and all ages, seeing it as a worthy challenge and a path that will only make him better. He certainly more than held his own as a 14-year-old playing against some 19-year-olds.
To understand his journey, you have to go back years and visualize the scene from his days as an 11-year-old.
“We’d wake up, go to football practice, go to basketball practice, go to baseball practice, then work out more,” he said.
Keith Miller wanted the chance to become a head coach after being an assistant to his brother, Jason, who’s coached at Bellflower, Verbum Dei and Leuzinger among his stops. With Austin and his talented friends serving as the early believers, Miller is trying to build a program from the ground up.
“The college coaches say they respect what we are doing,” Austin said. “We don’t take a back seat to any school.”
There’s also a little bit of pride in father and son proving that talent isn’t just found at top private schools. When a public school kid gains similar attention, it makes him a community hero for life.
Austin is certainly headed on that path. He’s embraced the idea that you can be the youngest on a field and still be one of the best through hard work, dedication, preparation and a belief in yourself.
Friday: Luke Gazzaniga, Santa Margarita tight end.
Receivers to watch
Nico Bland, Orange Lutheran, 6-1, 185, Sr.: Arizona State commit led Lancers with 57 catches
Charles Davis, Westlake, 6-5, 205, Sr.: Cal commit has size and speed
Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy.
The U.S. Navy is planning to acquire 31 E-130J Phoenix II aircraft to replace 16 E-6B Mercury planes now in service. This will nearly double the number of planes the service has configured to perform the Take Charge And Move Out (TACAMO) mission. TACAMO involves providing aerial command and control support for nuclear ballistic missile submarines, including the ability to send them orders to launch strikes while they are submerged. Platforms assigned nuclear support missions like this are commonly called ‘doomsday planes.’
The total planned E-130J fleet size was included in a recently released Pentagon report. The so-called Modernized Selected Acquisition Report (MSAR) was produced as part of work on the U.S. military’s proposed Fiscal Year 2027 budget and is dated April 21, 2026. The report also acknowledges risks to the program associated with operational availability, which the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has previously highlighted publicly. Aviation Weekwas first to report on the new E-130J MSAR.
One of the E-6B Mercury jets that the E-130Js Phoenix IIs are slated to replace. USAF
In terms of the acquisition plan, the Navy currently expects to acquire six pre-production E-130Js to support the type’s ongoing development, as well as 25 production examples. The service had only previously disclosed that it would be buying six aircraft as part of the development phase and that the initial low-rate production run would comprise three to six additional planes. Whether some or all of the pre-production Phoenix IIs might ultimately be used operationally is unknown.
The MSAR says the estimated Program Acquisition Unit Cost (PAUC), which factors in research and development costs, for all 31 E-130Js, was $732.8 million apiece as of April. The Average Procurement Unit Cost (APUC) for just the 25 production examples, which also does not include research and development costs, was pegged at $360.9 million each. The report also says that these PAUC and the APUC figures are both lower – by 3.29 and 2.64 percent, respectively – than the baseline estimates as of December 2024.
As noted, the E-130Js, which are being converted from four-engine turboprop C-130J-30 Hercules cargo planes, are set to replace the existing fleet of E-6Bs. The Mercury aircraft are based on the larger, jet-engined Boeing 707 airliner. The E-6Bs first began entering service in an earlier E-6A configuration in 1989, and were some of the last 707-based planes ever produced. They were subsequently brought up to the current standard in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and have received additional upgrades since then. The Mercury fleet currently also supports a U.S. Air Force nuclear mission set called the Airborne Command Post (ABNCP), and more commonly known by the nickname Looking Glass. That mission entails providing aerial command and control support to nuclear-capable bombers and silo-based Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles. As part of this role, E-6Bs are equipped to initiate the launch of Minuteman IIIs while in flight. We will come back to this later on, as the stated plan now is for the Phoenix II planes to be capable of supporting the TACAMO mission only.
The first C-130J-30 Hercules airframe destined to be converted into a pre-production E-130J is rolled out in 2025. USN
Overall, the April MSAR for the E-130J says the “program is on track and executing to the APB [Acquisition Program Baseline].”
“An Integrated Baseline Review (IBR) was conducted September 23-26, 2025 and formally closed on February 24, 2026. All actions resulting from IBR Findings have been successfully resolved,” the report adds. “Preliminary Design Review (PDR) for the first test aircraft configuration (AV1) was conducted March 31-April 1, 2026 with the full system PDR planned for July 2026.”
However, the report also lists a risk associated with “Operational Availability,” but says that “additional details can be found at the classified level.”
This is in line with concerns raised publicly by GAO, a Congressional watchdog, starting last year.
“The C-130J aircraft – selected 4 years before E-130J’s development start – may not meet operational availability requirements. The E-130J’s technical risk assessment highlighted the complexity associated with integrating E-130J systems onto this aircraft,” GAO warned in a report published in June 2025. “The Navy’s technical risk assessment team expects the integration risks to translate to manufacturing issues given the potential deviation from standard components and the security environment required.”
A rendering of an E-130J Phoenix II. Northrop Grumman
“As we reported in last year’s assessment, the Navy awarded its contract despite significant technical risks it acknowledged the E-130J program faced. A September 2024 independent technical risk assessment highlighted the complexity associated with the program’s planned integration effort, which officials acknowledged could increase as they integrate additional technologies,” per another GAO report released just last month. “Since our 2024 report, the program has delayed its low-rate production decision by approximately a year as these system integration risks have morphed into realities.”
“For example, program officials said that contractors are now focused on modifying already-existing mission systems to reduce their weight, which the independent assessment anticipated would be necessary to accommodate them on the C-130J-30 airframe,” the July 2026 GAO report added.
GAO also said in that report that the Navy “acknowledges technical risk,” but also that the service had highlighted “risk reduction contracts with subcontractors to address obsolescence and size, weight, and power-cooling risks.”
Generally speaking, aircraft assigned the TACAMO mission require a highly specialized and extremely reliable communications suite to ensure they can perform under what could be extremely challenging conditions. Each E-6B notably has the ability to reel out a five-mile-long antenna to communicate with submerged submarines. The E-130J will have a very similar, if not identical, antenna system. Hardening against electro-magnetic pulses (EMP), which would be produced during the detonation of nuclear warheads, is another key requirement for these planes.
Brandon Williams, Under Secretary of Energy for Nuclear Security and Administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), at left, stands with Navy personnel next to an E-6B Mercury. This picture offers a good look at the red-and-white-colored drogue attached to the end of one of the plane’s five-mile-long communications antennas. NNSA
“Due to the highly sensitive and distinct strategic command and communications missions, the E-130J programs are managed with a zero-tolerance posture for foreign exploitation,” the April MSAR also highlights. “Program Protection is governed by stringent, continuously enforced plans addressing all Technology Security and Foreign Disclosure (TS&FD) elements, including Supply Chain Assurance and robust Information Assurance. Additional details are available in a classified environment.”
