Remember Edward Warchoki? The Polish humanoid robot that went viral in April for chasing wild boars through a parking lot in Warsaw? Even late-night comedian John Oliver did a bit on him, calling Warchoki “a pretty canny PR campaign for anthropomorphic robots. All I’m saying is, ‘That is a nice way to get us all used to him before he’s inevitably one day used as a weapon of war.’ ”
Warchoki has not yet turned into a weapon of war — unless you consider being an online influencer a form of digital warfare. As the first robot influencer, Warchoki has his own social media accounts and appeared at Poland’s parliament. Last week he entered the art world when he was among the first visitors to what looks to be a fascinating exhibition, “How to Feel Real. Art, Technology and Us,” at MO Museum in Vilnius, Lithuania. The show is a collaboration of the modern art museum with ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe, which specializes in media art.
According to a news release, the show “explores questions that are becoming increasingly urgent in a world shaped by technology: How do we feel real, and what does it mean to be alive?” Apparently Warchoki was there to address the issue head on.
“People keep asking me if I’m real, so when I heard about an exhibition asking what ‘real’ actually means, I thought: Finally, someone is asking the right question. I’m coming to the beautiful Vilnius to see what the artists have to say — and, of course, to check whether they think I’m real,” Warchocki said in the release.
A number of works in the exhibit explore artificial intelligence, automation, “and the ways machines are increasingly taking on roles we once considered distinctly human,” said MO Museum director Milda Ivanauskienė. “Bringing Edward into the museum is a playful extension of this idea, as his deliberately human-like and slightly absurd persona makes the questions raised by the exhibition tangible — inviting us to wonder why we are so eager to find the human in a machine.”
I am intrigued by this last question and wonder about it myself: Why exactly are we so quick to anthropomorphize AI? Every time I’ve interacted with a chatbot I feel the urge to be polite in my dealings, to say “please” and “thank you” when I ask questions. I certainly don’t do that with a Google search. And once, when I saw a delivery robot hopelessly stuck in a pothole, I felt genuinely bad for it. “Poor little guy,” I thought. I imagine if I met Warchoki, I’d react the same way.
I’m glad MO Museum is exploring these impulses by using artist’s thoughts and interpretations as a way to offer answers to an issue that is not going away — but only growing more powerful and omnipresent by the day.
I hope Warchoki 2.0 isn’t used as a future ICE agent, but I also hope we are not at the dawn of the rise of the robot influencer. Warchoki already has his own line of super gross-looking flavored drink concentrates, as well as snacks like an ice cream, chocolate and popcorn popsicle. This is going nowhere good fast.
I’m Arts editor Jessica Gelt and I’ve got a pickle-kimchi lollipop to sell you. This is your arts and culture news for the week.
Our critics and reporters guide you through events and happenings in the SoCal arts scene. In your inbox every Friday.
By continuing, you agree to our Terms of Service, which include arbitration and a class action waiver. You agree that we and our third-party vendors may collect and use your information, including through cookies, pixels and similar technologies, for the purposes set forth in our Privacy Policy such as personalizing your experience and ads.
Elim Chan conducts the L.A. Phil in 2024.
(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
Elim Chan Conducts the L.A. Phil
It will be a busy couple of weekends in L.A. for the San Francisco Symphony music director-designate. First up is a program featuring Dongshoon Shin’s “Dance Card,” Franz Liszt’s “Piano Concerto No. 2 in A major, S. 125” with pianist Yefim Bronfman, and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s suite from “Swan Lake.” Next week will be “A Symphonic Ballet,” with Claude Debussy’s “Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, L. 86,” Karen Gomyo premiering Samuel Adams’ “Violin Concerto No. 2 (The Wheel),” and Igor Stravinsky’s “Petrushka (1947).”
“Swan Lake,” 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday. “Symphonic Ballet,” 8 p.m. Thursday, 2 p.m. Oct. 17-18. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. laphil.com
Kuniko Kato Presents Reich90
The North American tour of the Steve Reich Project, conceived and produced by Japanese percussionist Kato arrives downtown in honor of the composer’s 90th birthday.
7:30 p.m. Colburn School, Zipper Hall, 200 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. colburnschool.edu
Victoria Marks : A Deer Walks into a Dance
The award-winning choreographer and four performers (Rian Alcid, Maya Billig, Karen Chuang and Aaron Mason) explore the idea connection in a world of division via movement, text and the deconstruction of a (bad) joke.
8 p.m. Friday-Saturday. UCLA Nimoy Theater, 1262 Westwood Blvd., Westwood. cap.ucla.edu
L.A. Opera’s new music director, Domingo Hindoyan, conducts a dress rehearsal of “Carmen.”
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
Carmen
Los Angeles Opera’s new music director, Venezuelan conductor Domingo Hindoyan, opens the company’s season with a new production of Bizet’s “Carmen.” It stars mezzo-soprano Rihab Chaieb, who has dazzled in Mozart at L.A. Opera. The Spanish gothic new production is by director/designer Thaddeus Strassberger and choreographer Antonio Najarro. (Mark Swed) The season-opening performance will be broadcast live in high definition, free of charge, at Steinmetz Park in Hacienda Heights and at the Santa Monica Pier.
Through Nov. 7. Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. Free simulcast, 6 p.m. Saturday, Santa Monica Pier and Steinmetz Park, 545 S. Stimson Ave., Hacienda Heights. laopera.org
Strauss, Ravel, Beethoven
Music Director Jaime Martín conducts the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra in Richard Strauss’ “Metamorphosen,” Maurice Ravel’s “Piano Concerto in G Major” with Conrad Tao, and Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major (Eroica).”
7:30 p.m. Saturday. Zipper Hall, 200 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A.; 4 p.m. Sunday. The Wallis, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills. laco.org
Dale Brockman Davis, Alonzo Davis and David Hammons.
(Museum Associates)
The Brockman Gallery: Los Angeles,1967-1990
For more than two decades, the Leimert Park gallery, founded by Alonzo and Dale Davis, served as a vital cultural hub, staging exhibitions, festivals, concerts, literary events and more. Named after the brothers’ maternal grandmother, born enslaved, the Brockman Gallery was a flourishing, ongoing act of self-determination in the wake of the 1965 Watts Rebellion. It showcased Black artists whose opportunities were severely limited at mainstream, white-run institutions and galleries: David Hammons, Suzanne Jackson, John Outterbridge, Elizabeth Catlett, Betye Saar, Carrie Mae Weems, Senga Nengudi, Noah Purifoy and many more. More than 60 works by artists associated with the gallery will be included in this first full-scale consideration of the Brockman’s scope and impact. (Leah Ollman)
Through Jan. 24. Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 5905 Wilshire Blvd. lacma.org
Pacific Jazz Orchestra: A Tribute to Quincy Jones
Led by Chris Walden, and featuring vocalists Nayanna Holley and Adam ‘Aejaye’ Jackson, the ensemble performs early work by the late producer/composer. Presented by Ventura Music Festival,
3 p.m. Sunday. Rancho Campana Performing Arts Center, 4235 Mar Vista Drive, Camarillo. pacificjazz.org
Mendelssohn & Brahms
Members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic perform a program of chamber works from Joseph Haydn, Felix Mendelssohn and Johannes Brahms.
8 p.m. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. laphil.com
Ulysse Marion
A new work by choreographer Dimitri Chamblas, created with former Paris Opera Ballet dancer Marion Barbeau and dancer and musician Ulysse Zangs, explores the journey of a performer throughout a life in art.
8 p.m. Tuesday-Wednesday. REDCAT, 631 W. 2nd St., downtown L.A. redcat.org
At the Very Bottom of A Body Of Water
The latest work by Benjamin Benne, a dramatist many have been keeping close tabs on, continues his collaboration with veteran director (and fellow L.A. native) Juliette Carrillo, and dives even further into magical realism in an unconventional work exploring the oceanic depths that grief can reveal. (Charles McNulty)
Through Nov. 29. Boston Court Pasadena, 70 N. Mentor Ave. bostoncourtpasadena.org
Judy Baca, detail from the 1960s segment of the Great Wall of Los Angeles mural.
(Judy Baca and the SPARC Archives.)
Skirball Cultural Center
Three new exhibits open: “The 1960s — A Generation on Fire: Judy Baca’s Great Wall of Los Angeles” presents new murals as part of the evolving L.A. landmark; “Patrisse Cullors: Wishes Made Material” features three new works inspired by conversations between Black and Jewish communities; and “Jenny Yurshansky: What We Carry” explores local immigration stories, memories and family history through collected objects.
Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd. skirball.org
Zoe Ryan, director of UCLA’s Hammer Museum.
(Christina House/Los Angeles Times)
ICYMI, the best of this week’s L.A. Times arts coverage:
The Hammer’s director, Zoe Ryan, is hoping to make the museum the anchor of a Westside Arts District.
Times theater critic Charles McNulty was not taken by Jaclyn Backhaus’ “Wives,” which opened Sunday at East West Players’ David Henry Hwang Theater.
At 80, artist Lita Albuquerque is not slowing down. She has two upcoming shows: one at the Palm Springs Art Museum, and an installation at A–Z West in Joshua Tree.
K-pop star and Blackpink member Rosé will perform at LACMA’s Art+Film Gala as its musical guest.
Advance reservations for the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center will go live on Oct. 21 at 9:30 a.m., ahead of its opening on Nov. 13.
