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Dr. Heidi Overton, a top White House aide, has been picked to lead the Food and Drug Administration, President Trump announced Wednesday.

As a medical doctor and deputy director of the White House Domestic Policy Council who has worked on several of Trump’s second-term health initiatives, Overton has become a trusted figure in the administration and a champion of the president’s goals.

Yet any new FDA commissioner will have to balance a raft of competing priorities, between Trump’s fixations, the anti-regulatory interests of traditional Republicans and the anti-corporate posture of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Those challenges dogged the tenure of the previous FDA head, Dr. Marty Makary, who resigned in May, leaving behind unfinished projects including work on ultraprocessed foods, antidepressants and COVID-19 shots.

Referring to a “Dr. Heidi” in a Truth Social post, Trump called Overton a smart and respected “rockstar” who would deliver on his priorities of faster cures, innovation, lower drug prices and more wins for Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again movement.

Swenson writes for the Associated Press.

The high school football season begins this weekend with Week 0 games. Let’s examine storylines and questions to be answered:

Will a lineman be the player of the year?

The last time a lineman was The Times’ player of the year was St. John Bosco offensive tackle Wyatt Davis in 2016. The Braves now have Elisha Mueller, a 6-foot-4, 295-pound junior transfer from Servite, as one of their blockers, so don’t be surprised if he emerges as an MVP candidate on a team that can go unbeaten. Sierra Canyon defensive lineman Marcus Fakatou is also an MVP-like lineman.

Can any City Section team beat defending champion Carson?

Call it unlikely. The Colts return versatile quarterback Chris Fields III, who does magical things when you least expect it. There’s linemen to protect him and a nonleague schedule that should have the Colts prepared to run over Marine League teams.

Can Santa Margarita show its 2025 championship in the first year of Carson Palmer as coach was no fluke?

The Eagles don’t have the defensive front from last season that was so dominating and gone to USC is Mr. Big Play, Trent Mosley. Expect the Eagles to put up a good challenge to St. John Bosco in the Trinity League. There’s speed and talent and Steven Fifita is about as good a defensive coordinator as there is. Wait for the young players, led by freshman linebacker Aydan Steen, to come on strong late in season.

Former Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer raises the 2025 Southern Section Division 1 championship plaque in his first year as head coach at Santa Margarita.

(Craig Weston)

Is Long Beach Poly ready for a resurgence?

First-year coach Travon Patterson made one of the best hires for his offensive coordinator, former Cathedral and Warren coach Kevin Pearson. He has two cornerbacks second to none in JuJu Johnson and Donte Wright. The key to the Jackrabbits returning to the top in the Moore League will be whether they can develop their offensive line to be effective.

Who will be the most successful first-year coach?

This is going to be debated all season because so many well-known football programs changed coaches. Servite’s Rick Garretson, Orange Lutheran’s Ray Fenton and JSerra’s Hardy Nickerson have high expectations from their rabid fan base. St. Bernard’s Dean Herrington takes on a rebuilding job. Bishop Alemany’s Dennis Keyes takes over a program that hit rock bottom. Jeff Bailey left Yorba Linda for Beverly Hills, which can go nowhere but up. You’ve heard of Storm Watch. This season will be called Rookie Coach Watch.

How many teams will make the Southern Section Division 1 playoffs?

Don’t look for more than eight. The Southern Section wants competitive equity, and the leading candidates at the end of the season can already be predicted: St. John Bosco, Santa Margarita, Orange Lutheran, Mater Dei, Servite, Corona Centennial, Sierra Canyon and Mission Viejo. Remember last season, with the help of rain, the No. 8 seed, Orange Lutheran, stunned the No. 1 seed, St. John Bosco.

Quarterback Chris Fields III of Carson is a dual threat quarterback who led the Colts to the City Section Open Division title last season.

(Craig Weston)

Does the City Section still have talent?

Absolutely. The recruiters have already discovered defensive end Elyjah Staples from Marquez, linebacker De’Andre Kirkpatrick from Crenshaw, Fieldsand his heavily recruited Carson teammate and defensive back Bennie Saulter. There are others waiting for their chance. Beware of receiver Paul Turner of Birmingham.

Will there be another eligibility scandal?

Count on it if athletic directors and principals don’t take their jobs seriously to give scrutiny to transfer paperwork and make home visits. There were rumors throughout the summer of 2025 about Bishop Montgomery turning the other cheek, and sure enough, they were correct. The school ended up canceling its season after too many players were declared ineligible.

What are the great games to mark on your calendar?

On Thursday, it’s Corona Centennial vs. Servite at Orange Coast College. On Friday, it’s St. John Bosco at Las Vegas Bishop Gorman.

Aug. 28: Inglewood at Westlake, Santa Margarita at Corona Centennial. Sept. 4: Murrieta Valley at Cajon, San Clemente at Chaparral. Sept. 10: Corona del Mar at Newport Harbor. Sept. 11: Corona Centennial vs. Mater Dei at Santa Ana Stadium, Cathedral at King/Drew. Sept. 18: Orange Lutheran at Sierra Canyon. Sept. 25: Oxnard Pacifica at Sierra Canyon, Servite at Damien.

Coach Jason Negro and St. John Bosco open the season as the No. 1 team in California.

(Craig Weston)

Oct. 1: Murrieta Valley at Chaparral. Oct. 2: San Pedro at Banning, Crean Lutheran at Tustin, Bishop Amat at Gardena Serra. Oct. 9: Sierra Canyon at Gardena Serra, Orange Lutheran at St. John Bosco. Oct. 15: Norco at Corona Centennial. Oct. 16: King/Drew at Crenshaw, Mission Viejo at San Clemente, Santa Margarita at St. John Bosco.

Oct. 23: San Pedro at Carson, Corona Centennial at Chaparral, St. Bonaventure at Oxnard Pacifica, Long Beach Poly at Long Beach Millikan. Oct. 29: Garfield vs. Roosevelt at East L.A. College, Edison at San Clemente, Valencia vs. Hart at College of the Canyons, St. John Bosco vs. Mater Dei at Santa Ana Stadium.

Which coaches might be under the microscope?

First-year coaches at private schools will start feeling pressure if their players don’t deliver results. There’s little patience these days from boosters, parents and fans. Watch the Corona Centennial staff, because someone there is going to one day succeed future Hall of Famer Matt Logan.

What will be the new trend in 2026?

Watching to see how well PlayOn Sports handles its control of high school sports in California. It owns MaxPreps, the NFHS Network, GoFan.co and just won state playoff TV rights from the CIF, replacing Spectrum, who’s 15-year contract ended in June. People are waiting to see if prices increase or quality decreases. And who will hold them accountable? They are the definition of monopoly for high school sports. Competition always brings out the best in businesses, so the lack of that has to be something to monitor.

What are five predictions that will come true?

St. John Bosco will win the Division 1 title (barring rain). Carson will win the City Section Open Division title (barring injury to Fields). Jack Hurst of Laguna Beach will lead Southern California with the most touchdown passes (barring his receivers doing too much surfing). Corona Centennial will exceed 70 points in a single game (barring a running clock in the first half). Lots of teams will forfeit games because of an ineligible player (barring athletic directors being skeptical of every transfer).

New Delhi, India – In a crowded ward of New Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), India’s premier public hospital, a mother sits quietly beside her 29-year-old son, Piyush Singh*.

Diagnosed with stomach cancer a year ago, Singh has already undergone five rounds of chemotherapy. He now lies in the hospital’s palliative care unit, where the goal is no longer to cure the disease but to relieve pain and preserve his dignity.

“The world comes to AIIMS when they are not well. But where shall we go?” asks his mother. “My son has already received five doses of chemotherapy, but his condition has not improved. The doctors are not telling us anything. I don’t know what to do next.”

Piyush’s family is not asking for his life to end. They simply don’t know what comes when treatment fails.

A few floors away, Aryan* has come to AIIMS from Auraiya, a small town in Uttar Pradesh state, to accompany his 40-year-old brother Amit (name changed), who has been battling mouth cancer for four years. Two surgeries, radiation and two rounds of chemotherapy later, doctors say there is little hope of him surviving. The final checkup has been done. There is nothing more left to try.

“There is no duvidha [dilemma in Hindi],” says Aryan. “The doctors have said no. So it is clear now.”

He plans to take Amit to his rented flat in Gurgaon and give him whatever painkillers he has been prescribed. Beyond that, he has no plan, because no one has given him one.

“I don’t know about palliative care. I don’t know how to ease his pain. I have nothing apart from the medicines I got today,” he said.

Piyush and Amit are no exceptions. They represent a reality that many Indians are coming to terms with – with little institutional help.

India recorded an estimated 1.56 million new cancer cases in 2024, according to an Indian Council of Medical Research study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. But cancer patients are not alone. Families of patients with traumatic brain injuries and degenerative neurological conditions also hit the same wall.

According to a 2025 analysis by ecancermedicalscience, an open-access medical journal, an estimated seven to 10 million people require palliative care in India, but only about 4 percent receive it.

Such families find themselves with little or no awareness or preparedness for what comes next. Many have never heard of palliative care, or that the law gives them the right to document their treatment preferences before a crisis arrives.

The problem is also rooted in how many Indians confront death – a phenomenon that is one of the least-discussed subjects within families or societies. In many households, conversations about dying are considered inauspicious.

