WASHINGTON — In another era, the scene would have been unremarkable. But in President Trump’s Washington, it’s become increasingly rare.
Sitting side by side on stage were Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican, and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat. They traded jokes and compliments instead of insults and accusations, a brief interlude of cordiality in a cacophony of conflict.
Stitt and Moore are the leaders of the National Governors Association, one of a vanishing few bipartisan institutions left in American politics. But it may be hard for the organization, which is holding its annual conference this week, to maintain its reputation as a refuge from polarization.
Trump has broken with custom by declining to invite all governors to the traditional White House meeting and dinner. He has called Stitt, the NGA’s chair, a “RINO,” short for Republican in name only, and continued to feud with Moore, the group’s vice chair, by blaming him for a sewage spill involving a federally regulated pipeline.
The break with tradition reflects Trump’s broader approach to his second term. He has taken a confrontational stance toward some states, withholding federal funds or deploying troops over the objections of local officials.
With the Republican-controlled Congress unwilling to limit Trump’s ambitions, several governors have increasingly cast themselves as a counterweight to the White House.
“Presidents aren’t supposed to do this stuff,” Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said about the expansion of executive power in recent administrations. “Congress needs to get their act together. And stop performing for TikTok and actually start doing stuff. That’s the flaw we’re dealing with right now.”
Cox, a Republican, said “it is up to the states to hold the line.”
Moore echoed that sentiment in an interview with The Associated Press.
“People are paying attention to how governors are moving, because I think governors have a unique way to move in this moment that other people just don’t,” he said.
Still, governors struck an optimistic tone in panels and interviews Wednesday. Stitt said the conference is “bigger than one dinner at the White House.” Moore predicted “this is going to be a very productive three days for the governors.”
“Here’s a Republican and Democrat governor from different states that literally agree on probably 80% of the things. And the things we disagree on we can have honest conversations on,” Stitt said while sitting beside Moore.
Tensions over the guest list for White House events underscored the uncertainty surrounding the week. During the back-and-forth, Trump feuded with Stitt and said Moore and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis were not invited because they “are not worthy of being there.”
Whether the bipartisan tone struck Wednesday evening can endure through the week — and beyond — remains an open question.
“We can have disagreements. In business, I always want people around me arguing with me and pushing me because that’s where the best ideas come from,” said Stitt. “We need to all have these exchange of ideas.”
Cappelletti and Sloan write for the Associated Press.
PHOENIX — Position players reported to spring training at Camelback Ranch for the Dodgers on Monday, but manager Dave Roberts revealed that it will be without its versatile second baseman and utilityman Tommy Edman when the team opens the season against the Arizona Diamondbacks at home on March 26.
The 30-year-old Edman underwent ankle surgery during the offseason after being limited to 97 games in 2025 in his first full season with the Dodgers.
“I think just looking at where his ankle is at, trying to play the long view that you don’t want to have any regression or setbacks,” Roberts said. “So, how can we methodical with it? Just for me, knowing that he’s just taking swings is enough. We’re not going to rush it. We want to put him in the best position, so I think it just kind of became [clearer] very recently.”
Edman will open the season on the injured list, something he is at peace with. He felt that a return before Opening Day was a bit ambitious, and that it would be better to err on the side of caution.
“That was always kind of a stretch, just due to the nature of the injury and the timing of the surgery and everything,” Edman said. “I think, having been out of the boot for a little over a month now, I was just kind of waiting to see how it progressed, and everything has gone exactly on-schedule. We were kind of leaving Opening Day open, just in case it happened to feel way better than expected. Everything’s on the expected schedule so far. As I get into more baseball stuff, I still have to work into the adaptation of volume. As the volume goes up, the swelling kind of increases a little bit, so I’ve got to take it slow and let the progress play out the way it was planned all along, instead of trying to speed it up.”
For now, Edman is slow-playing it.
“He took some swings a couple days ago, [from] both sides,” Roberts said. “He did some skipping, some light jogging, I think it was. He’s getting his body into baseball shape, so obviously he’s not going to be ready for the start of camp. He’s in that same bucket of, ‘When he’s ready, he’s ready.’ But each day, there’s been progress.”
Evan Phillips excited to be back
Days after signing a one-year contract to return to the Dodgers — despite being non-tendered earlier in the offseason — Evan Phillips expressed relief at being back.
“[The offseason] was quiet for a little bit,” Phillips said. “I leaned on my agent to be patient and trust that things were going to work out and we’re certainly glad that we’re back. It was definitely a very, very wild ride this offseason. It feels like I never left, so it’s kind of weird to get all the handshakes and hugs, but it’s just another spring training to me. I’m certainly glad to be back in Dodger blue.”
Dodgers GM Brandon Gomes told reporters Sunday that Phillips should return to the Dodgers sometime in the middle of the season. He underwent Tommy John surgery last June.
“[I’ve been] doing long toss a few times a week, hoping to get on the bullpen or on the mound for a bullpen next month,” Phillips said. “I’ll start that mound progression here in the next couple of weeks. I think, actually, Tuesday I’ll throw off of the mound for the first time, but it won’t be to a catcher or anything. It’ll just be a catcher standing up and there’s a slow progression, week by week. So [there will be] plenty of steps ahead that’s going to keep me busy here in Arizona, but I’m definitely looking forward to that progression.”
The February half-term is this week but you don’t need to spend money on a day outCredit: PR Handout image
With so many different activities you can ensure the kids will have fun without having to spend any money.
The Super Duper Family Festival, Manchester
The Super Duper Family Festival starts on February 18 and runs through until February 21.
Across four days, families can explore Manchester‘s public spaces that will be transformed into free Play Zones with games, dancing, activities, crafts, movies and performances.
For example, The Carnival zone will feature a Victorian carousel, Hook a Duck, Spin the Wheel, a Coconut Shy and Ferris Wheel Hoopla.
Family Day: impasto studio, National Portrait Gallery, London
On February 17, families can head to the National Portrait Gallery between 11am and 4pm for fun-filled activities.
Between 11am and 1pm and 2pm and 4pm, families can take part in a sketcher’s session, where you get to make your own sketchbook.
At the same times, there will be two relaxed workshops where you can draw from still lives.
Or head to animal attire, to draw and collage an animal accessory to wear.
Across the day there are also free activity trails to explore.
Pancake Day races, various
This year, Pancake Day falls within the half-term holidays which is ideal to enjoy some pancake-themed fun.
For example, you could head to Leadenhall Market in London to see the Pancake Race at 12:30pm, where teams of four run a 20 metre relay flipping pancakes.
In Devon, you could head to Dartmouth between 2:30pm and 4pm to see an afternoon of pan-flips.
There is also pancake making of course…
Search ‘Pancake Day race near me’ to find your local event.
On Tuesday this week, it is Pancake Day and around the country pancake races are being heldCredit: Alamy
February Festival, Blackpool
Between February 19 and 22, there will be a festival of circus, live entertainment and family activities in Blackpool.
Events include Elton Wrong, who will be roaming the town centre with his mobile white piano.
There will be dancers on the streets too such as ballerinas.
Railway family fun day, Clitheroe Castle in Lancashire
On February 16, Clitheroe Castle Museum is hosting a family fun day to celebrate 200 years of the modern railway.
Across the day, there will be hands-on fun, creative activities and immersive railway heritage.
At the castle, visitors will be able to see a working ‘Rock and Roll’ model railway, meet Lancashire children’s author Susan Brownrigg who will read extracts from her book Wrong Tracks, play train spotting games and decorate your own train wagon.
In addition, there’s the ‘Tracks of Life: Trains, People and Place’ exhibition, which celebrates the life and work of Ken Roberts (1928–2024) who was a local railway enthusiast and photographer.
There also a Railway family fun day at Clitheroe Castle this weekCredit: Getty
Nottinghamshire Festival of Science & Curiosity
Nottinghamshire Festival of Science & Curiosity returns for another half-term full of activities.
Running until February 20, you can get involved in a number of different activities that are designed to inspire curiosity and imagination.
These include geology workshops, bath bomb making, Lunar New Year celebrations and Lego sessions.
Ikea events, various
Ikea is a great day out in itself, but did you know each store often hosts free events too?
For example, you could head to the Hammersmith store this week for Lunar New Year Fun sessions.
Or perhaps visit Ikea Exeter for spring flower garden canvas painting.
Just head to Ikea’s website and then to the events section and explore the activities at the store near you.
Seven Stories – The National Centre for Children’s Books, Newcastle
If your kids love reading and are good with their imagination, then head to Seven Stories – the UK’s National Centre for Children’s Books.
Inside, visitors can explore children’s stories through exhibitions, performances and workshops.
If your kids love books, head to The National Centre for Children’s BooksCredit: Alamy
Cotswolds Designer Outlet
Across this week, the Cotswolds Designer Outlet will have special guests from Scrubditch Care Farm.
Kids can meet therapy farm animals, which include baby lambs and goats.
There will also be a farmyard trail where little ones can spot colourful animals around the shopping outlet.
There’s an indoor soft play area and adventure playground too.
Waterstones stores treasure hunts, various
Over this half-term, Waterstones stores across the country host scavenger and treasure hunts.
For example, at Waterstones York Monks Cross, there are events themed on Winnie the Pooh’s 100th birthday.
Every day at 11am there will be a storytime session, then there are themed colouring sessions and a picture hunt as well.
Or at Waterstones Carlisle you can browse the bookshelves to try and find Dav Pilkey’s Dogman.
With yesterday’s Oscar nominees luncheon in the books, the marathon that is awards season is now entering the home stretch. But that doesn’t mean there’s no grist left for the mill, especially when it comes to those — like this week’s cover subject, 73-year-old first-time nominee Delroy Lindo — whose names weren’t necessarily on pundits’ nominations predictions lists.
Through Feb. 26 we’ll be more sharing stories like his, and many others, before Oscar voters cast their final ballots for the March 15 awards. I’ll let my friend Glenn Whipp regale you with tales from his interview with “Sinners” star Lindo when he sends his next newsletter on Friday. In the meantime, read on for more highlights from this week’s issue.
