Welcome back to The Times’ Lakers newsletter, where life comes at you fast.
Only a week ago, the Lakers were winning games and flying high. Quite literally. Remember when Luka Doncic dunked?
Happier times.
Now Doncic and Austin Reaves are both sidelined at least for the rest of the regular season and likely through the first round of the playoffs. The injury updates that came on consecutive days following Thursday’s 43-point loss to Oklahoma City felt like a devastating series of gut punches. Coach JJ Redick often talks about “not letting go of the rope.” The Lakers will have to white-knuckle their way through the next few weeks without their two stars.
Why is Luka Doncic in Europe?
Lakers star Luka Doncic reacts after sustaining a hamstring injury against the Oklahoma City Thunder on April 2.
(Cooper Neill / Getty Images)
He knows magic. Now Luka Doncic needs medicine to help pull off his next stunning trick.
With the playoffs approaching, Doncic traveled to Europe to seek treatment for his strained left hamstring, his agent, Bill Duffy, confirmed to The Times’ Broderick Turner. The hope is that with specialized treatments, Doncic can speed up what is typically a four- to six-week recovery process and get back in time for at least part of the Lakers postseason, which begins April 18.
Ultrasound-guided platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections and stem cell injections are the most common treatments for injuries of this nature, said Kenton Fibel, a primary care sports medicine specialist at Cedars-Sinai Orthopaedics.
The biologic injections can speed up healing of injured tissue. PRP injections use the natural growth and anti-inflammatory factors in platelets to promote healing while stem cells harvested from a patient’s bone marrow or adipose tissue similarly help with the regeneration and turnover of the healing tissue into normal muscle tendon tissue, Fibel said.
Top U.S. athletes have gone to Europe to seek the treatments for decades. Kobe Bryant, former Colts quarterback Andrew Luck and San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey are among those who’ve crossed the pond for solutions to chronic injuries. But similar treatments are also available in the United States.
In the U.S., only PRP and stem cell injections coming from a patient’s own body are allowed and the cells are not allowed to be manipulated, Fibel said. With looser regulations in Europe, doctors can attempt to increase the concentration of anti-inflammatory factors in a single PRP sample or culture stem cells over days to increase the number of them with hopes of speeding up healing even more.
Whether there is a significant increase in efficacy between the cutting-edge European treatments compared to the U.S. methods is unclear, Fibel said, but an athlete’s decision to pursue treatment often comes down to individual comfort level or prior experiences.
Lakers star Luka Doncic shoots over Brooklyn Nets guard Drake Powell during a Lakers win on March 27.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
The ubiquity of degenerative conditions or recurring soft tissue injuries in sports have turned European countries, including Germany and Switzerland, into hot spots for top athletes searching for help.
“These are injuries that are not always that easy to completely prevent, and it’s also not the easiest to always prevent reaggravation,” Fibel said. “And so I think [the new treatments] also comes from a frustration of doing a lot of the treatments and modalities that were used in prior injuries and still having an issue afterwards [so] that they’re searching for something new and different.”
Doncic knows the routine when it comes to hamstring injuries. As a player who thrives on his shifty change of pace, Doncic’s quick start and stop motions put extra load on his hamstrings and put him at risk of reinjury. Another left hamstring strain sidelined him for four games earlier this season.
Now with a Grade 2 injury, Doncic’s timeline for recovery would typically be four to six weeks. A Grade 2 injury shows “true disruption” that involves about 50% of the tissue, Fibel said. The most severe Grade 3 is used to describe a more significant, if not complete, tear of the muscle or tendon. The Lakers have suffered several Grade 2 injuries this season, including Austin Reaves’ latest left oblique strain.
The timing of the injuries couldn’t be worse for the Lakers. Not only do the playoffs begin in less than two weeks, but the Lakers were playing their best basketball of the season before the injuries to Doncic and Reaves. They appeared to be legitimate contenders in the playoffs. Now they must wait to see if Doncic’s super serum turns him into a superhero capable of saving their postseason.
“[Doncic is] going to go through all the necessary things to be back at some point,” Redick said, “and it’s our job again to extend the season so both those guys can get back.”
Scoreboard watching
Lakers star LeBron James reacts during a game against the Sacramento Kings on Dec. 28.
(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
It’s true what they say: No lead is safe in the NBA.
Just when it looked like the Lakers were likely to finish third in the West, the Nuggets found a rhythm, the Lakers got bitten by the injury bug and the Rockets refused to relent.
Reeling from the loss of their two leading scorers, the Lakers have fallen to fourth in the West with Denver surging on a nine-game winning streak. After an overtime win against the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday, the Nuggets (51-28) have a half-game advantage over the Lakers for the No. 3 seed.
The good news: The Lakers can’t drop below the fifth seed, thanks to Minnesota’s recent slide. They also have an additional cushion from their exceptional March, which gave them head-to-head tiebreakers against Denver and Houston.
I won’t repeat the obvious injury-related bad news.
To drop to fifth, the Lakers have to be 2-2 (or worse) in their last four games, while the Nuggets, who have the head-to-head tiebreaker against Houston, go at least 2-1 and the Rockets (49-29) run the table. The Nuggets have the tougher schedule between the three teams, though, playing both Oklahoma City and San Antonio in the final three games.
Here’s a look at the remaining games for the teams fighting for third, fourth and fifth in the West:
(Thuc Nhi Nguyen / Los Angeles Times)
On tap
Tuesday vs. Thunder (62-16) 7:30 p.m. PDT
The Lakers won’t be able to undo last week’s 43-point loss in Oklahoma City, but a competitive showing in the rematch could at least offer a much-needed confidence boost entering the postseason.
Thursday at Warriors (36-42), 7 p.m.
The Warriors are in position to eke into the play-in tournament as the 10th seed. Believe it or not, this could be the last meeting between LeBron James and Stephen Curry in their illustrious careers as the 41-year-old James enters unrestricted free agency this summer.
Friday vs. Suns (43-35), 7:30 p.m.
Phoenix is currently seventh in the West with a chance to chase down sixth-place Minnesota for a playoff berth. Dillon Brooks recently returned from a fractured left hand that kept him out for about six weeks. The Suns went 9-9 during his absence.
Sunday vs. Jazz (21-58), 5:30 p.m.
The Jazz and the Kings are in a heated race to the bottom of the conference. Losers of nine straight, the Jazz are primarily hoping to keep their top-eight protected draft pick, which was at risk of conveying to Oklahoma City.
Status report
Luka Doncic: left hamstring strain
The Lakers have ruled Doncic out for at least the remainder of the regular season. Doncic previously missed four games with another left hamstring strain, but that same timeline won’t apply because the absence rolled into All-Star weekend, when he made a token appearance in the All-Star Game.
Austin Reaves: left oblique strain
Reaves played through the injury he suffered in the first quarter against the Thunder last week, but was ruled out for the rest of the regular season and he likely will miss the first round of the playoffs. He was injured while reaching for a loose ball.
Marcus Smart: right ankle contusion
Smart will miss his eighth consecutive game Tuesday against the Thunder as his ankle injury has lingered for more than two weeks since he got tangled up with Orlando’s Goga Bitadze. While Smart has worked out with staff members on the court before games, he is still day-to-day for his return.
Favorite thing I ate this week
(Thuc Nhi Nguyen / Los Angeles Times)
When in doubt, consult the L.A. Times. For all the news you need to know, yes, but also about your local food needs. This dinner was brought to you by the L.A. Times’ best 101 restaurants list, which recommended Lalibela on Fairfax for an Ethiopian feast. We started with the lentil sambusa (not pictured), which came with a perfectly spiced herb sauce, and shared the veggie utopia, which hits every note with the restaurant’s most popular vegetarian dishes.
When Tina LaMonica and Warren Wellen purchased their South Pasadena Craftsman home in 2001, the one-car garage dated back to 1917, a time when people parked their narrow Ford Model T cars inside garages like this one.
“We bought it for $650,000,” LaMonica says of the house. “Of course, we could never afford to buy it now.”
The couple moved in when their daughters, Sophie and Ruby Wellen, were little, and their tree-lined street was full of families with young kids who rode their scooters throughout the neighborhood.
“We all grew up together and had block parties,” says Sophie, 30. Now, she adds, “There are no new families moving in. No one left. Why would they?”
Tina LaMonica and Warren Wellen sit on the patio with their daughter, Sophie Wellen, and their dog, Hazelnut, next to the 230-square-foot ADU where Sophie lived for two years. Her younger sister is now living in the ADU.
Music was always a part of their home, Sophie says, thanks to her father, Warren, 65, who is both an attorney and a musician in the alternative rock band Brahms’ Third Racket.
“He plays everything,” Sophie says. “Throughout my entire childhood, he was always making music.”
LaMonica adds, “It can be disruptive.”
So in 2021, the couple pulled together money from different sources, including a line of credit, and turned the garage into a tiny 230-square-foot accessory dwelling unit, or ADU, for Warren to use as a music studio.
“It was intended to be a creative space, not a home,” says LaMonica, 64, who is a commercial real estate broker. “The total cost was around $125,000, including permits, construction and all systems — a significant investment, but one that ended up serving our family in unexpected ways.”
The garage before, left, during, right, and after, below, construction. (Tina LaMonica)
A few months after using his new music studio, Sophie, who had been in law school at the University of Michigan, moved back to Los Angeles after being away for 10 years.
“She wasn’t working right away, and like many new grads, she had student debt and credit card debt from getting through school,” says LaMonica. “Market rent in the Los Angeles area wasn’t realistic, even with a job offer lined up. So, the studio became her first home. It gave her stability and independence during a major transition.”
Sophie, who describes her relationship with her parents as close, says the ADU was always meant to be temporary and she’s grateful for it.
“At 28, I didn’t know where I wanted to live in L.A.,” she says. “I had only grown up in Pasadena, which is a small community. I felt lucky to be able to live in this little house in the back and explore the city to find the right place for me, instead of rushing to grab the first place I could, like so many of my associates had to do. It was right after the bar exam, and I was really stressed.”
The ADU features a Murphy bed and and a nice-sized kitchenette.
The kitchenette has a compact air fryer-toaster oven from Our Place, and a slim, Classic retro-style refrigerator.
After clerking for a judge in Washington, D.C., Sophie’s boyfriend William Lang moved to Los Angeles and joined her and her dog in the ADU, bringing his two cats with him.
“It was a full house,” Sophie says, laughing. “And yes, they were indoor cats! But we made it work. Finding a rental was hard. I couldn’t really afford a nice apartment in L.A. I had to save up and wait until my boyfriend got here so we had two incomes.”
It’s no surprise they felt at home. Although it’s small, the unit is sunny and bright, with a pitched roof and a big picture window overlooking the lush backyard and swimming pool. (The blinds can be closed for privacy.)