In the past, TWZ has discussed the potential operational readiness and other tradeoffs that could come from selecting a C-130-based platform to replace the 707-based E-6B in the TACAMO role. As we wrote previously:
“It’s certainly worth pointing out that the E-6Bs, conversions of what were some of the last and most modern 707 airliners built, were larger and higher performance platforms than the EC-130Qs. The C-130J-30 is certainly a more capable aircraft than the C-130H on which the EC-130Q was based, but it won’t have the base speed and altitude capabilities of an airliner-sized multi-engine jet. Compared to the Mercuries, any TACAMO-configured C-130J-30 would not be able to get on station as quickly, or fly as high, limiting its ability to get above bad weather or establish a better line of sight for its communications systems.”
“At the same time, as the Navy itself has noted, the C-130J-30 platform does immediately open up the ability to use a larger number of air bases, airports, and airfields, including austere ones that the E-6B cannot operate from. This could be very useful in a contingency scenario where an opponent may have destroyed or otherwise rendered unusable many well-established bases, as well as larger secondary dispersal sites, which include large commercial airports. Being able to fly from smaller, tertiary locations could help to ensure that the TACAMO mission continues without significant disruption under such circumstances. This is also true during peacetime as targeting the TACAMOs on the ground would be much harder if they could easily operate from and sit alert at a much larger number of airports.”
“A C-130J-30 configured for the TACAMO mission would certainly have a mid-air refueling capability and the Hercules is already a platform that has demonstrated the ability to loiter over particular areas for long periods of time. Unlike the Boeing 707, the C-130J is still in production, as well, meaning that TACAMO aircraft based on this plane would be inherently easier to maintain and support logistically, and may also be easier to convert to this specialized configuration to begin with. As time goes on, the J looks set to increasingly become the default base C-130 model across the U.S. military, as well. Compared to the long out of production 707-based E-6, support for the C-130J is already distributed across the U.S., and beyond. Training C-130J crews is even an easier proposition.”
How exactly operational considerations factored into the decision regarding the E-130J fleet size is unknown. There are additional tradeoffs to having a larger total fleet, but it should offer strategic readiness benefits based on available airframes alone. It is worth noting here that the Navy did operate TACAMO aircraft based on older C-130 variants before the E-6A entered service.
The US Navy operated a fleet of EC-130Q TACAMO aircraft like the one seen here before the arrival of the E-6As. USN
There is no debate that the aging E-6Bs are becoming increasingly more challenging to operate and sustain. The Mercury fleet has been further strained over the years given the need to use operational aircraft to support training demands. The Navy is now utilizing a contractor-owned, but government-operated (COGO) Boeing 737NG airliner to support pilot training requirements. This follows an abortive plan to convert an ex-Royal Air Force E-3D Sentry airborne early warning and control aircraft, another Boeing 707-based type, into a dedicated TE-6B crew trainer, which came to a halt last year, as TWZ was first to report.
The ex-Royal Air Force E-3D seen in the process of being converted into the TE-6B trainer before that effort was abandoned. USN
To avoid any gaps in TACAMO coverage, the Navy has also said it will phase out the E-6Bs only as the new E-130Js enter service, which means that Mercury aircraft will have to keep flying until the transition is deemed complete. The initial operational capability timeline for the Phoenix II is currently classified, but the April MSAR says initial operational test and evaluation (IOT&E) is not set to start until June 2033, at the earliest. Completion of IOT&E is not automatically required for an IOC declaration.
As mentioned, despite the fleet size target, the E-130J is not set to take on the ABNCP/Looking Glass mission, at least currently. The Air Force is still in the very early stages of acquiring what it is currently calling Looking Glass-Next (LG-N) to assume this role. Among the questions still to be answered, at least that we know, is how many total planes the service will need to meet those mission requirements. Leveraging the forthcoming Boeing 747-based E-4C Survivable Airborne Operations Center (SAOC) jets has been raised as a possibility. However, the SAOC aircraft are set to have much broader ‘doomsday plane’ roles, just like the four E-4B Nightwatch types they are set to replace, as you can read more about here. The Air Force is also in the midst of a much larger modernization of its nuclear command and control architectures, work that is tied heavily to the much-delayed LGM-35A Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile program, as we have detailed in the past. Nuclear command and control functions could increasingly move to space-based assets as part of these developments.
“I have full confidence in our ability to sustain existing capability and bridge to the next generation of capability,” Navy Adm. Richard Correll, head of U.S. Strategic Command, told TWZ and others at a media roundtable last week, when asked for an update on TACAMO and LG-N. Correll deferred to the Navy and the Air Force on more specific questions about those programs.
When it comes to TACAMO modernization, the Navy is pressing ahead with its plans, which are set to result in a major increase in at least the total number of aircraft configured for this critical mission.
A WIZZ AIR passenger was left in tears and nearly forced to miss her flight after a disagreement over her bag size.
Katy Hayward, 21, was at London Gatwick Airport heading for Santorini with Wizz Air when she was told she could not board her flight.
Katy Hayward was left in tears after she was not allowed to board her Wizz Air flight to SantoriniCredit: TikTok/@katyhaywarddShe was told that her bag was too bigCredit: TikTok/@katyhaywardd
Travelling with her two friends, the group reached the gate at the airport and a member of staff pulled them to the side and informed them that their bags were too big and they would not be allowed to board the flight.
In a video shared on her TikTok account @katyhaywardd, Katy – who was in tears – passed the phone to her best friend of four years, Kelsea, 26, who explained what happened.
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She said: “We have just been through the gate at Wizz Air and this woman has just screamed in our faces saying we can’t fly because we have these bags – apparently these bags are too big.”
She then turns the camera back to Katy who is showing a holdall-style bag often seen when flying on budget airlines.
Kelsea adds: “Bear in mind we bought these bags specifically for Wizz Air, we’d measured them and everything – there are people that have got bags just as big.”
The camera then pans to other passengers who have similar sized bags.
Kelsea continued: “She was screaming in Katy’s face.
“I’ve just gone up to her and said, ‘excuse me, my friend is really scared of flying, can you speak to us with a bit more respect please, we are happy to take things out of the bag, you just need to speak to her a bit more softly because she’s already anxious’.
“She started going ‘I don’t care, I don’t care’.
“She said if I don’t get out of the area, I won’t be able to fly – my heart is beating so fast.”
Kelsea went on to explain that another member of the gate team stepped in to try and calm the situation, despite the other member of staff still shouting at the group of girls.
Other members of staff nearby also did not intervene while this happened.
Her friend Kelsea later added a photo to the comments showing the bags fitting under the seats on the planeCredit: TikTok/@@kelseaa444
Several travellers can then be heard in the background of the video commenting: “That’s unfair. Disgusting. They shouldn’t do that.”
Katy told The Sun: “I think it’s also important to mention how humiliating the whole experience was.