In such a worldview, to think of interventions in how or when someone dies carries a moral weight that goes beyond medicine or law. Families often avoid discussing medical wishes until a loved one is critically ill, leaving relatives to make deeply personal decisions during moments of grief and uncertainty.

From caregiving to court

The answers are increasingly being shaped not just by medicine, but also by the law.

In 2018, India’s Supreme Court recognised that the “right to die with dignity” was part of the fundamental right to life, enshrined in Article 21 of the Indian Constitution.

The court also allowed such patients to record their wishes about life-sustaining treatment if they lose the capacity to decide in an advanced stage of their ailment.

The top court’s ruling was in response to a petition filed by Common Cause, an NGO, which called for legal procedures allowing terminally ill individuals to execute Advance Medical Directives, commonly known as “living wills”, to refuse life-prolonging medical treatment.

A living will is a legal document that highlights an individual’s preferences for medical treatment when they cannot voice their choices. The provision allows them to nominate a loved one to decide for them.

“It [judgement] broadens the scope of Article 21. It now affirms, kind of completely, that the right to life includes the right to die with dignity. That is the bottom line for us,” Vipul Mudgal, director of Common Cause, the organisation behind the 2005 petition, told Al Jazeera.

Yet, for most Indians, that right largely existed on paper – until six years later.

In 2024, a family in Ghaziabad, an industrial district on the outskirts of New Delhi, filed a petition in the Delhi High Court and later in the Supreme Court, asking for a decision on the fate of a 32-year-old patient who was in a vegetative state for nearly 13 years.

Harish Rana’s case was a first in India where passive euthanasia, or withdrawal of life support, was permitted by the top court. On March 11, the Supreme Court directed the withdrawal of his life support at AIIMS, New Delhi. He passed away two weeks later.

But the journey from caregiving to courtroom was not easy.

Rana’s family managed his feeding tube, tracheostomy and urine bag every day for 13 years, and it had drained them.

“A family reaches such a decision when it sees no scope for improvement. Harish Rana could not speak, we were his voice,” Rana’s father Ashok told Al Jazeera. “He was not in that state for 13 days or 13 months, but for 13 years.”

All those years, said Ashok, he watched his son breathe but not recover, with only one question on his mind: “I am around 63 years old, and my wife is 58 years old. If something happens to either of us, who would take care of him?”

That is when they decided to approach the court.

While the Rana case is a landmark, experts say it is unlikely to set an immediate precedent in a country where death is an uncomfortable topic. That is why, despite being legalised in 2018, living wills remain uncommon and largely unheard of.

As a result, terminally ill patients do not discuss their wishes while they still can, and families end up making decisions for them without preparation or guidance.

A 2019 survey across seven cities, including New Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata, by Healthcare at Home (HCAH), a health advocacy group, found that 73 percent of urban Indians were unaware of their right to a living will. Even among people aware of their right, only 6 percent had actually drafted such a will.

“The Harish Rana case was made more complex because there was no living will,” said Manish Jain, the lawyer who represented the family in court. “Living will clinics are absent across India.”

There are only two such clinics in India. The first opened in Mumbai last year, followed by one in New Delhi – both operated by private hospitals, which are beyond the reach of most Indians.

Fears of misuse of living wills

Concerned over a likely misuse of living wills, the Supreme Court made its guidelines complex. However, in the process, the court ended up making it difficult to navigate for most people.

To make a living will legally valid, an individual would sign it before two witnesses and get it countersigned by a magistrate. If the patient later became terminally ill, the treating doctor would be required to form a board of specialists with at least 20 years of experience each, whose findings then had to go to a district magistrate, who would form a second medical board. Only after both boards agreed could the process move forward, and any disagreement meant the matter went to the regional High Court.

In 2019, the Indian Society for Critical Care Medicine, a nonprofit group of physicians, approached the Supreme Court, arguing its guidelines were unworkable. In 2023, a five-judge top court bench simplified the process, removing the requirement of a magistrate’s countersignature, reducing the minimum medical experience requirement for review boards from 20 years to five, and allowing multiple nominees instead of one.

“Decisions are being made every day, sometimes by the family members, sometimes by the doctors, sometimes because of paucity of money,” said Mudgal.

He said if the families, doctors and courts can make end-of-life decisions for an individual, why cannot the individuals make those decisions for themselves? This recognition, while respecting individual autonomy, also relieves family members from the guilt of deciding for their loved one, he added.

“If there is no meaning left in life, somebody is kept alive artificially, just beating the heart with some mechanical device, that life has no meaning,” he said.

Yet, such questions remain unanswered by law. Living wills and the right to die exist entirely through judicial interpretation. There is no parliamentary law governing the same.

“There is no framework [of parliamentary law] passed by the parliament,” Jain said. “The Supreme Court of India itself requested the government to pass legislation regarding this issue,” he added, first in 2018 and again in 2023.

But lack of a law is only one part of the challenge.

For families, the absence of palliative care means little or no guidance on what comes after treatment options run out. Even families like Piyush’s, who have access to palliative care, don’t know what comes next.

“There are many patients like this who don’t have legal awareness of passive euthanasia. Not only patients, but their doctors also do not have full awareness about palliative care,” Dr Saipriya Tewari, principal consultant and unit head of pain management and palliative care at Max Super Speciality Hospital in New Delhi, told Al Jazeera.

She said families often look confused when told there is no treatment left, and that they should take the patient home.

“What will they do after taking the patient home? Nobody tells them. It is only discussed if the palliative care doctor is involved in the treatment,” Tewari said. “And even if the end is coming, then how do we maintain dignity in time? That is the question.”

Piyush’s mother has a different question.

“If he is sick, then we have to get treatment. We have to do something to keep him alive. What should we do? We are not able to think of a way out of this. Nobody is giving us any suggestions about where to go.”

*Names changed to protect the identity of the patients and their families.

ZZ Top legend Frank Beard has died at 77, the band confirmed on Tuesday.

The drummer had been forced to pull out of the band’s tour earlier this month due to health issues.

“Today, Elwood and I lost a great friend and collaborator, and the world lost one of the most naturally innovative drummers and a great and true son of Texas,” said ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons.

“His signature backbeat was key to keeping ZZ on top.”

A representative for the Texas-formed band confirmed to USA Today that Frank died on Monday while in hospice.

The drummer was “with family members at his side” at his ranch in Richmond.

Frank dropped out of The Big One! Tour in early August due to health issues and had previously dropped out from touring with the band in March as he was undergoing a “health procedure.”

The band announced that their upcoming shows in Colorado Springs and Salt Lake City would be canceled.

However, the band plans to resume its current tour The Big One! this weekend, with the two shows at Austin City Limits music festival held at The Moody Theater.

The band, which formed in 1969, said the venue was “one of Frank’s favorite venues and in a city that had been something of a second home for him.”

Beard was born on June 11, 1949, in Frankston, Texas, and began playing in bands while still in high school.

He later became part of the Dallas music scene, where he met Dusty Hill, and the pair performed together in several 1960s groups including the Warlocks and American Blues.

In one of the stranger chapters of their early careers, Beard and Hill also played in a fake version of British rock band The Zombies that toured the US after the original group had broken up, Rolling Stone reported.

Beard has been part of ZZ Top for more than five decades and played on all 15 of the band’s studio albums.

He joined Billy Gibbons in 1969 and helped create the group’s classic lineup by introducing the guitarist to his former American Blues bandmate Dusty Hill.

The trio went on to become one of rock’s most recognizable acts, with Beard providing the beat behind hits including “La Grange,” “Tush,” “Gimme All Your Lovin’,” “Sharp Dressed Man,” and “Legs.”

Beard, Gibbons and Hill remained together for more than 50 years until Hill’s death in July 2021 at the age of 72.

At the time, Gibbons and Beard announced that their longtime bandmate had died in his sleep at his Houston home.

“We are saddened by the news today that our Compadre, Dusty Hill, has passed away in his sleep at home in Houston, TX,” they said.

They added, “You will be missed greatly, amigo.”

Hill’s longtime guitar tech Elwood Francis then took over bass duties and continued touring alongside Gibbons and Beard.

The Texas rockers found major success in the 1970s before exploding into the MTV era with their 1983 album Eliminator, which included “Sharp Dressed Man,” “Legs,” and “Gimme All Your Lovin’.”

Beard was famously the only member of the classic ZZ Top lineup who did not sport the huge beard that became part of the band’s signature look.

ZZ Top was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004 after decades of success.

Beard had suffered previous health setbacks over the years, including pneumonia in 2019 and another unspecified health issue that forced him off the road in 2025.

His latest absence came after ZZ Top abruptly canceled its August 5 Hollywood Bowl show because of what the band called “unforeseen personnel matters.”

Michael Monahan was brought in to play drums while Beard stepped away, with Gibbons and Francis continuing the tour.

The cause of Beard’s death has not been publicly disclosed.

ZZ Top is mourning the loss of longtime drummer Frank Beard, who has died at age 77 after years of facing health-related issues.

The band announced Beard’s death on Tuesday via Instagram, with founding member and frontman Billy Gibbons writing in a statement that he and fellow member Elwood Francis “lost a great friend and collaborator, and the world lost one of the most naturally innovative drummers and a great and true son of Texas.”