Actor Alan Mandell died Tuesday. He was 98.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Alan Mandell, a classical actor and renowned interpreter of playwright Samuel Beckett’s work, died Tuesday at his home in Westwood at the age of 98. McNulty also penned a lovely and personal appreciation of Mandell, whom he felt lucky to have spent time with.
The 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games are around the corner, yet serious questions remain about funding and coordination for the Cultural Olympiad.
L.A. Opera’s new music director, Domingo Hindoyan is stepping up to the podium for the first time in his new role with the opening of “Carmen.”
Enjoying this newsletter? Consider subscribing to the Los Angeles Times
Your support helps us deliver the news that matters most. Become a subscriber.
Climate activists in Tallahassee this week unveiled a statue of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis that was created to melt. “In response to the Governor’s recent ‘Don’t say climate change’ action in state law, 350Action (one of the world’s most influential climate change advocates) built quite a visual — a statue that couldn’t withstand Florida’s daily climate. It’s provocative but for a purpose, to encourage young people to vote in a few weeks for candidates that recognize the threat from climate change,” a news release noted of the “climate denial statue.”
And finally, not strictly arts related, but some Halloween fun for you: Street Food Cinema is hosting its annual Boo-ze, Bites and Frights events with some spooky horror film screenings at Heritage Square and the Ford over the next few weekends, including a Saturday showing of “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” which is a film that still genuinely terrifies me.
— Jessica Gelt
Speaking of robots — they are now roaming the aisles of local grocery stores.
Gas prices are high. Diesel prices are higher — about $8 a gallon in California, $2 more than the national average.
For truckers, that’s a crisis. Their big rigs get about a paltry six miles to the gallon and filling their tanks in the Golden State now costs up to $2,500 a pop. For the guys who own a single truck or the small companies (which is the majority of trucking businesses), it can be hard to pass along those extra fuel costs to customers — which, as my colleague Nilesh Christoper wrote about, is causing a lot of pain in the industry.
Truckers everywhere are stomping mad, and it’s a problem for President Trump and Republicans heading into the midterms. Eventually, higher diesel prices are going to mean higher prices on the goods those trucks are transporting, and that’s an even bigger problem.
Trump has been throwing spaghetti at the wall trying out one limp solution after another to bring prices down — cutting taxes, brokering deals with Russia, telling us it’s just not a problem. But of course, it is.
Truck drivers fill they diesel tanks at United Oil in Long Beach on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026.
(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
One Southern California energy expert has spent recent days in Washington, D.C., trying to convince the administration that the solution lies in California, in the vast oil reserves under our cities and farms that we largely leave untapped for environmental reasons. Environment aside, it’s a long-running and compelling (to some, anyway) argument that may have found its moment, meaning California might become Trump’s next solution — or at least scapegoat — to a costly problem.
More on that, but first, a recap of where we are.
Three thousand years ago in Trump time, but which I mean earlier this month, the president signed an executive order that allowed truckers to use red dye diesel as a way to lower costs.
Red dye diesel is, you guessed it, my genius readers, diesel that has been dyed red — to differentiate it from the stuff at truck stops. Farmers and other agricultural types are allowed to buy red dye diesel without certain taxes to use in tractors and other equipment that doesn’t run on our roads.
The Trump order allows truckers to buy red dye and defer paying the roughly 25-cent-per-gallon federal tax on it. So it’s not really saving them money, just delaying payment.
“It’s a small step, but nonetheless, it’s a positive step,” said Michael Mische, a professor at the USC Marshall School of Business whose conservative-leaning take on energy policy has often raised the ire of the Newsom administration.
President Trump signs an executive order to lower the cost of diesel fuel during a campaign rally on Oct. 5, 2026, in Grand Island, Neb.
(Win McNamee / Getty Images)
But there’s a problem with Trump’s red dye plan. States have their own laws about red dye diesel, and the feds can’t change them. So even if truckers could find a place to buy red dye diesel (again, not sold at regular gas stations), and even if the incentive of paying taxes later made the search seem worthwhile, they would often be breaking state laws.
Eric Sauer, chief executive of the California Trucking Assn., a trade group that advocates for the industry, said his group has been advising members not to use the crimson fuel until it’s clear that states are going to change their rules. Some, like Missouri, have. California has not.
Either way, Sauer said, allowing truckers to use diesel dyed red really doesn’t increase the overall supply, just shifts it around — which is unlikely to bring prices down.
“It’s still the same supply of diesel fuel out there,” Sauer said.
The global supply of crude oil, has been, shall we say, negatively affected by our war with Iran. Despite Trump’s assurances that the conflict is winding down, two container ships in the Strait of Hormuz were attacked this week, highlighting that perhaps Iran is unaware the war is over. Fears of that conflict and others sent energy prices soaring even higher.
Faced with that unpleasant reality, Trump this week also announced he was lifting sanctions on diesel exports from Russia, a move that shocked his own party and most of the world.
The PCK petroleum refinery stands illuminated at twilight on April 28, 2026, in Schwedt, Germany. The refinery, which produces gasoline, diesel, kerosene and bitumen, receives 20% of its oil from Kazakhstan through the Russian Druzhba pipeline.
(Sean Gallup / Getty Images)
That deal could bring 36 million barrels of Russian diesel, at most, to American shores, which sounds like a lot until you realize we use about 4 million barrels of the stuff every day. So Trump essentially sold out Ukraine and demolished what was left of our European standing for nine days of diesel — an amount unlikely to lower prices.
In California, that’s especially true because, as UC Berkeley professor Aaron Smith points out, about 70% of our diesel “is actually not made from crude oil and coming from oil refineries. It’s made from vegetable oils and animal fats.”
Yes, the Golden State relies heavily on so-called renewable diesel that, Smith says, “introduces, I think, another wrinkle” when trying to lower costs.
But let’s get back to Mische, the USC professor. For years, he’s been arguing that California’s refusal to pump more oil should be viewed as a national security concern.
California actually imports the majority of its crude oil, more than 60% from other countries, and our refineries for a number of debated reasons have been closing. Our imports have been growing in recent years. We also have no pipelines connecting us to the rest of the U.S., unlike many other states. That means we can’t easily get oil except what’s shipped in through our ports.
At the same time, the West Coast with its many military installations is undeniably pivotal to national security. Mische argues that without adequate fuel reserves for a shortage — like during a war — our military readiness could be jeopardized. He wants to see California not only pump more, but for the federal government to store more of that California crude.
A train of tank cars enters the Chevron EL Segundo refinery, one of the largest petroleum processing facilities in California, on April 8, 2026. California imports approximately 75% of its crude oil, with nearly one-third of the crude supplied from the Middle East. Prices at the pump in the state are averaging $5.93 per gallon today amid the war in Iran.
(Mario Tama / Getty Images)
These arguments haven’t gained much traction in our heavily Democratic state, which has moved forcefully away from fossil fuels and toward renewable sources in recent years and which has little interest in increasing drilling. But Mische and his colleagues may have found their moment.
Earlier this year, they wrote draft executive orders about California’s oil industry that he says the Trump administration is considering — one would attempt to force California to pump more oil using the authority of the Defense Production Act of 1950.
Mische said he spent last week in conversations with the administration on the proposed orders and is “confident” Trump will “issue additional executive orders under the Defense Production Act for California” by the end of the year.
Beyond the national security argument, such orders could please Trump because they do two things. First, if California pumps its own oil, it could free up some imported oil for other states, which could lower prices — though it would certainly take time and require more refinery capacity.
Second, and likely of more interest to the White House, it makes California — and Newsom — the villain for this sticky Republican problem. California will sue, of course, which would just help the Trump political narrative.
Kevin de León, a California Senate president emeritus and author of SB 100, California’s landmark 100% clean energy law, said he can easily envision Trump claiming that “we have lots of cheap oil in the United States that can lower your gas prices — but crazy lefty California is blocking us.”
Actually, it’s hard to imagine Trump not grabbing the chance to blame gas prices on the Golden State — or Newsom.
What else you should be reading:
The must-read: ‘Very few people out in the streets’: ICE surge rattles California’s Central Valley
The California angle: Justice Dept. demands California prove citizenship for lists of voters or withhold ballots
The L.A. Times Special: The U.S is in the death business. Newsom can change that, and win votes
Stay Golden,
Anita Chabria
—
Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Sign up here to get it in your inbox.
NEW YORK — Lawyers for the BBC say President Trump is trying to delay sitting for a deposition in the defamation case he brought against the British broadcaster until January 2027.
In a filing this week, they asked a Florida court to compel the president to appear in the $10 billion case after they say he canceled an agreed-upon date this week, citing “matters of national importance.”
“Two months of discovery remaining, the BBC still has not been able to depose, and does not even have a schedule to depose, the most central figure in this case: Plaintiff himself,” attorney Charles D. Tobin wrote in the filing. “Those delays have flouted the cooperative spirit of discovery and precluded the BBC from obtaining the evidence necessary to robustly litigate its defense.”
Trump, who has a history of avoiding depositions, filed the lawsuit against the BBC last December, seeking $10 billion in damages as he accused the British broadcaster of defamation as well as deceptive and unfair trade practices related to a documentary, “Trump: A Second Chance.”
Britain’s publicly funded national broadcaster admitted filmmakers spliced together quotes from different sections of the speech Trump delivered to his supporters on Jan. 6, 2021, before the storming of the U.S. Capitol, to make it seem like he was directly urging violence.