“I was left sitting on the floor on my own having a panic attack, and my friends weren’t even allowed to come over and comfort me.
“They did not measure our bag in the bag sizer at all.”
Kelsea added a photo of the bags under the seats on the plane in the comments section.
She said: “For everyone asking, the bags WERE the right size. Bought specifically with the right measurements and measured before flying!
“Absolutely no comment from the other staff at check in, literally just this one woman at the gate!”
The bag the girls bought was from Amazon costing £13.99 and measures 40 x 30 x 20cm.
The allowance for a Wizz Air under seat bags is 40 x 30 x 20 cm.
In the end, the Katy and her friends were not made to pay for oversized bags as another employee spoke to them and let them through.
Other social media users also flooded to the comments, with one person stating: “Shocking airline. Flew with them once and they ripped my case and wouldn’t replace it! Overcharged us, will never use them again.”
Another person commented: “Every bag that went past was literally bigger than yours – horrible service!! Hope you girls are okay.”
A third person said: “Shocking airline we had problems with them flying back from Rome we had to pay €150 for our bags which were correct size also but unless we paid we weren’t getting on the flight.
“The whole manner and customer service was disgraceful first and last time we will ever fly with them.”
A Wizz Air spokesperson told Sun Travel: “Wizz Air apologises for the customer’s experience, which does not reflect the standards of service we expect all customers to receive.
“While the member of staff involved is employed by our contracted ground handling partner rather than directly by Wizz Air, we expect everyone representing the airline to follow our procedures correctly and treat customers with respect and professionalism.
“We take any suggestion that these standards have not been met very seriously and have raised this issue with the relevant ground handling partner to determine what happened and ensure it is addressed appropriately.”
Shoppers looking to ‘travel in style’ could do just that with the latest travel deal at Home Bargains
Take a look at the latest deal at Home Bargains(Image: Home Bargains)
Home Bargains is helping shoppers prepare for their summer holidays with a “spacious yet compact” cabin bag that meets the hand luggage requirements of several major UK airlines. The discount retailer, which has over 600 stores nationwide, claims it is “perfect for your adventures”.
It may be renowned for its affordable homeware and furnishing deals, but Home Bargains’ range extends far beyond side tables, lamps and ornaments. From garden accessories and beauty buys to travel essentials, shoppers can find plenty of wallet-friendly options.
Take the Salisburys Carry-On Cabin Lightweight Backpack, for instance, which retails for a more-than-affordable £9.99. It comes in black, and boasts a very simple aesthetic to suit various tastes.
Describing the product, Home Bargains said: “Travel light and in style with the Salisburys Carry-On Cabin Lightweight Backpack in sleek black! Perfect for your adventures, this spacious yet compact backpack is designed for easy packing and effortless carrying.
“Every Salisburys product has been designed, manufactured and extensively tested to stand the rigours of today’s travel. Every Light Luggage product has been designed, manufactured and extensively tested to stand the rigours of today’s travel.”
According to Home Bargains, the cabin bag measures approximately 45 x 30 x 15cm, making it suitable for use with the cabin luggage allowances of most major airlines, namely easyJet, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and KLM. Please note, it could be too long for Ryanair, Wizz Air and Jet 2.
Weighing around 760g, it features multiple zipped compartments for organising belongings, a fully lined interior and a lightweight construction designed for travel. Interested shoppers can find out more, and view additional product images, on the Home Bargains website.
It’s available both in-store and online as Home Bargains offers standard delivery across the UK mainland from £3.95, while orders over £100 qualify for free delivery. A £10 delivery fee applies to larger furniture items, and most standard parcels are expected to arrive within four working days.
Home Bargains is also selling the Salisburys Under Seat Bag which will also set you back £9.99. The product description reads: “Meet the Salisburys Under Seat Bag – your perfect travel companion!
“With its spacious zipped compartments and sleek design, it’s ideal for keeping your essentials close at hand while you jet off on your next adventure. Salisburys presents its broadest line-up of tried and tested luggage solutions with contemporary features to help the modern tourist navigate the hurdles of twenty-first century travel.
“Salisbury Under Seat Bags solve modern travel issues of the check-in case. A fantastic size bag that is versatile for the needs of your modern travel. Large open zipped storage compartment with small zip side pouch.”
The calm, still waters of the Reflecting Pool make it an ideal nursery for algae growth. Algae need nitrogen and phosphorus to grow, and the Reflecting Pool is primarily fed by the Potomac River, which gets heavy doses of those nutrients from nearby urban and agricultural lands.
The Potomac also absorbed one of the largest sewage spills in U.S. history earlier this year when a pipe burst five miles upstream of Washington, although that event probably happened too long ago to contribute to the algal bloom today.
Untreated sewage is high in nitrogen and phosphorus. When nutrient levels are high, feasting algae can quickly reproduce.
The Department of the Interior said when the algae first appeared that it was “residual,” from the supply lines to the pool.
Experts also speculate that the darker blue color may be helping the Reflecting Pool absorb more heat. The higher temperatures promote algae growth by allowing their metabolisms to shift into overdrive.
Summer temperatures in D.C. aren’t helping. This week, temperatures are as high as 95 degrees in the city, prompting a heat alert.
The combination probably explains the excessive growth, turning the water surface an opaque green and preventing onlookers from seeing the new blue hue of the concrete basin.
Algae are important and beneficial organisms when the ecosystem is in balance. They’re the base of the aquatic food chain, fed on by herbivores of all shapes and sizes, including shrimp and juvenile fish, which in turn feed organisms higher up the food chain. The single-celled organisms use the power of the sun to produce energy through photosynthesis, similar to houseplants on your balcony.
In an effort combat the algae in the Reflecting Pool, employees of the National Park Service were seen pouring in gallons of hydrogen peroxide, a chemical commonly used in pool maintenance.
The Department of the Interior also is employing a “high-tech nanobubble ozone technology” to destroy the cells of the algae.
Ozone — yes, the same irritant that is in smog — is a gas composed of three oxygen molecules, and the small size of the bubbles allow the most gas transfer into the water, where it can damage algal cells, similar to how it irritates our lungs.
This only treats the symptoms, however. Generally, ozone nanobubbling is effective as a temporary solution for algae blooms. Longer-term fixes would have to address what makes the Reflecting Pool so ideal for algae, such as its depth, darker color and inflow of nitrogen and phosphorus.
In California, ozone nanobubbles also have been used in a project to improve water quality in the Tijuana River. The 120-mile river that runs near the border in northern Mexico and Southern California was the site of a pilot study in 2025. The U.S. section of the International Boundary and Water Commission reported that the nanobubbling reduced “odors and bacteria,” but the project concluded prematurely after a flood swept some of the instrumentation into the river.
ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE — President Trump said Friday that he wants Bill Pulte, his new acting director of national intelligence, to cut the office, which has already been significantly scaled back during his second term.
Trump noted that the size of the office has been “way too high for way too long” and that “if he cut, I wouldn’t mind.”