The Fort Bend County Medical Examiner confirmed to The Times that Beard’s death was reported Monday. A cause of death was not revealed. He died at his ranch in Texas with family by his side after a stay in hospice, TMZ reported.

Beard died weeks after ZZ Top called off its Aug. 5 concert at the Hollywood Bowl, reportedly due to his health issues. In March 2025, the Texas trio also shared that Beard would temporarily step away from the band’s Elevation tour to address a separate health issue, later revealed to be foot and ankle problems. The veteran drummer had also missed shows because of an emergency appendectomy in 2002.

ZZ Top said in Tuesday’s announcement that its concerts in Salt Lake City and Colorado Springs have been canceled in the wake of Beard’s death. The band will continue its The Big One! tour this weekend, including two shows at Austin City Limits, which it said had become one of “Frank’s favorite venues in a city that had been something of a second home” for the drummer.

Beard joined ZZ Top in 1969, soon after the band formed, replacing founding drummer Dan Mitchell.

Times staff writer Andrea Flores contributed to this report.

Supreme Court grants jailed ex-PM Imran Khan transfer to hospital for nearly a month after concerns were raised over his blood pressure.

Islamabad, Pakistan — Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the transfer of Imran Khan, former prime minister and founder of the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, from Rawalpindi’s Adiala prison to Islamabad’s Shifa International Hospital within two days, accepting a demand his party had been making for months.

Uzair Bhandari, one of Khan’s lawyers, told Al Jazeera the three-member bench also ordered a medical board be formed to oversee Khan’s treatment, including the ex-prime minister’s sister, Dr Uzma Khan, and his personal physician, Dr Faisal Sultan.

“The court also directed that Khan’s family be allowed to meet him at the hospital and that he be permitted to speak with his sons, who live abroad,” Bhandari said.

The next hearing has been fixed for September 16, and Khan should remain hospitalised until at least then as per the order, according to the lawyer. This will be the longest period that Khan will be physically outside jail premises since he was imprisoned in August 2023, convicted in several corruption-related cases that he and his party insist are politically motivated.

The order followed a report Adiala jail’s superintendent submitted to the court on Monday, detailing a cardiac board’s August 10 review of Khan, 73, which recorded fluctuating blood pressure and anxiety linked to restricted contact with his family.

During Tuesday’s hearing, the court pressed Pakistan’s advocate general over gaps in the report, saying Khan’s “pulse and heart condition were not normal” and that his vital organs “had started being affected”.

Courts had twice declined similar transfer requests since February, including an Islamabad High Court ruling that ordered a medical board’s assessment instead.

Zulfi Bukhari, a senior PTI leader, told Al Jazeera the ruling reinforced the party’s longstanding position that Khan needed independent, specialised treatment outside Adiala jail.

“Medical care provided within the prison system is no substitute for a thorough evaluation by independent specialists of his choosing,” he said, adding that PTI had consistently called for Khan’s transfer to Shifa International and access to his own doctors.

Government officials have insisted any transfer required judicial authorisation rather than executive discretion.

Rana Sanaullah, adviser to the prime minister, told the Senate on Monday that Khan was receiving “the best available medical treatment” and that his condition did not support PTI’s concerns.

The order lands amid a wider standoff over access to Khan, which PTI has increasingly framed as the precondition for reviving talks with the government. The government, for its part, has renewed efforts to engage in dialogue but to no avail as yet, while PTI leadership has announced a countrywide protest on September 27.

LONDON — British Prime Minister Andy Burnham exchanged messages with an impostor posing as President Trump’s chief of staff, according to reports published Monday.

A spokesperson for Burnham declined to comment, saying it was policy not to discuss “national security matters.”

Politico cited four unnamed officials in first reporting that Burnham thought he was messaging with Susie Wiles before he became suspicious and cut off communications.

Last year, the U.S. government investigated a series of messages that elected officials, business executives and other prominent figures in the U.S. received messages from someone posing as Wiles.

Soon after those incidents, the State Department warned U.S. diplomats of attempts to impersonate Secretary of State Marco Rubio and possibly other officials using artificial intelligence. The warning followed the discovery that an impostor posing as Rubio had attempted to reach out to at least three foreign ministers, a U.S. senator and a governor.

The FBI had also warned of “malicious actors” misusing AI to impersonate senior U.S. government officials.

Burnham, who became prime minister less than a month ago, has tried to forge good ties with the White House. Trump initially warmed to Burnham’s predecessor, Keir Starmer, before souring on him.

NEW YORK — Ohio State and Oregon were 1-2 in The Associated Press Top 25 released Monday, giving the Big Ten Conference the top two teams in the preseason rankings for the first time in 65 years and just the second time ever.

The Buckeyes received 40 first-place votes and Oregon received 14 in voting by 69 media members who cover college football.

Ohio State will go into a season No. 1 for the ninth time, and first since 2015. The Buckeyes are now tied with Alabama for second-most preseason No. 1 rankings behind Oklahoma’s 10.

Oregon has its highest preseason ranking in program history after having opened No. 3 four times.

Georgia, Notre Dame and Texas round out the top five. Defending national champion Indiana starts at No. 6 and is followed by Miami, Texas A&M, Mississippi and Oklahoma.

Notre Dame received six first-place votes, Indiana got eight and Miami one.

This is the first year a conference has held down the top two spots in the preseason poll since Oklahoma and Nebraska of the Big Eight were 1-2 in 1987.

The last time the Big Ten had the Nos. 1 and 2 teams in the preseason was 1961, when Iowa and Ohio State topped the poll. The Hawkeyes lost four of their last five games after a 4-0 start and finished that season unranked. The Buckeyes went 8-0-1 and ended the season No. 2 behind unbeaten Alabama.

The Big Ten has won three straight College Football Playoff championships (Michigan, Ohio State, Indiana) and will be going for an unprecedented fourth straight national title. This is the fourth consecutive year the Big Ten has had two of the top three teams in the preseason rankings.

The Southeastern Conference leads all conferences with nine teams in the preseason Top 25, marking the third straight year it has had at least that many. Five of the top 10 teams are from the SEC for the first time since 2013.

Four Big 12 teams are ranked, with conference champion Texas Tech the highest at No. 12. The Atlantic Coast Conference has three ranked teams, with the Hurricanes joined by No. 19 SMU and No. 24 Louisville. There are no Group of Six schools in the Top 25.

Top-ranked Buckeyes

The offense is loaded. Heisman Trophy finalist Julian Sayin was the most accurate passer in the nation by a wide margin last season, Jeremiah Smith leads the nation in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns over the last two years and Bo Jackson is coming off a 1,000-yard rushing season as a freshman.

There is little concern about the defense even though eight starters must be replaced for a second straight year. At least six transfers are projected to start or play major roles.

Ohio State will get tested early and often. The Buckeyes visit Texas on Sept. 12 and five of their nine conference games are against preseason ranked teams, including at Indiana and against Oregon at home.

The Buckeyes have ended a season No. 1 in the AP poll six times (1942, 1954, 1968, 2002, 2014, 2024).

Bulldogs best of the SEC

The beat goes on for Kirby Smart’s Georgia Bulldogs. They’re in the preseason top five for the ninth straight year. The two-time defending SEC champion Bulldogs are favored to play in a sixth straight conference title game and appear in the CFP for the sixth time in 10 years.

Texas, the preseason No. 1 last year, opens in the top five for the third straight year. No. 8 Texas A&M is in the preseason top 10 for the first time since it was No. 6 in 2022, the year that marked the beginning of the end for coach Jimbo Fisher.

Pete Golding’s first full season as Mississippi head coach starts with the No. 9 Rebels in the preseason top 10 for the second time in three years and third time since 1970. No. 10 Oklahoma is in the preseason top 10 for the first time since 2022, when it was in the Big 12.

What about the Hoosiers?

Indiana is the seventh returning national champion in 40 years, and second in three years, to be ranked outside the top five in the preseason (Michigan went into the 2024 season ranked No. 9 after winning the national title).

The Hoosiers became the first team in the modern era to go 16-0, and they return lots of talent and signed a top-10 transfer class. The move from Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 NFL draft pick Fernando Mendoza to TCU transfer Josh Hoover at quarterback apparently put doubts in the minds of voters.

Poll nuggets

—USC, which landed the nation’s top recruiting class during the offseason, is ranked No. 15 in the preason poll.

— Ohio State will try to become the 12th team to start and finish No. 1 since the AP preseason poll debuted in 1950. The last team to do it was Alabama in 2017.

— Notre Dame has its highest preseason ranking since it was No. 2 in 2006. The Fighting Irish, who have a Heisman candidate in quarterback CJ Carr, bring a 10-game winning streak into the season and are still smarting from being left out of the playoff.

— Lane Kiffin’s first LSU team is No. 11 after finishing 7-6 and unranked under Brian Kelly and Frank Wilson.

— Ten of the 12 CFP teams last season are ranked. The two that aren’t are James Madison and Tulane from the Group of Six.

— No. 23 Houston has its first preseason ranking in four years and third since 1991.

Full AP preseason top 25 poll

1. Ohio State
2. Oregon
3. Georgia
4. Notre Dame
5. Texas
6. Indiana
7. Miami
8. Texas A&M
9. Mississippi
10. Oklahoma
11. LSU
12. Texas Tech
13. Alabama
14. BYU
15. USC
16. Michigan
17. Washington
18. Penn State
19. SMU
20. Tennessee
21. Utah
22. Iowa
23. Houston
24. Louisville
25. Missouri

Olson writes for the Associated Press.