The 33-page lawsuit accused the BBC of broadcasting a “false, defamatory, deceptive, disparaging, inflammatory, and malicious depiction of President Trump,” calling it “a brazen attempt to interfere in and influence” the 2024 U.S. presidential election.
The broadcaster apologized to Trump over the edit and the head of the BBC and the British broadcaster’s top news executive both resigned. But the broadcaster has denied Trump’s claims that it defamed him.
In the filing this week, BBC lawyers said that they first requested dates for the deposition in July, and followed up repeatedly. Both sides, they said, eventually agreed on Oct. 16.
However, after weeks of silence, they wrote, “Plaintiff’s counsel responded on September 28, 2026, indicating that ‘the President is no longer available for his deposition on October 16 due to other matters of national importance’ and that counsel would ‘endeavor to provide you with a replacement date by the end of this week.’ He did not.”
Instead, they said, they were told last week that Trump “has no availability whatsoever for a deposition” before discovery is set to close on Dec. 18. and were told that Trump would instead make himself available the second or third week of January.
In a statement in response to the filing, a spokesperson for Trump’s legal team did not address the reasons for Trump’s delay, but repeated its allegations against the BBC and said the president was holding the broadcaster “accountable for its defamation and reckless election interference just as he has held other fake news mainstream media responsible for their wrongdoing.”
Trump voluntarily dropped a $500 million lawsuit he filed against his former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen in 2023, days before he was set to give a deposition in that suit.
Colvin writes for the Associated Press.
Los Angeles Times NFL writer Sam Farmer examines the matchups and makes his predictions for Week 6 of the NFL season.
All lines and over/under numbers are according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Last week, Farmer posted an 11-5 (.688) record. Through the first five weeks of the season, he is 37-27 (.578).
Using point spreads with the scores Farmer predicted, his record against the spread in Week 5 would have been 9-7 (.563). For the season, his record against the spread is 25-39 (.391).
All times are Pacific and TV reflects broadcasts in the Los Angeles area. The Bengals, Dolphins, Lions and Vikings do not play this week.
By Lisa Mascaro and Joey Cappelletti
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Federal authorities are investigating letters with “suspicious substances” that have been mailed to congressional and election offices nationwide and are urging recipients to treat the mailings as “potentially hazardous.”
The investigation by the FBI, U.S. Postal Inspection Service and U.S. Capitol Police was first disclosed in a message from the Senate Sergeant at Arms obtained Thursday by The Associated Press. The notice, sent to Senate offices, said that law enforcement officials were working to intercept any additional letters, but “it is possible that some letters may reach their destinations.”
In Congress, the threat appeared limited to the Senate, though the House was monitoring the situation, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly.
An FBI statement said the bureau and the Postal Inspection Service were “investigating a series of suspicious mailings sent to various addresses nationwide, including Secretary of State offices and their related election offices.”
“Some of the letters contained an unknown substance and we are working closely with our law enforcement partners to respond to each incident,” the statement read. “We are also working with our partners to identify the individual or individuals responsible for the letters.”
Mailed packages containing a powdery substance led to the evacuation this week of election offices in at least two states, Louisiana and Oklahoma. The Ohio secretary of state said the Postal Service intercepted a package containing a white powder intended for its office and noted that similar mailings had been sent to election officials in multiple states.
News of the letters comes just three weeks before Election Day and is reminiscent of a similar threat in 2023, when election offices in six states received mailings that contained a white powder. In some cases, the incidents disrupted work around local elections.
Some of those letters contained threats and traces of the powerful opioid fentanyl, leading some election offices to stock up on the overdose reversal medication naloxone.
The National Association of Secretaries of State and the National Association of State Election Directors issued a joint statement condemning what they said were threats against election staff.
“Those who administer our elections should never fear for their safety while carrying out their essential duties,” they said in their statement.
Deputy Postal Inspector Brendan Donahue told reporters Thursday that “any threat or attack on election officials is unacceptable” and that “we are also working with our partners on identifying the individual or individuals responsible for the letters.”
Mascaro and Cappelletti write for the Associated Press.
A hike among redwoods is fine if you go in for that sort of thing.
But to gaze upon those towering trees from a slow train with a stiff drink in your hand — that’s something else entirely.
And with the latest added offerings from Mendocino County’s historic Skunk Train, slow-rolling drink-sipping is possible on short excursions from the railway’s stations in both Fort Bragg along Highway 1 and Willits along U.S. 101.
Known as the Noyo, this car is a new cocktail car that’s part of the Skunk Train, rolling from Willits, Calif.
(Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)
The first part of this expansion happened last year when the Mendocino Railway, better known as the Skunk Train, unveiled the Redwood, a fancy railcar offering cocktails as part of a seven-mile round trip from Fort Bragg. The Willits end of this expansion followed in September, when the railroad introduced another reconditioned traincar, this one known as the Noyo. Formerly a U.S. Army railcar, it’s now been reborn as a rolling cocktail lounge for up to 22 guests, featuring leather chairs, plush couches, a carpeted floor and ‘50s overtones.
On the journey I joined recently, passengers mingled in a spacious, adults-only railcar with vintage jazz on the sound system and servers outfitted in spiffy white jackets. For about $200 each, Willits-based passengers get a 16-mile round trip, charcuterie snacks and two cocktails (or mocktails).
Most popular cocktail so far: the Redwood Martini, made with dry gin, dry vermouth and orange bitters, served with a sprig of redwood.
The journey takes about two hours, passing through an 812-foot-long tunnel (a.k.a. Tunnel No. 2), then pausing to turn around in a clearing known as Crowley.
Passengers relax in the Skunk Train’s “presidential class” railcar, the Noyo, from Willits.
(Mendocino Railway)
Crowley, once a logging camp, can’t be reached by road, but train passengers can wander among picnic tables, fire pits, cornhole games and a massive, gnarled old redwood known as the Wolf Tree. (In September, when the performers of the Flynn Creek Circus were in town, the troupe hauled a big tent out to the clearing and staged two weeks of live performances there.)
Through October and November, the Skunk Train offers “presidential class” cocktail-car trips four to five days per week from Fort Bragg, two to three days per week from Willits. In December, trips from Willits are also offered on most weekdays and service from Fort Bragg drops to two days per week. (Willits-based service shuts down in January and February before resuming in March.)
1
2
1. Passengers in the Skunk Train’s “presidential class” railcar, the Noyo, from Willits get two cocktails (or mocktails) with the price of admission for a two-hour round-trip journey. 2. Besides cocktails or mocktails, service aboard the Skunk Train’s “presidential class” cars from Willits and Fort Bragg includes charcuterie plates. (Mendocino Railway)
These cocktail cars are the latest additions in a decade of Skunk Train team improvisations in the wake of long history and, more recently, trouble on the tracks.
The Fort Bragg Railroad started up in 1885 to haul redwood and fir logs to the coast for shipping south to San Francisco. By 1911 there was steam-driven passenger service between Fort Bragg and Willits, and by 1925, locals had nicknamed it the “skunk train” because of the odor that billowed from the railcars’ recently introduced gasoline-burning engines and oil-burning stoves.
That moniker might have faded, but in May 1959, National Geographic magazine devoted a spread to the train under the headline “The Friendly Train Called Skunk.” In its 40 miles, that article noted, the train climbed more than 1,600 feet, crossed 34 bridges and trestles and rounded some 381 turns, occasionally pausing to deliver groceries to rural neighbors.
A passenger soaks up atmosphere on the two-hour, round-trip Skunk Train journey from Willits in Mendocino County.
(Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)
Alas, the timber industry faded, a mail delivery contract was lost and railroad ownership changed hands. On the way, the Skunk Train began to depend mostly on tourists. Then in 2013, the railroad’s Tunnel No. 1 collapsed, blocking the tracks about four miles east of Fort Bragg. Repairs followed, but the same tunnel collapsed again in 2015. There were no injuries in either accident, but it remains impossible for any railcar to make the full 40-mile journey between Fort Bragg and Willits.
“We are committed to reopening the tunnel,” Mendocino Railway president and CEO Robert J. Pinoli has said. But the reopening won’t be quick. Besides the challenge of rebuilding the tunnel, the railroad has been tangled for several years in legal disputes with the city of Fort Bragg and the California Coastal Commission. For now, every trip on the Skunk Train, including traditional railcars and increasingly popular pedal-assisted railbikes, is an out-and-back journey designed to avoid the blocked tunnel.
From Fort Bragg, most train and railbike trips go 3.5 miles east and 3.5 miles back again. From Willits, most trips go eight miles west and turn around, including the fall Pumpkin Express and Christmas Train. The great exception is “Railbikes on the Noyo,” a 25-mile journey that begins near Fort Bragg with a hike to the east end of Tunnel No. 1. From there, guests pedal an eastbound railbike for 12.5 miles through the forest, including a dozen wooden trestle bridges and recurring views of the Noyo River. After a picnic lunch, guests double back to where they started. That adventure usually takes about six hours and starts at $564 (combined) for two people sharing a two-seat railbike.
The new cocktail car excursion, meanwhile, requires less time, less money and less perspiration.
A view of the Skunk Train’s Noyo railcar.
(Mendocino Railway)
After our train reversed direction at its midway stop in Crowley, I could have stayed in my comfortable cocktail-car seat. But I had been tipped to check out the back end of the train. That’s the open observation car (no ceiling) in the back of the train. Skunk Train employees say it was first built for the U.S. Marines to transport Sherman tanks. It works just fine carrying us gawking civilians.