“Bill Pulte is very good, he’s very talented,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One as he traveled to Wisconsin. The Republican president said in an earlier interview with the Wall Street Journal that he has asked Pulte to start the process of firing employees.
In the interview with the Journal, the president says he has already conveyed his view to Pulte, the incoming acting director of national intelligence, who has served as head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency but apparently has no national security expertise.
“I’d like to see it smaller. I think there are a lot of people in there that shouldn’t be there,” Trump said, which the Journal said was in reference to intelligence community officials who had served in the Democratic administrations of Presidents Biden and Obama.
Trump told the Journal that he wants Pulte to “start the process” of firing personnel and that the eventual permanent director of national intelligence should continue it. The president has indicated that he would not formally nominate Pulte for the position.
“Frankly, it might be good for him to shake it up before people come,” Trump said. “Because, if he [Pulte] reduced the size, in conjunction with me … and in conjunction with possibly the person coming in … he can do a lot of the hard work and we wouldn’t have to saddle somebody that goes in.”
Pulte was tapped by the president earlier this week in a surprising move that has been met with bipartisan resistance in the Senate, which confirms presidential nominations. The temporary appointment has now snarled the renewal of a critical national security surveillance program on Capitol Hill, with Democrats key to the vote pointing out that they did not trust Pulte — whose office oversees 18 intelligence agencies — to help administer the surveillance program.
Under Pulte’s successor, Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence’s office had already taken steps to scale back its size. In August, the Trump administration said that the office’s budget would be cut by more than $700 million per year, while slashing the size of its workforce.
At the time, Gabbard said the office had become “bloated and inefficient” while she announced the roughly 40% workforce reduction.
Gabbard resigned last month after revealing her husband’s cancer diagnosis.
Price and Kim write for the Associated Press. Kim reported from Washington.
Four in a Bed star speechless over guest’s ‘rude’ comment about size
The B&B owners faced a fiery clash as tensions mounted on payment day and one guest commented on another’s appearance.
16:32, 22 Aug 2026Updated 16:32, 22 Aug 2026
A guest on Four in a Bed made a shocking comment about ‘fat people’ (Image: Channel 4)
Guests on Four in a Bed faced a fiery clash after comments were made about one contestant’s appearance.
The Channel 4 programme returned with a series of repeat episodes on Saturday, August 22, which saw tensions rise between Lancashire couple, Stu and Ali, and their competitors.
On payment day, The Dog Inn owners discovered they’d been underpaid by a total of £27.90, after hearing feedback about dirty dishcloths and a lack of a hairdryer.
“It didn’t surprise us, but still, it is upsetting when you get underpaid,” Stu admitted at one point, while their competitors maintained that the standards of cleanliness they discovered were “unacceptable”.
Things took a turn for the worse however when Stu and Ali faced their turn to deliver feedback, reports Lancs Live. Earlier in the week of filming, they’d stayed at Julie and Sarah’s property in the Lake District, Ullswater View.
And while other guests were impressed, Stu and Ali weren’t too happy. In the property, they discovered a bath robe didn’t fit Stu, as he quipped at the time: “One size does not fit all.”
And they had another complaint over the bedding, claiming the single beds put together to form a double were “useless”. “It’s just wrong, isn’t it?” Stu said, as Ali claimed “it took away the romance and intimacy”.
Reading their complaints, Julie and Sarah had fumed: “Stu and Ali’s comments were really stupid, and a bit of an insult.”
They then clashed with the Lancashire couple over the dressing gown situation, as Stu explained: “It’s super nice that you provide that for people, but it is just large, XL, so if you do get fat people like me coming in, you don’t provide for them. So I had to put both of them on to cover myself. So if your guests are of a larger size, maybe you say, would you like me to replace the dressing gown?”
Julie at first replied: “To be fair, we don’t get a lot of big people because it is very outdoorsy,” before Stu said: “Big people can walk outdoors.”
“Well they don’t tend to walk up fells,” Julie hit back, leaving Ali and Stu speechless. She went on: “I think you’re then pointing it out, and if somebody is sensitive to the fact that they’re big, I think they might be offended.”
Ali said: “You just said fat people can’t go up hills.” As Julie claimed the dressing gowns are one size, Stu said: “But everybody isn’t are they? Enough said.”
“It could have got quite heated,” Julie later admitted, while Ali told cameras: “To say that normally people of a larger size don’t come here because there’s walking…” Stu added: “Bit rude, wasn’t it?”
Four in a Bed is available to watch on Channel 4.
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Murrieta Valley’s Vincent Shields moves to O-line and it’s paying off
Fifth in a series of stories profiling top high school football players by position. Today, Vincent Shields, Murrieta Valley offensive lineman.
For those who love dogs, offensive tackle Vincent Shields of Murrieta Valley High needs to be on your must-invite list. His mother and father run a dog training business. There are five dogs living at their home. All the female dogs are named after Disney characters. Vincent swears dogs can be trained to do anything, like open the refrigerator.
He just got a golden retriever puppy named Nala, the wife of Simba from “The Lion King.” The question is will Shields train her to rush the passer so he can practice his blocking techniques against someone with agility and a hunger to do anything for biscuits?
“That would be a good challenge,” he said.
The football journey of the 6-foot-6, 285-pound junior involves a change of positions, a change in eating habits and a recognition he has found his calling.
“He’s a freak athlete,” former Murrieta Valley offensive line coach Alex Rosenblum said. “That kid has had an amazing offseason.”
Teammates share a laugh with Vincent Shields as he engages in a power lifting exercise.
(Sandy Huffaker / For The Times)
By the end of the summer, Shields was nearing 20 scholarship offers after just one season as an offensive lineman. That’s what happens when college recruiters discover someone with size, good footwork and the ability to improve.
He started at right tackle last season for a school that has been producing outstanding linemen.
“We love to run the ball,” Shields said.
He was a defensive end as a freshman before Rosenblum convinced him to become a blocker. It opened a path that Shields has embraced.
“He told me at the end of my freshman year, ‘You’re going to start and if you make a mistake, it’s OK. Everything is a learning experience.’ I made mistakes and he was supportive,” Shields said.
He has been receiving private instruction to understand his role of blocking specific defenders and adjusting when linebackers blitz. All that was thrown at him as a sophomore, so it was no surprise he had some offside penalties. A year later, there’s no telling how dominant he can become.
“It takes a different person to play O-line,” he said. “It’s violent and that takes a special person. Not everyone is meant for the mental part and physical part. Are you going to take another man against his will and drive him down the field?”
Murrieta Valley offensive tackle Vincent Shields, center, does exercises during practice.
(Sandy Huffaker / For The Times)
Shields said he has been playing tackle football since he was 11. He was primarily a linebacker to take advantage of his athleticism. Then he started to grow and eat and eat.