The Times’ top 10 high school flag football rankings:

1. JSerra (6-0)
Won the Gold Division at the Chargers Invitational. MVP quarterback Kate Meier has accounted for 11 scores in the last three games.
Next: Tuesday vs. Woodbridge.

2. Newport Harbor (5-1)
The Sailors outscored their first five opponents 97-0 before falling to JSerra 23-6 in the Chargers Invitational championship game.
Next: August 24 vs. Woodbridge.

3. Edison (5-1)
All five of the Chargers’ wins so far have been shutouts. Their biggest test comes Thursday night in a nonleague game at JSerra.
Next: Thursday at JSerra.

4, Orange Lutheran (3-1)
Lost to JSerra at the Chargers Invitational but will have two chances to avenge it in Trinity League matchups Sept 22 and Oct. 13.
Next: Thursday at La Serna.

5. Beckman (5-0)
Won the Division 2 Navy bracket at the Chargers Invitational, beating Mira Costa in the final on Hayden Freedman’s clutch catch.
Next: Wednesday vs. San Juan Hills.

6. Westlake (3-2)
The Warriors gave JSerra its toughest game at the Chargers Invitational, losing by only 13 points. They also nearly beat Torrey Pines.
Next: Tuesday vs. Oak Park.

7. Huntington Beach (3-1)
Fast start behind quarterback and captain Roxie Shaia, highlighted by 18-point victory over Torrey Pines at Chargers Invitational.
Next: Aug. 24 vs. Los Alamitos.

8. Corona del Mar (4-1)
Convincing victories over Ocean View, La Serna and Bishop Amat. Will host a showdown against Huntington Beach on Aug. 26.
Next: Tuesday vs. Santa Margarita.

9. Lakewood St. Joseph (3-0)
Senior quarterback Lexi Loya has already thrown for 679 yards and 13 touchdowns, including five in a 40-6 victory over Corona.
Next: Monday at Cypress.

10. Eagle Rock (0-0)
Quarterback Nylah Moore and the Eagles open the season Monday versus Panorama in a rematch of last fall’s City Open semifinals.
Next: Monday vs. Panorama.

The head of U.S. Space Command (SPACECOM) says having a “credible, acknowledged” means of damaging or even destroying enemy assets in space is vital to deterring opponents and surviving if a major fight in orbit does break out. American officials have already been steadily more open about their desire for new offensive “orbital warfare” capabilities. China’s breakneck expansion of its intelligence-gathering and other capabilities in orbit, as well as its arsenal of anti-satellite weapons, has been a central factor behind this push.

U.S. Space Force Gen. Stephen Whiting made an explicit call for new “integrated space fires” capabilities, including both non-kinetic and kinetic options in orbit and/or within the atmosphere, during a talk yesterday at the annual Space & Missile Defense (SMD) Symposium in Huntsville, Alabama, at which TWZ is in attendance. SPACECOM is the main joint service command in charge of all U.S. military activities in space.

“From the broadest perspective, maybe the most critical characteristic of the responsive and adaptive national security space architecture called for in the President’s Ensuring American Space Superiority executive order is that survivability matters at least as much as performance,” Whiting said. “In space, there is no safe harbor. You can’t dig a trench or build a shield. Our satellites are consistently or predictably in an opponent’s weapons engagement zone. And we can build the most high-performing, exquisite satellites in human history, but if they depend on fragile, targetable supporting infrastructure, their performance will drop to zero on the first day of the next war.”

“Space survivability isn’t just good to have or nice to have. It is need to have. Now let’s get specific. I’ve explained how durable we need our kit to be, but now I want to tell you about our FY29-to-33 [Fiscal Years 2029 to 2033] integrated priorities list,” the SPACECOM boss continued. “We’ve looked at risks and potential gaps and determined these are the top five capabilities we need to meet our Title 10 and Unified Command Plan responsibilities. This isn’t just a wish list. It’s a clear demand signal to several audiences, describing the warfighting capabilities we need to meet our mission.”

“Number one and two are integrated space fires and counter-pLEO that enable us to establish space superiority,” he said. pLEO, also sometimes written P-LEO, stands for proliferated low Earth orbit, and refers to distributed constellations of hundreds or potentially thousands of satellites in that orbital region. The U.S. military itself is investing heavily in this arena to develop and field new space-based capabilities that are more resilient to attack.

The other three lines of effort Gen. Whiting outlined during his talk had to do with improved command and control, better situational awareness in space, and increased ability to maneuver assets in orbit.

“We’re a combatant command, and we fight to win wars,” Whiting declared. “To win, we need credible, acknowledged, kinetic, and non-kinetic fires. They are a key component of how we establish space superiority and restore credible deterrence.”

“Our space assets need to shoot, move, and communicate just like the rest of the joint force, so that our space assets can enable the joint force to shoot, move, and communicate,” the head of SPACECOM also said. “In short, space needs to fight like the joint force to empower the joint forces’ ability to fight and undermine our adversaries’ ability to do so.”

Whiting did not elaborate on what these future integrated fires and counter-pLEO capabilities might look like. An accompanying briefing slide did include a graphic depicting a kinetic attack on a satellite originating from within the Earth’s atmosphere utilizing what might be a laser-directed energy weapon.

The threats that directed energy weapons, as well as cyber attacks, pose to friendly satellites, even ones in distributed constellations, had come up at a separate panel discussion at the SMD Symposium on Tuesday.

“If you have 10,000 satellites that are providing you with service, surely you’re not going to try and attack with a direct ascent ASAT [anti-satellite interceptors fired from within the Earth’s atmosphere] 10,000 satellites,” U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Rick Zellmann, Deputy Commander of SPACECOM, said during the panel. “I encourage our adversaries to try and shoot down 10,000 satellites that way. I don’t think they will. And, so, just like we do, our targeting folks will try to find the various nodes where you can get a one-to-many solution.”

“Those, I think, one-to-many solutions for proliferated constellations are twofold. One is cyber,” he continued. “I think the other is directed energy, because that doesn’t cost too much for a shot, right? So those two technologies are the ones I’d be concerned about.”

“Non-kinetic effects of directed energy, mounted on all types of platforms, from the surface all the way to space and everywhere in between,” could also be “opportunities,” Brig. Gen. Drew Morgan, the deputy head of the Army’s Space and Missile Defense Command (SMDC), another one of the panelists, also said later on. In a space context, non-kinetic directed energy ‘effect’ could include what is known as ‘dazzling’ using lasers to blind optics on satellites without causing permanent damage. In the past, U.S. officials have said that friendly assets in orbit are routinely subjected to various kinds of non-destructive attacks.

At present, a family of ground-based electronic warfare systems called the Counter Communications System (CCS) is the U.S. military’s only publicly acknowledged offensive counter-space capability. In June, the U.S. Space Force announced it had “operationally accepted” the latest version of the system, called Block 10.3, and also known by the codename Meadowlands.

There have been hints for years that the U.S. military might have other operational anti-satellite capabilities in the classified realm, or at least have been actively experimenting with them. In 2019, then-Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson notably suggested a public live-fire demonstration of some kind could be necessary to deter potential opponents, such as Russia and China, from attacking American space-based assets.

It’s also worth noting that President Joe Biden’s administration announced a self-imposed moratorium on destructive direct ascent ASAT weapons testing in 2022, but it is unclear whether that is still in force. As TWZ pointed out at the time, this did not rule out the possibility that the U.S. military could use other testing means to help develop those capabilities. Space-based anti-missile interceptors are now a key component of President Donald Trump’s Golden Dome missile defense initiative.

“Protective measures on satellites is just like thinking about protective measures on aircraft, okay? And we’re working through that,” Lt. Gen. Gregory Gagnon, head of the Space Force’s Combat Forces Command (CFC), told TWZ and others more recently at a roundtable at the Air & Space Forces Association’s (AFA) Warfare Symposium in February. “I won’t provide specifics, because I want those protective measures to work, right? I don’t want to tell Beijing and Moscow what I’ve done.”

“But protecting and defending satellites can’t simply be done by protect and defend. You can’t run away from a bully forever. Sometimes you got to turn around and punch,” Gagnon continued. “So protect and defend, although necessary, is insufficient to deliver space control. We also need, as part of our joint force, the ability to attack.”

At that time, Gagnon also stressed that challenging China’s still-growing array of space-based capabilities was another key driver behind this desire for new offensive counter-space capabilities.

What “[China’s] President Xi [Jinping] has decided to do is build the second-best remote sensing architecture in the world from outer space, and that’s now what they have,” Gagnon also said at that time. “So when 2013 started, and he came to power, he had less than 100 satellites that were the total of what China had in outer space. They have about 1,900 today. Over 500 of those satellites are remote sensing satellites, which are purposely designed and networked to track mobile forces such as U.S. carriers, destroyers, and cruisers in the Pacific, as well as aircraft that deploy around the Pacific. Those have been built with a purpose. The purpose is to cue their long-range fire weapons.”

Gen. Whiting also said during his talk at the SMD Symposium yesterday that China, and its anti-satellite capabilities in particular, remained the greatest challenge facing the U.S. military in the space domain.