“Ahhh,” said 2-year-old Elle Davis, looking up to the sky and standing by her mother, Kaitlyn Davis of Willits. The observation car is open to all aboard — that is, the Noyo Car passengers and to those Skunk Train passengers who pay standard fares ($81.47 per adult) for less luxe railcars (open to all ages).
As you stand there with the wind in your face and the rails rattling below, the evergreen boughs whoosh past. Depending on the hour and humidity, the sky might be dimming or masked by fog. These days you don’t get that skunky scent of years gone by, but a ride is still a full sensory experience. And even if you have an adult beverage in your hand, you might find yourself with the same sense of rejuvenation that engineer Johnny Galliani described to National Geographic back in 1959.
“Young or old, they’re all kids when they ride with us,” Galliani said. “Nothing like a ride on this train to take the years off your back and make you young again.”
Passengers board the Skunk Train on an excursion from Willits to a forest clearing (once a lumber camp) called Crowley.
(Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)
In the Los Angeles mayoral debate Tuesday night, I was reminded of two things.
First, as I’ve said before, it’s no surprise that roughly one-third of likely voters remain undecided with less than three weeks to go until election day.
Second, there is one key difference between the two candidates: We know who Mayor Karen Bass is, but we don’t yet know who Councilmember Nithya Raman is, even though she’s been leading in most polls.
Those two points are connected. I think a majority of voters want a change at City Hall because of the marginal progress on homelessness, the erosion of basic services and the bad decisions before and after the Palisades disaster, among a host of other issues.
But they’re not sure what they’d be getting in Raman.
Why not?
If you haven’t already seen the story a few days ago by The Times’ longtime City Hall reporting ace, Dave Zahniser, you need to check it out right here.
The headline neatly sums it up:
“L.A. mayoral candidate Nithya Raman has strong opinions. But they often change.”
Raman has flip-flopped so many times, it’s as if she’s having a political identity crisis, which is not a great selling point for a candidate.
She endorsed Bass, an ally, for reelection and then abruptly and surprisingly announced that she was running against her.
She rose to power as a darling of the Democratic Socialists of America and vowed to defund the police, only to later support an LAPD budget increase.
She embraced the so-called mansion tax, then said it needed an overhaul.
She supported and helped fund Bass’ signature homelessness initiative, Inside Safe, and now has turned against it.
“That’s the real wild card,” said Sara Sadhwani, assistant professor of politics at Pomona College. “She has flip-flopped so extensively on policy that it’s unclear which version of her values we would get.”
Look, it’s not uncommon for a candidate of the left, or the right, to move toward the center to broaden support. And there’s nothing wrong with learning on the job and evolving. It’s all too rare, in fact.
The problem for Raman is that in somersaulting around on core issues, she’s alienating some of the people she would need as allies in order to be an effective mayor.
They might come around, because in the city’s shared system of power, there are times when the City Council and mayor need to paddle in the same direction in order to get anywhere. But among the 15 City Council members, 13 have endorsed Bass, and that support includes even the DSA wing of the council.
I like the idea of a rebel as L.A. mayor, but the job is hard enough with City Council allies. Without them, Raman could be cooked. And it’s not as if she’d have an easy time winning support for much of anything from the powerful public employee unions and traditional business interests, which are for the most part aligned with Bass, for better and for worse.
Both candidates had their moments in the debate, although I gave the edge to Bass. During The Times’ live chat, I said I think L.A. really needs a leadership change, and I think Raman did not prove that she’s the answer.
It’s probably the second-most important political job in the state, in one of the great cities of the world, and along with the ducking and punching, I wanted more love, more poetry, more unbridled passion and a contagious sense of possibility.
And please, all you Spencer Pratt toadies, don’t send me your whiny little notes about how he was the guy all along. Identifying some of the obvious problems is easy enough. (I do it all the time.) Having a plan is another matter, and that’s why I never ran for mayor, and why Pratt faded out of the picture.
So what next, as the final three weeks of the campaign play out?
If I were Raman, who is 45, I’d go heavy on touting the work she’s done on eviction protections and capping rent hikes, because nailing down younger voters could give her the keys to the throne. On homelessness, she knows the issue better than most, has detailed what’s wrong with the Bass program, has made headway in her own district, and has laid out a plan to speed up progress and efficiency citywide.
But her best argument is that City Hall and the entrenched political establishment need a major shake-up, because the machine is now a jalopy.
“We cannot afford another four years of decline, of mismanagement, of excuses,” Raman said in the debate.
As for Bass, 73, you can’t count her out just yet because she’s a fighter, and she’s better at campaigning than at being mayor. She also is likely to benefit from the fact that older voters — who are most likely to go to the polls — favor her by a huge margin.
“You are not ready for prime time,” Bass told her former ally during the debate, and Bass also hammered Raman for taking “different positions on different days of the week.”
In 2005, Mayor Jim Hahn became the first L.A. mayor to lose a reelection bid in more than three decades, falling to Antonio Villaraigosa. It was a rout, at 58% for Villaraigosa to 41% for Hahn.
I don’t see a rout this time.
The question for Los Angeles is this:
Have you had enough of the mayor you know, and are you ready to roll the dice on someone you don’t?
steve.lopez@latimes.com
WASHINGTON — Federal authorities investigating Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar seized the Democratic lawmaker’s phone and have issued more than a dozen grand jury subpoenas, including to some of her relatives, according to a person briefed on the probe.
The subpoenas were issued for a grand jury collecting evidence in Minnesota as federal authorities probe potential fraud in Omar’s immigration paperwork, said the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation. The investigation led to federal agents searching Omar’s Washington, D.C. home on Monday just weeks before the November midterms, in which Omar is seeking reelection.
The scope of the investigation into Omar is unclear, though Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has suggested that authorities were examining potential crimes related to her family’s immigration paperwork.
On Tuesday, Washington D.C. U.S Attorney Jeanine Pirro said in a Fox News interview that “there are several investigations going on” related to Omar and that her office is also probing issues concerning the lawmaker’s financial disclosures.
“If there was a crime that was committed, it will be prosecuted,” Pirro said.
The search of Omar’s home so close to next month’s midterm contests that will determine control of the House and the Senate was swiftly condemned by Democrats, who accused the administration of targeting the Democrat for political purposes. Omar, in a statement on X, called the search an “attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement.”
“For 10 years, Trump has targeted me with baseless lies and smear campaigns. This is just the latest escalation in his campaign of political intimidation,” she said. “I will not be silenced.”
A phone message seeking comment was left Wednesday with a representative for Omar.
Though the Republican focus on Omar’s background dates back years, the search notably took place three weeks before the November midterms, in which Omar is seeking reelection. The Justice Department has historically sought to avoid public investigative actions involving a candidate within 60 days of a primary or general election.
Omar, who was first elected to the House in 2018, represents Minnesota’s 5th District, including Minneapolis. She is part of The Squad of progressive lawmakers who are a vibrant political force on the left wing of Congress but have also endured repeated attacks from President Trump, dating back to his first term. She was one of the first two Muslim-American women in the House and the first African refugee to be elected to Congress.
Richer writes for the Associated Press.
Anyone have a helicopter available for Friday night?
This is the weekend when high school football fans and sportswriters across the Southland need air transportation or multiple screens on a computer or cellphone or at a sports bar to watch the many top games during Week 8.
It doesn’t get any better than No. 1-ranked Santa Margarita (7-0) playing at No. 2 St. John Bosco (6-1) in a Trinity League game that will feature big-boy football at its best. The NFHS Network will be streaming the game.
It’s not the only game you’ll want to see.
Let’s review the choices so you can use Google Maps or a TV remote control or just never let go of your phone on Friday night.
Santa Margarita coach Carson Palmer, center, with offensive coordinator Lenny Vandermade, left.
(Craig Weston)
Santa Margarita at St. John Bosco, 7 p.m.
Last week, St. John Bosco avenged last year’s stunning Southern Section Division 1 first-round playoff loss to Orange Lutheran, a team it beat 48-0 in the regular season. This week, the Braves finally get to play Santa Margarita, the school that won the state Open Division championship because St. John Bosco was nowhere to be found. Santa Margarita has a 13-game winning streak since losing to the Braves last October.
This isn’t the same Santa Margarita team. Trent Mosley is now at USC, where he looks like a Heisman Trophy candidate when not injured. The Trojans are off this week, so look for Mosley to be on the sideline supporting brother Grant, an Eagles receiver. Santa Margarita’s strength is running the ball with undersized Adrian Petero (5 feet 5, 175 pounds) to set up the pass for quarterback Fletch Palmer, son of coach Carson Palmer.
St. John Bosco has become more of a running team with Maliq Allen, but quarterback Koa Malau’ulu remains a dangerous weapon with receivers DJ Tubbs and Kuika Moaalii. This game likely comes down to a chess match each play, testing defensive coordinators Steve Fifita (Santa Margarita) and Chris King (St. John Bosco). Both have great respect for each other. Turnovers, penalties and special teams must be watched closely. The pick: St. John Bosco.
Bishop Amat (6-1) at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame (7-0), 7 p.m.
Spectrum 1 chose to televise this game, which will decide who gets to finish second in the Mission League behind Sierra Canyon. Notre Dame is a surprise being unbeaten at this point, but Tahj Skinner has proven to be one of the best athletes at quarterback, and the Knights are filled with fast players on both sides of the field from their successful track program. Bishop Amat must worry about Notre Dame’s speed, but Notre Dame must deal with the Lancers’ physicality. The pick: Bishop Amat.