There’s a Murphy bed that turns into a love seat when pulled down, which saves space, and classic black-and-white checkerboard porcelain tile from Mission Tile in South Pasadena that gives the living spaces a surprising sense of fun. The unit also has a bathroom with a shower, a closet and a storage nook above the bathroom.
The ADU has room for a desk, flat-screen TV and comfy chair.
There’s also room for a desk, a flat-screen TV on the wall and a comfortable chair. Not having a dining room isn’t a problem because there’s a welcoming patio just outside the French doors, with two chairs, a couch and a coffee table.
“The backyard was our saving grace,” says Sophie. “Most of the time, William sat at the little table. It was cozy and nice. I got to be near my parents, and they got to know my partner better.”
The ADU has a roomy kitchenette with white cabinets and countertops, a compact air fryer-toaster oven from Our Place, and a slim retro-style refrigerator from Unique. “You can bake, broil and fry with the small Wonder Oven,” LaMonica says. “Ruby uses it all the time.” There’s also a mini-split system for heating and cooling, and if needed, a stackable washer and dryer can be added later.
A patio area provides another living space steps outside the ADU.
Soon after Sophie moved out, having lived in the back house for two years, her 27-year-old sister Ruby moved in. “She works in Torrance and can’t afford to rent an apartment close to her job,” her mother says. “The ADU gives her a chance to live affordably, stay safe and be near family, while building financial footing on her own terms.”
LaMonica is happy with the ADU, though she wishes they could have added a second floor, which the city of South Pasadena didn’t allow at the time.
She imagines a future in which one of her daughters lives in the main house, and she and her husband live in the ADU. “I think an ADU is a great long-term solution,” she says. “It keeps people from moving out of California. With an ADU, at least you can keep your family on site.”
In some ways, the small ADU is more than just a solution for young people who can’t afford to live in Los Angeles. A 2025 study found that Los Angeles ranked second among the 50 largest U.S. metros for its share of working adults (ages 25 to 40) living with parents.
Backyard homes can also help people connect with their community.
“The nice thing about the ADU is that it can give you a sense of community that’s hard to find right now because people are so isolated,” says Sophie, who now rents a two-bedroom duplex in Hancock Park with Lang for $4,500 a month. “We’re both lawyers at private law firms and doing well, but I still don’t feel like I could have a child right now and give them the life I want. It’s hard to make big life decisions in L.A., especially if you have student debt. It was really nice to have dinner with my parents every once in a while. They didn’t want William and I to leave.”
The bathroom inside the ADU.
As Southern California gets more crowded and housing costs rise, young people have to look for options different from those their parents had when they were growing up.
LaMonica says she and her husband never thought they would house both daughters in a converted garage. “But in a place like Los Angeles,” she says, “the tiny ADU turned into a flexible and essential lifeline for our family, not just once but twice.”
And maybe one day, Warren will finally get his music studio.
Gemma Collins says she will prove she is ‘strong woman’ in I’m A Celebrity camp second time around.
07:00, 07 Apr 2026Updated 07:02, 07 Apr 2026
Gemma Collins is back on I’m A Celeb and vowing to stay for longer this time(Image: ITV/Shutterstock)
Former TOWIE star Gemma Collins has insisted she is committed to I’m A Celebrity second time around.
The reality TV star lasted just 72 hours first time around before quitting in 2014, but has been given a second chance in South Africa. Gemma, who went in as a late entry alongside Craig Charles, said: “Going on All Stars is a real moment for me in my career – it’s redemption. To be able to do this again is the greatest honour ever. I am going to be the best campmate and get those stars. None of us will be starving under my watch.”
The 45-year old also revealed she will be walking into the South African jungle as ‘Gemma Collins’ and not her dive persona ‘The GC’.
She said: “I am dreading the whole lot, I don’t think anyone goes into the jungle going ‘woohoo’. It’s not normal to be faced with animals, but I am going in as Gemma Collins. Gemma Collins is a self-made woman. I have been to hell and back to get to where I am today. I am just looking forward to proving to people I can do it.
“There is no way I am going to be leaving after 72 hours. I am in it to win it. I am going through to the end. Last time, there were no highlights for me. But I wasn’t the strong, assertive woman I am today and I’ve got a totally different mindset.”
She says if she were lucky enough to win the series, it would be the ultimate pinnacle in her career.
Gemma said: “If I could get crowned the ‘Legend’, I would just feel complete in my life. Me quitting has been a shadow hanging over me. It would be my real redemption moment of my career that I had done this and nobody could take it away from me.”
Ahead of filming the show last year, Gemma also said she was looking forward to chatting with Ant & Dec again in the jungle.
She added: “It has been embarrassing whenever I have been to ITV parties knowing their first thought might be, ‘oh no, there is that girl who left the jungle’. They are fabulous. I want to show them what I am made of and get that new-found respect.”
As well as Gemma other returning stars include Olympian Sir Mo Farah, former Gogglebox star Scarlett Moffatt, Pussycat Dolls singer Ashley Roberts, actor Adam Thomas, singer Sinitta and comedian Seann Walsh.
Gemma and fellow latecomer Craig Charles will be competing in a trial before they arrive in camp tonight.
Asked if the show changed her first time around, she added: “No but now with hindsight, I realise I wasn’t wholesome or grounded when I went in. I was this girl from Essex who was all about Range Rovers, fancy jewellery and fancy coats. I am going to South Africa with a very different mindset.”
White is the latest festival alum added to the bill for a surprise slot in recent years, joining the likes of Weezer and Ed Sheeran in 2025, Blink-182 in 2023 and Arcade Fire in 2022.
The sold-out festival is topped by Sabrina Carpenter on Friday, Justin Bieber on Saturday and Karol G on Sunday. Carpenter has the earliest headlining spot of the three, with a set scheduled for 9:05 to 10:35 p.m. Following Carpenter on opening night is electronic artist Anyma, who is debuting a production called “Æden” at midnight on the Coachella stage.
It’s free to see, but there’s a reservation system for a time slot. People who can’t make a reservation will be admitted on a first-come, first-served basis.
On the Coachella website, it describes the Bunker as being located near the Sahara Tent.
“Little House on the Prairie” alumna Melissa Gilbert remains steadfast in her support for husband Timothy Busfield, the Emmy-winning actor who has been embroiled in a child sex abuse scandal since earlier this year.
Gilbert, in her first sit-down interview since Busfield’s indictment in February, told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos she trusts her husband “with my children’s lives, my grandchildren’s lives, my nieces and nephews” and said she expects the “Thirtysomething” star will be exonerated at trial next year.
“Believe me, if I thought for a second that Tim Busfield hurt a child, he’d have a lot more to worry about than prison,” she said in part of the interview that aired Monday on “Good Morning America.”
In February, a New Mexico grand jury indicted 68-year-old Busfield on four counts of criminal sexual contact of a child. A month prior, New Mexico officials accused Busfield of of inappropriately touching two child actors, who are brothers, during his time as an actor, director and producer on the Fox crime drama “The Cleaning Lady.”
One child actor alleged that Busfield had first touched his “private areas” multiple times on set when he was 7, according to the complaint. He said Busfield touched him inappropriately again several times when he was 8. The affidavit also detailed a police interview with Busfield in which he suggested that the boys’ mother might have sought “revenge” on the director for “not bringing her kids back for the final season.”
Busfield turned himself in to law enforcement days after the warrant was issued and denied the accusations. He was jailed at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Albuquerque but was released on his own recognizance Jan. 20.
For Gilbert, 61, the allegations and ensuing chain of events have been “hell.” Recent months have brought “the most traumatizing experiences of our lives,” she told Stephanopoulos, adding, “Our life as we knew it is done.”
The couple married in 2013. “The West Wing” actor Busfield has three adult children from two previous marriages and is the stepfather to Gilbert’s two adult sons from her two previous marriages. When the allegations first surfaced, a publicist for Gilbert said the actor would not comment on her husband’s case, denounced “any purported statements” and said that Gilbert was focused on caring for her and Busfield’s family.
During the Monday interview Gilbert said she and her husband are “grieving what we had: all of our plans, all of our dreams, all of our ideas, all of our projects.” She said her husband has become persona non grata — “canceled,” in her words — and that the allegations will continue to cast a shade over his career “even if he’s exonerated.” Busfield’s lawyer Larry Stein and Gilbert both told Stephanopoulos they are confident that will be the case.
When asked what justice for her husband might look like, Gilbert replied: “Exoneration and apology. Free him from this cloud.”
Elsewhere in the interview, attorney Stein doubled down on his belief that the child actors and their parents are “absolutely” making false allegations against Busfield. The actors’ parents did not respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
Gilbert also told Stephanopoulos that before she married Busfield, she was aware he had been accused of sexual harassment twice by different women, once in 1994 and another time in 2012. Those two cases were mentioned in the January complaint against Busfield.
“I didn’t go into my relationship with him blind. I am neither naive nor am I complicit,” she said, adding she and her husband discussed those claims. “I heard his side of the story which no one has ever heard which is the truth. And when the time is right, and that is not now, Tim will tell the truth of all of these past allegations when he needs to.”
Van-life traveller Lana says this gorgeous UK village with cobbled streets and turquoise waters is so ‘quaint and dreamy’ it’s like stepping back into the past
Clovelly is located in north Devon and has stunning views making it feel like Greece(Image: RolfSt via Getty Images)
This pretty UK village has narrow cobbled lanes and cute shopfronts that will make you feel like it’s the good old days.
Lana, who explores Britain while living in her van, is encouraging people to make the journey to Clovelly in north Devon.
The content creator said: “I had a solo trip to this quaint and dreamy little place with the most picturesque scenery! It was like stepping back in time with no cars allowed and had a kind of a Greece feel to it with the cobbled streets, bright white houses, hanging flower baskets over looking a turquoise ocean.”
She adored spotting donkeys at the top of the village, as well as taking in the breathtaking vistas and indulging in a scrumptious afternoon tea.
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Clovelly boasts dramatic views over the Bristol Channel, a small working harbour, and a really distinctive layout that makes a visit feel like an experience rather than just a stop-off.
People come for the cobbled main street that drops steeply down to the water, the photogenic cottages and flower-filled walls, and the slower pace created by the fact cars don’t use the village streets.
Another reason if feels like stepping back to the past is that goods are traditionally moved by handcarts, and you’ll often see donkeys referenced as part of the village’s heritage.
If you’re planning on visiting, Lana said there’s an entrance fee for the village as it has remained privately owned since Elizabethan times. Visitor charges are roughly £8.75 per person.
Clovelly Court Gardens are an absolute must-see when exploring this famous village, boasting immaculately maintained grounds and beautifully restored Victorian greenhouses.