“Number one is the development of counter-space weapons that I highlighted in my remarks. These are not future possibilities,” the head of SPACECOM said. “Some of you have played the war games over the years where we have to give the ‘red force’ [the side playing the mock adversary] additional capability, maybe project five years forward and give them what we think they’ll have. And, no, the capabilities we talked about are real, they exist today, and we have to face them.”

“These include direct ascent ASAT missiles, ground-based lasers, jammers, and maneuverable co-orbital ASATs, and dual-use satellites like the SJ-21, which can target the satellites we rely upon for missile warning and defense missions,” the SPACECOM boss had said in his opening remarks. “They are, in no uncertain terms, expanding military options for sustained offensive operations against the satellites we rely on to defend the homeland and project power. These developments intend to degrade our current space superiority, and would potentially give China a maneuver and logistics advantage in space, something we would never accept on the land, at sea, or in the air.”

The SJ-21 satellite mentioned here has been a particularly hot topic of discussion since it was launched in 2021. It has a grappling arm with a demonstrated ability to tow other satellites in space. This is ostensibly intended to be used for non-military applications, such as on-orbit servicing and moving debris, but has obvious potential to be weaponized.

Long March-3B launches Shijian-21

In general, so-called inspector-type satellites capable of rendezvousing and maneuvering closer to other objects in space have an inherent ability to be used to launch attacks, destructive and otherwise, using a variety of different means, as well as gather intelligence. This includes kinetic attacks where the inspector could be used as an interceptor and simply smashed into the target. U.S. military officials have been warning about the dual-use potential of inspector satellites for years now, especially in the context of examples that Russia has put into orbit.

This all speaks further to counter-space capabilities U.S. forces could themselves bring to bear in the future. Last month, Northrop Grumman in the United States notably launched the first of what it hopes will be a constellation of new Mission Robotic Vehicle (MRV) satellites capable of performing on-orbit refueling and other servicing missions for commercial and military customers. The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) played key roles in the development of a payload equipped with a pair of robotic arms for the MRV. Questions about whether the MRVs with their arms could also have an offensive counter-space role have already been raised, as you can read more about here.

American officials also regularly point to Chinese and Russian anti-satellite developments, as well as those by other countries, in pushing back on concerns about the steady weaponization of space. As an aside here, two years ago, the U.S. government very publicly accused its counterparts in Russia of pursuing a new nuclear-armed space-based anti-satellite weapon.

“Depends on where you sit, right, you know? But to say that it’s the responsibility for the U.S. government to protect its citizens from emerging threats makes perfect sense to me,” outgoing Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman said last year. “And we clearly see a country like the PRC [People’s Republic of China] investing heavily in these kinds of threats, whether it’s hypersonic [weapons], whether it’s threats from space. And so now it’s time for the U.S. government to step up to the responsibilities to protect American citizens from those threats.”

Saltzman was speaking at the time in the context of a discussion about Golden Dome’s space-based interceptors during an interview broadcast online as part of Defense One‘s State of Defense 2025: Air Force and Space Force virtual conference.

How much will ultimately be acknowledged about the U.S. military’s future planned “integrated space fires” capabilities, as well as exactly what might be in its anti-satellite arsenal already, remains to be seen. Regardless, Gen. Whiting’s comments this week have now at least made the active pursuit of new counter-space weapons a matter of public record.

Contact the author: joe@twz.com

Sixth in a series of stories profiling top high school football players by position. Today, Godschoice Eboigbodin, JSerra defensive lineman.

“Bro, we need you.”

That was the heartfelt message from JSerra High football players directed toward Godschoice Eboigbodin as he walked around campus looking like a high school version of Thor with his bulging muscles.

He played basketball for the Lions, but after his sophomore season he decided to try football, since his physical play in basketball led to fouls, something that was legal in football.

“People say I’m aggressive. I fit in with football,” he said.

He has grown to 6 feet 5 and 260 pounds. He still has trouble putting on football pads — “I’m still trying to figure it out” — but as an edge rusher, there’s no telling how far his journey will take him. He committed to UCLA during the summer. He works relentlessly in the weight room gaining strength.

Godschoice Eboigbodin of JSerra makes a shot against Rolling Hills Prep.

(Craig Weston)

“The guy can move,” coach Hardy Nickerson said. “He’s an athlete at defensive end. You see that talent playing on Sundays.”

He could be the next success story from Nigeria, where he was born and lived until coming to the area as a freshman while living with a host family, the Franklins. He is the sixth of seven siblings.

He got his first name from the woman who delivered him as a baby while his mother was in labor. He made his first dunk in his backyard when he was 12. The rim didn’t last long.

He has been a very good basketball player for JSerra. Last season, he had a 46-point performance.

But football is the sport he intends to master. He came in as a blank sheet last season and tries to learn every day. He had 2 1/2 sacks in his first season.

“He’s growing as a football baller,” Nickerson said. “He’s made tremendous strides this offseason. He’s going to get turned loose.”

Imagine being a quarterback and seeing Eboigbodin charging ahead with his size and agility.

“I’ve learned you’re fighting against time,” Eboigbodin said. “You got to go fast and get the quarterback before he passes. You got about three seconds.”

He enjoys the Friday night football atmosphere and is fueled by fans cheering.

“The football stands and fans are a different feeling,” he said.

He’s had so many people helping him and rooting for him during his stay. That’s because of his friendly demeanor. He might look intimidating, but his smile and willingness to participate in school gatherings propels others to immediately embrace him. He’s always looking to learn on and off the field.

“I’m excited to just get better,” he said.

And that’s what is exciting about Eboigbodin. He’s not a finished product, but the signs of progress and what he can do with his body on a football field have everyone predicting big days ahead.

“I’m trying to ball out,” he said.

Monday: De’Andre Kirkpatrick, Crenshaw linebacker.

Defensive linemen to watch

Hunter Eligon, Western, 6-3, 285, Sr.: Vanderbilt commit helped Los Alamitos win D2 title last season

Godschoice Eboigbodin, JSerra, 6-5, 260, Sr.: UCLA commit is stronger and learning game fast

Marcus Fakatou, Sierra Canyon, 6-7, 275, Sr.: Ohio State commit is a high school version of Aaron Donald

Sione Felila, Oak Hills, 6-3, 290, Sr.: Had 18 tackles for losses

Elija Harmon, Inglewood, 6-3, 280, Sr. Oklahoma commit coming back from injury

Miles Schirmer, Corona Centennial, 6-5, 280, Sr.: Cal commit is disruptor for QBs and running backs

Kingston Sula, Carson, 6-2, 205, Jr. Had 16 sacks as a sophomore

Elyjah Staples, Marquez, 6-3, 205, Sr.: Cal commit is the City Section’s sack machine

Alifeleti Tuihalamaka, Oaks Christian, 6-4, 260, Sr. USC commit causes lots of problems for blockers

Isaia Vandermade, Santa Margarita, 6-2, 290, Sr.: USC commit couldn’t be blocked during D1 playoffs

The decisions mark both a victory and a setback for President Emmanuel Macron, who had championed both policies.

France’s Constitutional Council has upheld a law passed by parliament to legalise assisted dying in specific circumstances, while striking down a separate bill that sought to ban under-15s from using social media.

The council, France’s highest constitutional authority, issued its rulings on Friday. The decisions mark both a victory and a setback for President Emmanuel Macron, who had championed both policies.

France is set to join several European countries that have already legalised assisted dying, including Belgium, Germany and Luxembourg, among others.

“This decision marks the culmination of a long democratic and parliamentary effort, conducted with listening, respect, and rigour,” Elisabeth Borne, MP and former French prime minister, said in a post on X about the assisted-dying decision.

“I welcome this definitive validation of a text that guarantees everyone the freedom to choose, within a strict and protective framework.”

The council upheld the law in its entirety while clarifying three provisions, including the so-called conscience clause, under which pharmacists may refuse to assist a patient in ending their life.

Private treatment centres can also refuse to participate in the procedure if it goes against their mission, and other centres can serve local needs. Lastly, in the case of protected patients, the opinion of the person responsible for their welfare must be taken into account.

French citizens and legal residents can request medical support in ending their lives under strict conditions. The legislation stipulates that the patient must be “suffering from an incurable, life-threatening illness in an advanced or terminal phase”, and that the illness must cause “constant physical or psychological suffering that is untreatable or unbearable”. Lastly, the patient must exercise free and informed consent.

The French National Assembly passed the bill last month by a majority of 50, with 291 voting in favour and 241 against.

Meanwhile, the Constitutional Court struck down legislation banning under-15s from social media, citing freedom of expression.

“By prohibiting minors under the age of fifteen from accessing certain online services, the law inherently requires every person, even an adult, to prove their age before accessing them,” the court said in its decision.

“However, by failing to specify the conditions and limits under which such proof must be provided, the legislature has not established the legal safeguards necessary to ensure compliance with these requirements,” it added. The court also said that the law fails to safeguard people’s privacy.

The bill was one of Macron’s flagship policies and was passed by parliament last month.

It stipulated that everyone in France would have to verify their age to access social media sites, and it was supposed to come into effect in January 2027. Macron was eager for the bill to be passed before the presidential election next year.

After Friday’s ruling, Macron asked Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu to work on a new “legally robust draft” of the legislation.

Last month, Amnesty International responded to the French parliament’s decision to impose the social media ban on teens, urging lawmakers to focus their efforts on forcing companies to redesign their apps, including what it described as “addictive features”.