Mission Viejo (6-1) at San Clemente (7-0), 7 p.m.
Home-field advantage matters in this annual rivalry game in the recently renamed Alpha League. Mission Viejo’s offensive line is elite. Receiver Jack Junker got to play running back last week and showed his big-play skills. San Clemente has its own versatile star in receiver/safety Jaxson Rex. In the end, it’s about which young quarterback can avoid mistakes, with Mission Viejo relying on sophomore Brett Burnor and San Clemente turning to junior Preston Beck. The pick: San Clemente.
King/Drew (4-3) at Crenshaw (5-2), 7 p.m.
King/Drew has been the upstart trying to win the Coliseum League with Crenshaw always standing in the way. Quarterback Gerald Torres has put together a strong season, passing for 1,363 yards and 13 touchdowns. Crenshaw struggled against Palisades’ passing attack this season, so the Cougars’ defense will be tested. Crenshaw has added more balance on offense with quarterback Ethan Grant. The pick: Crenshaw.
Hamilton (3-4) at Palisades (3-3), 7 p.m.
There should be more than 100 passes attempted in a game that will decide the Western League title. Have ice available afterward for the elbows of quarterbacks Robert Holohan III of Palisades and Thaddeus Breaux of Hamilton. The pick: Hamilton.
Shohei Ohtani emerged from the visiting dugout at American Family Field with a bat in his hand, and the mass of media members scattered in foul territory up the third-base line shifted his way, pulled by the magnetic force that is Ohtani’s stardom.
Monday marked the third straight day Ohtani had hit on the field, after a multi-round session off the pitching machine on the workout day and batting practice before each of the first two games of the National League Championship series against the Milwaukee Brewers. But the novelty of the move — Ohtani only took batting practice on the field a few times during the regular season, always in the midst of a slump — had yet to fully wear off.
“The results, take full responsibility,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton on Tuesday. “That’s all I can really say, why the results haven’t been where I wanted it to be. But I think there’s different approaches to this, whether that be focusing on reducing the symptoms and getting rid of the pain and/or just making sure that I’m moving well in the swing.”
That break of routine for the start of the NLCS did not pay off in terms of results. But after a conversation with Ohtani, manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday that he felt “great” about playing Ohtani in Game 3 of the NLCS, even though Ohtani is still physically compromised by nagging right biceps and left knee problems.
“He’s adamant he feels good enough to be in there,” Roberts said. “He’s close to finding something with his swing. … Yeah, he wants to be in there and help us win a ballgame and win a championship. Great conversation, and I’m excited about having him in there.”
Roberts made clear that he wasn’t ever considering “benching” Ohtani, but rather weighing whether it would make sense to give him a couple days to “reset,” similar to how they approached Freddie Freeman’s ankle injury in 2024, giving him two days off during that postseason run.
“The symptoms have subdued a lot, especially when I was on the IL, spending that time just being able to reduce the symptoms,” Ohtani said. “As of now with the swing, it’s a daily process of trying different things, different feel on a daily basis.”
Though Ohtani’s arrival kicked off the Dodgers’ back-to-back championships, this isn’t his first time slumping in the postseason. His bat went quiet in the 2024 World Series (two for 19). And between his two-homer game to open last year’s wild-card round, and Game 4 of the NLCS when the two-way star authored the best individual game ever played, he went four for 33.
The difference this time is Ohtani, who has hit three singles in 20 postseason at-bats, isn’t fully healthy. But he was adamant that he would still be able to find a way to produce regardless.
“Over the course of this long season, there’s only really a short period of time when my mechanics is completely in sync,” he said. “So it’s just really kind of just going back and forth, finding the right parts of the swing and managing just the different parts of the swing. So it’s a constant, ongoing process that’s headed in the right direction.”
When healthy, Ohtani has the ability to break out of even the most dire of slumps with an otherworldly performance, like that three-homer (as a hitter), 10-strikeout (as a pitcher) all-timer. Opposing pitchers still have taken a cautious approach to facing him.
This version of Ohtani, however, hasn’t hit a home run since Aug. 18, a little over three weeks before he landed on the injured list. He’d played through nagging knee and biceps injuries for most of the season. But by the first week of September, the Dodgers could no longer argue that his poor performance wasn’t necessarily connected to his ailments.
Shohei Ohtani strikes out during the sixth inning of Game 2.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Now, the stakes are as high as ever. Trailing the Brewers 2-0 in the best-of-seven series, the Dodgers desperately need to put themselves in the best possible position to win Game 3 and avoid four straight win-or-go-home contests. And to do so, they need to know what kind of production Ohtani is physically capable of.
“I’ve never wavered in my belief in him,” Roberts said. “The work that he’s putting in — shoot, he squared the bunt in Game 2 to potentially get on base. That just speaks to whatever it takes to help the team win. He’s always been about the team, whether it’s hitting first, second, fourth, or wherever, right? So for me, just hearing his conviction, that’s what I wanted to hear.”
The communication between Ohtani and the team on injuries has been a work in progress in his third year with the Dodgers.
“We certainly had a lot of communication with him throughout the year, and worked together really well in terms of how to go about this,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said in late September.
“And I think in his mind, he just thought that what he was dealing with was more minor, because it wasn’t like he would see a doctor and go, ‘Oh my God, you have this ailment.’ There were just a number of different things that were bothering him. And I think in his mind, he thought the best way to help the team was to go out and play, which I respect. But us staying really connected and sharing that information, I think, will be really important going forward.
“And again, the communication back and forth has been awesome. The fully sharing exactly how he’s feeling, maybe not as awesome. But again, I would rather [have] that with a guy than the other side of that.”
So, Ohtani kept trying to work his way back to the mound for weeks after receiving a lubricating Orthovisc injection in his knee at the beginning of the All-Star break. And when his biceps injury flared again, and the discomfort extended up through his neck, the Dodgers put off an IL move as long as possible.
Roberts said Ohtani’s conviction lined up with what the manager was hearing from the Dodgers hitting coaches and medical staff.
“No one knows what’s going to happen tomorrow and the ensuing days,” Roberts said. “At the end of the day in this big moment, we’re listening to Shohei, and we’re going to support the crap out of him and believe in him, and that’s it.”
Exactly a week after the new Skydance corporation — the product of the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger — was officially formed, Hollywood’s newest media giant is already raising streaming prices.
Discovery+, one of Skydance’s new streaming assets, will now cost $6.99 a month for its ad-supported tier, up $1. Its ad-free tier is also up $2, costing viewers $11.99 a month. The prices take effect immediately for new subscribers. Existing subscribers will get 30 days’ notice and see the higher rates on bills dated on or after Nov. 12.
Skydance did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The platform first launched in 2021, at $4.99 a month for its ad-supported tier and $6.99 for ad-free. Nearly six years later, the price of the cheapest tier has risen roughly 40%, and the ad-free tier has jumped about 72%. This is the service’s second price hike since January 2025.
The standalone streaming service features tens of thousands of TV episodes from cable networks like HGTV, Food Network and TLC.
Before the merger, each company maintained its own streaming services, with HBO Max and Discovery+ under Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount+ under Paramount Skydance. The services are currently operating as separate entities. But David Ellison, Skydance’s chairman and chief executive, has said he plans to merge the two platforms into one streaming service. It’s unclear when that might happen, what it would cost, or where Discovery+ fits in. The company has not publicly laid out plans for the service.
Prices for HBO Max currently range between $10.99 and $22.99 monthly. Paramount+ costs between $8.99 and $13.99 a month.
Streaming is one of the biggest open questions for Skydance as it enters a new era. The company is carrying roughly $80 billion in debt and is targeting more than $6 billion in cost savings over three years. Skydance has said those savings will come primarily from technology, procurement, marketing and real estate, and Ellison has said the bulk won’t come from layoffs. Industry observers expect that debt load to add pressure for more price increases across Skydance’s streaming lineup.
This price increase also comes at a time when many streaming platforms are similarly hiking their prices — in part to cover the rising cost of programming and talent. Discovery+ joins platforms like Netflix, Apple TV, Hulu and Disney+ which have all raised their subscription fees in the last year. Prime Video raised the cost of its ad-free add-on in April.
WASHINGTON — President Trump’s ambassador to Greece, Kimberly Guilfoyle, resigned on Tuesday after allegations of improper conduct but insisted she’ll “vigorously defend” herself.
Trump’s administration said earlier Tuesday it had asked Guilfoyle to leave her post after she faced severe criticism over allegations she engaged in improper and possibly illegal conduct before and during her tenure in Athens.
The announcement, after days of comments and speculation, came in response to a question to freshly minted White House press secretary Katie Zacharia at her first media briefing Tuesday morning. Zacharia said Guilfoyle “has been a wonderful asset to the team, and we wish her well.”
Guilfoyle’s departure comes after its possibility was previewed to the Associated Press over the weekend and Trump registered his unhappiness on Monday at reports about her alleged conduct.
“Well, we’re looking at it,” Trump told reporters at the White House when asked if he was considering firing Guilfoyle. “We’re not happy.”
Those comments came a day after the AP, citing a senior U.S. official, reported that Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are “extremely pissed off” by Guilfoyle’s reported conduct and would likely decide on her future this week.