Be sure to pop into the Kingley Museum or head up to Mount Pleasant – widely regarded as the finest picnic spot in the village
There are also a handful of charming pubs, craft workshops to get stuck into, as well as shops stocking unique and handmade goods.
For ale fans, the Clovelly Brewery sits proudly at the top of this stunning village.
But Lana warned: “It’s on a steep cliff so be prepared for a bit of a walk and don’t be like me and wear flip flops – which also broke so that was interesting on steep cobbled paths.”
Lana recommends visiting on a weekday where possible to sidestep the crowds – and people agree that it’s well worth the journey.
Commenting on the viral video showcasing the village’s stunning beauty, one user said: “Beautiful Clovelly, worth the £9 per adult. Absolutely stunning the £9 ticket is valid for seven days so definitely worth it. Visited the garden too – bought a little plant.”
Another said: “I visited Clovelly some years ago, it’s lovely.” And a third added: “Clovelly, prettiest village ever, been few times.”
SACRAMENTO — Every morning, Jack Kavanagh brews himself a cup of coffee or tea, pads down a short hallway, past the dining room, and turns left into his small home office, where he brings California to the world.
It’s been his routine for decades, through all manner of upheaval and events — social, political, natural and man-made.
Kavanagh, a somewhat-retired former TV newsman, has documented the policy and personalities behind those developments one curated paragraph at a time, complete with links, so others can follow his trail, feel the pulse of the state and take away what they will.
California: Unbiased and unvarnished.
What began as a summary for colleagues at a television station in Sacramento has developed a worldwide following, an achievement noteworthy not just for its duration — Kavanagh’s catalog may be the state’s longest-running news aggregator — but for all the things his website is not.
There are no flashy graphics on Rough & Tumble. No eyeball-grabbing videos, no partisan commentary or agenda, and none of the edge or snark that greases the gears of the perpetual-political-outrage machine.
There are just headlines and short summaries, presented as simply and unadorned as the plain-spoken Kavanagh himself. “The bottom line,” he said, “is trust” — vouching that an article is credible and worthy of a reader’s time.
“It all comes down to that. And now, with the age of AI fakes and all the other social media and stuff like that, it’s even more important. It’s even more unique.”
Kavanagh, 78, is a New Englander by birth and Californian by choice.
He grew up in Providence, R.I., and by his own account was aimless until his 21st year. One night, in June 1968, Kavanagh watched the small black-and-white television in his bedroom as live coverage of Robert F. Kennedy’s assassination unfolded. Captivated, he knew from that moment on what he wished to do with his life.
A low-level job at a local radio station led to an on-air position at its TV affiliate, where Kavanagh’s big break came in 1978 when a massive blizzard hammered the Northeast. His marathon coverage garnered national notice and, two years later, an offer to move to a larger market in Milwaukee. He was prepared to go, when another offer came from a TV station out West.
“Do you know many nanoseconds it takes,” Kavanagh asked rhetorically, “to make a decision between Milwaukee, Wisc., and Sacramento, Calif.?”
Two Emmys for television reporting adorn Jack Kavanagh’s home office in Sacramento.
(Sara Nevis/For The Times)
Kavanagh had never set foot in the state and part of his steep California learning curve was devouring as many newspapers — back when they abounded — as he could. He noticed a large stack that sat untouched each day in the newsroom; most of his colleagues, he said, were simply too busy to dive in. So he began typing up a summary of the top headlines and stuffing copies in people’s mailboxes.
When the internet was still in its infancy — Kavanagh guesses the year was 1994, or so — he began putting his compendium online, so those working at the station’s Stockton bureau could partake as well.
There wasn’t much interest. But people in the capital began noticing. Kavanagh’s daily wrap-up developed an audience among political insiders — lawmakers, lobbyists, legislative staffers — and then a following that grew to include other reporters and, eventually, readers throughout California and beyond.
Rough & Tumble — the name captures the sweat and grit of politics — has continued without interruption for 30-plus years. In that time, Kavanagh has missed only a few days here and there.
That includes in 2004, when he underwent quadruple bypass surgery. Another time, when Kavanagh was suffering ulcerative colitis, he brought his laptop and worked from a hospital bed. (The laptop also accompanies Kavanagh and his very indulgent wife of 42 years on their vacations.)
Kavanagh typically starts each morning scanning dozens of news sites. He posts the big headlines of the day. He also looks for trends and stories that connect the dots, which are collected beneath subheads — AI, water, housing, education and the like.
“I want it to be a tip sheet for anybody who is in a Fortune 500 company, or who is a kid on a scholarship in a high school somewhere,” Kavanagh said over lunch at a favorite Mexican restaurant. “I want them both to be able to zoom through this and figure out what’s going on and move onto something else.”
Mindful of his global audience, he updates his site with fresh headlines starting in the late afternoon. (Analytics allow Kavanagh to watch as the world wakes up and readers from as far away as Russia and China, represented by a blue dot, begin showing up on his computer monitor.) In all, he said, he devotes four to five hours a day to his one-man enterprise.
Rough & Tumble gets about 1.1 million page views a year, Kavanagh said, and while it’s not a huge moneymaker, the business allows him to write off his many subscriptions. A small amount of advertising also helps pay for the occasional trip.
Years after leaving the television business and a brief career as a media coach, Kavanagh runs the site as a kind of public service and a way to stay engaged and keep mentally fit. He’s still captivated by his adopted home state. “Every day,” he said, “I learn something new about California that I didn’t know yesterday.”
Kavanagh has no succession plan. He said Rough & Tumble will end the day he does — or sooner, if artificial intelligence renders Kavanagh and his role as host, news-gatherer and California guide obsolete.
This is the weekend high school track and field takes center stage in Southern California. Quincy Wilson, who won a gold medal at the age of 16 at the 2024 Olympic Games, is coming from Maryland to compete in the 400 and two relays at the Arcadia Invitational at Arcadia High on Saturday.
“I’m so fired up,” Servite coach Brandon Thomas said.
And Thomas isn’t running.
Servite’s 4×100 and 4×400 relay teams will have to deal with Bullis High and Wilson running the anchor leg in races that should have fans standing on their feet while listening to the oohs and aahs.
🚨FINALLY! Cali Sub-40!🚨 @Servite_XC_TF@ServiteSports becomes the first boys 4×100 squad in state history to crack the elusive 40-second barrier! The Friars blazed 39.82 at today’s Trabuco Hills Invit’l to cook their own record of 40.00 from last year! Oh my!! 📸:… pic.twitter.com/OKwBvpIDzW
“From a competitive standpoint, they’re excited to compete against the country’s best,” Thomas said.
Servite’s 4×100 relay team sent a message on Saturday, becoming the first to break 40 seconds in California history, winning in 39.82 at Trabuco Hills.
It’s all a perfect setup, from the atmosphere to the stiff competition, to prepare for next month’s section and state championships.
There’s two Loyola High athletes, sprinter Zion Phelps and 400 runner Ejam Yohannes, who hope to use Arcadia as a springboard to continue their early success this season.
Zion Phelps of Loyola edges Emmanuel Pullins of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame in the 100 meters on Tuesday, winning in 10.56 seconds. Pullins rans 10.59.
(Craig Weston)
Phelps is in his first year of track after being a defensive back and receiver for the football team. He and Loyola’s new coach, Sharaud Moore, were having conversions during the fall.
“He swore up and down he was the fastest kid in the school,” Moore said. “Yeah, put your money where your mouth is.”
Said Phelps: “I told him, ‘Just wait.’ I knew I had that speed and wanted to prove it.”
He ran a wind-aided 100-meter time of 10.39 seconds this spring. Last week in a Mission League dual meet against Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, he won with a time of 10.56.
Said Moore: “I was his harshest critic on the field.“We’re going back and forth and he was right. He’s s really fast.”
Showing his speed is legitimate will help with his football recruiting going into his senior year in the fall.
“Definitely this year has pushed my recruitment out there with my track times,” Phelps said. “I wanted to show the. I’m dedicated to this and being a multi-sport athlete. It will translate a lot.”
Yohannes, set to face Wilson in the 400, has an equally compelling story. He never played organized sports until joining the track team as a freshman. His parents came here from the small African country of Eritrea. His first name is Ethiopian.
He ran the 400 in 52.48 seconds as a freshman, focused more on having fun. Sophomore season he dropped to 50.75 and said to himself, “Wow, I’m fast.” He started getting serious.
“Now I wanted to be better,” he said.
An injury in January of last year didn’t let him get the foundation to run as fast as he hoped. He dropped to 47.69. Then Moore became coach, and Yohannes finally put in months of training to build a foundation.
“He comes in and kills me,” Yohannes said.
Then came the reward — 46.11 on March 21. In his final tuneup on Saturday, he ran 47.17 at the Red Rock Running Invitational.
“He’s a student and studies racing, training, race plans, athletes, programs,” Moore said.
As for facing Wilson, Yohannes’ attitude is bring him on.
“I’m excited to go out there,” he said. “It’s great competition. If I don’t believe I can win, nobody else can. If I don’t believe in myself, it’s over. I’m going to give my best. I might be crazy to saying this, but I think I have chance. He’s world class already in high school. He’s top of the line talent, It’s whoever wins on that given day. This is going to be unreal pressure knowing if I win, my name is out there. That puts me on the map. I can dream.”
Todd Bridges has taken steps to make his split from Bettijo Hirschi official after announcing in January that he and his spouse had separated.
The former “Diff’rent Strokes” actor, 60, filed paperwork asking to end his marriage Tuesday in Arizona, Us Weekly reported Thursday. This will be the second divorce for both parties.
A representative for Bridges didn’t respond immediately to The Times’ request for confirmation and comment.
“This was not an easy choice, and it comes with a heavy heart, but also with love and gratitude for the life we shared,” he said in a statement to The Times. “I thank God for the time we’ve had together, the lessons we’ve learned, and the family we’ve built. Even in this season of change, I trust He is guiding us both toward healing, peace, and new beginnings.”
Bridges said at the time that he would “continue to lift my former partner up in prayer, wishing them joy and fulfillment in the chapters ahead.”
The two met in January 2022; they married nine months later, after a brief engagement. Hirschi told Tamron Hall last year that a friend who wrote a new dating profile for her showed it to Bridges as “market research.” The friend then told Hirschi that Bridges wanted to get in touch.
“She’s a lot like my mom,” Bridges told Hall.
During a contentious spousal support dispute in 2025, Hirschi described the “Everybody Hates Chris” veteran as “semi-retired,” Us Weekly reported in February. The documents came as part of a battle Hirschi fought with first husband Heath Hirschi after marrying Bridges. At the time, Us said that Bettijo was claiming monthly expenses of around $16,550 and said Bridges made only “about $700” a month in 2024 unless he obtained “contract work.”