“There is no doubt that regulating platforms to protect children is an imperative of our time. We commend states for taking social media harms seriously but rather than pursuing blanket bans, efforts should be on forcing platforms to abandon their reckless pursuit of profit to the detriment of human rights,” Secretary General Agnes Callamard said.

“Building safe platforms requires a robust response. To ensure platforms are spaces where children can access community, connection and knowledge in a healthy and safe way, governments should first focus on banning the features that drive harm, including engagement-based algorithms that Amnesty International’s research has shown can draw children into rabbit holes of depressive and suicidal content.”

Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman tracked Royals hitter Isaac Collins’ fly ball through foul territory to just outside the visiting dugout at Dodger Stadium.

He had a plan. With one out in the top of the eighth inning, Freeman was going to lean over the rail to make the catch.

He shuffled, shifted his weight, and the ground disappeared out from under him.

“Obviously there was no rail,” a sore but apparently not seriously injured Freeman said after the Dodgers’ 4-2 win against the Royals.

He pitched sideways, practically clearing the first set of steps and landing on the second flight. Freeman braced himself on his right side, which took the brunt of the impact. But thanks to the angle of the steps, he never hit his head, he said.

“Kneecaps are sore, shoulder is sore, hand is sore, wrist is sore,” Freeman said. “I mean, I fell. But I’m in good spirits. I’ve already cold tubbed. I’ve done everything I needed to do to put myself in a position to be able to hopefully play [Thursday].”

Manager Dave Roberts described Freeman’s status as “day to day” and noted that he’d already planned to give him a day off Friday, the second game of a four-game series against the Brewers. The Dodgers will monitor how Freeman is feeling Thursday morning.

“I think that we really dodged the bullet,” Roberts said. Freeman did not undergo any imaging on his various aches and pains, although he said head athletic trainer Thomas Albert asked if he felt like he needed any.

“I said, ‘Do you want to do a whole-body X-ray?’” Freeman recounted. “And he was like, ‘We can.’ But no, I’m OK.”

Freeman was sore immediately after the fall but finished that half inning in the field. He said after the adrenaline wore off, he motioned to the dugout that he might need a pinch-hitter in the bottom half of the eighth. He was due up first.

Utility player Tommy Edman took the at-bat for him, and Kiké Hernández replaced him at first in the top of the ninth.

It wasn’t the first time Freeman has taken a tumble chasing after a foul ball, but he estimated the last time was about a decade ago, with the Braves in Arizona before they extended the netting.

“Actually went down probably like 10 feet,” Freeman said. “I hit seats and everything. So not my first time.

“I didn’t catch that one either.”

Research suggests the biggest regret among over-50s is not travelling more, with many still having bucket-list destinations they want to tick off.

A poll of 2,000 adults found New Zealand, Japan and Australia were the locations the older generation most wished to visit but had never been to. Canada, the Maldives and Iceland also feature in the top 10 destinations which remain on bucket lists. Taking spontaneous trips without overthinking it (21%), going to bucket list destinations (17%) and saying ‘yes’ to adventures rather than prioritising work (14%) are also things over 50s wish they had experienced more.

But it’s not just older people who have wanderlust, with 42% of Gen Z and 47% of Millennials also wishing they had been able to travel more than they have so far.

Seeing the Northern lights tops the once-in-a-lifetime travel experiences they most want to have (41% of Gen Z and 42% of Millennials).

It also emerged 71% of all adults polled are adamant it is never too late to make up for lost time, and many believe seeing new places (37%) or experiencing natural phenomena (18%) will positively impact their lives.

The study was commissioned by Icelandair, which has launched a competition to giveaway tickets to see the next solar eclipse in Iceland – in 170 years – as well as a visit to see the country in September, in a bid to reduce FOMO.

A spokesperson for the airline said: “Travel has never been more accessible, but our research shows once-in-a-lifetime experiences still sit firmly on people’s bucket lists and too many never get ticked off, leaving them with regrets about the things they didn’t do.

“We wanted to turn that idea on its head and encourage people to stop putting unforgettable experiences off and go live them.

“And if you’re going to think big, why not think really big? That’s why we’re giving someone the chance to experience the next total solar eclipse visible from Iceland — even though it won’t happen for another 170 years.

“With many often waiting for the right time, it’s a reminder some experiences are worth making happen — whether that’s this year, next year, or something you pass down for generations to come because you never know what might be on the bucket list of your future great-great-grandchildren, or give them the chance to say, ‘I was there.’”

For all adults, the top barrier to achieving their travel goals was lack of financial security (44%), followed by family responsibilities (24%) and having other priorities that get in the way (22%). A further 19% admitted they are always waiting for the ‘right time’, with this rising to 31% of Gen Zs.

The study, carried out via OnePoll, found the average adult predicts they’ll experience five truly once-in-a-lifetime moments. But many hope this will increase for their grandchildren’s generation, with 47% hopeful they’ll be able to make the most of life, while 38% want them to go out and enjoy the natural world more.

The spokesperson for Icelandair added: “Travel gives us a great opportunity for lifetime experiences and this week’s eclipse is the perfect reminder to start making those plans.”

Top bucket list destinations for over 50s

1. New Zealand
2. Japan
3. Australia
4. Canada
5. Maldives
6. Iceland
7. Norway
8. Italy
9. Egypt
10. Vietnam

Top 20 things over 50s wish they had experienced

1. Travelled more
2. Saved more money
3. Not lost touch with friends
4. Not worried too much about what others think
5. Make the most of life
6. Looked after their health
7. Made the most of their youth
8. Spent enough time with loved ones before they passed away
9. Learned a second language
10. Exercised more
11. Learned to play an instrument
12. Said how they really felt more often
13. Spent enough time with family
14. Taken spontaneous trips without overthinking it
15. Gained more qualifications
16. Not stayed in an unhappy job for too long
17. Been more spontaneous generally
18. Travelled to bucket list destinations
19. Not worked too much
20. Taken more risks

The show will go on for ZZ Top.

Last week, the blues rock band canceled its Hollywood Bowl concert because longtime drummer Frank Beard had health issues, Rolling Stone first reported.

That Aug. 5 Los Angeles concert was supposed to be the kickoff for the band’s the Big One tour. But a spokesperson for the band says that frontman Billy Gibbons and bassist Elwood Francis will continue the tour.

Michael Monahan will substitute for Beard for the remainder of the Big One, which will conclude its U.S. run on Oct. 9 in Port Wentworth, Ga.

The band has not said that it will reschedule the L.A. show, and all tickets, including transportation and parking passes, were being automatically refunded, according to the Hollywood Bowl.

Gibbons previously posted on Instagram that there were unexplained “insurmountable obstacles” leading to the band’s sudden cancellation at the Hollywood Bowl.

The band has released no details on Beard’s condition, although this is not the first time the drummer, 77, has faced health-related issues in his long tenure with the band. Beard joined ZZ Top in 1969, soon after the band formed, replacing founding drummer Dan Mitchell.

In March 2025, the Texan trio announced via its Instagram that Beard would temporarily step away from the band’s Elevation tour to tend to a health issue, which was later revealed to be foot and ankle problems. John Douglas — a longtime tech member, percussionist and drummer — replaced Beard in the interim, having done so previously when the veteran drummer underwent an emergency appendectomy in 2002.

In ZZ Top’s early days — following the release of the 1976 album “Tejas” — Beard dealt with issues related to substance abuse that led to the band’s three-year hiatus, which he and his bandmates opened up about in the 2019 documentary “ZZ Top: That Little Ol’ Band From Texas.”

“Frank goes all out on what he does and that includes the bad things,” bandmate Dusty Hill, who died in 2021, said in the documentary. “He was sick. If you’re a very good friend, you love a guy, you don’t want to see him die. You just want to see your brother get well.”

The Grammy-nominated band, which formed in Houston, is known for its edgy blues twang in popular singles including “La Grange” and “Tush” and across 15 studio albums. In November, ZZ Top will close out the Big One tour with eight performances across Mexico and South America.

For five decades, Top Of The Pops defined the music industry.

Before streaming, YouTube, and TikTok, the hit BBC show was the go-to place for both fledgling singers looking for a big break and superstars alike.

Now the show’s assistant floor manager Gareth Davies, 51, has lifted the lid on what really went on behind the scenes — branding Jennifer Lopez and Shania Twain the biggest divas.

He also recalls how Madonna was left twiddling her thumbs after her clothes went missing.

Gareth, who worked on the show from the mid-to-late Nineties through to the early Noughties, said: “My job was to get artists from backstage and guide them to the stage for their performance.

“Jennifer Lopez had the most demands, for sure.

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“The dressing rooms were all along this narrow corridor — so nothing special, really, quite old-fashioned. But for that small stretch of space, she made it completely her own.

“The best way to describe it is that she turned her dressing room entirely white.

“I’m not sure where the fascination with white came from, but she wanted everything transformed.

“The whole room was covered from top to bottom, which was quite unusual.

“She didn’t paint it. She had plastic sheeting put up everywhere instead, so it created this striking, all-white environment.”

It’s a far cry from the image of the Bronx girl done good portrayed in the lyrics of her 2002 hit Jenny From The Block.

But J.Lo’s antics pale into insignificance compared to country legend Shania Twain.