Digital cover story: Wagner Moura
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
Basking in the sun outside The Times newsroom ahead of his digital cover shoot last month, Wagner Moura seemed exceptionally relaxed about spending his Tuesday afternoon in El Segundo with a bunch of journalists. But don’t let “The Secret Agent” star’s easygoing personality fool you into thinking he’s aloof in any way.
As contributor Lisa Rosen writes in her profile of the actor, he’s unafraid to draw pointed comparison’s between Kleber Mendonça Filho’s acclaimed political thriller — nominated for four Oscars, including lead actor — and contemporary politics, from disgraced Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro to federal agents in American streets.
“This is also a film about infamy, because he’s being persecuted so unfairly,” he tells Rosen, comparing his character’s fate to that of Minneapolis residents Renee Good and Alex Pretti. After their deaths, he continues, “lies were spread about them online. It’s so cruel, and so it’s killing the person twice.”
But I don’t think you need to be intimately acquainted with Hawke, who also appeared on an Envelope digital cover last fall, to find him and Kaplow high-caliber raconteurs of the joys, and occasional indignities, of making independent films. “Sometimes you get to set and it’s easy to shape the text to make it more your own. The process here was for me to get rid of Ethan,” says Hawke. “It was to try and match the screenplay. I don’t ever remember working as hard — or [director] Rick [Linklater] being as mean to me.”
As far as hooking the listener to a story goes, Lorenz Hart, the loquacious lyricist that Hawke and Kaplow pay homage to in “Blue Moon,” would be proud.
Inside the race for best editing
(Illustration by Vartika Sharma / For The Times)
Oscar voters have occasionally been accused of making this award about the most editing instead of the best editing, but from the descriptions of this year’s five nominees, I think we can safely say that whomever the winner ends up being, their achievement will have been genuinely outstanding.
As contributor Bill Desowitz discovered from his outreach to the editors of “F1,” “One Battle After Another,” “Marty Supreme,” “Sentimental Value” and “Sinners,” coping with trauma is the surprising through line among the disparate scenes the nominees themselves chose as most pivotal to their films. (Given the volume of the footage some of them waded through, they might be suffering it too.)
Most UK visitors will need a key document to enter the UK, but this will depend on your nationality and reasons for travel
05:00, 15 Feb 2026Updated 09:37, 15 Feb 2026
London Heathrow Airport issued a reminder about the upcoming change (stock image)(Image: Alexsl/Getty Images)
Travellers regularly encounter changes in regulations when navigating international borders. Now London Heathrow Airport has issued a reminder regarding new rules coming into force in days
On X, formerly Twitter, the major airport said this week: “Starting 25 February, whether your final destination is the UK or you are connecting via Heathrow, eligible visitors will need an ETA (Electronic Travel Authorisation). Find out more on http://GOV.UK.”
While most UK visitors will need an ETA or visa to enter the UK, this will depend on your nationality and reason for travel. For instance, an ETA is generally required if you’re coming from Europe, the USA, Australia, Canada and certain other countries.
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Each person travelling is required to have an ETA, including babies and children. So, for a family of four, you’ll likely need to pay £64 in total, while a family of six will typically pay £96. Visitors can apply for an ETA on behalf of other people.
Anyone who has a British or Irish passport, or has permission to work, live or study in the UK, will not need an ETA. According to official Government advice, other exemptions include:
It’s important to remember that having an ETA does not guarantee entry to the UK. Those with a criminal record or who have previously been denied entry should consider applying for a Standard Visitor visa instead.
Beyond this, the UK Government highlights exactly what can and can’t be done with an ETA. For instance, the ETA allows:
Meanwhile, these five things are not permitted with an ETA:
Staying in the UK for longer than six months
Doing paid or unpaid work for a UK company or as a self-employed person, unless you’re doing a permitted paid engagement or event or work on the Creative Worker visa concession
Claiming public funds (benefits)
Living in the UK through frequent or successive visits
Marrying or registering a civil partnership, or giving notice of marriage or civil partnership – a Marriage Visitor visa is needed
Visitors can apply for the £16 ETA online or via the UK ETA app. To do so, they must have a passport, an email address, and a payment method, including Apple Pay and Google Pay. The payment is non-refundable once an application has been made.
A viral AI-generated video of actors Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise fighting atop a building is causing a stir online.
The 15-second video comes from the latest AI video-generation platform, Seedance 2.0. The platform was launched this week by its owner, ByteDance, the same Chinese parent that oversees TikTok. As the video circulates online, the Motion Picture Assn. and other industry stakeholders have called out the video for its unauthorized use of copyrighted works.
Charles Rivkin, chief executive of the Motion Picture Assn., wrote in a statement that the company “should immediately cease its infringing activity.”
“In a single day, the Chinese AI service Seedance 2.0 has engaged in unauthorized use of U.S. copyrighted works on a massive scale,” wrote Rivkin. “By launching a service that operates without meaningful safeguards against infringement, ByteDance is disregarding well-established copyright law that protects the rights of creators and underpins millions of American jobs.”
Rhett Reese, writer-producer of movies such as the “Deadpool” trilogy and “Zombieland,” responded to Robinson’s post, writing, “I hate to say it. It’s likely over for us.”
He goes on to say that soon people will be able to sit at a computer and create a movie “indistinguishable from what Hollywood now releases.” Reese says he’s fearful of losing his job as increasingly powerful AI tools advance into creative fields.
“I was blown away by the Pitt v Cruise video because it is so professional. That’s exactly why I’m scared,” wrote Reese on X. “My glass half empty view is that Hollywood is about to be revolutionized/decimated.”
Reese isn’t alone in thinking AI could potentially “decimate” Hollywood and take away jobs. Creating protections against AI was one of the main reasons both SAG-AFTRA and the Writers Guild went on strike in 2023. But some members argue that those measures — now nearly three years old — did not go far enough.
As SAG-AFTRA reentered contract negotiations with the studios earlier this week, AI is still one of the union’s highest priorities. It’s expected that the actors union could propose what has been called the Tilly tax, a fee that studios would have to pay to the union in exchange for using an AI-generated actor — a response to the introduction of Hollywood’s first AI actor, Tilly Norwood.
In a statement to The Times, SAG-AFTRA confirmed that the union stands with the studios in “condemning the blatant infringement” from Seedance 2.0, as video includes “unauthorized use of our members’ voices and likenesses.”
“This is unacceptable and undercuts the ability of human talent to earn a livelihood. Seedance 2.0 disregards law, ethics, industry standards and basic principles of consent,” wrote a spokesperson from SAG-AFTRA. “Responsible A.I. development demands responsibility, and that is nonexistent here.”
It’s one thing most everyone agrees on: federal funding cuts have left the Los Angeles County health system teetering toward financial collapse.
But the supervisors’ chosen antidote — a half-cent sales tax to replenish county coffers — is being condemned by a slew of cities as its own form of financial catastrophe.
“I heard from every city in my district,” said Kathryn Barger, the only supervisor who voted against putting the sales tax on the June ballot.
The resounding reaction? “Absolutely not,” she says.
“People are fatigued,” Barger said. “I’m not convinced that it’s going to pass.”
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Observers wouldn’t have sensed that fatigue from the rowdy crowd of supporters that filled the board meeting Tuesday, along with seldom-used overflow rooms. The supervisors voted 4-1 at the meeting to put the tax on the ballot.
“There really are no other viable and timely options,” said Supervisor Holly Mitchell, who introduced the measure along with Supervisor Hilda Solis. “Trust me, I looked high and low.”
The goal, supervisors say, is to generate $1 billion per year to backfill the dwindling budgets of local hospitals and clinics battered by federal funding cuts.
The county’s already bracing for impact. The Department of Public Health announced Friday it would shutter seven clinics. Officials say it’s just the beginning, with the county poised to lose more than $2 billion in funding for health services over the next three years. Hospitals could be down the road, they warn.
But many cities, some of which could have local sales tax hit more than 11%, are revolting on the plan.
“I have been getting calls and texts and letters like honestly I have not gotten in a long time,” Supervisor Janice Hahn told the audience as a message from Jeff Wood — the vice mayor of Lakewood — pinged on her phone. “They are really diving in on this one.”
In a series of opposition letters, the cities unleashed a torrent of criticism. Norwalk called the tax “rushed.” Palmdale said it had “significant flaws.” Glendale found it “deeply troubling and fundamentally unfair.”
Some bristled at the cost to consumers. Palmdale and Lancaster — some of the poorest cities in the county — could wind up with some of the highest sales tax rates in the state if the measure passes.
Some cities say the bigger issue is they don’t trust the county. They point to its checkered history of pushing ballot measures that don’t live up to their promises.
Measure B, a special parcel tax, was passed in 2002 to fund the county’s trauma center network. An audit more than a decade later found the county couldn’t prove it used the money for emergency medical services.
Measure H, the homelessness services tax measure, was passed in 2017 as a temporary tax. Voters agreed in 2024 to make the tax permanent and to double the rate — though some cities insist they’ve never gotten their fair share of the funds.
“It’s a historical issue,” said Glendora mayor David Fredendall, whose city opposes the sales tax. “We don’t trust it.”
The county decided to put the sales tax on the ballot as a general tax, meaning the money goes into the general fund. Legally, supervisors could use the money for whatever services they desire.
“They say ‘No, this is our plan’, but we’re going to expand from five to nine supervisors over the next few years before this tax expires,” said Marcel Rodarte, the head of the California Contract Cities Assn., a coalition of cities inside the county. “They may say we need to use these funds for something else.”
A general tax also is easier to pass, since it needs only a majority vote. Special taxes — levies earmarked for a specific purpose — need two-thirds of the vote.
The measure also asks voters to approve the creation of an oversight group that would monitor where the money goes. The supervisors also voted on a spending plan for the tax money, which would dedicate the largest portion of funds for uninsured residents over the next five years.
Some opponents predict the tax will stick around longer than advertised.