The Hirschis, who divorced in 2020, share four children, two of them minors, the outlet said. Heath Hirschi wanted out of paying $2,700 a month in spousal support payments after his ex married someone his legal team called a “well-known Hollywood actor.” Us said that in December 2025, the court revised the former couple’s agreement to $1,206 per month in child support, with $43,401.96 due for unpaid past support.
Bridges, meanwhile, has about a dozen acting credits since 2020, according to IMDb, which also says he worked on several new projects in various stages of production.
He also has two adult offspring: Daughter Bo is from a previous relationship with Amanda Rushing; he shares son Spencir, 27, with his first wife. Spencir Bridges was, like his dad, a child actor, with roles in the 2007 movie “Daddy Day Camp” and, in 2005, the TV series “ER.” Spencir’s most recent acting credits were in 2009 when he appeared in the series “iCarly” and in the TV movie “The Three Gifts.”
Todd Bridges is the last surviving original cast member of the hit sitcom “Diff’rent Strokes,” which ran from 1978 to 1986. Conrad Bain played Phillip Drummond, a wealthy Park Avenue businessman and father of Kimberly (Dana Plato). Drummond adopted sons Arnold (Gary Coleman) and Willis (Bridges), who were from Harlem. The character of housekeeper Edna Garrett, played by Charlotte Rae, was spun off in 1979 into a second hit series, “Facts of Life,” which ran until 1988.
Who: Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona What: Spanish football’s La Liga Where: Metropolitano Stadium When: Saturday, April 5, at 9pm (19:00 GMT). How to follow: We’ll have all the buildup on Al Jazeera Sport from 16:00 GMT in advance of our live text commentary stream.
Barcelona winger Raphinha’s untimely injury heaps further pressure on teenage star Lamine Yamal ahead of the club’s triple-header against Atletico Madrid.
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The Spanish champions visit Atletico on Saturday as they bid to maintain or even extend their lead at the top of La Liga, before two further games against Diego Simeone’s team in the Champions League quarterfinals.
Barca have already faced Atletico three times this season, beating them in La Liga in December but falling in the Copa del Rey semifinal over two legs.
Without Raphinha, out with a hamstring injury until May, the onus will be on 18-year-old winger Yamal to provide the magic Barca need to proceed on two fronts in the approaching, inevitably intense battles with Atletico.
Yamal played for Spain this week in a goalless draw against Egypt in Cornella at Espanyol’s stadium, which was notable for Islamophobic chanting from the home supporters that the teenager, a Muslim, condemned.
“To those who sing these things: using a religion as a form of mockery on a pitch shows you up as ignorant and racist,” wrote Yamal on social media.
Yamal has shown maturity beyond his years since bursting onto the scene as a 15-year-old, including starring for Spain as they won Euro 2024 and blossoming further still as Barca claimed a domestic treble last season.
The youngster, often compared to another graduate from Barca’s La Masia youth academy, Lionel Messi, seems to save his best performances for the biggest occasions.
Yamal netted six times for Barca in his last seven matches across all competitions, and the Catalan giants will hope he can continue that form into the final phase of the season.
He admitted in February that he has not been happy this season, in part due to a long-running groin injury, but lately feels better.
“I have that desire to smile on the pitch that I haven’t had for a long time, and I’m very happy, now I’m happy playing,” said Yamal after scoring the first hat-trick of his career, against Villarreal.
In recent weeks, Barca have been dependent on the forward in attack and goalkeeper Joan Garcia at the other end.
Strikers Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres have struggled for consistent form, while Marcus Rashford has fallen somewhat out of favour.
Raphinha’s injury opens the door for the England international, on loan from Manchester United, to start on the left again.
Yamal’s pressing and off-the-ball work is an excellent example for Rashford, who despite his strong contribution in terms of assists, sometimes lacks the relentless energy and focus Hansi Flick wants from his forwards.
Simeone’s Atletico, fourth by a distance from fifth-place Real Betis, have little to play for in the league but will want to build momentum before Wednesday’s Champions League quarterfinal first leg at Camp Nou.
The La Liga showdown is a preview of the series in the Champions League quarterfinals between the Spanish clubs.
It will be the first of three games between Barcelona and Atletico in 10 days. The Spanish rivals will face each other five times in less than two months. They also met in the semifinals of the Copa del Rey in February and March, when Atletico advanced to the final 4-3 on aggregate.
The Champions League games will be on Wednesday in Barcelona and on April 14 in Madrid. Barcelona is looking to make it to the Champions League semifinals for the second season in a row, and Atletico is seeking to get back to the last four for the first time since 2017.
Stat attack – Barcelona
25.3 – The average age of the Barca squad is the youngest in the league: 25.3.
What happened the last time Atletico Madrid faced Barcelona?
Barcelona were 3-0 winners in the last meeting between the sides, the second leg of their Copa del Rey semifinal in March.
The first leg, however, was won 4-0 by Atletico.
What happened in the last La Liga meeting?
Barcelona were 3-1 winners in the reverse fixture in the league earlier this season.
What happened in the corresponding fixture last season?
Barcelona were 4-2 winners in the La Liga fixture at Atletico, despite the home side taking a two-goal lead.
Robert Lewandowski began the Barca comeback with his side’s first goal, which came in the 72nd minute.
Head-to-head
This will be the 252nd meeting between Atletico Madrid and Barcelona, with Atletico winning 80 times and Barca claiming the spoils in 114 of the meetings.
Atletico Madrid team news
Marcos Llorente and Johnny Cardoso are both suspended for the match. Pablo Barrios and Rodrigo Mendoza have thigh and ankle injuries, respectively, and will also miss out.
Barcelona team news
As well as Raphinha, Barca are also likely to be without Frenkie de Jong at the weekend, but Jules Kounde and Alejandro Balde may be able to return after injury.
The island is said to have more pubs per capita than anywhere in Ireland, and perhaps the British Isles. It also has a nightclub run by two OAPs that opens on demand
Every June, hundreds of teenagers descend on Pub Island.
The youth of Donegal leave their hilltop farms, hop on a ferry and head to this mythical land of pints and pork scratchings.
On the busiest days, when Coláiste Árainn Mhóir’s summer Irish course is in full, céilí-practising swing, hundreds of teenagers fill the island’s youth hostels, B&Bs and campsites. In the evenings, once lessons end, they head for the pubs.
The island, actually called Arranmore, is said to have more pubs per capita than anywhere in Ireland, and perhaps the British Isles.
Alongside the hordes of youngsters, the island’s 480 permanent residents, mostly sheep farmers and fishermen, sustain six pubs and an iconic nightclub that opens at midnight if the boozers close.
Smugglers is an institution on Arranmore, introducing generations of islanders and visitors to disco at its late-night parties. Opening hours are irregular.
Partygoers either check Facebook for a “disco this Friday” post or knock on the door at the witching hour and hope. The OAP pals who run it have been known to give in and open up.
An unusual quirk of the island is its lack of police. That leaves plenty of scope for debauchery and no need to call last orders until everyone is done.
“The morning after is like D-Day,” one mainland resident told me, recalling teenage nights on the island before her group caught the ferry home, trying to hide seasick hangovers from parents waiting at the other end.
In the UK, the miserable state of the pub industry is well known. Rising costs and falling demand mean hundreds close each year. The Republic is faring little better. More than 2,100 pubs have shut since 2005, about a quarter of the total. An average of 112 close annually, rising to 128 a year between 2019 and 2024, leaving 6,498 licensed pubs.
Against this backdrop, I travelled to Arranmore to see why this Atlantic community is bucking the trend.
Before arriving, the ferry weaved through an archipelago of islands that narrowed the channel to a handful of meters, providing a view of the derelict Rutland. The once-booming island of over 1,000 was deserted when the herring fisheries collapsed, leaving a crumbly but intact high street. Although officially population-less, it is possible to rent a holiday home on the abandoned island.
Aaranmore hoved into view a minute later, a patchwork of fields dotted with sheep rising up on the hill above Leadgarrow port. The island’s main attraction is the lighthouse, which stands on the western cliffs above sea whipped into a deadly froth. It’s a striking scene, but one that requires a fair tolerance for cold and wind.
Unlike the main strip over in the east, which is protected from the worst of the weather. Here you will find the pubs.
My crawl began up the hill at the charming pods at Aaranmore Glamping, my home for the weekend, which came complete with an incredible sea view and a hot tub. From there, a short walk took me to Neilys.
The only inland pub, it has two sides. In winter, it serves locals dropping in for a quick drink after work. In summer, it caters to tourists with cocktails, craft beer and a pizza van.
Next was Early’s, closest to the ferry and opening onto the beach. A three-generation family business spanning 60 years, it is now run by sisters Kayla and Aisling, who recently took over from Jerry. It is the place for generous plates of food and a chat with the owners, whatever the weather. On quiet evenings, the refurbished band and darts hall sits empty while punters gather around the fire.
At 9.30pm, I made my way to Phil Bans, roughly 10m down the road. It was packed to the rafters with well over 100 people of all ages, many of them wearing football jerseys in support of the national team. Even Ireland’s eventual penalty heartbreak wasn’t enough to kill the good vibes in the cheery room.
Sadly, that was all the pubs I was getting for the night. Smugglers wasn’t opening, and the other pubs have given way to Phil Ban’s superior big-screen setup.
So how does a place support so many pubs?
Being a beautiful island with a lot of weather means many visitors come and are then pushed inside for a warming tipple.
But more than that, Aaranmore is just a very friendly place. In 2017, the community council wrote an open letter to the world, urging people to move there to stop the dwindling population from falling even further. Many, from across Ireland’s 80 million diaspora and beyond, answered the call.
It’s a place that’s used to people from all over coming and staying for more than a quick drink.
April 3 (UPI) — NASA’s Artemis II crew left Earth orbit Thursday evening en route for the moon, marking a milestone not reached in more than 50 years.
The Orion spacecraft began a scheduled 5-minute, 50-second burn at 7:49 p.m. EDT, successfully propelling it and its four-person crew out of Earth orbit.
“Nominal translunar injection burn complete. The Artemis II crew is officially on the way to the moon,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman announced on social media.
“America is back in the business of sending astronauts to the moon. This time, farther than ever before.”
The crew of NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen launched Wednesday evening from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center.
It is the first crewed mission to travel farther than low-Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972.
The long-awaited exit from Earth orbit signaled that humankind is now on a trajectory to its closest celestial body, the moon at an average of 238,855 miles away.
“I got to tell you, there is nothing normal about this: sending four humans 250,000 miles away is a Herculean effort, and we are just realizing the gravity of that,” Reid said in a press conference after exiting orbit.
Asked what they are most excited about when they near the moon, Koch simply said it was views.
“Having just experienced incredible views of planet Earth and seeing the entire planet out the window in one pane, knowing that we’re about to have some similar views of the moon in that same way is definitely getting me more excited for it,” she said.