Recalling how the superstar was flanked by her team at all times, Gareth said: “Shania Twain had a really large entourage with her, and my lasting memory was watching her walk from the dressing rooms to the studio.

“There was this long line of people moving ahead of her, like a relay.

“Apparently she didn’t open doors, so someone would always be one step ahead holding it open for her. It was this perfectly choreographed system so she could just keep walking.”

Shania appeared on the show four times during Gareth’s time on the series, making her debut in June 1999 with That Don’t Impress Me Much before returning in December that same year. She also performed in 2000 and 2002.

But for every diva, there was also an unlikely down-to-earth performer.

Perhaps the most surprising was Janet Jackson, sister of the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson.

Gareth said: “I remember everyone on the studio floor waiting quite a long time for Janet to arrive.

“We were all being very casual about it, thinking, well, she’s a major A-lister, of course she’s going to be late. So we just waited around.

“But it turned out Janet and all her dancers had been there the whole time, quietly waiting on stage themselves while we were all waiting for her.

“She was just there in her tracksuit bottoms and hoodie, completely relaxed in that effortlessly cool way.

“What really stayed with me was how kind, gentle, and soft she was. Everyone was genuinely taken aback.

“She felt like one of the dancers, really, just keen to be part of the group rather than setting herself apart as the star.”

Kylie Minogue was also reportedly a total sweetheart.

Speaking about the I Should Be So Lucky singer, Gareth said: “I was quite obsessed with Kylie.

“I remember knocking on her dressing room door with my little script in hand.

“I’d already managed to get Gina G’s autograph — it was around the time she was doing the Eurovision Song Contest (in 1996) — so I thought, right, I’m going to get Kylie Minogue’s on here too.

“I knocked on the door, told her I was a big fan, and she was so lovely.

“She invited me in and chatted with me for a bit, just as a person rather than as a BBC employee. That really stayed with me.”

As well as performing on the show, Kylie went on to make a number of presenting cameos.

Music legend Madonna made her Top Of The Pops debut in January 1984, belting out her single Holiday. She went on to perform a further 13 times, all of which were lapped up by fans. But Gareth recalls how one performance almost didn’t happen after she lost her costume.

He told online gambling platform Zingo Bingo: “I do remember that one time when Madonna came over, everything felt much tighter and more rushed than usual.

“Sometimes an artist would record several songs from an album in one go, so they wouldn’t have to keep coming back again and again.

“From the moment she arrived, it was straight into the studio, rehearsing, back to get ready, then out on stage.

“But she and her team had all rushed in from a hotel in central London, and somehow her stylist had left all the outfits behind.

“We actually had to delay because Madonna had nothing to wear.

“It really felt like she had someone responsible for every tiny detail, so you can imagine whoever was in charge of the wardrobe that day was probably in serious trouble.”

First broadcast on the BBC on New Year’s Day in 1964, Top Of The Pops ran for over four decades.

But despite the huge names and viewing figures, the show was actually as humble as it gets, with greasy-spoon breakfasts being served metres away from where LA-based megastars were doing their pre-show yoga.

Gareth said: “It was filmed at Elstree Studios, where EastEnders was shot, and Grange Hill was filmed there too.

“It was a very traditional, slightly old-fashioned BBC studio that hadn’t really been updated for years. You had this classic canteen staffed by people who’d been there forever, serving no-frills British fry-ups, along with old-school dressing rooms.

“Elstree felt quite remote, almost in the middle of nowhere. So when artists came over, especially from America, they were expecting to appear on the BBC’s biggest music show.

“They probably imagined being right in the heart of London where everything’s happening.

“Instead, they were on the quiet outskirts with very little going on.

“It did make for some surreal moments. You’d spot a big star sitting near a soap star legend, tucking into a breakfast.”

The show was so big that from 2001 to 2005, the BBC hosted the Top Of The Pops Awards at the Manchester Arena.

Explaining how the show felt more like a family at times, Gareth said: “What was so nice was that there really wasn’t much for anyone to do.

“An artist might rehearse at ten in the morning, and then we wouldn’t record until seven in the evening, so they’d just be hanging around.

“It created a real sense of community. You got to see people as much backstage and offstage as you did onstage, which was quite unique.

“Normally, artists come in, rehearse, and then disappear until they’re needed.

“But there, everyone stayed, mingled, and just spent time together, which gave it a very different, much more relaxed atmosphere.

“I remember the first time the Spice Girls got on stage for their rehearsals, they were all jumping around and hugging each other. That was a moment where they felt they had made it.

“The five of them just had this amazing chemistry together. Their personalities worked so well and it wasn’t faked for cameras.

“You’d go into the dressing room and the energy was electric. They were so fun.”

After five decades of being “still number one”, the final Top Of The Pops aired on July 30, 2006.

The BBC said in a statement: “The decision to bring the show to an end after 42 years has not been taken lightly and over the past few years every effort has been made to maintain the quality and distinctiveness of the show.

“However, the BBC’s Creative Future Music Strategy has concluded that in a rapidly changing musical landscape, Top Of The Pops no longer occupies the central role it once did.”

Scottish rock band Snow Patrol were the final ever act to play on the show — belting out their single Chasing Cars.

Travel expert Simon Calder has named the lush ‘Emerald Island’ a must-visit destination, featuring stunning beaches, ancient ruins, and meals starting from just €10 per person.

Travel expert Simon Calder has shared his top recommendation for a stunning European getaway that won’t break the bank. Simon highlighted a lesser-known Greek island as his personal “choice” for a budget-friendly holiday.

The beautiful Greek island of Thassos, frequently dubbed the ‘Emerald Island’, is distinguished by its lush landscape, setting it apart from many of Greece’s more arid islands. The moniker describes Thassos’ dense pine woodland, olive groves and other greenery, with forests stretching almost all the way to the coast.

What’s more, the island’s beaches are surrounded by remarkably clear, shallow waters that shimmer in shades of turquoise and emerald, particularly under the Mediterranean sun.

On the island, there is a striking contrast of green and blue. Thassos is noticeably greener and more lush, creating a beautiful contrast between its forested hills and bright blue coastline.

Thassos history

Thassos has a rich history dating back thousands of years. Ancient Greeks from Paros settled on the island, which later grew prosperous thanks to its marble, gold mines, olive oil, wine and thriving trade.

Traces of its ancient past can still be found around Thassos Town, including the remains of an ancient theatre, agora and sanctuary.

Food

Thassos offers a classic Mediterranean style of cooking, combining fresh local produce with seafood and hearty dishes from the island’s mountain villages.

The island is also known for its honey, locally produced olive oil, olives and wine.

Some of the traditional foods visitors can try include:

• Goat and lamb – Mountain villages are known for cooking goat and lamb slow-cooked or roasted over a spit.
• Fresh seafood – This includes sardines, anchovies, prawns, sea bream, mullet, squid and octopus. These are often simply grilled or fried and served with olive oil and lemon.
• Gouna – One of Thassos’ more distinctive specialities, gouna is traditionally made with mackerel that is salted and dried before being grilled.
• Tatarka – A seasonal vegetable dish made with fresh vegetables, herbs and leafy greens, traditionally enjoyed during spring and early summer.
• Stuffed courgette flowers – Courgette flowers may be filled with ingredients such as cheese and egg before being fried.
• Local cheeses – including feta, kasseri, myzithra and anthotyro.

Prices in Thassos

Food and drink in Thassos remain relatively affordable compared with some of Greece’s more expensive islands, such as Mykonos and Santorini.

Although prices can be higher at beachfront restaurants and popular tourist spots.

Visitors can expect to pay around €12 to €25 (£10.26 to £21.38) per person for a typical taverna meal, while a gyros, souvlaki or casual lunch can cost around €5 to €10 (£4.28 to £8.55).

Meanwhile, fresh seafood tends to be more expensive, particularly at waterfront restaurants, while beers typically cost around €3 to €6 (£2.57 to £5.13). Those looking for a cocktail at a beach bar can expect to pay roughly €8 to €12 (£6.84 to £10.26), while local wine can offer good value compared with more premium bottles.

Speaking on ITV’s This Morning about Thassos in 2024, Simon said: “Absolutely lovely. It’s in the North. It’s really different from all the other ones.

“It’s got great features. It’s got this wonderful mountain in the middle. You have to get a little ferry across to there from Kavala, but once you do, it’s just absolute heaven.

“Loads going on. It’s got proper Greek stuff, ancient remains and things like that. And of course all those lovely tavernas you just want to sit in.”

Getting to Thassos

Simon warned holidaymakers that a ferry crossing to the island is unavoidable, as there are no direct flights operating from the UK.

That said, getting there from the UK is fairly straightforward. Travellers can fly to Kavala International Airport (KVA) on the northern Greek mainland, then head to Keramoti, where ferries run regularly to Thassos.

The crossing itself takes around 35 to 40 minutes.

Another option is to fly from the UK to Thessaloniki Airport, which offers a wider range of flights, then continue by road to the coast and take a ferry to Thassos.

While the journey is longer than travelling via Kavala, it can be a convenient alternative depending on flight availability and fares. During the summer months, some UK travel companies also offer package holidays and seasonal flights, making the island easier to reach.

Flight times

• London to Kavala: around 3 hours 25 minutes on a direct flight from Stansted.
• London to Thessaloniki: around 3 hours 10–25 minutes on a direct flight, depending on the London airport.