“A temporary tax is like Bigfoot,” said Jon Coupal, president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assn., a group that advocates for lower taxes. “It exists in fantasy.”
State of play
— FRIENDLY FIRE: Three hours before the filing deadline, L.A. City Councilmember Nithya Ramanjumped into the race for mayor, challenging her former ally Karen Bass. Her candidacy will be Bass’ most serious threat.
— DEFUND DETOUR: Shortly after, Raman staked out her position on cops, saying she doesn’t want the LAPD to lose more police. Raman called for department downsizing when she first ran for city council in 2020.
— LOYAL LABOR: The head of the AFL-CIO, the county’s powerful labor federation, blasted Raman as an “opportunist.” Federation president Yvonne Wheeler said her organization will “use every tool” at its disposal to get Bass reelected.
— PETITION PUSH: Scores of candidates for L.A. city offices picked up their petitions Feb. 7, launching their effort to collect the signatures they need to qualify for the ballot. The first to turn in a petition was Councilmember Traci Park, who is facing two challengers while running for reelection in a coastal district.
— EYES ON ICE: Los Angeles police officers must turn on their body cameras if they’re at the scene of federal immigration enforcement operations, according to a new executive directive issued by Bass. LAPD officers also must document the name and badge number of the agents’ on-scene supervisor.
— CONTESTING CLEANUPS: A federal judge ruled this week that the city of L.A. violated the constitutional rights of homeless people by seizing and destroying their personal property during encampment cleanups. Lawyers for the plaintiffs want U.S. District Judge Dale S. Fischer to issue an injunction requiring the city to give homeless people the opportunity to contest the seizure of their property.
— HOTEL HIKE: Voters in the June 2 election will be asked to hike the city’s tax on nightly hotel stays — increasing it to 16% from 14% — for the next three years. The tax would then drop to 15% in 2029.
— PAYDAY POLITICS: The county is considering a proposal that would remove supervisors’ final decision-making power in contract disputes involving sheriff’s deputies and firefighters. Supporters say it’ll take politics out of labor negotiations while opponents warn of bloated labor costs.
QUICK HITS
Where is Inside Safe? The mayor’s signature homelessness program went to Los Angeles City Council District 13, bringing 50 unhoused Angelenos indoors from an encampment.
On the docket next week: The county’s back to its marathon budget briefings. Tune in Tuesday for presentations from the sheriff, district attorney and probation department.
Stay in touch
That’s it for this week! Send your questions, comments and gossip to LAontheRecord@latimes.com. Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up here to get it in your inbox every Saturday morning.
Casey Wasserman, the embattled sports and entertainment mogul who is the face of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, is preparing to sell his talent agency.
In a memo to his staff Friday, Wasserman acknowledged his appearance in a recently released batch of documents related to the late sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and his companion, Ghislaine Maxwell, had “become a distraction.”
In his memo, which was reviewed by The Times, Wasserman said he was “heartbroken that my brief contact with them 23 years ago has caused you, this company, and its clients so much hardship over the past days and weeks.”
Representatives for Wasserman did not immediately return for requests for comment.
“I’m deeply sorry that my past personal mistakes have caused you so much discomfort,” Wasserman wrote to his staff. “It’s not fair to you, and it’s not fair to the clients and partners we represent so vigorously and care so deeply about.”
“I know what I know, and I am following my gut and my values,” Wambach wrote on Instagram. “I will not participate in any business arrangement under his leadership…He should leave, so more people like me don’t have to.”
Wasserman told his staff that Mike Watts, a longtime company executive, would assume day-to-day management of the firm while he begins the process of selling it.
The Wall Street Journal first reported Wasserman’s staff memo.
Wasserman’s grandfather, Lew Wasserman, was a Hollywood titan who built the studio MCA into a powerhouse that acquired Universal Pictures. Casey Wasserman’s sports and talent agency, also built through a series of savvy acquisitions, has about 4,000 employees.
Wasserman plans to stay in his position leading the LA28 Olympic Committee, which has stood by him. In a recent statement, LA28 noted that the racy emails with Maxwell were sent following a humanitarian mission to Africa two decades “before Mr. Wasserman or the public knew of Epstein and Maxwell’s deplorable crimes…This was his single interaction with Epstein.”
“The Executive Committee of the Board has determined that based on these facts, as well as the strong leadership he has exhibited over the past ten years, Mr. Wasserman should continue to lead LA28 and deliver a safe and successful Games,” LA28 concluded.
The messages to Maxwell were part of a massive trove of Epstein-related documents made public by the Department of Justice this month.
In them, Wasserman wrote to Maxwell, who is now serving a lengthy prison sentence for sex trafficking of minors, “I thought we would start at that place that you know of, and then continue the massage concept into your bed … and then again in the morning … not sure if or when we would stop.”
She responded: “Umm — all that rubbing — are you sure you can take it? The thought frankly is leaving me a little breathless. There are a few spots that apparently drive a man wild — I suppose I could practise them on you and you could let me know if they work or not?”
Wasserman released a statement saying: “I deeply regret my correspondence with Ghislaine Maxwell which took place over two decades ago, long before her horrific crimes came to light. I never had a personal or business relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. As is well documented, I went on a humanitarian trip as part of a delegation with the Clinton Foundation in 2002 on the Epstein plane. I am terribly sorry for having any association with either of them.”
Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy.
Welcome to Bunker Talk. This is a weekend open discussion post for the best commenting crew on the net, in which we can chat about all the stuff that went on this week that we didn’t cover. We can also talk about the stuff we did or whatever else grabs your interest. In other words, it’s an off-topic thread.
This week’s second caption reads:
U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Lucas Keka, left, munitions operations technician assigned to the 726th Expeditionary Mission Support Squadron, and Staff Sgt. Daryc Fliginger, 726th EMSS Munitions Flight production supervisor, secure a munitions storage bunker at Chabelley Airfield, Djibouti, Aug. 25, 2023. The 726th EMSS provides security forces, satellite communications, munitions support, vehicle management, contracting, finance and logistics in support of USAF personnel in East Africa. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Dhruv Gopinath)
Also, a reminder:
Prime Directives!
If you want to talk politics, do so respectfully and know that there’s always somebody that isn’t going to agree with you.
If you have political differences, hash it out respectfully, stick to the facts, and no childish name-calling or personal attacks of any kind. If you can’t handle yourself in that manner, then please, discuss virtually anything else.
No drive-by garbage political memes. No conspiracy theory rants. Links to crackpot sites will be axed, too. Trolling and shitposting will not be tolerated. No obsessive behavior about other users. Just don’t interact with folks you don’t like.
Do not be a sucker and feed trolls! That’s as much on you as on them. Use the mute button if you don’t like what you see.
So unless you have something of quality to say, know how to treat people with respect, understand that everyone isn’t going to subscribe to your exact same worldview, and have come to terms with the reality that there is no perfect solution when it comes to moderation of a community like this, it’s probably best to just move on.
Finally, as always, report offenders, please. This doesn’t mean reporting people who don’t share your political views, but we really need your help in this regard.
PRESIDENT Donald Trump has revealed why the FBI hasn’t taken over the search for Nancy Guthrie as the investigation approaches the two week mark.
He confirmed the reason the federal agency was pushed to the backburner when asked about the missing 84-year-old on Friday.
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President Donald Trump has revealed why the FBI hasn’t led the search for Nancy GuthrieCredit: APNancy has been missing since February 1Credit: Instagram/savannahguthrie
On Friday, Fox News reporter Jacqui Heinrich asked Trump, “Why hasn’t the FBI taken over the Nancy Guthrie case as the lead investigator?
“Do you have any updates on how it’s going?”
Trump responded, “Well, they took it over originally. You know, it was a local case originally, and, they didn’t want to let go of it, which is fine.
“It’s up to them. It’s really up to the communities. But ultimately, when the FBI got involved, I think, you know, progress has been made.”
In the past few days, several reports have claimed the Pima County Sheriff’s Department in Tucson, Arizona, is at odds with federal authorities over the investigation.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos was accused of bypassing federal analysts by an anonymous FBI source who spoke with Reuters.
However, Nanos dismissed the concerns and vowed he was collaborating with other agencies to find the truth.
He responded to reports claiming that he sent DNA evidence and gloves recovered at the scene to a lab in Florida without keeping the FBI in the loop.
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“Actually, the FBI just wanted to send [to their own lab] the one or two [gloves] they found by the crime scene, closest to it, mile, mile and a half,” he told NBC affiliate KVOA.
“I said, ‘No, why do that? Let’s just send them all to where all the DNA exist, all the profiles and the markers exist.’ They agreed, makes sense.”
More to follow… For the latest news on this story, keep checking back at The U.S. Sun, your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, sports news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures, and must-see videos.
When the Justice Department released an additional 3 million pages of documents related to convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein at the end of January, ARTnews unearthed and published excerpts from dozens of emails between Epstein and David A. Ross, a former director of the Whitney Museum of American Art who started his career in the 1970s as deputy director and curator of video art at the Long Beach Museum of Art.
Ross, who served as the chair of the MFA art practice program at New York’s School of Visual Arts since 2009, promptly resigned.
If the emails had been less damning, the revelation of Ross’ connection to Epstein might have played out differently, but that was not the case. In one letter, dated Oct. 1, 2009, Epstein wrote to Ross that Roman Polanski’s attorney was coming to see him and that he was considering funding an exhibit titled, “Statutory.”
“Girls and boys ages 14 – 25, where they look nothing like their true ages,” Epstein wrote. “Juvenile mug shots, photo shop, make up. Some people go to prison because they can’t tell true age. Controversial. Fun. Maybe it should be a web page with hits, tallied.”
“You are incredible,” Ross wrote back. “This would be a very [sic] owerful and freaky book. Do you know that total porno commercial kiddie picture of Brooke Sheilds that Richard Prince appropriated for an exhibition in the early 1980’s?”
Epstein replied in the affirmative to Ross’ reference to a Prince photo titled, “Spiritual America,” which appropriated a 1976 photo of a naked, 10-year-old Shields taken by commercial photographer Gary Gross.