Those were the days he loved French fries, chips, hamburgers and anything fried. He once ordered three 4×4 burgers from In-N-Out, which is four beef patties and four slices of cheese. He used to order from Chick-fil-A two chicken sandwiches, four chicken strips and 10 chicken nuggets.
Then he learned about nutrition and choices. He’s been eating steak and grilled chicken lately.
“I’ve done a good job shedding the bad weight,” he said.
His father, a former Marine, likes to cook, so everyone is watching Shields’ eating habits. He’s 17 with an appetite like a dog.
And speaking of dogs, the family has Shields’ golden retriever, a Rottweiler named Fancy, a giant schnauzer named Goose and two Belgian Malinois named Hero and Baymax.
That’s enough dogs to form a starting offensive line. But one of them has to beat out Shields, who intends to cause a whole lot of trouble blocking opponents over the next two seasons.
“I can’t wait,” he said. “You’re going to see a jump and a lot of people are going to wonder how it happened.”
Sunday: Godschoice Eboigbodin, JSerra defensive lineman
Offensive linemen to watch
Austin Attalah, Orange Lutheran, 6-8, 270, Jr.: His size alone makes him a can’t-miss prospect
Amaziah Siale, Mission Viejo, 6-7, 360, Sr.: Louisiana State commit can take on sumo wrestlers
Lance Ciechanowski, Sierra Canyon, 6-6, 275, Jr.: Let’s see who gets by him on pass plays
Drew Fielder, Servite, 6-6, 270, Sr.: USC commit is a former tight end who should dominate
Jackson Hill, Chaminade, 6-6, 300, Sr.: Notre Dame commit keeps getting bigger and stronger
Vincent Shields, Murrieta Valley, 6-6, 285, Jr.: Moves to left tackle as his blocking skills progress rapidly
Lex Mailangi, Mater Dei, 6-3, 350, Sr.: Oregon commit was a much-desired college recruit
Elisha Mueller, St. John Bosco, 6-4, 295, Jr.: Braves’ best blocker since Wyatt Davis
Lucas Rhoa, Orange Lutheran, 6-5, 305, Sr.: Texas commit has been a standout since his sophomore year
Jack Schein, JSerra, 6-6, 290, Sr.: Colorado State commit comes from a program that develops linemen
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Bellflower High’s Austin Miller looks to be Southland’s next great receiver
Third in a series of stories profiling top high school football players by position. Today, Austin Miller, Bellflower receiver.
Dozens of college football recruiters traveling in their rental cars to powerhouse St. John Bosco have learned there’s a new must-stop place on the way to Bellflower.
“Don’t come through Bellflower and not come through Bellflower,” is the motto of Bellflower High, where the emergence of 6-foot-5, 200-pound sophomore receiver Austin Miller is proving to be as attractive as a stop at In-N-Out.
“Bosco is a great program, but we don’t take a backseat to anyone,” said the 15-year-old Austin , whose father, Keith, is the head coach. “We’re here to put Bellflower on the map.”
Videographers covering Bellflower games know Austin is capable of dong something spectacular at any moment because of his speed, size, athleticism and jumping ability. He caught 35 passes for 609 yards and eight touchdowns as a freshman. He rushed for 885 yards and 13 touchdowns. He had four sacks and 35 tackles.
Imagine the highlight films coming this season with added strength and a maturing body.
He’s been fed hundreds of footballs from a Jugs machine to develop hands that don’t drop passes. He has the size and physicality of a tight end, which creates mismatches with smaller cornerbacks. He has no sympathy.
“As a receiver being bigger than everybody, you play to your advantage,” he said.
Because he has been playing multiple sports since he was young, versatility is his superpower, allowing him to catch passes, block, sack quarterbacks from the edge or play any position his father needs him to play.
Just hearing him describe the importance of blocking as a receiver shows the effect having a coach as a father has had on him.
“My dad taught me staying low, driving through your hips and making sure you block for your teammates like they block for you,” he said. “For receivers, sometimes you watch the play instead of doing your job. The biggest thing is putting your man in the dirt. Being bigger receiver, taking contact and delivering contact is a big thing for me.”
Austin is one of those rare teenagers who looks and acts like someone destined to reach the highest level possible because of his physical gifts and mental outlook. He committed to Ohio State in June even though he has three seasons left of high school football. His goals are high, and he feels the Buckeyes are the perfect landing place to fulfill his dreams.
Austin Miller, a 15-year-old sophomore receiver, is helping bring attention to Bellflower’s football program.
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)
His parents wanted nothing to do with the flavor of the month, holdbacks. It has become so common that most assume a top freshman or sophomore are holdbacks, which means repeating a grade or two to look for a competitive advantage in high school.
Austin welcomes competition of any and all ages, seeing it as a worthy challenge and a path that will only make him better. He certainly more than held his own as a 14-year-old playing against some 19-year-olds.
To understand his journey, you have to go back years and visualize the scene from his days as an 11-year-old.
“We’d wake up, go to football practice, go to basketball practice, go to baseball practice, then work out more,” he said.
Keith Miller wanted the chance to become a head coach after being an assistant to his brother, Jason, who’s coached at Bellflower, Verbum Dei and Leuzinger among his stops. With Austin and his talented friends serving as the early believers, Miller is trying to build a program from the ground up.
“The college coaches say they respect what we are doing,” Austin said. “We don’t take a back seat to any school.”
There’s also a little bit of pride in father and son proving that talent isn’t just found at top private schools. When a public school kid gains similar attention, it makes him a community hero for life.
Austin is certainly headed on that path. He’s embraced the idea that you can be the youngest on a field and still be one of the best through hard work, dedication, preparation and a belief in yourself.
Friday: Luke Gazzaniga, Santa Margarita tight end.
Receivers to watch
Nico Bland, Orange Lutheran, 6-1, 185, Sr.: Arizona State commit led Lancers with 57 catches
Charles Davis, Westlake, 6-5, 205, Sr.: Cal commit has size and speed
Quentin Hale, Corona Centennial, 6-3, 195, Sr.: USC commit joins a prolific offensive attack
Kingston Celifie, Calabasas, 6-0, 170, Sr.: UCLA commit is even faster after catching nine TDs last season
Jack Junker, Mission Viejo, 5-10, 180, Sr.: San Jose State commit might have best hands in the Southland
Hayden Koo, Tustin, 6-1, 170, Jr.: Has size, speed and work ethic to be standout
Austin Miller, Bellflower, 6-5, 200, So.: Committed to Ohio State after just one high school season
DJ Tubbs, St. John Bosco, 5-10, 175, Jr.: Can be this season’s Trent Mosley by making big plays
Eli Woodard, Chaparral, 6-0, 180, Sr.: Miami commit was the object of big recruiting battle all summer
Blake Wong, Norco, 6-2, 170, Sr.: Brigham Young commit caught 14 passes for 219 yards, three TDs vs. Centennial
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Navy ‘Doomsday Plane’ Fleet To Almost Double In Size With New E-130Js
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The U.S. Navy is planning to acquire 31 E-130J Phoenix II aircraft to replace 16 E-6B Mercury planes now in service. This will nearly double the number of planes the service has configured to perform the Take Charge And Move Out (TACAMO) mission. TACAMO involves providing aerial command and control support for nuclear ballistic missile submarines, including the ability to send them orders to launch strikes while they are submerged. Platforms assigned nuclear support missions like this are commonly called ‘doomsday planes.’