“I knew that that is what we would see, but there is nothing that prepares you for the breathtaking aspect of seeing your home planet both lit up bright as day and also the moon glow on it at night with the beautiful beam of the sunset and knowing we are going to get similar views of the moon, I’m just really excited for that.”
“I’m the space plumber, I’m proud to call myself the space plumber.”
Mission specialists like @Astro_Christina train for all roles so they can jump in wherever they’re needed. Sometimes that means fixing vital machinery, like the spacecraft toilet. pic.twitter.com/RGBWkwRgX7— NASA (@NASA) April 3, 2026
The Orion spacecraft is now on its way to the moon where the crew will perform a flyby, during which they will take high-resolution photographs and provide personal observations of the lunar surface, including the far side of the moon, NASA said.
After the flyby is completed, the four-person crew will begin their return to Earth, completing their 10-day deep-space journey with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on April 10.
The mission, in essence, is a crewed rehearsal for a future lunar landing, targeted for early 2028.
You know the political silly season is upon us when campaigns start to make fools of themselves trying to court Latino voters.
In the Los Angeles mayoral race, that moment kicked off last week.
On Friday, a social media account called Latinos Por Pratt released an AI-animated music video praising the mayoral candidate and former reality television star Spencer Pratt. It starts with a fit, sunglasses-wearing Pratt rolling a trash bin brimming with detritus and Mayor Karen Bass past a crowd of cheering Angelenos. The Hollywood sign looms in the background as the title “Spencer, Saca La Bassura” flashes on the screen — Spencer, Take Out Trashy Karen, with “Bassura” a play on the mayor’s last name and the Spanish word for “trash.”
Cut to scenes of Bass playing tourist on her infamous trip to Ghana while the Palisades burn. Splice in Pratt dancing with his wife, Heidi Montag, onstage at a street party where onlookers wave a Mexican and a U.S. flag. And because L.A.’s Latino majority is overwhelmingly of Mexican descent, the thing was anchored by a peppy accordion, dramatic guitar plucks and a bold tuba, right? Right?
Uh, no.
Lyrics such as “Latinos for Pratt we’re singing / Because we’re tired of this dirty beat” play over brassy salsa rhythms that are more Miami and Cuban than L.A., where Latinos are mostly of Mexican and Central American heritage and the soundtrack of the city — corridos tumbados, cumbias, Latin rock and pop — reflect that.
That didn’t stop clueless, mostly non-Latino Pratt fanboys and fangirls from going gaga over it online. Nor did it stop Bass from joining in the we-need-Latino-voters fiesta.
Soon after the video was released, a group called Latinos Con Bass brought out big-name speakers to Plaza de la Raza in Lincoln Heights — state Sen. Maria Elena Durazo (D-Los Angeles), Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights head Angélica Salas, Service Employees International Union California President David Huerta — so they could pledge support for the incumbent with all the dutifulness of doctors reminding people to take their flu shot. Bass greeted the crowd with a peppy “¡Sí se puede!” — the standard Latino politico rallying cry for decades but one that’s not so kosher right now given its association with César Chávez, the legendary labor leader whom a New York Times investigation recently revealed to have sexually assaulted teenage girls.
Latinos Con Bass came off as a bunch of establishment types sticking up for one of their own instead of anything organic. But at least we know the track record of those involved. Latinos Por Pratt seems to be just one guy: Adrian E. Alvarez, a Cuban American whose online profile says he splits his time between the Miami area and L.A. If the lawyer by trade — who didn’t respond to numerous requests for comment — was really serious about winning Latino votes for his guy, he would’ve commissioned a corrido instead of a salsa tune. The Mexican ballad form has been trotted out by Angelenos for decades for everything from the tragic deaths of Robert F. Kennedy and Kobe Bryant and his daughter to the capture of sundry narco lords.
Those songwriters got it. Alvarez’s diss track doesn’t. And his use of Cuban Spanish on social media to promote it — carajo, fajame, mi gente — in place of Mexican Spanish equivalents such as güey, éntrale and raza sounds like a guy who doesn’t know South L.A. from South Beach.
But to dismiss “Spencer, Saca La Bassura” as an inauthentic joke is to miss what it says about this political moment. In a year when Latinos nationwide will make or break the Democrats’ effort to win back Congress, they’ll play an even more crucial role in L.A.’s mayoral race.
And it’s the Bass campaign that needs Latinos more than any of her opponents — because there’s no guarantee she’ll get them.
Then-L.A. mayoral candidate Karen Bass, center, is flanked by pioneering farm labor leader Dolores Huerta, left, and former Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, right, during a 2022 campaign event in Mariachi Plaza.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
A UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll released last month and co-sponsored by The Times revealed that 56% of likely voters view the mayor unfavorably, the only candidate to have a majority of those surveyed look negatively on her. She’s the top choice among Latinos — 29%, compared with Pratt’s 16%. But 27% of Latinos remain undecided about whom they want as mayor, the highest percentage of any ethnic group.
Pratt has some name recognition among Latinos as a C-list celebrity, but he’s also a registered Republican who thinks L.A. should coordinate with the Trump administration’s deportation leviathan, a position that’s as popular among Angelenos as rooting for the San Diego Padres. That obviously presents an opportunity for Councilwoman Nithya Raman, who’s running for mayor to the left of Bass — if she can smartly seize it. But Raman represents a district with one of the lowest Latino populations in the city and has yet to make a name for herself across town — no wonder the Berkeley poll found just 9% of Latinos favored her, trailing even Presbyterian pastor Rae Huang.
Those shortcomings should give Bass — whose children are Mexican American and who has worked alongside Latino L.A.’s political establishment for nearly her entire political career — an advantage among Latinos. But all that star wattage didn’t win her the Latino vote four years ago against Rick Caruso. And L.A.’s biggest problems during the mayor’s first term — homelessness, beat-up streets, busted streetlights, President Trump’s immigration deluge — unduly affected the Latino areas of L.A. Even the inferno that engulfed the Palisades led to the loss of thousands of jobs for the nannies, house cleaners and gardeners that kept the neighborhood as pristine as it was.
Bass’ campaign will trumpet all of her supposed accomplishments and trot out endorsements as it did at the Plaza de la Raza event, but she lost the narrative of a healthy L.A. a long time ago.
Pratt — who doesn’t seem to know Los Angeles besides the Westside and television studios — will have to do far more than Bass and Raman to attract Latinos. But by repeatedly referring to the mayor as “Karen Bassura” — a juvenile, obvious insult that nevertheless sticks once you hear it — he’s at least making Spanish a far more constant part of his campaign than his rivals. And Alvarez’s music video, as silly and un-L.A. as it is, speaks to an enthusiasm among at least one Latino Pratt supporter that will most likely remain catchier and more inspired than anything the Bass and Raman campaigns come up with.
That reality seems to have already made Bass blink. She responded to “Spencer, Saca La Bassura” on social media a few days later with a photo of people at her Plaza de la Raza rally holding “Latinos Con Bass” signs with the caption “Latinos Con Bass > Ai Latinos.” It was meant as a political flex but came off as insecure posturing. Meanwhile, Latinos Por Pratt just released a teaser for another video, this time featuring Pratt as Batman carting out a clown-faced Bass and Raman as the villainous Two-Face.
Playing, again, to salsa. That’s weak sauce. Can someone try to really get Latino L.A.?
Most people take their first Disney trip as a child, but I visited for the first time as a middle-aged woman, and some parts of my trip were completely unexpected – here’s what first time visitors should know
My first trip to Disney was one to remember(Image: Natalie King)
Look for advice on your first trip to a Disney park and you’ll often be overwhelmed with dos and don’ts, and a lot of the advice is conflicting. Going into my first Disney trip to Disneyland Paris, I tried to do some research, but found there’s just so much information out there it can be difficult to know who to listen to.
However, there are a few simple things I wish I’d known before I went with my seven year old, and if you’re a first timer like me, you might find it useful to keep these things in mind when planning.
1. The days are long
We arrived late evening on our first day and found the park beautifully lit up and the atmosphere buzzing. As someone who is used to British theme parks that usually slam their doors shut at 6PM, I didn’t realise that everything opens so much later at Disneyland. Even after the night shows, people were wandering round the shops at nearly 11PM and seemingly not planning to go to bed anytime soon.
There are certainly upsides to this. You can squeeze lots of fun out of your day and plan to go on rides when it’s quieter. However, with younger kids you might want to plan some strategic naps otherwise they aren’t going to make it through to the night-time shows, which really are worth staying up for.
2. You find most of the fun stuff by accident
While I did have a vague plan for the things we wanted to see, some of the stuff we really loved we stumbled across completely accidentally. Wandering into the main Disneyland Park at just the right time meant we arrived just in time to see Mickey dance by on a parade float. While walking around the Studios Park, we found ourselves just in time to see Stitch Live, a super fun interactive show which my daughter is still talking about, which we hadn’t planned to see.
It’s tempting to overplan on these kinds of trips, but the park really is a magical place, and sometimes it’s best to just wander round and let the magic find you.
3. The shopping and dining are as impressive as the rides
Let’s face it, the facilities at many theme parks in the UK leave a lot of room for improvement. Food is limited to burgers and hot dogs, and the gift shops have a few overpriced toys and some branded merch.
Our hotel was close to Disney Village, which had a seriously impressive selection of shops, restaurants, bars, plus some familiar chains like Starbucks and McDonald’s. There were clothing shops with just Disney-branded items, a posh décor shop were you could get upmarket scented candles and bougie gifts, and even a giant LEGO store.
The restaurants we visited, including the new Regal View restaurant, were certainly much different to any other theme park dining I’ve ever experienced. There was not a chicken nugget or sticky table in sight as we enjoyed upmarket French cuisine. Even the kids meals were fresh, seasonal, and beautifully presented. It’s great to have these options especially if you’re visiting the park for a special occasion.
4. Premier Access is an upgrade worth paying for
If you have a short window of time to visit the parks, then Premier Access is definitely one upgrade to get. It meant we could get on most rides in under five minutes so could pack so much into a short space of time. You can also buy passes for individual rides, which would definitely be worth it if you have your heart set on one of the big attractions.
My editor, who has visited the parks many times, warned me that I’d be exhausted after my trip describing it as ‘Disney tired’. She wasn’t wrong. The combination of 25,000 steps a day, constant stimulation, and being in crowds for hours and hours at a time left me extremely fatigued.
If you’ve got an extra day of annual leave going spare, you might want to book the day off after coming home, or at least get a nap on the Eurostar, because I honestly felt jet-lagged after arriving home. But of course, it was well worth it.
Have a story you want to share? Email us at webtravel@reachplc.com
A NEW Wetherspoons pub has opened its doors at a holiday park near Blackpool.