“They closed it off in the London show,” Epstein noted.
Ross also expressed sympathy for Epstein’s legal travails in 2009 following a 13-month sentence he served in Florida after pleading guilty to reduced state charges of procuring a minor for prostitution.
“Glad the nightmare is over, Jeffrey,” Ross wrote. “It was an undeserved punishment foisted upon you by jealous creeps.”
In an email to ARTnews, Ross expressed remorse that he “fell for” Epstein’s lies.
“Like many he supported with arts and education patronage, I profoundly regret that I was taken in by his story,” Ross wrote. “I continue to be appalled by his crimes and remain deeply concerned for its many victims.”
Ross noted that he first met Epstein when he was director of the Whitney in the mid-1990s. Ross also served as director of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston.
“I knew him as a wealthy patron and a collector, and it was part of my job to befriend people who had the capacity and interest in supporting the museum,” Ross wrote, adding that when Epstein was jailed in 2008, he told Ross that it was a political “frame-up” resulting from his support for former President Bill Clinton. Ross said he believed him.
It seems lots of men believed Epstein. Meanwhile, behind all the power lunches, private plane rides and callous late-night emails, far too many women and girls suffered.
I’m Arts editor Jessica Gelt with your arts and culture news for the week.
You’re reading Essential Arts
On our radar
Michael Feinstein and the Carnegie Hall Ensemble will perform Valentine’s Day at Segerstrom Hall in Costa Mesa.
(Segerstrom Center for the Arts)
Michael Feinstein: A Broadway Valentine The singer, musician, conductor and stalwart proponent of the Great American Songbook celebrates the holiday of the heart with the Carnegie Hall Ensemble. Timeless love songs and lush orchestrations seem like a perfect way to spend the evening. 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Segerstrom Hall, 300 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. scfta.org
A detail of miniature “sportraits” from Lyndon J. Barrois, Sr.’s exhibit, “Fútbol Is Life,” at LACMA.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Fútbol Is Life: Animated Sportraits GOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAL! Ahead of this summer’s World Cup, with L.A. as one of 16 host cities across the U.S., Canada and Mexico, arrives this unique exhibition celebrating the beautiful game. Portraying transcendent moments in men’s and women’s soccer, award‑winning animator and visual effects artist Lyndon J. Barrois, Sr. fashions engrossing scenes in miniature from gum wrappers, glue, paint and other materials. The handmade sculptures and stop-motion animations on display bring together the visual and emotional elements that make it the world’s most popular sport. Jasmine Mendez spoke to Barrois about his process and Times photographer Allen J. Schaben provides more marvelous images. Sunday through July 12. LACMA Resnick Pavilion, 5905 Wilshire Blvd. lacma.org
The Academy Museum’s exhibition “Studio Ghibli’s Ponyo” opens Saturday.
(Nibariki-GNDHDDT)
Studio Ghibli’s Ponyo A deep dive into Hayao Miyazaki’s 2008 animated film about a goldfish who longs to be human honors the traditional hand-drawn animation processes used by its creators. The exhibition includes more than a hundred items handpicked by Studio Ghibli: art boards, posters, a Studio Ghibli animation desk and original hand drawings by Miyazaki and others. “Because writer-director Miyazaki very much follows his own star when it comes to story, narratives like ‘Ponyo’ remind you of no one else’s tales,” wrote Times film critic Kenneth Turan upon the film’s U.S. release. “Not only do they offer up fantastical images, like Ponyo running on the crests of waves, they make deep connections to our emotions without following conventional paths, using the logic of dreams to excellent effect.” Screening 2:30 p.m. Saturday; exhibition, Saturday through Jan. 10. Academy Museum, 6067 Wilshire Blvd. academymuseum.org
The week ahead: A curated calendar
FRIDAY Nitrate Festival The American Cinematheque’s annual tribute to the beautiful, if highly volatile, film format that was used from the 1890s until the 1950s, offers audiences the rare opportunity to see this work on the big screen. The festival opens with the 1947 noir “Dead Reckoning,” starring Humphrey Bogart and directed by John Cromwell, and continues with William Wyler’s “The Good Fairy” (1935), Gregory La Cava’s “My Man Godfrey” (1936), William Wellman’s “Nothing Sacred” (1937), Mikio Naruse’s “Wife! Be Like A Rose!” (1935), David Lean’s “Blithe Spirit” (1945) and Cecil B. DeMille’s “Samson and Delilah” (1949). 7 p.m. Friday, through Feb. 22. Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Blvd. americancinematheque.com
Foursome Matthew Scott Montgomery, Adrián Javier, Jimin Moon and Calvin Seabrooks star in Montgomery’s comedy about a quartet of queer friends who reunite for an emotionally fraught, desire-filled weekend at a cabin. Directed by Tom DeTrinis. Through March 23. Atwater Village Theatre, 3269 Casitas Ave. iamatheatre.com
Guards at the Taj Two sentries at the Taj Mahal have their friendship, faith and sense of duty challenged in Rajiv Joseph’s play set centuries in the past with contemporary resonance. Behzad Dabu and Kausar Mohammed star. Directed by Behzad Dabu. 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 and 7 p.m. Sundays, through Feb. 22 El Portal Theatre, 5269 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood elportaltheatre.com
Alfredo Rodriguez, left, and Pedrito Martinez will perform Friday at the Nimoy.
(Anna Webber)
Alfredo Rodriguez and Pedrito Martinez Pianist Rodriguez and percussionist-vocalist Martinez perform traditional Cuban songs, original compositions and some surprises. 8 p.m. UCLA Nimoy Theater, 1262 Westwood Blvd. cap.ucla.edu
Incitation To The Dance A young man upends an older gay couple’s relationship in the world premiere of writer-director Michael Van Duzer’s dark comedy. Through March 15. Theatre West, 3333 Cahuenga Blvd. https://theatrewest.org/on-stage/incitation-to-the-dance
Roksana Pirouzmand The Iranian-born, L.A.-based multidisciplinary artist’s solo exhibition “everything was once something else” explores the contrasting properties forged by earth and fire through clay and metal works. Through April 11. Oxy Arts, 4757 York Blvd. oxyarts.oxy.edu
SATURDAY Attune 1.0 A free public light- and sound-art experience happens simultaneously across L.A. County locations presented by NXT Art Foundations with community support. 4:30-7:30 p.m. Barnsdall Park, East Hollywood; Sycamore Grove Park, Northeast Los Angeles ; Jessie Brewer Jr. Park, Exposition Park; Jane and Bert Boeckmann Park, Porter Ranch; Hansen Dam, Lake View Terrace; Leimert Park, South Los Angeles; Wende Museum, Culver City; Promenade Square Park, Long Beach; Tongva Park, Santa Monica and Loma Alta Park, Altadena. nowartpublic.com
Desert Dreams and Coastal Currents The exhibition tracks the concurrent emergent of artistic hubs in Southern California and the Southwest, featuring work by artists in areas such as Laguna Beach, and Taos and Santa Fe, N.M. The Autry, 4700 Western Heritage Way, Griffith Park. theautry.org
Wally Hedrick “Sex Politics Religion” is a two-venue retrospective of the Pasadena-born artist, who established himself in the burgeoning post-war San Francisco art scene. Hedrick eschewed “style” in favor of pursuing a vision including welded assemblage junk sculptures, Bauhausian abstraction, black monochromes, gestural figuration, graphic signage, pictographic diagrams and near-photorealism. Through April 4. Parker Gallery, 6700 Melrose Ave.; The Box 805 Traction Ave., downtown L.A. parkergallery.com
Honour The Ruskin’s grand opening on the Kaplan Stage features Joanna Murray-Smith’s drama on the precariousness of marriage, directed by Max Mayer and starring Marcia Cross, Matt Letscher, Ariana Afradi and Jude Mayer. 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays, through March 22. Ruskin Group Theatre, 2800 Airport Ave., Santa Monica.
Artist Takashi Murakami.
(Shin Suzuki)
Takashi Murakami The new solo exhibition “Hark Back to Ukiyo-e: Tracing Superflat to Japonisme’s Genesis” features 24 paintings by the Japanese artist. 4-7 p.m. opening, free and open to the public; exhibition continues through March 14. Perrotin, 5036. W Pico Blvd. perrotin.com
Mythical Creatures: The Stories We Carry Immigrant narratives and pan-Asian mythology infuse this immersive exhibition featuring contemporary artists including Dinh Q. Lê, Dominique Fung, Lily Honglei, Greg Ito, Wendy Park, Momoko Schafer, Kyungmi Shin, Sanjay Vora and Lauren YS. Conceived by L.A.-based Korean American artist and muralist Dave Young Kim. Through Sept. 6. USC Pacific Asia Museum, 46 N. Los Robles Ave. Pasadena. pacificasiamuseum.usc.edu
PASSION + MYSTERY Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, led by conductor Jaime Martín, celebrate Valentine’s Day weekend with Fauré’s “Pelléas et Mélisande” and Gernot Wolfgang‘s “Desert Wind,” and are joined by pianist Fazıl Say for Beethoven’s “Piano Concerto No. 3.” 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Colburn School, Zipper Hall, 200 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A.; 4 p.m. Sunday, The Wallis, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills. laco.org
Red Harlem Four Black actors in 1932 Harlem are recruited by the Communist Party to make a film in the Soviet Union in Kimba Henderson’s drama based on true events. Directed by Bernadette Speakes. Through March 15. Company of Angels, 1350 San Pablo St. companyofangels.org
Retro Romantics: An Academy Film Archive Trailer Show in 35mm Vintage cinematic love stories unspool in their original abridged glory, seductively beckoning you to the movies. 7:30 p.m. Academy Museum, 6067 Wilshire Blvd. academymuseum.org
SUNDAY Black History Month at The Ebell Soprano Gertrude Bradley performs a tribute to Joel Graham, accompanied by pianist Greg Schreiner in an African Americans for LA Opera recital; and Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles (ICYOLA) salutes the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in “I, Too, Sing America,” a nod to the Langston Hughes poem. AALAO Recital, 12:30 p.m. Sunday; LA Voices: ICYOLA, 4:30 p.m. Sunday. Ebell of Los Angeles, 743 S. Lucerne Blvd. https://www.ebellofla.org/
Isidore String Quartet The group performs “Brahms: the Admirer,” an exploration of the composer’s work alongside complementary pieces by Bach and Beethoven. 3:30 p.m. Caltech Beckman Auditorium, 332 S. Michigan Ave. Pasadena. colemanchambermusic.org
What Happened to Flamenco Clap your hands as dancer and choreographer Fanny Ara brings the folkloric tradition to life. 7 p.m. Fountain Theatre, 5060 Fountain Ave. fountaintheatre.com
TUESDAY Seth MacFarlane The erstwhile animator, writer, producer, director, actor and comedian picks up the mic, backed by an orchestra, for a program dedicated to the music of Frank Sinatra. 8 p.m. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. laphil.com/events
WEDNESDAY I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change Barry Pearl directs the long-running off-Broadway musical comedy revue on modern love, featuring book and lyrics by Joe DiPietro and music by Jimmy Roberts to open ICT’s 41st season. Through March 8. International City Theatre, 330 E. Seaside Way, Long Beach. ictlongbeach.org
Patti LuPone The Broadway star marks the 25th anniversary of her “Matters of the Heart,” which ran on Broadway and London’s West End and toured the globe. 8 p.m. Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Segerstrom Hall, 300 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. scfta.org
Preservation Hall Jazz Band Can’t get to New Orleans for Mardi Gras? The Soraya brings it to the Valley via the deep roots of this legendary French Quarter ensemble. 8 p.m. The Saroya, 18111 Nordhoff Street, Northridge. thesoraya.org
Emma Elizabeth Smith as Catherine of Aragon in The North American touring company of “Six.”