Aug. 8 (UPI) — Former President Jair Bolsonaro will not be allowed to see his sons on Brazilian Father’s Day this Sunday, the country’s top court ruled.

Due to his health, Bolsonaro has been under house arrest in Brasilia since March while serving a 27-year sentence for a coup attempt.

Last month he was placed under a stricter regimen after he breached conditions of his house arrest.

The former president is not allowed to receive visits for 30 days, except by his medical and legal teams.

Bolsonaro’s defense attorneys on Wednesday asked the Supreme Court for special permission, calling it a “strictly humanitarian and family-related” visit for Father’s Day, which Brazil celebrates on the second Sunday in August.

“This is a unique date on the Brazilian calendar, and its observance, even for a brief period and under whatever conditions Your Honor may deem appropriate, would preserve family ties and an important aspect of the relationship between father and children,” the former president’s defense attorneys wrote to the Supreme Court, Gazeta do Povo reported.

But Brazil’s top court on Saturday denied Bolsonaro’s request to host sons Jair Renan, Carlos and Flavio, G1 reported. His fourth son, former Rep. Eduardo Bolsonaro, is living in the United States and was not included in the request.

Last month, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes barred Bolsonaro from receiving any visits of a “political-electoral” nature until after Brazil’s general elections in October.

The restrictions came after Bolsonaro wrote a political letter in support of his son, Sen. Flavio Bolsonaro, despite his sentence barring him from participating in national politics.

The younger Bolsonaro, who disseminated the letter on social media, is running against President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva.

“They took away his freedom,” Flavio Bolsonaro wrote on X. “Now they want to take away even a father’s right to hug his children.”

Bolsonaro’s defense lawyers argued in court he was unaware that his son would divulge his writing on social media.

But the court disagreed.

“The letter — written and personally signed by Jair Messias Bolsonaro — was addressed ‘to the Brazilian people,’ demonstrating that it was not of a private nature but rather intended for political and electoral purposes, with dissemination to the general public, using Flavio Nantes Bolsonaro as an intermediary, or in his own words, as his ‘spokesperson,'” Moraes wrote in his decision, G1 reported.

“The text of the ‘Letter to the Brazilian People,’ therefore, clearly shows that Jair Messias Bolsonaro intended to communicate with his political supporters through his son’s social media accounts,” the justice added.

As a result of the restriction, he was also denied a visit by Argentinian President Javier Milei, who in July visited the country in support of Flavio Bolsonaro’s candidature.

MORE cheap flights to the US could soon be launching from the UK.

The airline has revealed it could be adding even more flights to some very popular cities after rise in demand after the World Cup.

Norse Atlantic Airways revealed that as a result of cutting back capacity by almost a third in July due to rising fuel prices, it could actually add more flights to its roster.

Chief executive Eivind Roald said in a statement that the airline was considering adding more flights to New York and Orlando due to a rise in demand.

It comes after the low-cost airline ran special flights to the World Cup in the US for Norway and England supporters.

New York City is famous across the globe but it is popular with Brits as it can be reached in seven hours.

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In October, a round-trip to New York City from London Gatwick starts from £327pp.

Visitors can see New York City on a budget too with its $1 pizza slices, buying a CityPass to avoiding cabs.

For more tips, Assistant Travel Editor Sophie Swietochowski has lots on how to save in one of the most iconic cities in the world.

Orlando is of course home to major theme parks like Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort.

For more tips on how to do the theme parks on a budget – one reporter who has been over 40 times reveals their insider secrets.

There are also lots of other places to explore including its many neighbourhoods like Mills 50 which has Asian American and Pacific Islands influences.

Streets are cobbled and there are lots of historic houses and moss-draped oak trees.

Then there’s the Milk District with plenty of street murals and lakeside neighbourhood Winter Garden, with its clutch of museums on Plant Street.

When it comes to eating in Orlando, the city has more than 50 Michelin Guide restaurants.

Round-trips to Orlando from London Gatwick starts from £343pp.

Chief executive Eivind Roald of Norse said: “Our airline on demand strategy enables us to respond quickly to market changes.

“With fuel prices slowly trending downward and demand remaining strong, we see an opportunity to increase capacity on our own network in the coming months, which may include adding more US flights to New York and Orlando.”

What’s it like to fly with Norse Atlantic Airways?

Head of Sun Travel (Digital), Caroline McGuire, flew with Norse and revealed exactly what she thought…

“On a recent trip to Cape Town I flew with Norse – it allowed me to do the 11-hour overnight stint in Premium Economy for the same price as a rival company in Economy seats.

“To give you an idea of price, return fares for two adults and one child in premium economy cost £3,583 to Cape Town next March, while return fares in Premium Economy on a rival airline cost £5,000.

“Keen to test it out, we flew to the South African city in their posh Premium seats and returned in Basic Economy. So what do those Premium Economy seats get you on an 11-hour Norse flight? Well it starts with a priority lane at check-in.

“Norse doesn’t do online check-in – everyone checks in at the airport. And Premium passengers are given their own lane, so we waited about five minutes before dropping off our bags and getting our tickets.

“You get a small handbag, a cabin bag and a checked suitcase included in the price of a Premium ticket.

“You also get priority boarding, which I’m not normally a fan of given I have a young child who needs to let off steam before a flight, but given our seats were massive, it was worth it. 

“he chairs are very roomy. With a very decent recline that allowed my whole family to get a decent night’s sleep. My son pretty much slept uninterrupted from 10pm to 7am, while I snatched a manageable 5ish hours, which is far more than I’ve ever done before in Economy on a long haul flight. 

“Crew hand over ear plugs, eye masks, pillows and blankets at the start of the flight, as well as headphones for the TVs (you have to pay £5 for these in Economy). 

“Two meals are also included – I had a decent tortellini, side salad and cheesecake-type evening meal with complimentary wine, and a hot cooked breakfast, plus a croissant, yogurt and mini fruit salad.

“All in all, we disembarked from the flight at 8.30am feeling so well-rested that we managed a whole day at the beach in Cape Town, followed by an evening meal.”

FORGET packing like sardines into the London underground, or dodging the crowds (and the rain) on a walking tour.

I’ve found the best way to soak up the sights of London, where you can even sit down and enjoy a slap-up meal while you tick off all the big landmarks.

City Cruises Lunch River Cruise – now only £38 (was £53)

City Cruises offer budget-friendly sightseeing tours on the River Thames, ranging from traditional Afternoon Tea cruises to live Jazz nights and New Year’s Eve celebrations.

You can click here to browse all the different types of cruises available and see which ones are currently on sale.

I recently tried out City Cruises’ most popular experience, the Lunch Cruise on the River Thames.

For just £38 – slashed from the usual £53 – this is now the cheapest lunch cruise on the River Thames, and it packs in a whole lot for the price.

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As I stepped onboard from Tower Milennium Pier (right next to the Tower of London) I was shown through a gorgeous restaurant to a fancy dining table with a view.

After ordering my meal (chicken supreme for main, white chocolate cheesecake for dessert) I sank back to simply soak up the skyline.

The gentle river cruise drifted all the way along to Canary Wharf, the fancy finance district of London that is home to six of the UK’s ten tallest skyscrapers.

This is when my main course arrived – and I was absolutely blown away by the meal.

I tucked into tender chicken smothered in a creamy mushroom sauce, paired with a cheesy fondant potato and crunchy tender stem broccoli. Dreamy.

As for drinks, you can have anything from posh Teapigs tea blends, to glasses of wine or fizz, to full-on cocktails – just note that these drinks are an add-on!

City Cruises Lunch River Cruise – now only £38 (was £53)

Then it was time for dessert – a gooey, white chocolate cheesecake with the perfect buttery base and a sharp raspberry coulis to cut through. Delicious.

The cruise then turned back around, and this was when my favourite part began. I recommend heading up to the top deck for this part – but you will still see it all from your table downstairs!

I watched as the history of London unfolded in real-time before my eyes.

We glided past futuristic skyscrapers all the way back to 1450 BC, as we floated by the oldest landmark in London, Cleopatra’s Needle.

I also enjoyed cruising underneath nine of London’s bridges, as a knowledgeable tour guide taught us all about their history.

I watched the world go by with a cosy cup of tea in-hand, which was also included.

We glided right underneath the famous Tower Bridge, as well as the Millennium Bridge – which locals call the “Wibbly Wobbly bridge”, as the bridge once swayed from side to side as people walked over it.

I learned that Waterloo Bridge is nicknamed the “Ladies’ Bridge” because women stepped up to build it during WWII, and we even drifted past the bright red pillars of the lost 18th-century Blackfriars Bridge.

After cruising past the legendary Globe Theatre (and spotting the pub that Shakespeare used to frequent: The Anchor) we drifted right past the London Eye.

There was even time for a quick stop right in front of Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament for the ultimate selfie.

Then it’s time to turn around and head back to the pier, having ticked off all of the major London landmarks and enjoyed a fancy two-course meal all in one go.

Once you step back on land, you’re perfectly positioned to keep exploring the rest of the city.

Head into the historic Tower of London, or grab a wow-worthy lunch at Borough Market.

If you’re visiting London and want to go sightseeing in style, plus save a bit of money while doing so, this is the one trip you cannot afford to miss.

City Cruises Lunch River Cruise – now only £38 (was £53)

Prices correct at the time of publication.