The total planned E-130J fleet size was included in a recently released Pentagon report. The so-called Modernized Selected Acquisition Report (MSAR) was produced as part of work on the U.S. military’s proposed Fiscal Year 2027 budget and is dated April 21, 2026. The report also acknowledges risks to the program associated with operational availability, which the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has previously highlighted publicly. Aviation Week was first to report on the new E-130J MSAR.
In terms of the acquisition plan, the Navy currently expects to acquire six pre-production E-130Js to support the type’s ongoing development, as well as 25 production examples. The service had only previously disclosed that it would be buying six aircraft as part of the development phase and that the initial low-rate production run would comprise three to six additional planes. Whether some or all of the pre-production Phoenix IIs might ultimately be used operationally is unknown.
The MSAR says the estimated Program Acquisition Unit Cost (PAUC), which factors in research and development costs, for all 31 E-130Js, was $732.8 million apiece as of April. The Average Procurement Unit Cost (APUC) for just the 25 production examples, which also does not include research and development costs, was pegged at $360.9 million each. The report also says that these PAUC and the APUC figures are both lower – by 3.29 and 2.64 percent, respectively – than the baseline estimates as of December 2024.
As noted, the E-130Js, which are being converted from four-engine turboprop C-130J-30 Hercules cargo planes, are set to replace the existing fleet of E-6Bs. The Mercury aircraft are based on the larger, jet-engined Boeing 707 airliner. The E-6Bs first began entering service in an earlier E-6A configuration in 1989, and were some of the last 707-based planes ever produced. They were subsequently brought up to the current standard in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and have received additional upgrades since then. The Mercury fleet currently also supports a U.S. Air Force nuclear mission set called the Airborne Command Post (ABNCP), and more commonly known by the nickname Looking Glass. That mission entails providing aerial command and control support to nuclear-capable bombers and silo-based Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles. As part of this role, E-6Bs are equipped to initiate the launch of Minuteman IIIs while in flight. We will come back to this later on, as the stated plan now is for the Phoenix II planes to be capable of supporting the TACAMO mission only.
Overall, the April MSAR for the E-130J says the “program is on track and executing to the APB [Acquisition Program Baseline].”
“An Integrated Baseline Review (IBR) was conducted September 23-26, 2025 and formally closed on February 24, 2026. All actions resulting from IBR Findings have been successfully resolved,” the report adds. “Preliminary Design Review (PDR) for the first test aircraft configuration (AV1) was conducted March 31-April 1, 2026 with the full system PDR planned for July 2026.”
However, the report also lists a risk associated with “Operational Availability,” but says that “additional details can be found at the classified
level.”
This is in line with concerns raised publicly by GAO, a Congressional watchdog, starting last year.
“The C-130J aircraft – selected 4 years before E-130J’s development start – may not meet operational availability requirements. The E-130J’s technical risk assessment highlighted the complexity associated with integrating E-130J systems onto this aircraft,” GAO warned in a report published in June 2025. “The Navy’s technical risk assessment team expects the integration risks to translate to manufacturing issues given the potential deviation from standard components and the security environment required.”
“As we reported in last year’s assessment, the Navy awarded its contract despite significant technical risks it acknowledged the E-130J program faced. A September 2024 independent technical risk assessment highlighted the complexity associated with the program’s planned integration effort, which officials acknowledged could increase as they integrate additional technologies,” per another GAO report released just last month. “Since our 2024 report, the program has delayed its low-rate production decision by approximately a year as these system integration risks have morphed into realities.”
“For example, program officials said that contractors are now focused on modifying already-existing mission systems to reduce their weight, which the independent assessment anticipated would be necessary to accommodate them on the C-130J-30 airframe,” the July 2026 GAO report added.
GAO also said in that report that the Navy “acknowledges technical risk,” but also that the service had highlighted “risk reduction contracts with subcontractors to address obsolescence and size, weight, and power-cooling risks.”
Generally speaking, aircraft assigned the TACAMO mission require a highly specialized and extremely reliable communications suite to ensure they can perform under what could be extremely challenging conditions. Each E-6B notably has the ability to reel out a five-mile-long antenna to communicate with submerged submarines. The E-130J will have a very similar, if not identical, antenna system. Hardening against electro-magnetic pulses (EMP), which would be produced during the detonation of nuclear warheads, is another key requirement for these planes.
“Due to the highly sensitive and distinct strategic command and communications missions, the E-130J programs are managed with a zero-tolerance posture for foreign exploitation,” the April MSAR also highlights. “Program Protection is governed by stringent, continuously enforced plans addressing all Technology Security and Foreign Disclosure (TS&FD) elements, including Supply Chain Assurance and robust Information Assurance. Additional details are available in a classified environment.”
In the past, TWZ has discussed the potential operational readiness and other tradeoffs that could come from selecting a C-130-based platform to replace the 707-based E-6B in the TACAMO role. As we wrote previously:
“It’s certainly worth pointing out that the E-6Bs, conversions of what were some of the last and most modern 707 airliners built, were larger and higher performance platforms than the EC-130Qs. The C-130J-30 is certainly a more capable aircraft than the C-130H on which the EC-130Q was based, but it won’t have the base speed and altitude capabilities of an airliner-sized multi-engine jet. Compared to the Mercuries, any TACAMO-configured C-130J-30 would not be able to get on station as quickly, or fly as high, limiting its ability to get above bad weather or establish a better line of sight for its communications systems.”
“At the same time, as the Navy itself has noted, the C-130J-30 platform does immediately open up the ability to use a larger number of air bases, airports, and airfields, including austere ones that the E-6B cannot operate from. This could be very useful in a contingency scenario where an opponent may have destroyed or otherwise rendered unusable many well-established bases, as well as larger secondary dispersal sites, which include large commercial airports. Being able to fly from smaller, tertiary locations could help to ensure that the TACAMO mission continues without significant disruption under such circumstances. This is also true during peacetime as targeting the TACAMOs on the ground would be much harder if they could easily operate from and sit alert at a much larger number of airports.”
“A C-130J-30 configured for the TACAMO mission would certainly have a mid-air refueling capability and the Hercules is already a platform that has demonstrated the ability to loiter over particular areas for long periods of time. Unlike the Boeing 707, the C-130J is still in production, as well, meaning that TACAMO aircraft based on this plane would be inherently easier to maintain and support logistically, and may also be easier to convert to this specialized configuration to begin with. As time goes on, the J looks set to increasingly become the default base C-130 model across the U.S. military, as well. Compared to the long out of production 707-based E-6, support for the C-130J is already distributed across the U.S., and beyond. Training C-130J crews is even an easier proposition.”