(Segerstrom Center for the Arts)
Six The national tour of the Broadway musical by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, a modern pop take on the sextet of women who were the wives of Henry VIII. Through March 9. Hollywood Pantages Theatre, 6233 Hollywood Blvd.; March 10-15. Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 300 Town Center Dr., Costa Mesa. sixonbroadway.com
THURSDAY Compagnie Hervé Koubi: Sol Invictus The French-Algerian choreographer’s dance troupe performs “Sol Invictus,” with a score featuring music by Swedish composer Mikael Karlsson, minimalist composer Steve Reich and digital composer Maxime Bodson. 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. February 19 – 21, 2026 The Wallis, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd. Beverly Hills. thewallis.org
Culture news and the SoCal scene
The cast of “Brassroots District” performs on Sunday.
(Gabriella Angotti-Jones/For The Times)
Features columnist Todd Martens checked out “Brassroots District: LA ’74,” a piece of immersive theater he describes as “part concert, part participatory theater and part experiment, attempting to intermix an evening of dancing and jubilation with high-stakes drama. How it plays out is up to each audience member. Follow the cast, and uncover war tales and visions of how the underground music scene became a refuge for the LGBTQ+ community. Watch the band, and witness a concert almost torn apart as a group on the verge of releasing its debut album weighs community versus cold commerce. Or ignore it all to play dress-up and get a groove on to the music that never stops.”
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The UCLA Hammer Museum has announced the winner of the $100,000 Mohn Award.
(Eric Staudenmaier)
Artist Ali Eyal, who grew up in Baghdad in the late 1990s and early 2000s during U.S. military operations in Iraq, is the recipient of the $100,000 Mohn Award, which honors artistic excellence, in conjunction with the Hammer Museum’s Made in L.A. 2025. In addition to the award money, the Hammer will produce a publication for Eyal. The Hammer also announced that sculptor Carl Cheng has been given the $25,000 Career Achievement Award; and that painter Greg Breda won the $25,000 Public Recognition Award.
The news out of the Kennedy Center continues to be grim. This week, Trump-appointed center president Richard Grenell sent an email to staffers informing them that significant cuts would be implemented when the center closes for renovations, beginning July 4. “Over the next few months, department heads and I will be evaluating the needs and making the decisions as to what these skeletal teams left in place during the facility closure and construction phase will look like,” Grenell wrote in the email obtained by The Times.
Their frustrating midseason slump was finally in the rear-view mirror, their season finally feeling back on the right track.
Any reservations about USC righting the ship after losing six of seven had largely been forgotten on the heels of a four-game winning streak. Victories over No. 8 Iowa, Rutgers, Northwestern and Illinois, two of which came on the road, had cemented its place on the right side of the NCAA tournament bubble.
But as the Trojans were reminded in a 79-73 win over Indiana at Galen Center, now is no time to get comfortable — even if Thursday’s victory had marked their longest winning streak of the season.
The Hoosiers certainly never let USC settle in, even as freshman Jazzy Davidson poured in another stat-stuffing performance that would have to carry a stagnant Trojan offense for much of the way. It would take an aggressive defensive effort, too, complete with 19 forced turnovers, to put Indiana away.
That it took such a hard-fought effort to escape a team that’s 3-11 in the Big Ten and was without the Big Ten’s leading scorer, Shay Ciezki, was not exactly reassuring, as USC (16-9 overall, 8-6 in the Big Ten) enters the final four games of their regular season slate. Two of those four are against top 10 teams, Ohio State and UCLA.
But where the Trojans might have slipped up earlier in the season, they held tight Thursday.
“We were tough where we needed to be when shots weren’t falling,” coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. “Our confidence to get it done when it’s not always prettiest is something that we’re proud of.”
Outside of a stellar second quarter, Thursday’s win certainly would not be remembered for being aesthetically pleasing. Over the rest of the game, Trojans shot under 32% from the floor. Their issues from three-point range persisted, as they made just three of 19 from behind the arc. Over their last four games, they’ve knocked down just 11 of 68 (16%).
They wouldn’t need them Thursday, not with Davidson looking as dynamic as ever. The freshman sensation followed up a career-high, 27-point performance with 24 points, along with six rebounds, three assists and three steals. She did so while playing all 40 minutes.
“You talk about overdelivering,” Gottlieb said, “To be a freshman and carry the load for us and continue to grow, the numbers are really showing it … she’s just capable of doing almost anything on a basketball court.”
That much has been abundantly clear over the last seven games, with Davidson as she’s averaging 20 points, six assists, five rebounds, two steals and two blocks per night. She credited that outburst with being more comfortable down the final stretch of the season.
The Trojans will likely go as far as their dynamic freshman can take them as March approaches. But of late that’s been a pretty successful strategy.
“She’s unique,” Gottlieb said. “I know there are several good freshmen in the country. We know how good she is. We see it every day, and we think there’s no one better.”
USC didn’t look early on like a team that had found solid ground . The Trojans went six straight minutes in the first without a single field goal, then gave up an 8-0 run to Indiana in the final 1:22 of the quarter.
It was until Davidson turned it on in the second quarter that USC seized control. Fresh off her fifth Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors, Davidson tallied 10 points in the second alone, while the Hoosiers had just 13 total, USC’s defense clamping down after a sloppy start.
With Indiana’s attention on Davidson, Kara Dunn and Kennedy Smith would help the Trojans fire out front, as they combined for 20 points after half. But the Hoosiers tied the score just one possession into the fourth quarter.
An elbow to the face of guard Malia Samuels gave the Trojans free throws and a seven-point lead with just four minutes remaining in the game. Still, a foul from Dunn on a corner three-pointer by Indiana’s Maya Makalusky opened the door for the Hoosiers.
Makalusky, who led all scorers with 29, hit another three to once again cut the lead to a single possession.
But USC held on, with Smith applying the punctuation mark, snagging a driving Indiana lay-in out of mid-air with just a minute remaining. It was the sort of play that reminded what USC might be capable of, with everything working in concert.
It’ll need that to be the case, if it hopes to make noise come March.
“We’re in position to do all the things we set out to do,” Gottlieb said. “We’re as good and set up as any team outside of maybe the top group to get a great seed.”
Mateus Fernandes (West Ham): He’s one of those players that looks like he would infuriate me, both to play with and against. He did all the ratty things really well. He’s got high energy, he’s young, talented and he’s the heartbeat of the team. He gets caught up sometimes in silly moments, trying to buy fouls when he doesn’t really have to. I thought it was his best performance for West Ham this season – a very mature performance.
Nico O’Reilly (Manchester City): I love seeing him play in midfield. He adds the legs and energy into City’s midfield – and obviously he gets his goal there as well. I feel the more he plays in his natural position – with Rodri around him – he’ll be a star, not only for Manchester City but England moving forward as well.
Jacob Ramsey (Newcastle): When Newcastle’s midfield has been torn up because of injury or suspension in the last few weeks, he’s quietly gone about his business. He’s been excellent and made sure he delivers in terms of performances and now goals. I think he’s a real steal for Newcastle.
Cole Palmer (Chelsea): I’m going to give a sympathy vote to Cole Palmer. He was in there last week because he scored a hat-trick against Wolves – but this week: goal, assist, and is a level above everyone else – but what a miss that was. If he scores that goal, Chelsea obviously win the game. He’s a shoo-in. That miss does put a little stain on it, but I thought his overall performance was miles better.
MINNEAPOLIS — The immigration crackdown in Minnesota that led to mass detentions, protests and two deaths is coming to an end, border policy advisor Tom Homan said Thursday.
Democratic Gov. Tim Walz said Tuesday that he expected Operation Metro Surge, which started in December, to end in “days, not weeks and months,” based on his conversations with senior Trump administration officials.
“As a result of our efforts here, Minnesota is now less of a sanctuary state for criminals,” Homan said at a news conference.
“I have proposed and President Trump has concurred, that this surge operation conclude,” he continued.
Federal authorities say the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement sweeps focused on the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area have led to the arrest of more than 4,000 people. While the Trump administration has called those arrested “dangerous criminal illegal aliens,” many people with no criminal records, including children and U.S. citizens, have also been detained.