In a series of stories dating to late last month, The Wall Street Journal has reported questionable conduct by Guilfoyle, including an alleged threat to a host country official, accepting improper gifts and services and offering to use her influence inside the Republican administration in return for the payment of a large credit card bill.
White House press secretary Katie Zacharia speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, in Washington.
(Julia Demaree Nikhinson / Associated Press)
Guilfoyle addressed the allegations directly in a post on X, saying, “These allegations are false, and I intend to vigorously defend my name, my reputation, and my integrity.”
“I have dedicated my professional life to fighting for justice, standing up for what is right, and defending the values that make America exceptional,” she said. “I will not allow false accusations to define my decades of public service.”
In a statement released late Sunday, Guilfoyle’s lawyers denied she had done anything wrong and claimed that the money she was seeking from a Trump donor was payment for services — public appearances and speaking engagements that predate her ambassadorial nomination — that had not been paid.
The lawyers, David Schwartz and Jesse Binnall, also rejected allegations of impropriety related to Guilfoyle’s travel on private planes, saying that before every such trip she “sought, obtained and followed State Department guidance and followed the Department’s travel regulations.”
The allegations began surfacing weeks ago
After defending Guilfoyle following the first report, Rubio has declined to comment publicly on the growing allegations. Last week, Rubio said: “Our ambassador has been a strong ambassador here.”
But after another report appeared later, Rubio — speaking Thursday before leaving Athens — berated journalists for asking about the allegations. He said that he didn’t know if they were true and that he would not respond if he could not confirm them.
“You guys walk around thinking that because some source told you something and you reported it, it’s the gospel. It’s not the gospel. It’s not the gospel for me. That’s not the way we do things,” Rubio said at the foot of his plane as Guilfoyle, who was there to see him depart, looked on.
A second U.S. official, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters, said the State Department’s inspector general was looking into the allegations, which first began surfacing in the Journal late last month and have since multiplied.
The second official could not say if a formal IG probe had begun. Inspectors general often conduct informal inquiries into complaints against staffers, and many times those inquiries do not result in a full-on investigation, which can result in disciplinary action up to and including dismissal.
The State Department has declined to comment on a potential IG investigation.
There was no immediate response to Zacharia’s statement from the Greek government or Cabinet members.
Ahead of Tuesday’s announcement, Greek opposition parties had called on the Foreign Ministry to summon Guilfoyle to respond to the allegations made against her. “This, most importantly, is an issue of national dignity,” Sia Anagnostopoulou, a former deputy foreign minister, said in parliament Friday. Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis responded that Guilfoyle had been treated “the same way as every other ambassador” and argued that an official summons had not been necessary.
Hours earlier, Guilfoyle had posted photos of her meeting this week with the Spanish ambassador to Athens as well as birthday wishes for Lara Trump, the president’s daughter-in-law, accompanied by Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night,” from the 2023 soundtrack of the movie “Barbie.”
Democrats call for an investigation
The top two Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs and Senate Foreign Relations committees, Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, as well as the ranking member on the House Committee for Oversight and Government Reform, Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., have already called for an investigation into Guilfoyle.
Since late September, the Journal has detailed numerous accounts of questionable conduct by Guilfoyle. Its first report said that she had told guests at a reception that the United States could undermine the Greek government if it chose to, promoted the business interests of one particular Greek construction and energy company and allowed its lobbyist into private diplomatic meetings.
While Rubio was in Athens, the Journal reported — citing text messages — that Guilfoyle had asked a Trump donor and supporter to pay a $100,000 credit card bill just before her confirmation hearing, promising him access to administration officials if he did.
The Journal then reported that Guilfoyle had been enraged about not being invited to a Greek-themed event at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, earlier this year and demanded to attend while boasting about luxury travel to France with energy company executives.
Another report, from the British tabloid The Daily Mail, said that Guilfoyle had alienated staff at the U.S. Embassy in Athens and had pushed the bounds of behavior appropriate for the top representative of the U.S. government to Greece.
Guilfoyle is a former Fox News Channel host and California prosecutor who was once married to California’s Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom and was engaged to Trump’s son Donald Jr.
Lee writes for the Associated Press. AP journalist Derek Gatapoulos in Athens contributed to this report.
It has been five years since Michael Che’s last stand-up special. Of course, he has a good excuse, being busy much of the year co-writing and performing “Weekend Update” on “Saturday Night Live,” and he also wrote and starred in two series of his acclaimed sketch comedy show, “That Damn Michael Che.”
But he feels more like himself on the stage, he said in a recent interview. “I really miss stand-up when I’m not doing it because I can really let loose on stage and say all the words I want,” he says.
In his new Netflix hour, with the pointed title, “Michael Che: Shot in Minnesota,” he wastes no time in getting into it, opening with a series of jokes saying a lot of words about Charlie Kirk’s murder: He believes that it happened because “straight white conservative Christian men are being silenced.”
He clearly loves poking at people’s sensitive spots. His favorite joke, he says onstage, is, “Men want anal sex the way women want a sensitive man. It just sounds nice… until you see them crying.”
He talks about race (“I don’t care what color you are — if you’re rich, you’re white”) and goes after President Trump and people who try to police language, but he also talks up how much fun he had at a Pride parade and about growing up poor, with his mother cleaning houses to help make ends meet. In our interview done via Zoom (without a camera on) while he was stuck in traffic on the way to 30 Rockefeller Center and then in an elevator and then in the SNL offices, he discussed it all.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Did anyone in your family shape your humor and your storytelling?
My family has a different kind of humor. It’s a little meaner, if I’m being honest with you.
I’d like to see Thanksgiving at your house.
A lot of people would. It’s kind of crazy.
But the one person was my grandfather who was a pastor. He knew how to hold court and tell a story and he was a funny guy. He could be silly or absurd or dry. So maybe there’s a lot of him in what I do. But he did it week after week with different material.
Speaking of week after week, which is closer to your real self, the “Weekend Update” persona or your stand-up persona?
The stand-up is the most me; “Update” is a job and it’s a character. On stage you get to hear more nuances — on “Weekend Update” it’s a short segment, and I’m splitting time with Colin and guests. There are more needs being met than just mine. I say that respectfully, but there are things we have to touch on that I wouldn’t in my personal work and there are things other people write so it’s never all me.
I can listen, I can build, I can take you on a journey, I can make you think this is a bad joke, but it’s actually a good joke. I can make you think it’s a dirty joke, but it’s a clean joke.
I miss doing stand-up full time, but maybe that’s only because I don’t do it full time. But maybe if I did it full time, I’d miss doing it part time. Getting this hour together for the special, Lorne [Michaels, SNL’s iconic boss] was nice enough to let me go on the road even during show weeks, and he didn’t ask as much of me this past season. He was really kind, and I really appreciate it.
Colin Jost, left, and Michael Che on “Weekend Update” on “Saturday Night Live” on Saturday, March 11, 2023. Che has been doing “Weekend Update” for 12 years, as has Jost.
(Will Heath / NBC)
Your stand-up persona is definitely more thoughtful and open-minded than your “Weekend Update” one. Are you conscious of revealing yourself onstage or just thinking about what’s funny?
They tell you in the criminal world that the longer you talk to the police the more chances there are you’re going to reveal something. And I feel like it’s true for comedy, too. A lot of the stuff that I do is just thoughts that we haven’t said out loud and explored yet. I start with the thought, and if I can get a joke, a one liner out of the thought, that’s then I start to explore it onstage. I only write one line because I can’t write in a vacuum. I need to be able to listen to see what an audience gives me; otherwise, I only know how it makes me feel.
You open this special with that riff on Charlie Kirk’s murder. Your audience is not filled with Turning Point members, but people still may be hesitant to laugh. Are you starting there to challenge yourself or challenge your audience, or is it just because you think it’s funny?
I think all three of those things can be true. Those jokes are funny, but it is hard to laugh at. That’s the sort of feat I seek to pull off, to make people laugh about things that they’re not necessarily expecting to hear without being gross and gratuitous. I did those jokes on Shane Gillis’ show and his audience reacted favorably.
None of this is to make any kind of larger point other than I want you to laugh at the things that horrify you. It’s just horrifying on the surface so people think you can’t make a joke about it. People are afraid of the attempt. And I say, “Well, what about this one?” I do like that.
Then you move on to the R-word and the N-word. Are you simply pushing buttons for laughs or pushing people to think about their own biases and preconceptions about language and their political sensibilities?
I don’t want to let words dictate my next emotions. I want you to put the responsibility of self-control on yourself. People are going to say nasty things literally just to get a rise out of you, and it’s up to you to decide how you’re going to handle that. Also, I’m trying to be consistent. If I start with jokes about Charlie Kirk, but then somebody wants to call me the N-word, I can’t say, “Well, that’s crossing the line.” Right now there ain’t no more lines. We’re in a culture war and bombs are going to fly. So let’s see who’s got the stomach for it.
When you refer to a guy buying you drinks in a bar as “visibly gay,” the audience gets uncomfortably quiet in a way. How do you feel when they hush over a line like that?
With a lot of these jokes it’s like dribbling a football, you just don’t know where it’s going to land. But I like putting people on their heels and being a Black comic of my generation, they expect the joke to go one way because they’ve heard the jokes that come from others so they’re apprehensive. I expect them to be apprehensive and then talk them through it. When the joke lands differently with a punchline they’re not expecting, they’re pleasantly surprised.