Called The Springfield, the new Wetherspoons watering hole is at Haven Holidays‘ Cala Gran Holiday Park in Fleetwood.
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A new Wetherspoons has opened at Haven’s Cala Gran Holiday ParkCredit: NHP
The new pub officially opened on March 31, in time for the Easter weekend.
Between March and June and September and November, the pub will be open from 8am to 10pm each day.
Then during July and August – peak season – the pub will be open each day from 8am to serve hungry holidaymakers breakfast and remain open until midnight.
As you’d expect from a Wetherspoons pub, the bar will serve ales, wines, beers and cocktails and the food menu will boast full English breakfasts, fish and chips, burgers and pizzas.
The pub gets its name from Springfield House, which used to stand in the 1960s, on what is now the main entrance to the park.
Inside the boozer, you’ll find Wetherspoons classic interior decor with a unique carpet designed specifically for the pub.
The design includes a motif that resembles a glass domed ceiling, resembling the nearby Marine Hall in Fleetwood.
The pub will also be able to host up to 600 people.
According to the Blackpool Gazette, Jayne Mushet, General Manager, Haven Cala Gran said: “This is a fantastic addition to Cala Gran Holiday Park and something we know our guests and owners have been eagerly anticipating.
“We’re thrilled to kick off the season by opening the doors to our brand new pub.”
Cala Gran Holiday Park can be found on the outskirts of Fleetwood on the Fylde Coast – which is around seven miles from Blackpool.
Back in 1960, the holiday park was first a camping site with a paddling pool with Springfield House still standing.
The house was then demolished later in the 1960s.
Today, visitors heading to the holiday park can enjoy a family pool with a water slide, a steam room and a number of activities including Leap of Faith and a vertical assault course.
The holiday park is home to a family pool with a water slide, as well as a number of other activitiesCredit: Cala Gran Holiday park
In the warmer months, guests can also make the most of the outdoor SplashZone, which is open from May half-term until the end of August.
Exclusive to Haven, the park also has a Nerf Training Camp.
Other activities available include crazy golf, footgolf, karts, a climbing wall, a bungee trampoline and junior segways.
Rossall Beach is also a 20-minute walk from the holiday park.
If the weather is playing up though, you can head inside to paint some pottery.
In addition to the new Wetherspoons onsite, there is also a Mini Market and Cook’s Fish & Chips.
The new Wetherspoons at Cala Gran Holiday Park joins three other pubs opening at Haven holiday parks – which will take the total up to nine.
Our favourite UK holiday parks
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Park Holidays UK Sand le Mere, Yorkshire
This holiday park in Yorkshire is a thriving family resort, just steps from Tunstall Beach. Entertainment is what this resort does best, with costume character performances, Link-up Bingo and cabaret shows. Accommodation ranges from fully-equipped Gold Caravans to Platinum Lodges with sun decks and luxury bedding.
This beachfront resort in St Ives, Cornwall is a true beach bum’s paradise – whether you want to laze out on the sand, or take to the waves for some surfing. Activities include disc golf, a Nerf challenge and an outdoor cinema, as well as indoor activities for the colder months like karaoke, bingo and DJ sets.
This holiday park has loads of unique activities on offer, including TikTok dance classes, alpaca feeding, a pump track for BMX riding, and taking a ride on the resort’s very own miniature railway. Throw in bug hotel and den building, pond dipping, survival skills workshops and a lake for paddleboard and pedalo hire, and you’ve got yourself an action-packed park.
Parkdean Resorts Camber Sands, Sussex This beachfront resort is a classic family favourite. If you’re not up to swimming in the sea, there’s four fantastic pools here, as well as water flumes, underwater jets, inflatable jet skis and kayak races. Plus if you’ve got any little fans of Paw Patrol or Milkshake!, you’ll be glad to know there’s Milkshake! Mornings and Paw Patrol Mighty Missions to keep your tots entertained.
The others include The Alfred Wainwright at Haven’s Lakeland holiday park in Cumbria, named after Alfred Wainwright, the British fellwalker who wrote about the 214 fells in his seven-volume guide to the Lake District.
In Cornwall, Riviere Sands will open up The Bluff – the name refers to the steep cliff edge where the pub is.
And lastly, there will be a new Wetherspoons at Haven’s Hopton in Great Yarmouth.
It will be called The White Clover and is named after the flower grown across the county, which represents good luck.
Last week, a woman filed a civil lawsuit against Nacua, alleging that on New Year’s Eve he made an antisemitic statement during a group dinner and later bit her shoulder. Attorney Levi McCathern told The Times before the lawsuit was filed that Nacua denied the allegations and that Nacua would “pursue all available legal remedies in response to these false and damaging statements.”
The California Post reported Wednesday that Nacua had checked into a Malibu rehab facility. A Rams official declined to comment.
In a statement to The Times on Wednesday, McCathern said Nacua “voluntarily entered a private facility to focus on his health, personal growth, and overall development — and I’m really proud of him for doing that ahead of his upcoming season.
“He is committed to using this time constructively so that he can return in the best possible position — both personally and professionally — to continue contributing to his team and the game he loves.”
The Rams are scheduled to begin offseason workouts under coach Sean McVay on April 20. In the statement, McCathern said that Nacua would complete the program in time to participate in Rams organized team activities. That part of the offseason program begins several weeks into the offseason.
“Puka is deeply grateful for the support he has received from his family, friends, Coach McVay, and his teammates,” McCathern said. “It is unfortunate that a trivial lawsuit has drawn attention to him during a time when he is committed to becoming a better person. I am excited to see what the future holds for this exceptionally talented young man.”
The lawsuit was the latest situation involving Nacua that cast a spotlight on the fourth-year pro.
During a livestream last December, Nacua criticized NFL officials and made a gesture regarded as antisemitic. Nacua apologized, and the Rams and the NFL issued statements condemning antisemitism and discrimination. But after the Rams’ loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Nacua criticized officials in a social media post from the locker room. The NFL fined him $25,000.
Nacua, 24, led the NFL with 129 receptions last season, was voted All-Pro and was a finalist for NFL offensive player of the year. He is entering the final year of his rookie contract, and he is eligible for an extension that could equal or surpass the deal Seattle Seahawks receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba recently signed that includes $120 million in guarantees.
On Monday, at the NFL owners meetings, McVay repeatedly said, “I trust this kid’s heart,” and later said “he understands what the responsibility is, not exclusive to just the production on the field.”
General manager Les Snead described Nacua as “ young man, becoming,” who is “continuing to evolve” as a person and player. Snead and Tony Pastoors, the Rams’ chief operating officer both said on-the-field performance is not the only factor that is taken into account when making decisions regarding contract extensions.
“It isn’t just, ‘OK, turn it on on Sundays and make decisions from there,’” Pastoors said. “We have to take in every data point we can.”
Shortly after his attorney entered a plea of not guilty, Tiger Woods announced he will seek treatment “to prioritize my well-being and work toward lasting recovery.”
The golf legend was arrested Friday on suspicion of DUI with property damage and refusal to submit to a urinalysis stemming from a rollover crash near his home on Jupiter Island, Fla. Hydrocodone pills were found in his pocket and a sheriff’s deputy noted in the arrest affidavit that Woods had bloodshot eyes and dilated pupils and was “sweating profusely” while performing field sobriety tests.
Attorney Douglas Duncan appeared in Martin County, Fla., court Tuesday, waived arraignment on Woods’ behalf, entered not guilty pleas on the two misdemeanor charges and requested a trial by jury.
“I know and understand the seriousness of the situation I find myself in today. I am stepping away for a period of time to seek treatment and focus on my health. This is necessary in order for me to prioritize my well-being and work toward lasting recovery.
“I’m committed to taking the time needed to return to a healthier, stronger, and more focused place, both personally and professionally. I appreciate your understanding and support, and ask for privacy for my family, loved ones and myself at this time.”
Although he hadn’t committed to playing, Woods had been toying with returning to competition for the first time since 2024 at next week’s Masters at Augusta National Golf Club, where he has won five championships.
Now he won’t even make an appearance, let alone play. Woods was scheduled to attend the opening of “The Patch,” a municipal golf course in Augusta that he helped redesign. He also was expected to attend the annual Champions Dinner on April 7.
“Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters Tournament fully support Tiger Woods as he focuses on his well-being,” Masters chairman Fred Ridley said in a statement. “Although Tiger will not be joining us in person next week, his presence will be felt here in Augusta.”
Woods, 50, last competed on the PGA Tour in July 2024 when he missed the cut at the Open Championship, posting an 8-over 79 and 6-over 77 at Royal Troon. It marked his third consecutive missed cut in a major that year.
Widely considered the greatest golfer of all time, Woods has amassed 82 PGA Tour wins, including 15 majors. He has competed sporadically the last four years because of injuries, but has become an increasingly important figure off the course, serving as chairman of the PGA Tour’s Future Competition Committee and serving on the tour’s Enterprises Board, Policy Board and Player Advisory Council.
When arrested Friday, Woods was asked if he had any medical conditions. He replied that he has had seven back surgeries and at least 20 leg operations.
He also has had several car accidents.
Around Thanksgiving 2009, a report that Woods had been in a car accident near his home erupted into a major scandal involving allegations of affairs. It resulted in Woods’ divorce from Elin Nordegren, the mother of his children.
In 2021, Woods was seriously injured in a rollover crash near Rancho Palos Verdes the morning after the Genesis Invitational, which he hosted at Riviera Country Club. He had to be extricated from the wreckage of the Genesis GV80 SUV that he was driving
Woods underwent “a long surgical procedure” on his lower right leg and ankle, according to a statement he released. Doctors inserted a rod into his leg and placed screws into his foot and ankle.
Covered marquees. Downed statues. Painted-over murals. A canceled holiday.
California has effectively exorcised César Chávez from the public sphere just weeks after a New York Times investigation found two women who said the legendary labor leader sexually assaulted them when they were teenage girls in the 1970s. Just as explosive was the revelation by his longtime lieutenant, Dolores Huerta, that he raped her in the 1960s.
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My prediction for the next place we’ll see a Chávez purge: books about him, which number into the dozens and span from academic treatises to children’s tales. But before critics relegate those texts to the banned section, folks should read some of them to see how writers helped establish the Chávez myth and propagated it for decades.
The books that created the Chávez legend
The tendency to elevate him above other activists was there from the start. In 1967, John Gregory Dunne published “Delano: The Story of the California Grape Strike,” which saw the author (and husband to Joan Didion) capture the essence of el movimiento in its earliest days through on-the-ground reporting and interviews with Chávez, whom Dunne described in the introduction as “the right man at the right place at what was, sadly, both the right and the wrong time.”