“The surge is leaving Minneapolis safer,” Homan said. “I’ll say it again, it’s less of a sanctuary state for criminals.”
Homan announced last week that 700 federal officers would leave Minnesota immediately, but that still left more than 2,000 on Minnesota’s streets. Homan said Thursday that the drawdown began this week and will continue next week. He said he plans to stay in Minnesota to oversee the drawdown.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said he had a “positive meeting” with Homan on Monday and discussed the potential for a further drawdown of federal officers.
Homan took over the Minnesota operation in late January after the second fatal shooting by federal immigration agents and amid growing political backlash and questions about how the operation was being run.
“We’re very much in a trust but verify mode,” Walz said, adding that he expected to hear more from the administration “in the next day or so” about the future of what he said has been an “occupation” and a “retribution campaign” against the state.
Walz said he had no reason not to believe Homan’s statement last week that 700 federal officers would leave Minnesota immediately, but the governor added that that still left 2,300 on Minnesota’s streets. Homan at the time cited an “increase in unprecedented collaboration” resulting in the need for fewer federal officers in Minnesota, including help from jails that hold deportable inmates.
Pete Finney, a steel guitarist who toured with Patty Loveless for more than 20 years and recorded with Reba McEntire, the Chicks, Vince Gill, the Judds and more, has died. He was 70.
Confirmation came via a statement earlier this week from Nashville’s Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, which said Finney died Saturday. No cause of death was provided.
Calling him “a widely admired Nashville musician,” the museum said Finney “exemplified how top instrumentalists can adapt to a remarkable range of styles and settings, whether in a recording studio, a concert stage, or the corner of a small nightclub.”
Finney was born in Maryland in September 1955 and played his first gigs in Washington, D.C., with singer-songwriter Liz Meyer before Meyer moved to the Netherlands in the mid-1980s. He relocated to Austin, Texas, in the late 1970s and then moved to Nashville in the mid-1980s.
Upon his arrival in Tennessee, Finney toured with Foster & Lloyd and later contributed to the solo careers of Radney Foster and Bill Lloyd. His career would take him in diverse directions: He recorded with Beck, Jon Byrd, Shemekia Copeland, Justin Townes Earle, Jon Langford, Jim Lauderdale, Allison Moorer, Ron Sexsmith, Candi Staton and scores of other artists.
“RIP old friend!” wrote Asleep at the Wheel frontman Ray Benson in a comment on a Facebook post announcing Finney’s death. His was one of hundreds of comments, many left by those who had known Finney. “Pete came to a concert in 1970 and saw Asleep at the Wheel he told me that was when he decided to play pedal steel… and play he did with style grace and total command of that instrument! Hard to lose a great friend who was there at the beginning of it all for me and so many in those early Wash DC days.”
Finney was something of a music historian as well, co-curating the Hall of Fame museum’s 2015-2018 exhibition “Dylan, Cash, and the Nashville Cats: A New Music City” and co-writing the exhibit’s accompanying book, which won the 2016 Chet Flippo Award for excellence in country music journalism from the International Country Music Conference.
“The idea for the exhibit came from Finney’s research on the many non-country artists from North America and England who came to Nashville in the 1960s and 1970s to record with the city’s talented and fast-working studio musicians,” the museum said.
Finney hosted programs at the Hall of Fame museum and participated in panel discussions frequently over the years.
The musician married singer Carol Tully on Oct. 15, 2017.
He was touring with Reba McEntire in 1991 when one of the tour’s planes crashed into a mountain near San Diego, claiming the lives of eight band members on their way to a show in Fort Wayne, Ind. Finney was traveling in the second plane to take off from a municipal airport that night; the first was the one that went down. McEntire was not on either plane.
“The planes took off three minutes apart,” a spokeswoman for McEntire told The Times after the March 1991 crash. “The plane that crashed took off first. The pilot of the second plane didn’t see anything. They just knew that they had lost radio contact with the other. They continued flying and were diverted to Nashville.”
Years later, when he was recruited by Mike Nesmith in 2017 to join the revival of the Monkees singer-songwriter’s country-rock group the First National Band, Finney stepped up to replace founding member Red Rhodes, who died in 1995.
“Finney often used Rhodes’ innovative parts from the recordings as his starting point, but frequently added dimensions of his own to prevent the set from simply replicating the original versions,” detailed former Times music writer Randy Lewis in a feature on a 2018 show by the reconstituted group. “Rhodes — and Finney — employ the steel guitar inventively, not just to evoke notes of melancholy often found in country music, but to bring an orchestra’s worth of color, texture and shading to the arrangements.”
The Hall of Fame said Finney “frequently performed in pickup bands in small Nashville clubs, where he might be seen with top-flight players such as Mac Gayden, Jen Gunderman, Jimmy Lester, Chris Scruggs, Kenny Vaughan, and others.”
Singer-songwriter and podcaster Otis Gibbs, who had Finney on his show several times, remembered frequently seeing the steel guitarist out on the Nashville music scene.
“I’d sometimes run into him 4, or 5 nights a week at shows,” Gibbs wrote Tuesday on his website. “If there were 9 people in attendance, Pete would usually be one of them. He’d joke that he liked seeing me at shows because he’d know it must be the place to be.”
Gibbs said he saw Finney just three weeks ago at a Jon Byrd show in East Nashville.
“I snuck up next to him and whispered, ‘I must be at the right show because Pete Finney’s here,’” he wrote. “That was the last time I saw him.”
Finney is survived by his wife. Friends and family are invited to a remembrance gathering Sunday at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s Ford Theater in Nashville.
Death In Paradise will not air in its usual Friday slot this week owing to a change in scheduling on the BBC as its replacement has now been revealed
Death In Paradise will be off air this week(Image: BBC)
Death In Paradise is off air this week after it was pulled from its usual slot. The BBC show is back for a new series, with DI Mervin Wilson – played by Don Gilet – at the helm.
It usually airs in the Friday 9pm slot each week on BBC One but it has been changed for this week. Death In Paradise follows the story of a British police officer in the Caribbean, working out of island paradise Saint Marie.
The BBC show will not air this Friday as planned as the BBC will instead be broadcasting the football. The FA Cup tie between Hull City and Chelsea will air that evening instead from 7.30pm, with kick off 15 minutes later.
Instead, Death In Paradise will air its latest episode on the following Monday, which follows the story of a pensioner who has been shot dead in his home. The commissioner is also busy trying to get everyone on side after his recent departure.
Meanwhile, Don Gilet previously opened up about his character’s development on the BBC detective drama series.
Speaking about his character, Don – who plays Mervin Wilson – said: “Just by his nature and the way he is when it comes to his work and the way that his mind works, there’s always going to be a bit of kickback with the people he deals with.
“Last year, there was this antagonism between Mervin and the team because they just worked in very different ways, and both had to earn the respect of each other in the way they work.”
He added: “And let’s not forget, he didn’t want to be on the island, so he was going to be particularly reluctant to work with these people because of the personal issues he was dealing with.
“But as time has moved on, he’s realised that he needs these people. They are now gelling, they’re working as a team – now it’s cracking the cases that frustrate him, and they become frustrated as a group. You’ll still see him sometimes working at odds with the team, but they know each other now and can allow for that a little more.”
Of course, in this series, there is also the twist about Mervin’s half-brother Solomon, whom he finally gets to meet this series. However, things don’t get off to a great start.
“It was a great emotional cliffhanger because at any moment in that series Mervin could have just said ‘that’s it, I’ve done my time’, and now he literally can’t go.
“The one thing he was in pursuit of at the start of this series was family, and then to throw that in at the end, that he’s not alone… He’s powerless to resist that and he has to stay now for the next chapter in his family quest, because he thought he had no family. So how can he turn his back on that?
“Well, I think phrases like ‘two peas in a pod’, do not apply… They couldn’t be more opposite. There’s Mervin and then there’s this guy who is on the opposite side of the tracks, potentially the opposite side of the law too…”
A MUCH-LOVED family theme park has reassured Brits that it will still reopen to the public, despite entering liquidation last week.
Brean Theme Park in Somerset claims to be the ‘biggest free-entry theme park’ in the UK.
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Brean Theme Park will reopen after entering liquidation last weekCredit: Brean Theme ParkThe theme park claims to be the ‘largest free-entry theme park in the UK’Credit: Brean Theme Park
However, last week The Gazette – the UK’s official public record – published ‘resolutions for winding up’ for the company, meaning that it must cease trading and in other words, close.
However, in a turn of events, the theme park is now under a new organisational structure and is preparing to open in just weeks.
Peter Mainwaring, general manager, said: “We are working hard behind the scenes and will reopen for the 2026 summer season from Easter.
“Although the group structure has changed, our loyal visitors will still enjoy the same park, the same team, and the same great day out.
“We operate as a fully independent business and lease land from them.
“We look forward to continuing to work together.
“Preparations are underway and we can’t wait to welcome you back very soon.”
Many excited fans also took to social media to express their happiness at the news.
One said: “This is good news. My children were quite upset to hear it may close.
“I will definitely be coming for our annual visits.”
Another added: “Brilliant news, that’s defo now been added to my list to visit ASAP and support.”
A third commented: “Aw what a relief – my kids look forward to going every summer holidays and other times when we can.
“They were gutted to hear the sad news last week but [are] thrilled now.”
It also claims to have the best ghost train attraction in the UKCredit: Brean Theme ParkIn total, the park features over 40 rides and attractionsCredit: Brean Theme Park
Brean Theme Park originally opened back in 1946 as a campsite and today is home to over 40 rides including indoor and outdoor rollercoasters, carousels, crazy boats and dodgems.
It even has a ghost train, which according to the attraction’s website, is the best in the UK.
The park is usually open seasonally between March and October.
And even though entry is free, each ride costs a certain amount of credits which can be bought when you arrive at the attraction.