Ferdi Kadioglu (Brighton): He makes a massive block in the second half, which would have made it 1-1, and if the floodgates open it would be a problem. He is not known for his defensive skills, but he was great.
Jefferson Lerma (Crystal Palace): A centre-midfielder playing at centre-back. He scored a goal, made some big tackles, and was also was able to play out from the back, being the catalyst for Palace, so he goes in as well.
James Justin (Leeds): I know he loves playing against Arsenal, but the transformation he has had from when he was at Leicester to Leeds – the ability to play right wing-back, right centre-back. Everything that he gives you in that situation, he’s just a joke of a centre-back. I don’t believe he gets anywhere near enough credit. An unbelievable goal and he could have had more on the day.
Ethan Pinnock (Coventry): When he moved to Coventry from Brentford, I thought, that’s a dodgy one for Coventry. He is decent, but he doesn’t move the needle. How wrong was I? He has been excellent. A big physical presence, but also has that calming influence to talk others through games, and you can see since he’s been in the team, Coventry have got better week-on-week.
Riccardo Calafiori (Arsenal): He’s probably Arsenal‘s best forward at the moment. Getting in really good positions, defensively solid, but also offers you a lot from assists and goals.
BROOKLYN Beckham and his wife Nicola Peltz puckered up in Paris after the Beckham’s family feud clouded over Paris Fashion Week.
The loved-up duo were over in France enjoying the much-anticipated fashion event, but also appeared to be making the most out of their trip.
In a series of snaps posted to Brooklyn’s Instagram page, he and Nicola are sharing an incredibly romantic smooch.
Nicola’s arms are wrapped around Brooklyn’s neck as she leans in for the kiss.
All the while, the Eiffel Tower cinematically glitters behind them in the dark.
Other snaps show Brooklyn feasting on an enormous pain au chocolat, delving in a plate of escargot, and Nicola flashing her huge wedding ring.
Read more Brooklyn Beckham
One word and a little kiss fill the post’s caption, simply reading: “paris x”.
The photo dump follows the Beckham’s family feud rumbling again during Paris Fashion Week.
Brooklyn sensationally cut contact with his family after dropping a bombshell statement back in January.
The statement called his family “performative” and he forbade them from posting about him or interacting with him on social media.
Brooklyn’s father David Beckham appears to have been trying to extend olive branches by “liking” his posts from PFW.
He appeared to clap back at his dad by walking out wearing a short with the words “it’s not clocking to you” on it from Justin Bieber‘s clothing label Skylrk.
It’s another way saying “you’re not understanding”, in reference to the breached social media contact rule.
Meanwhile Brooklyn hasn’t been liking any posts back, and swerved seeing his mother Victoria Beckham while she was in France to showcase some of her new clothing at a PFW event.
UCLA senior starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava will miss the rest of this season with a knee injury, according to a person with knowledge of the injury not authorized to discuss it publicly.
The injury is a blow for the No. 12 Bruins, who are 5-0 during coach Bob Chesney’s first season and have a favorable path to a spot in the College Football Playoff.
Iamaleava sustained the injury at the end of the first half of UCLA’s win over Oregon.
The quarterback was running with the ball when he was spun around and was tackled. He grabbed his leg as he was hit in the head by Oregon’s Bear Alexander. Iamaleava briefly returned for one play and Chesney said during a halftime TV interview the quarterback was fine after getting hit in the quad.
Iamaleava, however, did not return with the team after halftime and eventually emerged from the locker room in the third quarter wearing street clothes.
UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava is examined by medical staff while coach Bob Chesney watches Saturday in Eugene, Ore.
(Lydia Ely / Associated Press)
Before his exit, Iamaleava went 10 of 17 passing for 162 yards and two interceptions. Through five games, the quarterback tallied 982 passing yards, 144 rushing yards, five total touchdowns and four interceptions.
After Saturday’s win, Chesney said that he thought Iamaleava injured his thigh, but he noted the injury may have been more extensive and it would require a full medical evaluation.
Senior quarterback Ty Dieffenbach, who had been listed third on the depth chart behind Iamaleava and his younger brother Madden, ran the UCLA offense during the second half. He completed three passes for 43 yards and one touchdown, helping the Bruins earn a 17-15 win.
“When someone goes down, and someone’s gotta step up, you’re either exposed or you’re revealed,” Chesney said. “One of the two is going to happen when your number gets called, and for Ty to step up in that moment when Nico couldn’t go and to put himself in the spot where he was revealed for knowing the run game, knowing what to get us into, the touchdown pass I thought he threw.”
Madden Iamaleava appeared in two games this season, taking over the offense against Purdue when his older brother went down with a shoulder injury and against Maryland with UCLA up multiple scores.
Chesney turned to Dieffenbach, who started last season at Cal Poly, during one of the biggest moments of the season. Dieffenbach said after the win he didn’t know he would be asked to lead the offense if Nico Iamaleava was knocked out.
UCLA quarterback Ty Dieffenbach prepares to receive the ball during a win over Oregon Saturday in Eugene, Ore.
(Lydia Ely / Associated Press)
The decision to play Dieffenbach instead of Madden was based on the game script and the threat of Dieffenbach in the ground game, Chesney said.
“We are really on a week-to-week basis here, and this week we felt like we had to run a little bit more with the quarterback possibly, and that’s where I felt Ty had a really nice week and that put us in that spot,” Chesney said. “This is just one of those things that I’m sure if Madden would’ve went in there, he would have done a phenomenal job as well. But I thought Ty was the guy we decided on at this moment based on the previous week of practice.”
Chesney and Dieffebach acknowledged that the fight for the UCLA backup spot never ends.
“Every week is a battle between me and Madden for the two-spot, and I mean both of us were executing in practice,” Dieffenbach said. “… When I heard that I was [going to play, it was] just tunnel vision, just ready to go execute.”
Prior to helping earn UCLA’s first victory at Autzen Stadium since 2004, Dieffenbach spent the 2025 campaign at Cal Poly, where he started 11 games, throwing for 1,305 yards, nine touchdowns and nine interceptions, alongside 321 ground yards and four scores.
Dieffenbach’s one-year stint in San Luis Obispo was preceded by two years at Pittsburgh, where he did not see any game action. The signal caller’s transfer to UCLA marked a return to Southern California for the Agoura High product, who started his high school career as a wide receiver but finished his three varsity seasons with 4,153 passing yards and 48 touchdowns.
JUNEAU, Alaska — In the thick of Alaska’s primary election season this summer, independent Bill Hill took a break from his U.S. House campaign to return home to Bristol Bay.
The world’s biggest sockeye salmon run was beginning, and that meant he needed to get back to work.
“I told my team that I have got to fish,” he said, adding: “Commercial fishing is the way that we pay the bills.”
Hill, 57, grew up in a tiny southwest Alaska village where he said his family had no phone and had to haul water from a nearby lake for cooking and bathing. Today, while he no longer has to fetch water, his lifestyle is not much different. He lives in a remote fishing community of about 430 people that he has called home for nearly half his life.
A retired teacher and school administrator, Hill has positioned himself as a working-class candidate who can relate to Alaskans’ frustrations with high fuel and other costs. He has made affordability and pushing back against billionaires a central theme in his campaign against Republican Nick Begich, who’s seeking a second term in Congress.
“We are pedal to the metal, making sure that every Alaskan knows about this campaign, every Alaskan knows what we stand for and every Alaskan knows that it’s really one of them going to Congress,” Hill told people at a campaign event this week in Juneau, wearing his standard campaign uniform of jeans, a zip-up vest and cap with a fishing company logo. “I need your help getting there.”
The race has become a concern for Republicans as they are trying to hold onto their majority in the U.S. House. Vice President JD Vance held a rally this week for Begich and Dan Sullivan, the U.S. senator who also is in a tight reelection race. President Trump is scheduled to do another in the coming week.
Begich and Republican political action committees have ratcheted up ad spending in the House race since the primary.
Hill, a first-time candidate who is Alaska Native, faces an incumbent from a prominent family long associated with the state’s politics. Begich’s late grandfather once held the state’s only U.S. House seat. Begich’s uncle Mark was a U.S. senator. Both were Democrats. Nick Begich is a lifelong Republican and has aligned himself with Trump, who has carried Alaska in his White House runs.
Hill’s campaign said he has traveled more than 20,000 miles in the state, including by plane, ferry and all-terrain vehicle, to introduce himself to voters and promote his message.
Begich’s name recognition presents a hurdle for Hill’s campaign, but some Democrats tried to clear a better path for Hill. One suspended his campaign before the August open primary and endorsed Hill. Two other Democrats with virtually no name recognition withdrew after the primary despite being in line to advance.
One candidate registered as a Democrat remains in the top four, Eric Hafner. He has no apparent ties to the state and is incarcerated in New York.
Hafner received 3.8% of the vote, enough to qualify for the ranked vote general election on Nov. 3. His submitted candidate biography appearing in state election materials makes no reference to his stint in federal prison, where he is serving time for making threats against police officers, judges and others.
Hill’s campaign has shared stickers showing Hafner in an orange jumpsuit and calling him a “fake ‘Democrat.’”
“We want to make sure that the Alaskan people are well-informed,” Hill said.
The contest has received national attention, with spending by groups that include the National Republican Congressional Committee and House Majority PAC, which seeks to flip the U.S. House to Democrats.
In early August, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., held a rally for Begich that was closed to reporters. Vance called Begich a “machine” and effective legislator during his rally in Fairbanks, where Vance also gave support to Sullivan, who faces a challenge from Democrat Mary Peltola, a former congresswoman.