How exactly operational considerations factored into the decision regarding the E-130J fleet size is unknown. There are additional tradeoffs to having a larger total fleet, but it should offer strategic readiness benefits based on available airframes alone. It is worth noting here that the Navy did operate TACAMO aircraft based on older C-130 variants before the E-6A entered service.
There is no debate that the aging E-6Bs are becoming increasingly more challenging to operate and sustain. The Mercury fleet has been further strained over the years given the need to use operational aircraft to support training demands. The Navy is now utilizing a contractor-owned, but government-operated (COGO) Boeing 737NG airliner to support pilot training requirements. This follows an abortive plan to convert an ex-Royal Air Force E-3D Sentry airborne early warning and control aircraft, another Boeing 707-based type, into a dedicated TE-6B crew trainer, which came to a halt last year, as TWZ was first to report.
To avoid any gaps in TACAMO coverage, the Navy has also said it will phase out the E-6Bs only as the new E-130Js enter service, which means that Mercury aircraft will have to keep flying until the transition is deemed complete. The initial operational capability timeline for the Phoenix II is currently classified, but the April MSAR says initial operational test and evaluation (IOT&E) is not set to start until June 2033, at the earliest. Completion of IOT&E is not automatically required for an IOC declaration.
As mentioned, despite the fleet size target, the E-130J is not set to take on the ABNCP/Looking Glass mission, at least currently. The Air Force is still in the very early stages of acquiring what it is currently calling Looking Glass-Next (LG-N) to assume this role. Among the questions still to be answered, at least that we know, is how many total planes the service will need to meet those mission requirements. Leveraging the forthcoming Boeing 747-based E-4C Survivable Airborne Operations Center (SAOC) jets has been raised as a possibility. However, the SAOC aircraft are set to have much broader ‘doomsday plane’ roles, just like the four E-4B Nightwatch types they are set to replace, as you can read more about here. The Air Force is also in the midst of a much larger modernization of its nuclear command and control architectures, work that is tied heavily to the much-delayed LGM-35A Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile program, as we have detailed in the past. Nuclear command and control functions could increasingly move to space-based assets as part of these developments.
“I have full confidence in our ability to sustain existing capability and bridge to the next generation of capability,” Navy Adm. Richard Correll, head of U.S. Strategic Command, told TWZ and others at a media roundtable last week, when asked for an update on TACAMO and LG-N. Correll deferred to the Navy and the Air Force on more specific questions about those programs.
When it comes to TACAMO modernization, the Navy is pressing ahead with its plans, which are set to result in a major increase in at least the total number of aircraft configured for this critical mission.
Contact the author: joe@twz.com
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Wizz Air passenger left in TEARS and nearly misses flight after bag size confusion
A WIZZ AIR passenger was left in tears and nearly forced to miss her flight after a disagreement over her bag size.
Katy Hayward, 21, was at London Gatwick Airport heading for Santorini with Wizz Air when she was told she could not board her flight.
Travelling with her two friends, the group reached the gate at the airport and a member of staff pulled them to the side and informed them that their bags were too big and they would not be allowed to board the flight.
In a video shared on her TikTok account @katyhaywardd, Katy – who was in tears – passed the phone to her best friend of four years, Kelsea, 26, who explained what happened.
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She said: “We have just been through the gate at Wizz Air and this woman has just screamed in our faces saying we can’t fly because we have these bags – apparently these bags are too big.”
She then turns the camera back to Katy who is showing a holdall-style bag often seen when flying on budget airlines.
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Kelsea adds: “Bear in mind we bought these bags specifically for Wizz Air, we’d measured them and everything – there are people that have got bags just as big.”
The camera then pans to other passengers who have similar sized bags.
Kelsea continued: “She was screaming in Katy’s face.
“I’ve just gone up to her and said, ‘excuse me, my friend is really scared of flying, can you speak to us with a bit more respect please, we are happy to take things out of the bag, you just need to speak to her a bit more softly because she’s already anxious’.
“She started going ‘I don’t care, I don’t care’.
“She said if I don’t get out of the area, I won’t be able to fly – my heart is beating so fast.”
Kelsea went on to explain that another member of the gate team stepped in to try and calm the situation, despite the other member of staff still shouting at the group of girls.
Other members of staff nearby also did not intervene while this happened.
Several travellers can then be heard in the background of the video commenting: “That’s unfair. Disgusting. They shouldn’t do that.”
Katy told The Sun: “I think it’s also important to mention how humiliating the whole experience was.
“I was left sitting on the floor on my own having a panic attack, and my friends weren’t even allowed to come over and comfort me.
“They did not measure our bag in the bag sizer at all.”
Kelsea added a photo of the bags under the seats on the plane in the comments section.
She said: “For everyone asking, the bags WERE the right size. Bought specifically with the right measurements and measured before flying!
“Absolutely no comment from the other staff at check in, literally just this one woman at the gate!”
The bag the girls bought was from Amazon costing £13.99 and measures 40 x 30 x 20cm.
The allowance for a Wizz Air under seat bags is 40 x 30 x 20 cm.
In the end, the Katy and her friends were not made to pay for oversized bags as another employee spoke to them and let them through.
Other social media users also flooded to the comments, with one person stating: “Shocking airline. Flew with them once and they ripped my case and wouldn’t replace it! Overcharged us, will never use them again.”
Another person commented: “Every bag that went past was literally bigger than yours – horrible service!! Hope you girls are okay.”
A third person said: “Shocking airline we had problems with them flying back from Rome we had to pay €150 for our bags which were correct size also but unless we paid we weren’t getting on the flight.
“The whole manner and customer service was disgraceful first and last time we will ever fly with them.”
A Wizz Air spokesperson told Sun Travel: “Wizz Air apologises for the customer’s experience, which does not reflect the standards of service we expect all customers to receive.
“While the member of staff involved is employed by our contracted ground handling partner rather than directly by Wizz Air, we expect everyone representing the airline to follow our procedures correctly and treat customers with respect and professionalism.
“We take any suggestion that these standards have not been met very seriously and have raised this issue with the relevant ground handling partner to determine what happened and ensure it is addressed appropriately.”
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‘Spacious yet compact’ £10 Home Bargains cabin bag right size for easyJet and BA
Shoppers looking to ‘travel in style’ could do just that with the latest travel deal at Home Bargains
Take a look at the latest deal at Home Bargains(Image: Home Bargains)
Home Bargains is helping shoppers prepare for their summer holidays with a “spacious yet compact” cabin bag that meets the hand luggage requirements of several major UK airlines. The discount retailer, which has over 600 stores nationwide, claims it is “perfect for your adventures”.