“Frankenstein” star Jacob Elordi, at 6 feet 5 easy to spot from across the ballroom, leaned down to hug Teyana Taylor, a supporting actress Oscar nominee for “One Battle After Another.” Nearby, her co-star Leonardo DiCaprio caught up with Steven Spielberg, who directed him 24 years ago in “Catch Me If You Can,” while “Sentimental Value” filmmaker Joachim Trier huddled with “One Battle’s” Paul Thomas Anderson, a fellow directing nominee. In the middle of it all, songwriter Diane Warren paused to take a selfie, still evidently enjoying the giddy thrill of being in a room full of fellow hopefuls even after 17 times.
In all, 203 of this year’s 230 Academy Award nominees gathered Tuesday at the Beverly Hilton Hotel for the annual nominees luncheon, a brief moment of campaign-free conviviality amid the churn of awards season. As flashbulbs followed the most famous faces, major stars like Timothée Chalamet, Emma Stone and Kate Hudson rubbed elbows and shared champagne toasts with lesser-known nominees from categories like animation, sound and live-action short before lining up for the annual class photo.
With the Oscars just weeks away on March 15, the long-running gathering — a ritual dating to 1982 and returning this year after being canceled in 2025 because of the Los Angeles County wildfires — offered the nominees a welcome stretch of easygoing mingling, largely free of competition. The reprieve is short-lived: Voting begins on Feb. 26, when the brutal math of awards season will reassert itself, meaning roughly 80% of them will head home on Oscar night empty-handed.
Kate Hudson, a lead actress nominee for “Song Sung Blue,” at the 2026 Oscar nominees luncheon at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
(Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times)
For first-time contenders, the luncheon carried a particular rush. Christalyn Hampton, a co-director of the documentary short “The Devil Is Busy,” which follows a day at an abortion clinic in Atlanta, said she was excited to meet “Sinners” director Ryan Coogler, whose period vampire thriller leads the field with a record 16 nominations.
“We’re two African American directors nominated this year — I think that’s pretty historic,” said Hampton, a former professional dancer whose first directing credit has landed her an Oscar nod. “Flying back and forth from Atlanta has been a bit exhausting, but to be in this moment with all these incredible filmmakers — you can’t complain.”
Jacob Elordi, left, and “Sirāt” film director Oliver Laxe — two extremely tall nominees — at the 2026 Oscar nominees luncheon at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
(Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times)
Still, even inside the awards-season bubble, the turmoil surrounding the movie business, the country and the world beyond it was hard to ignore. As attendees tucked into their chicken, more than a few discussions drifted to whether Netflix or Paramount would prevail in their attempts to acquire Warner Bros. and what either scenario might portend for the future of movies.
In her remarks, academy President Lynette Howell Taylor acknowledged the questions many nominees have been asking themselves amid industry contraction, political volatility and global conflict. “The art you create is vital,” Howell Taylor told the crowd. “I know many of us ask ourselves, ‘Should we be doing something else? Should we be doing something differently? Should we be doing more?’ The answer to that is personal. But what I do know is this: What you are doing is not easy and it is so needed.”
Teyana Taylor, nominated for supporting actress for “One Battle After Another,” at the 2026 Oscar nominees luncheon at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
(Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times)
She praised the resilience of filmmakers who have endured strikes, dangerous political environments and even war zones. “To not make your films, to not tell your stories, is to give in,” she said. “And there is not one of you in this room who has been willing to do that.”
That tension was felt especially sharply by Sara Khaki, co-director (with Mohammadreza Eyni) of the documentary feature nominee “Cutting Through Rocks,” which follows the first Iranian woman elected as a councilwoman in a rural village. The weeks since the nomination, Khaki said, have been both “terrible and wonderful,” as her home country has been rocked by protests against the Iranian government.
Elle Fanning, nominated for “Sentimental Value,” at the 2026 Oscar nominees luncheon at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
(Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times)
“What’s terrible is what we’re experiencing back home — the internet shut down, worrying about our loved ones,” she said. “What’s wonderful is what’s happening here. So it’s a mix of emotions, really.”
Another Iranian nominee was absent altogether. Mehdi Mahmoudian, nominated as a co-writer of director Jafar Panahi’s drama “It Was Just an Accident,” was arrested this month in Iran after signing a statement condemning the government’s deadly crackdown on protesters.
Actor Wagner Moura, nominated for “The Secret Agent,” and former AMPAS President Janet Yang at the 2026 Oscar nominees luncheon at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
(Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times)
At each table, nominees were asked to fill out a card with a simple question: “What movie made you want to be part of this world?” After pondering for a moment, “Nomadland” Oscar winner Chloé Zhao, nominated in the directing category for the second time for the wrenching drama “Hamnet,” wrote down Hirokazu Kore-eda’s 1998 film, “After Life,” a quietly humane meditation on memory and meaning that felt closely aligned with her own filmmaking sensibility. The answers, Howell Taylor explained, would be used for “a special moment” during the Oscar telecast.
As in years past, the luncheon also came with a bit of gentle coaching about what to do — and not to do — should one’s name be called on Oscar night, including moving briskly to the stage, keeping remarks to no more than 45 seconds and not leaning into the microphone.
Directors Steven Spielberg, left, and Paul Thomas Anderson at the 2026 Oscar nominees luncheon at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
(Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times)
Above all, Howell Taylor urged nominees to resist the temptation to thank everyone they’ve ever worked with. “You’ll forget someone and you’ll feel terrible,” she said.
Better, she suggested, to focus on what the moment actually means. “You are the show,” Howell Taylor reminded them. “It’s your speeches. This is an entertainment show millions of people will be watching, so let’s make the most of it.”
Once he officially takes the helm of the Mouse House in mid-March, he must tackle several key areas to chart the future of the 102-year-old media and entertainment giant.
For one, he’ll need to bolster Disney’s pipeline of content. As the saying goes, “content is king.”
The Burbank company already has a strong stable of franchises and stories that power its entertainment and streaming businesses, theme parks, merchandise and cruise ships, but Disney will need to keep building on that.
Strong sequels like last year’s “Zootopia 2” and live-action adaptations such as “Lilo & Stitch” — both of which grossed more than $1 billion in worldwide box office revenue — show that good stories can keep paying dividends in new ways, Moffett Nathanson senior research analyst Robert Fishman wrote in a note to clients last week.
On the bright side: This year’s film lineup has several historically strong franchise contenders, including Disney and Pixar’s “Toy Story 5,” Lucasfilm’s “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu” and Marvel Studios’ “Avengers: Doomsday.” (Marvel, however, has struggled in recent years to pump out consistent hits at the box office.)
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But Disney also needs to develop new stories — which has been more of a struggle.
Disney and Pixar’s “Elio” misfired at the box office last year, as original animated movies have had a harder time bringing in the massive audiences they once did because of the drop-off in theater attendance since the pandemic.
That puts more pressure on Disney and Pixar’s upcoming “Hoppers,” an original animated film out in March. The film has gotten strong early traction in online trailer views, Fishman wrote.
The content investment also extends to scripted series, which Fishman noted are a “critical component of success and cannot become an afterthought to theatrical.” He singled out Disney-owned FX as a “prestige outlet” that can contribute to both television and streaming lineups. The network has had a number of successes, including 2024’s “Shogun,” which was one of my favorites.
D’Amaro likely will get help on the content side from soon-to-be president and chief creative officer Dana Walden, a longtime television executive who is respected in Hollywood and well-versed in the entertainment knowledge he lacks.
D’Amaro’s area of expertise is Disney’s experiences sector, which includes the theme parks, cruise line, merchandise and Aulani resort and spa in Hawaii and brings in the lion’s share of operating income for the company. In the fiscal first quarter of this year, the experiences business hauled in a record $10 billion in revenue.
The challenge there will be maintaining Disney’s market dominance in the theme park space while continuing to invest to drive growth and managing attendance in the face of ongoing competition from arch rival Universal Studios.
On the investment front, Disney is all in. The experiences business is in the midst of a 10-year, $60-billion expansion project that would add new themed lands to parks around the world, including at Anaheim’s Disneyland Resort. The company also is building a park in Abu Dhabi and added new cruise ships.
In the near term, however, are concerns about “international visitation headwinds” at Disney’s U.S. parks. The company signaled in its most recent earnings call that those foreign visitor trends could contribute to “modest” operating income growth for the experiences division in the fiscal second quarter, along with pre-launch costs for a new cruise ship and an upcoming “Frozen” land in Disneyland Paris.
To keep attendance rates up, the company shifted its marketing and promotional focus to a more domestic audience, said Hugh Johnston, senior executive vice president and chief financial officer, on the earnings call. But stock analysts — and D’Amaro — undoubtedly will be keeping an eye on international attendance rates and what that will mean for the theme parks going forward.
The part of the company with the potential to drive the most growth, analysts say, is its streaming business.
After recording billions of dollars in losses, Disney’s streaming services, which included Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+, finally reached profitability in 2024. The company’s next goal is to reach 10% operating margins in its entertainment streaming business comprised of Disney+ and Hulu — a milestone that would give investors confidence in its vision.
To get there, continued investment in local language content will be a key priority to increase international subscriptions, as well as bolstering the tech that powers the platforms and provides recommendations.
In short, D’Amaro faces a choice.
“Some investors are thinking, ‘Will he choose to be the same? Or can he start a new era?’” asked Laurent Yoon, senior analyst at Bernstein.
At least one former Disney CEO has weighed in.
“My advice to Josh is continue Bob Iger’s strategy that creativity will handle profits, always protect the brand, and keep close the words of Walt Disney: ‘We love to entertain kings and queens, but the vital thing to remember is this — every guest receives the VIP treatment,’” Michael Eisner posted on social media last week.
But D’Amaro’s own words provide an idea of what he’s thinking. At a global town hall meeting with Disney employees last week, D’Amaro spoke about the company’s legacy — and its path forward.
“We are 100 years old, but we’re 100 years young as well, willing to embrace new technology, new creators and new markets,” he said. “That willingness to change and take risks is what keeps the brand going, and it’s something I intend to continue to push on.”
Stuff We Wrote
Film shoots
Number of the week
Post-apocalyptic horror film “Iron Lung” has grossed $34.3 million in worldwide box office revenue, a remarkable number given the film’s reported $3 million production budget and self-distribution route.