Famed writer Peter Matthiessen cemented Chávez’s image as a humble hero fighting a lone, brave battle against philistine farmers with a two-part New Yorker profile that became the basis for 1969s “Sal Si Puedes: Cesar Chavez and the New American Revolution.” That narrative continued with Jacques Levy’s 1975 release “Cesar Chavez: Autobiography of La Causa.” Talk about getting too close to the subject: The author’s archived papers disclosed he served as Chávez’s literal notetaker during the 1970 negotiations that ended the grape strike and led to the UFW’s first union contracts.
Chávez came under strong scrutiny
Rose-tinted biographies tellingly stopped around the time Chávez created a commune in what’s now currently the César E. Chávez National Monument in Keene and began to target perceived enemies within the UFW. Critics instead appeared in the media — one of the first was a 1979 Reason article that alleged he was misusing federal funds and contained the prescient line, “Many people will be reluctant to believe anything that could cast a shadow over this man.”
Other critical dispatches included pieces in the L.A. Times, Village Voice and one in the Sacramento Bee so damning in its indictment of how Chávez had, on his own, sabotaged the movement so many associated with him that its author, Marcos Breton, recently wrote how Chávez was left “hostile and angry” by his simple questions.
In the wake of Chávez’s decline and eventual death in 1993, authors created a new genre: Saint César. Titles like “Cesar Chavez and the Common Sense of Nonviolence,” “Conquering Goliath: Cesar Chavez at the Beginning” (by his mentor, Fred Ross Sr., the most important California organizer you’ve never heard of) and “The Rhetorical Career of César Chávez” pushed forth the gospel of their subject as a plainspoken prophet out of the Good Book.
Chávez inspired millions — but those books will now forever read as hollow and sadly myopic.
Rethinking the Chávez myth
True reappraisals of Chávez and his work wouldn’t start until after former Times editor and reporter Miriam Pawel published a 2006 series for this paper that showed the ugly, domineering side of Chávez and the UFW’s decline. Six years later, longtime activist Frank Bardacke simultaneously praised and damned Chávez in his “Trampling Out the Vintage: Cesar Chavez and the Two Souls of the United Farm Workers.” Though a good read, it pales in importance and poignant lyricism to two double whammies that dropped in 2014: “From the Jaws of Victory The Triumph and Tragedy of Cesar Chavez and the Farm Worker Movement” by Dartmouth College professor (and my distant cousin!) Matthew Garcia and Pawel’s own “The Crusades of Cesar Chavez: A Biography.”
Garcia and Pawel are now making media appearances and writing essays to opine on where they think Chávez went wrong. Expect updates to all of these books and so many others in the months and years to come — if they’re ever published again.
Today’s top stories
Red diamond rattlesnakes are among species in the Golden State. One reptile expert who relocates snakes says her phone has been “ringing off the hook.”
(Christina House/Los Angeles Times)
Weird rattlesnake season
Unseasonably warm March weather triggered an unusually active rattlesnake season in California, with experts fielding record calls about sightings statewide.
Two fatal bites in Southern California in March and 77 Poison Control calls in three months far exceed typical annual patterns.
Those former Californians said the move saved them almost $700 in monthly housing costs, and they became 48% more likely to own a home in their new state.
Minimal snow in California mountains
More big stories
Commentary and opinions
This morning’s must read
Other great reads
For your downtime
(Stella Kalinina / For The Times; Bill Addison / Los Angeles Times; Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times; Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times)
Going out
Staying in
A question for you: How are you celebrating Easter this year?
Dodgers pitcher Shohei Ohtani delivers during the second inning of a 4-1 win over the Cleveland Guardians at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday night.
(Ronaldo Bolaños/Los Angeles Times)
Today’s great photo is from Times photographer Ronaldo Bolaños at Tuesday night’s Dodgers’ game. Shohei Ohtani battled through the rain to throw a one-hit gem in the Dodgers’ 4-1 win over the Cleveland Guardians.
Have a great day, from the Essential California team
Jim Rainey, staff reporter Hugo Martín, assistant editor Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor Andrew Campa, weekend reporter Karim Doumar, head of newsletters
After his October 2015 overdose at a Nevada brothel, Lamar Odom says, he had “12 strokes and six heart attacks. All my doctors say, like, I’m a walking miracle.”
Now, more than a decade later, the Love Ranch brothel has been demolished, but Odom is still around.
The former Laker and onetime husband of Khloé Kardashian is telling his story for “The Death and Life of Lamar Odom,” the newest episode of Netflix’s documentary series “Untold,” along with Kardashian, former coach Phil Jackson and others who were around during his Oct. 13, 2015, health emergency. The episode premiered Tuesday.
“You know what’s funny?” the 46-year-old former player told Sports Illustrated in an interview published Monday. “I haven’t even watched it yet. You know why? Because I lived it.”
Odom, who just got out of another month of rehab in February, insists that the 2015 episode was not a mere overdose but a “hit,” an attempt on his life.
“Right when I signed the divorce papers, I was like, ‘I’m gonna get it in.’ The Bunny Ranch I used to always see on TV, but I don’t have any coke to take,” he says in the documentary. “ … It’s crazy when you think about [how] one decision, so big or so minor, could be so pivotal to you and to people that you really love.”
The late Dennis Hof, owner of the Bunny Ranch, where HBO’s “Cathouse: The Series” was shot, owned other Nevada brothels. Odom set off that October for Hof’s Love Ranch in Crystal, about 80 miles outside of Las Vegas.
“It was pretty rare that a celebrity — certainly anybody above the D-list — would be actively trying to come out to one of the brothels,” former Love Ranch manager Richard Hunter says in the “Untold” episode. “This was kind of a myth. This was something Dennis perpetuated.”
But, Hunter said, “Lamar Odom actually began contacting several of the girls from the Love Ranch on Instagram. … Being a professional athlete, there’s a lot of easier ways to do this than to drive an hour outside of the city into the desert, walk into a brothel, such as it was, and want to live there for a few days.
“As the days progressed, I remember that him or one of his handlers … actually contacted the brothel and wanted a car to pick him up. So it definitely became real when he gave us the address of where he was at.” The driver called the Love Ranch and let them know his passenger really was Odom. They put him in a house behind the brothel, Hunter said, where they put folks who were “spending enough money.”
Odom told USA Today in an interview published Monday that what transpired at the Love Ranch — which was demolished in November 2024, after Hof’s 2018 death — “was like a hit. Obviously they missed. I don’t know if they want to finish the job.”
Kardashian explains in the episode that her divorce from Odom came as a result of an ultimatum she was told to deliver during a planned intervention: a three-month rehab stint or a split. Odom surprised them, she said, when he said that all he wanted was his passport — and the divorce.
“I was like, looking around like, ‘Wait. Wait. I — I don’t want the divorce,’” she said. “‘You guys [who assembled for the intervention] told me I have to say this.’”
Odom and Kardashian had signed their papers before the OD, but a judge hadn’t yet signed off on the dissolution, which allowed her to keep him insured and, as his wife and next of kin, to make decisions regarding his health. Kobe Bryant, Odom’s Lakers teammate and Kardashian’s close friend, flew to Nevada to help her decide whether to proceed with surgery to fix Odom’s lung that had collapsed. She said yes, even though there was only “like a 10% chance” that it would work and that he would survive the procedure.
Odom made it through, recovering at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Bryant died in a helicopter crash less than five years later.
After the OD, Kardashian never left the hospital. She put their divorce — finalized in 2016 — on hold. When Odom awakened from his coma, he couldn’t control his bowels and needed six hours a day of dialysis, according to the documentary. “So you can understand the humility … I’ve won two championships. I’m Lamar Odom. I can’t walk, can’t talk. And they come in to check my diaper.”
He was 35 at the time. The next summer, he was removed from a flight at LAX before takeoff while drunk and vomiting, having been seen earlier slamming beer and whiskey in the Delta Airlines lounge.
So what would Odom tell his younger self, if he could, after suffering a dozen strokes and six heart attacks after that visit to the Love Ranch?
“Stay away from your weakness. And my weakness, obviously, was drugs because I’m a drug addict,” he told SI. “It could have been passed down to me from my father. But I’m not blaming anybody. Makes no sense to blame anybody. On or off the court, you have to work with what you’ve got. And I had an incredible stat line in terms of skills and how to play the game.
“And just work on being the best player that you can be. Anybody who offers you that s—, drugs, whether it be coke, pot, alcohol, they probably ain’t your friend. And to choose my friends wisely, because they could affect you on or off the court.”
Odom also wasn’t sure why Netflix had tapped him at this moment, but hopes that by telling his story he might help other people who are trying to get out of addiction.
“I was telling my girlfriend on the way here, it’s like swimming in a cesspool of trauma,” he told USA Today, mentioning a partner who has not been identified. “And I’m trying to get out of it, but the story reels me back into that pool every time. But I just know I’m bigger than the situation, and I hope to help a lot of people by giving my testimony. Not just with the story, but just in life, that we can all overcome addiction.”
That and, well, “Netflix had a good paycheck, bro,” he told SI with a laugh. “No, but it’s a time and place for everything. I don’t know what made me relevant now.”
The recently revised food pyramid may put fruit as a medium priority, but there is nothing the Trump administration likes more than the apple of discord.
Every news cycle, the president seems intent on introducing something new for Americans to argue about: the wisdom (and legality) of war in Iraq; the term “affordability”; the efficacy of mail-in ballots (which the president recently used); the meaning of birthright; the legitimacy of a vice president who has been publicly admonished by two popes for writing a book about his conversion to Catholicism — heck, we’re still arguing about that new food pyramid.
But there is one recent development upon which we really should all agree — erecting a gold statue of President Trump in the middle of his proposed presidential library is a No Good, Very Bad Idea.
On Tuesday, the president’s son Eric posted a first-look video for said library, which will reside on the waterfront in Miami. While questions were raised about the inclusion of the Boeing 747-8 the president controversially accepted as a gift from Qatar and the apparent lack of space in the sky-scraping library for, you know, books, it was the enormous gold statue of Trump towering over the stage in a proposed auditorium that drew the most immediate attention.
That Trump chose to reveal this little (well, actually quite big) beauty mere days after millions of Americans across the country participated in a coordinated No Kings march can be taken as either breathtaking irony or, more probably, a rage-baiting metaphoric middle finger.
As he has been recently wont to do, California Gov. Gavin Newsom quickly responded on his press office X account with photos of gold statuary depicting former chairman of the Chinese Communist Party Mao Zedong, North Korea’s Kim Il-Sung and Turkmenistan’s Saparmurat Niyazov and the observation that “The gold statue in Trump’s new library (of himself) looks awfully familiar to a few others from around the world.”