It may be renowned for its affordable homeware and furnishing deals, but Home Bargains’ range extends far beyond side tables, lamps and ornaments. From garden accessories and beauty buys to travel essentials, shoppers can find plenty of wallet-friendly options.
Take the Salisburys Carry-On Cabin Lightweight Backpack, for instance, which retails for a more-than-affordable £9.99. It comes in black, and boasts a very simple aesthetic to suit various tastes.
Describing the product, Home Bargains said: “Travel light and in style with the Salisburys Carry-On Cabin Lightweight Backpack in sleek black! Perfect for your adventures, this spacious yet compact backpack is designed for easy packing and effortless carrying.
“Every Salisburys product has been designed, manufactured and extensively tested to stand the rigours of today’s travel. Every Light Luggage product has been designed, manufactured and extensively tested to stand the rigours of today’s travel.”
According to Home Bargains, the cabin bag measures approximately 45 x 30 x 15cm, making it suitable for use with the cabin luggage allowances of most major airlines, namely easyJet, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and KLM. Please note, it could be too long for Ryanair, Wizz Air and Jet 2.
Weighing around 760g, it features multiple zipped compartments for organising belongings, a fully lined interior and a lightweight construction designed for travel. Interested shoppers can find out more, and view additional product images, on the Home Bargains website.
It’s available both in-store and online as Home Bargains offers standard delivery across the UK mainland from £3.95, while orders over £100 qualify for free delivery. A £10 delivery fee applies to larger furniture items, and most standard parcels are expected to arrive within four working days.
Home Bargains is also selling the Salisburys Under Seat Bag which will also set you back £9.99. The product description reads: “Meet the Salisburys Under Seat Bag – your perfect travel companion!
“With its spacious zipped compartments and sleek design, it’s ideal for keeping your essentials close at hand while you jet off on your next adventure. Salisburys presents its broadest line-up of tried and tested luggage solutions with contemporary features to help the modern tourist navigate the hurdles of twenty-first century travel.
“Salisbury Under Seat Bags solve modern travel issues of the check-in case. A fantastic size bag that is versatile for the needs of your modern travel. Large open zipped storage compartment with small zip side pouch.”
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Algae persist in Washington, D.C.’s Reflecting Pool, despite administration’s efforts to clear murky waters.
Just days after the Trump administration completed millions of dollars in renovations on the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool to make it American flag-blue, residents and online users noted it had turned a phosphorescent green.
Here’s why:
The calm, still waters of the Reflecting Pool make it an ideal nursery for algae growth. Algae need nitrogen and phosphorus to grow, and the Reflecting Pool is primarily fed by the Potomac River, which gets heavy doses of those nutrients from nearby urban and agricultural lands.
The Potomac also absorbed one of the largest sewage spills in U.S. history earlier this year when a pipe burst five miles upstream of Washington, although that event probably happened too long ago to contribute to the algal bloom today.
Untreated sewage is high in nitrogen and phosphorus. When nutrient levels are high, feasting algae can quickly reproduce.
The Department of the Interior said when the algae first appeared that it was “residual,” from the supply lines to the pool.
Experts also speculate that the darker blue color may be helping the Reflecting Pool absorb more heat. The higher temperatures promote algae growth by allowing their metabolisms to shift into overdrive.
Summer temperatures in D.C. aren’t helping. This week, temperatures are as high as 95 degrees in the city, prompting a heat alert.
The combination probably explains the excessive growth, turning the water surface an opaque green and preventing onlookers from seeing the new blue hue of the concrete basin.
Algae are important and beneficial organisms when the ecosystem is in balance. They’re the base of the aquatic food chain, fed on by herbivores of all shapes and sizes, including shrimp and juvenile fish, which in turn feed organisms higher up the food chain. The single-celled organisms use the power of the sun to produce energy through photosynthesis, similar to houseplants on your balcony.
In an effort combat the algae in the Reflecting Pool, employees of the National Park Service were seen pouring in gallons of hydrogen peroxide, a chemical commonly used in pool maintenance.
The Department of the Interior also is employing a “high-tech nanobubble ozone technology” to destroy the cells of the algae.
Ozone — yes, the same irritant that is in smog — is a gas composed of three oxygen molecules, and the small size of the bubbles allow the most gas transfer into the water, where it can damage algal cells, similar to how it irritates our lungs.
This only treats the symptoms, however. Generally, ozone nanobubbling is effective as a temporary solution for algae blooms. Longer-term fixes would have to address what makes the Reflecting Pool so ideal for algae, such as its depth, darker color and inflow of nitrogen and phosphorus.
In California, ozone nanobubbles also have been used in a project to improve water quality in the Tijuana River. The 120-mile river that runs near the border in northern Mexico and Southern California was the site of a pilot study in 2025. The U.S. section of the International Boundary and Water Commission reported that the nanobubbling reduced “odors and bacteria,” but the project concluded prematurely after a flood swept some of the instrumentation into the river.
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Trump says he wants his new acting director of national intelligence to cut the office
ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE — President Trump said Friday that he wants Bill Pulte, his new acting director of national intelligence, to cut the office, which has already been significantly scaled back during his second term.
Trump noted that the size of the office has been “way too high for way too long” and that “if he cut, I wouldn’t mind.”
“Bill Pulte is very good, he’s very talented,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One as he traveled to Wisconsin. The Republican president said in an earlier interview with the Wall Street Journal that he has asked Pulte to start the process of firing employees.
In the interview with the Journal, the president says he has already conveyed his view to Pulte, the incoming acting director of national intelligence, who has served as head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency but apparently has no national security expertise.
“I’d like to see it smaller. I think there are a lot of people in there that shouldn’t be there,” Trump said, which the Journal said was in reference to intelligence community officials who had served in the Democratic administrations of Presidents Biden and Obama.
Trump told the Journal that he wants Pulte to “start the process” of firing personnel and that the eventual permanent director of national intelligence should continue it. The president has indicated that he would not formally nominate Pulte for the position.
“Frankly, it might be good for him to shake it up before people come,” Trump said. “Because, if he [Pulte] reduced the size, in conjunction with me … and in conjunction with possibly the person coming in … he can do a lot of the hard work and we wouldn’t have to saddle somebody that goes in.”
Pulte was tapped by the president earlier this week in a surprising move that has been met with bipartisan resistance in the Senate, which confirms presidential nominations. The temporary appointment has now snarled the renewal of a critical national security surveillance program on Capitol Hill, with Democrats key to the vote pointing out that they did not trust Pulte — whose office oversees 18 intelligence agencies — to help administer the surveillance program.
Under Pulte’s successor, Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence’s office had already taken steps to scale back its size. In August, the Trump administration said that the office’s budget would be cut by more than $700 million per year, while slashing the size of its workforce.
At the time, Gabbard said the office had become “bloated and inefficient” while she announced the roughly 40% workforce reduction.
Gabbard resigned last month after revealing her husband’s cancer diagnosis.
Price and Kim write for the Associated Press. Kim reported from Washington.
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