Written, directed and executive produced by YouTuber Mark Fischbach, who goes by the online alias of Markiplier and also stars in the film, “Iron Lung” follows the story of a convict who sails a blood ocean in a submarine. The movie had a $17.8-million opening during the weekend of Jan. 30, placing it right behind Disney’s 20th Century Studios’ “Send Help,” which grossed about $19.1 million in its debut. “Iron Lung” picked up an additional $6 million this past weekend.
Its success reignited the debate about self-distribution and the theatrical draw of content creators.
What I’m watching
Since the Olympics started last week, I’ve been all in on figure skating, a sport I’ve watched since I was a kid who marveled at the artistry and athleticism of stars like Kristi Yamaguchi, Scott Hamilton, Brian Boitano and Michelle Kwan.
Two lawsuits accusing the world’s largest social media companies of harming children begin this week, marking the first legal efforts to hold companies like Meta responsible for the effects their products have on young users.
Opening arguments began today in a case brought by New Mexico’s attorney general’s office, which alleges that Meta failed to protect children from sexually explicit material. A separate case in Los Angeles, which accuses Meta and the Google-owned YouTube of deliberately designing their platforms to be addictive for children, is set to begin later this week.
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TikTok and Snap were also named in the original California lawsuit but later settled under undisclosed terms.
The New Mexico and California lawsuits are the first of a wave of 40 lawsuits filed by state attorneys general around the US against Meta, specifically, that allege that the social media giant is harming the mental health of young Americans.
New Mexico case
In the opening argument in the New Mexico case, which was first filed in 2023, prosecutors told jurors on Monday that Meta – Facebook and Instagram’s parent company – had failed to disclose its platforms’ harmful effects on kids.
“The theme throughout this trial is going to be that Meta put profits over safety,” said lawyer Donald Migliori, who is representing the state of New Mexico against Meta.
“Meta clearly knew that youth safety was not its corporate priority… that youth safety was less important than growth and engagement.”
Prosecutors say they will provide evidence and testimony that Meta’s algorithms and account features not only enticed young people and made them addicted to social media, but also fostered a “breeding ground” for predators who target children for sexual exploitation.
Late last month, in the process of discovery, the New Mexico attorney general’s office said the company did not put in safeguards to protect children from accessing sexualised chatbots on Facebook and Instagram.
In emails obtained by the court, some of Meta’s safety staff had expressed objections that the company was building chatbots geared for companionship, including sexual and romantic interactions with users, according to the Reuters news agency.
The artificial intelligence chatbots were released in early 2024. The documents cited in the state’s filing do not include messages or memos authored by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. In October 2025, Meta added parental controls to the chatbots.
California case
The California case is more wide-reaching and alleges that Meta and YouTube, which is a unit of Alphabet-owned Google, used deliberate design choices that sought to make their platforms more addictive to children to boost profits.
The case centres around a 19-year-old identified only by the initials KGM. The case could determine how thousands of other, similar lawsuits against social media companies will play out.
KGM claims that her use of social media from an early age made her addicted to the technology and exacerbated her depression and suicidal thoughts.
“Borrowing heavily from the behavioral and neurobiological techniques used by slot machines and exploited by the cigarette industry, Defendants deliberately embedded in their products an array of design features aimed at maximizing youth engagement to drive advertising revenue,” the lawsuit says.
Executives, including Zuckerberg, are expected to testify at the trial, which will last six to eight weeks. It is unclear if they will attend the New Mexico case.
The tech companies dispute the claims that their products deliberately harm children, citing a bevvy of safeguards they have added over the years and arguing that they are not liable for content posted on their sites by third parties.
“Recently, a number of lawsuits have attempted to place the blame for teen mental health struggles squarely on social media companies,” Meta said in a recent blog post. “But this oversimplifies a serious issue. Clinicians and researchers find that mental health is a deeply complex and multifaceted issue, and trends regarding teens’ well-being aren’t clear-cut or universal.
Narrowing the challenges faced by teens to a single factor ignores the scientific research and the many stressors impacting young people today, like academic pressure, school safety, socio-economic challenges and substance abuse.”
A Meta spokesperson said in a recent statement that the company strongly disagrees with the allegations outlined in the lawsuit and that it is “confident the evidence will show our longstanding commitment to supporting young people”.
Jose Castaneda, a Google spokesperson, said the allegations against YouTube are “simply not true”.
“Providing young people with a safer, healthier experience has always been core to our work,” he said in a statement.
High stakes
The outcome of the cases could shape the future of social media.
“In my mind, an existential question for social media services is whether they’re liable for harm suffered by users from using the services. If so, the damages could be more money than the defendants have, Eric Goldman, a professor at the Santa Clara University School of Law, told Al Jazeera.
“We’re talking about massive financial stakes, and we’re also talking about the ability of the plaintiffs to veto or potentially override editorial decisions by the services about what’s in the best interests of their audiences,” he said.
“It’s essentially taking away power from the services to decide and handing it to plaintiffs’ lawyers. So, not only could there be existential damages, but there could also be a massive loss of editorial control over their services. The stakes could not be higher for social media services or the internet.”
Goldman said this was because the same argument could be used to shape claims against video game makers and generative AI, which refers to AI that can create original content, including text and video.
“If these theories work against social media, they might also work against video games, against generative AI, and who knows what else. That’s why I said the stakes are so high for the internet,” he added.
There are already lawsuits that claim that interactions with OpenAI’s ChatGPT led to instances of suicide and murder-suicide.
On Wall Street, Meta stock is trending up by more than 3 percent in midday trading.
Jen Dodds and Bruce Mouat react after failing to guarantee Team GB’s first medal of the 2026 Winter Olympics in their curling mixed doubles semi-final against Sweden.
FEBRUARY seems to be flying past already, with both Valentine’s Day and the start of the school half-term holidays this week meaning lots of themed and kid-friendly events.
Whether you are in a couple or solo, you can head off to a number for Valentine’s Day-related events.
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There is an ice festival in Lytham, Lancashire this week with live demosCredit: Discover Fylde
And as the kids get excited for time off school, there are activities you can take them to for free.
Together Through Art, London
From February 10 to 14, Mall Galleries in London will be hosting Together Through Art.
The exhibition aims to show work that helps keep families together when they need it the most.
Over 100 artists are part of the exhibition, including illustrator Emma Bridgewater.
The art at the exhibition can also be purchased with any money raised going to Homes from Home, which helps families with critically ill children to stay together.
Found in Clifton Square, the festival features ice sculptures to marvel at and visitors can test out their own ice-carving skills on the ice carving wall.
There will also be live ice carving demonstrations.
Half-term at The Harris in Preston, Lancashire
This weekend marks the first weekend of half-term for many schools across the UK.
And The Harris in Preston will be hosting a number of activities for free.
There will be chemistry sessions, Lego workshops and visits to Planetariums.
There will also be a museum and gallery trail for children over nine-years-old, which is a “creative mission designed to help them chat and look at artwork in fun new ways”.
Chain of Hope, London
Also in London, at the Saatchi Gallery from February 11 to 15, you can visit the Chain of Hope – Share your Heart exhibition.
The exhibition focuses on the connection between art, humanity and compassion.
In total, the exhibition features over 70-heart-themed artworks that have been donated to support children born with congenital heart disease.
The art is also available for purchase, with pieces by famous figures including Olivia Colman, Alison Hammond, Mel B and Shaggy.
The Saatchi Gallery is hosting an exhibition with heart-themed artworkCredit: Alamy
Enchanted Realms Week at Affinity Lancashire, Fleetwood, Lancashire
From Valentine’s Day, visitors can step into an enchanted world to meet the K-pop Demon Hunters with unicorns, a Mystic Hunters Trail and opportunity to create a heart-shaped biscuit at a Cupid’s Cookie Workshop.
You can park at Affinity Lancashire – which has 40 shops and outlets – for free and dogs are welcome too.
There’s also a free indoor soft play centre for the under five-year-olds.
London Card Show
From February 13 to 15, the London Card Show – Europe‘s biggest card event – will be at Sandown Park Racecourse in Esher.
The event will have 1,000 tables with around two million cards including sports cards, retro gaming, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh and more.
There will be live interviews too, unboxings, raffles and kids’ activities.
The London Card Show is Europe’s biggest card eventCredit: London Card Show
Linlithgow Family Adventure, West Lothian, Scotland
This Wednesday, February 11, between 10am and 12pm visitors can attend a hands-on outdoor session for children five-year-old and over.
During the session, you will explore Linlithgow Loch and Peel as well as learn about the area’s wildlife and history.
Valentines Mingle at Dogs Trust Loughborough
Over in Loughborough, from 10am to 12pm on February 13, you can meet some of the dogs from Dogs Trust Loughborough.
The event will be full of fellow dog lovers too so a great chance to make friends with the same interest.
There will also be tea, cake and a raffle.
You can also head to a coffee morning at Dogs Trust Snetterton in Norwich on the same day between 10am to 12:30pm.
You can even meet up with some rescue dogsCredit: Dogs Trust
Vintage Valentine’s Day Card Making, Norwich
From 4:30pm to 6pm, on February 14, you can head to the American Library Archive in Norwich to create a 1940s inspired Valentine’s Day card.
Think love letters and vintage-style drawings.
All supplies are included and the activity is for those aged 10 and over.
Hong Kong Lunar New Year Market 2026, Manchester
This Saturday and Sunday, you can head to Manchester’s Hong Kong Lunar New Year Market 2026 which celebrates Hong Kong culture.
The family-friendly event has over 130 stalls and 20 live performances, with handmade decorations and games, short-film screenings and guided tours.
In Manchester, there is the Hong Kong Lunar New Year Market 2026Credit: Alamy
Birmingham Light Festival
From February 12 to 15, you can visit Birmingham Light Festival with different illuminated artworks and a number of special events.
This year marks the second year the festival has run and it will take over streets, squares and a number of public spaces in the city.
Live events include fire performances, music performed by a metal band and a silent disco.