Trump’s obsession with gold will no doubt obsess future generations of historians, artists, psychoanalysts and Wikipedia editors — the guerrilla art group Secret Handshake on Monday put up a gold toilet statue on the National Mall mocking the president’s plans to renovate the Lincoln bathroom during a time of war and strife, as tribute, according to the statue’s plaque, “to an unwavering visionary who looked down, saw a problem and painted it gold.”
But even allowing for personal taste, a big golden statue of Trump is a terrible idea. For him.
In times of trouble and/or leadership changes, statues are often the first to go — as Trump knows well, since he’s working to replace the Confederate generals displaced after the Black Lives Matter movement and recently erected, near the White House, a replica of the Christopher Columbus statue thrown into Baltimore’s Inner Harbor during 2020 protests.
After hearing the Declaration of Independence read publicly for the first time, members of the Sons of Liberty tore down a statue of King George III from Bowling Green; during the French Revolution, the kings all across Paris came down; ditto Napoleon when he fell out of favor. In Russia, tsarist monuments were replaced by statues of Communist leaders, which in turn were torn down — statues of Stalin also fell in Hungary, Georgia and Albania. More recently, a statue of Saddam Hussein famously met the same fate.
As Robert Frost might have put it: Something there is that doesn’t love a statue of a divisive leader. Especially if it’s gold.
OK, I added that last bit.
There are plenty of famous and popular gold statues — Thailand’s Golden Buddha; the Golden Madonna of Essen in Germany; Jeanne d’Arc in Paris; Prometheus at Rockefeller Center in New York; even Tutankhamun’s death mask and solid gold coffin, which travel the world. But, as perhaps you have noticed, they trend toward the religious, mythic or historic, i.e. dead.
In the lavish memorial erected by his grieving widow, Queen Victoria, Prince Albert is golden, but few world leaders are permanently gilded, and certainly not before their deaths. (London’s golden statue of King Charles II was erected during his lifetime but originally in bronze — the gold was added later. It also depicts Charles in Roman garb, so I suppose the Trump statue could be worse — at least we don’t see his naked knees.)
In the United States, golden statuary is rare and usually metaphoric — the Oregon Pioneer, the Golden Driller, the Spirit of Communication. Gold remains captivating, an aspirational symbol of success (“gold standard”) and wealth (“golden touch”), but it can also bring with it an air of mockery (“golden boy”) and warning. The original golden touch belonged to King Midas, who loved it until he accidentally killed his daughter by turning her into a gold statue.
Displays of it, particularly in architecture or public art, are often perceived as tacky, kitschy or, heaven forbid, nouveau riche. Trump is fine being perceived as all of these things; he has long embraced the gleaming excesses of Versailles — the golden elevator will also be featured in the new proposed library.
His personal taste is his right and is shared by many.
In terms of statuary, however, “golden” is most typically associated with “idol,” figures that are erected specifically to be worshiped — the Golden Calf that made God and Moses so angry comes to mind — and Americans, historically, have not been big fans of idolatry.
Hence the separation of church and state, a three-branch government and a president with a limited term. The early colonists were very much anti-idol worshippers and even modern Catholics, as Vice President Vance surely knows, have long been criticized by their Protestant counterparts for a love of statuary, reliquaries and other iconography that some have argued fall into idolatry.
Trump clearly has no problem with idolatry, as long as he is the idol in question — he has long characterized his supporters as people who will love him no matter what he does. So no one should be surprised that his son would anchor the Trump presidential library with an enormous golden statue of his father — Trump is not a man to be satisfied with bronze or, heaven forbid, a marble bust.
No doubt, any criticism of that statue will be met with derision from Trump supporters. In its many guises, idolatry has survived, despite regular and often cataclysmic proof of its dangers, for centuries and many people will consider a much-larger-than-life golden statue of a president to be perfectly splendid.
But someone might want to mention to the president that flashing a big gold statue of himself while cities are still doing cleanup from enormous No Kings marches might seem funny to some. But to others … well, Versailles was once a dazzling royal residence.
Welcome back to this week’s Lakers newsletter, where the vibes are immaculate.
The Lakers have won 15 of their last 17 games. LeBron James continues to set NBA records, most recently tying the all-time mark for wins in the regular season and playoffs with Monday’s win over Washington. Jaxson Hayes hasn’t missed a three-point shot all year. The fans who chanted “We want Bronny!” have gotten their wish.
With seven games remaining in the regular season, we turn our focus to a different cheer.
MVP! MVP!
Lakers star Luka Doncic runs onto the court before a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on March 10 at Crypto.com Arena.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
The familiar chant rang out in arenas from L.A. to Miami to Indianapolis. Luka Doncic’s campaign was powerful enough to sway even opposing crowds that showered him with shouts of “MVP.”
With Doncic on a historic season-ending heater, the most valuable player discussion suddenly got piping hot with two weeks left in the season. The NBA’s leading scorer surged back into the race with gaudy numbers over the month of March: 37.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game; 12 straight 30-point games; a 24-hour stretch with 100 points; and the first 60-point performance by a Laker since Kobe Bryant in his final game.
The most important number from March: 14 wins. Approaching the playoffs, the Lakers (49-26) are one of the hottest teams in the league, powered by Doncic’s brilliance.
All things Lakers, all the time.
Get all the Lakers news you need in Thuc Nhi Nguyen’s weekly newsletter.
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“If we continue to finish the season the way we’re playing right now, and he continues to play that way, to me, he is the MVP,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said.
Doncic leads the league in scoring (33.7) and is just a hair off from the career-high 33.9 points per game he averaged when he finished third in MVP voting in 2024. Compared to the other top three MVP candidates — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama — Doncic’s traditional stats paint a competitive picture. He has the second-most assists of the quartet behind Jokic and the third-most rebounds.
Among guards who have played more than 11 games, Doncic ranks third in rebounds per game at 7.8, and his 7.2 defensive rebounds per game is the most of anyone at his position. Doncic’s defense gets picked apart, but he also has a career-best 102 steals. He’s the only player averaging 30 or more points this season with 100 or more steals.
“He’s the engine that’s driving all of our winning,” Redick said.
Advanced statistics have Doncic a tier below his rivals. Doncic’s net rating of plus-4 is a distant fourth among the top contenders and pales in comparison to Wembanyama’s plus-17.3.
Breaking down the MVP race
Jokic appeared to be on his way to winning his fourth MVP before the Nuggets star missed a month with a knee injury. By leading the Oklahoma City Thunder to the best record in the league, Gilgeous-Alexander appeared to be in pole position to win his second consecutive MVP.
Doncic and Wembanyama are making a late charge. The Spurs see the Lakers’ 14-2 record in March and raise them a 25-2 mark since Feb. 1. They won their 10 consecutive game Monday. While Doncic was serving a suspension for technical foul accumulation, Wembanyama scored 41 points with 16 rebounds, four assists and three blocks against the Chicago Bulls.
The MVP chants in Frost Bank Arena are just as loud as anywhere in the league.
All fore one
Lakers guard Austin Reaves shoots a free throw during a win over the Washington Wizards on Monday at Crypto.com Arena.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Of all the NBA markets, L.A. presents unique challenges to team building. When Redick played for the Clippers, teammates scattered immediately after practice with hopes of beating traffic on the way home. Redick knew he wasn’t going to drive hours from his home in Manhattan Beach to visit Chris Paul in Calabasas.
But for the Lakers, a round of golf is worth a drive on the 405.
“Finding tee times, being with each other for four hours where you can shoot the proverbial S-H-I-whatever and not have to be in a high pressure moment or on a team bus and kind of be away from the facility,” Redick said, “I think it’s great.”
Golf is the Lakers’ latest bonding activity that’s helped keep the vibes high through the most successful stretch of the season. The Lakers have been intentional with team-building activities in Redick’s second year at the helm. All players and coaches made autobiographical powerpoint presentations to the team during the preseason. Jake LaRavia and assistant coach Beau Levesque won the team-wide pickleball tournament in November. Players and coaches arrange golf outings between games on long road trips. One day after hitting the winning shot in Orlando, newest teammate Luke Kennard got in on the golf action in a scramble match with players facing coaches.
“They had AR,” Redick said sheepishly, “so we can all guess the result of that one.”
Austin Reaves is the leader in the clubhouse. He remembered when teammates gave him grief about his love of golf, which he picked up at 17 and almost immediately excelled at. Seeing his teammates embrace the game “actually means a lot to me,” Reaves said.
“I’m glad that they are addicted,” he added with a satisfied smile.
After the COVID-19 bubble, Redick noticed an uptick in golf’s popularity around the league. Even the Lakers have a handful of players who suddenly decided to start during the last year. Doncic is the most recent convert. He bragged that he beat Reaves on one hole when they played in Indianapolis. Reaves, who got a double bogey compared to Doncic’s bogey, said he let his teammate win.
“It’s a confidence thing,” Reaves said. “We needed him to be at his best at 7 o’clock tonight.”
Doncic scored 43 points against Indianapolis the day after the golf outing.
On tap
Cleveland’s Jarrett Allen shoots between Detroit’s Cade Cunningham, left, and forward Tobias Harris on March 3.
(Sue Ogrocki / Associated Press)
Tuesday vs. Cleveland (47-28), 7:30 p.m. PDT
Center Jarrett Allen returned last week from a 10-game absence, but missed Cleveland’s game on Monday in Utah as he managed right knee tendinitis. Missing the first game of a back-to-back indicates that he’ll likely be available against the Lakers.
Thursday at Oklahoma City (60-16), 6:30 p.m. PDT
The Thunder have won 15 of their last 16 games with the only loss coming against Boston. This game and next week’s rematch at Crypto.com Arena could be critical in the MVP race between Gilgeous-Alexander and Doncic.
Sunday at Dallas (24-51), 4:30 p.m. PDT
Since the trade heard ‘round the league, Doncic has averaged 33 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists in four games against his former team. It’s his highest scoring average against any Western Conference opponent.
Status report
Marcus Smart (right ankle contusion)
Smart remains day-to-day with an ankle injury he sustained against Orlando. He has missed four games.
Adou Thiero (left knee soreness)
The rookie forward landed back on the injury report after playing two minutes in the Lakers’ loss to Detroit. Redick said Thiero was held out for precautionary reasons after his knee didn’t react well to playing in a G League game then playing in Detroit two days later. Thiero previously missed six weeks with a right medial collateral ligament sprain and underwent surgery on his left knee in college, which kept him sidelined at the beginning of the season.
Favorite thing I ate this week
(Thuc Nhi Nguyen / Los Angeles Times)
I have had Ramen Nagi on my list for literal years because former USC center Brett Neilon — who grew up in Tokyo — recommended it. I have changed beats three times since then but never forgot what he said was his favorite ramen place in L.A. The red king, which is a spicy version of their pork broth ramen, was worth the years of anticipation. Every bowl is customizable so I loved getting to add thick ramen noodles.