Trump has cited Begich’s support of his signature package of tax breaks, social service cuts and immigration enforcement that was passed last year. The president plans to headline a rally Tuesday in Wasilla, hometown of Sarah Palin, the party’s 2008 vice presidential nominee.
Hill said the visits show Republicans are nervous.
“I was not going to get into this race to waste people’s time, to waste people’s money,” he said. “I did my due diligence before jumping in to ensure that there was a path to victory.”
Begich’s campaign did not respond to messages from the Associated Press. On social media, the campaign has highlighted events such as Begich’s visit to the Alaska State Fair and recently has taken swipes at Hill.
Zach Bannon, an NRCC spokesperson, said Begich has delivered “commonsense wins for Alaska,” including support of expanded oil and gas development. He called Hill a “far-left Democrat.”
Hill, who was endorsed by the Alaska Democratic Party, said he is a lifelong independent. He said he will not be beholden to a “party boss” or party line, and he rankled some voters earlier in the campaign by not explicitly saying which party he would caucus with in the House if he were elected.
He has said he is willing to work with anyone on what is best for Alaska. He also has called for bans on congressional stock trading and for limiting the influence of money in elections.
Hill said he wants to help build coalitions, saying he “can be a big part of a small group that makes big changes.”
Democrat Bill Brown came to the Juneau event planning to vote for Hill but wanting to talk with him directly. He said they aligned on numerous issues, including support for the environment, schools and ending “forever” wars.
The retired economics professor said policy is important, but in this political moment he finds himself “most interested in the integrity of the candidate. Bill Hill convinced me on that issue.”
Hill, who is Dena’ina Athabascan, said the top concerns he hears about from Alaskans are the price of fuel and overall cost of living. He said he had to fly home earlier this year and pump fuel oil from the textile manufacturing business he runs with his wife and bring it back to his house in a barrel because the community had run out.
He said fuel prices jumped from about $6.70 per gallon to about $9 per gallon after a barge shipment to his town earlier this year. Prices also have been higher elsewhere, particularly in communities accessible only by air or water. On social media, Hill’s campaign calls out Begich for his support of the Iran war as it posts photos of fuel prices around the state.
Steve Davis, a voter at Hill’s Juneau event this week, called him authentic and a “really good dude.” He said he was drawn to Hill in part because he wants to see Congress reclaim its oversight role. Hill drew applause during the gathering when he said Congress must reassert itself as a separate but equal branch of government.
“We don’t need a unified executive, we don’t need kings,” Davis said. “We need a Congress that actually functions.”
Bohrer writes for the Associated Press.
A MAJOR UK airport that sees millions of passengers through its doors each year could come to a complete halt this week.
A strike at Leeds Bradford Airport may mean that no flights will be able to land or depart across two days.
If it does go ahead as planned, then it will mean no flights will be able to land, depart and passengers won’t be able to pass security.
Nearly 130 workers are staging a walkout at Leeds Bradford Airport in a dispute over pay.
Those striking includes a mix of air traffic control workers, security, customer service and cleaners.
The industrial action is set to start on October 16 and last until 6am on Sunday 18.
There have been ongoing talks over pay since December 2025 but Unite members involved said it “didn’t go far enough”.
Unite regional officer Neil Whitaker said they had “no choice but to strike,” and what would be needed to call of the action is a “fair pay rise”.
In a statement from the airport, it said: “Leeds Bradford Airport acknowledges the proposed industrial action due to take place between 16-18 October involving a group of operational colleagues.
“We respect the right of employees to participate in lawful industrial action. However, we are disappointed by this and do not believe strike action is the right way to resolve the issues still under discussion.
“The airport has made what we believe is a fair and responsible offer that is significantly above inflation and reflects both current economic conditions and the need to ensure the long-term sustainability of the business.
“Our priority now is to minimise disruption for customers, many of whom have worked hard and saved for important holidays, family visits and business travel. At this stage we anticipate running near-normal operations during the period.”
“Leeds Bradford Airport plays a vital role in connecting Yorkshire to the world. Industrial action has the potential to cause inconvenience for thousands of customers and local businesses who rely on those connections.
“We remain committed to constructive dialogue with Unite and would welcome continued discussions aimed at reaching a resolution.
“It is important to recognise that any profits generated by Leeds Bradford Airport are reinvested back into the airport and has been for a number of years. Those funds support improvements to facilities, infrastructure, operations and customer experience including the ongoing LBA:REGEN project which saw the opening of a new central search zone and staff welfare facilities this week.”
The airport is predicted to handle 4.5million passengers this year, after undergoing a huge £100million terminal renovation last year.
The terminal was renovated with a modern arrivals process with 83 per cent more seating and two premium lounges.
A look at your rights if a flight is delayed or cancelled, when your entitled to compensation and if your travel insurance can cover the costs.
What are my rights if my flight is cancelled or delayed?
Under UK law, airlines have to provide compensation if your flight arrives at its destination more than three hours late.
If you’re flying to or from the UK, your airline must let you choose a refund or an alternative flight.
You will be able to get your money back for the part of your ticket that you haven’t used yet.
So if you booked a return flight and the outbound leg is cancelled, you can get the full cost of the return ticket refunded.
But if travelling is essential, then your airline has to find you an alternative flight. This could even be with another airline.
When am I not entitled to compensation?
The airline doesn’t have to give you a refund if the flight was cancelled due to reasons beyond their control, such as extreme weather.
Disruptions caused by things like extreme weather, airport or air traffic control employee strikes or other ‘extraordinary circumstances’ are not eligible for compensation.
Some airlines may stretch the definition of “extraordinary circumstances” but you can challenge them through the aviation regulator the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
Will my insurance cover me if my flight is cancelled?
If you can’t claim compensation directly through the airline, your travel insurance may refund you.
Policies vary so you should check the small print, but a delay of eight to 12 hours will normally mean you qualify for some money from your insurer.
Remember to get written confirmation of your delay from the airport as your insurer will need proof.
If your flight is cancelled entirely, you’re unlikely to be covered by your insurance.
FabrikaCr
Asian equity markets traded mixed on Monday following an overnight gains on Wall Street driven by expectations of a robust corporate earnings season.
U.S. stock futures edged higher during Asian trading hours, with Dow futures up 0.36%, S&P 500 futures gaining 0.31%, and Nasdaq
A look at the top 25 high school football teams in the Southland after Week 6:
Rk. School (record) result; Next game; last week’s ranking
1. SANTA MARGARITA (7-0) def. Servite, 27-3; at St. John Bosco, Friday; 1
2. ST. JOHN BOSCO (6-1) def. Orange Lutheran, 28-14; vs. Santa Margarita, Friday; 2
3. SIERRA CANYON (7-0) def. Gardena Serra, 58-0; at Chaminade, Friday; 3
4. CORONA CENTENNIAL (4-3) def. Murrieta Valley, 42-20; vs. Norco, Thursday; 4
5. MATER DEI (5-2) def. JSerra, 41-7; at Servite, Thursday; 5
6. MISSION VIEJO (6-1) def. Yorba Linda, 27-26; at San Clemente, Friday; 6
7. ORANGE LUTHERAN (4-3) lost to St. John Bosco, 28-14; vs. JSerra, Friday; 7
8. SAN CLEMENTE (7-0) def. Los Alamitos, 40-0; vs. Mission Viejo, Friday; 8
9. CORONA DEL MAR (7-0) def. Tustin, 28-14; at Capistrano Valley, Friday; 12
10. JSERRA (4-3) lost to Mater Dei, 41-7; at Orange Lutheran, Friday; 10
11. SERVITE (3-4) lost to Santa Margarita, 27-3; vs. Mater Dei, Thursday; 11
12. BISHOP AMAT (6-1) def. Chaminade, 28-7; at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, Friday; 13
13. LA SERNA (6-1) def. La Mirada, 56-19; vs. Cerritos, Friday; 14
14. CREAN LUTHERAN (5-2) def. Capistrano Valley, 30-22; vs. La Habra, Friday; 15
15. INGLEWOOD (7-1) def. Palos Verdes, 26-23; vs. Redondo Union, Friday; NR
16. PALOS VERDES (6-1) lost to Inglewood, 26-23; at Mira Costa, Thursday; 9
17. SHERMAN OAKS NOTRE DAME (7-0) def Loyola, 49-21; vs. Bishop Amat, Friday; 23
18. CARSON (6-1) def. Banning, 41-3; at Narbonne, Friday; 16
19. CHAMINADE (5-2) lost to Bishop Amat, 28-7; vs. Sierra Canyon, Friday; 18
20. HUNTINGTON BEACH (7-0) def Dana Hills, 21-16; at Western, Thursday; 20
21. SAN JACINTO (7-0) def. Tahquitz, 48-7; at Elsinore, Thursday; 21
22. GARDENA SERRA (3-4) lost to Sierra Canyon, 58-0; at Loyola, Friday; 19
23. ORANGE (7-0) def. Segerstrom, 53-7; at Beckman, Friday; 22
24. SAN JUAN HILLS (6-1) def. Huntington Beach Edison, 28-20; vs. Yorba Linda, Thursday; NR
25. CAPISTRANO VALLEY (6-1) lost to Crean Lutheran, 30-22; vs. Corona del Mar, Friday; 24
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
(Games at 7 p.m. unless noted)
MONDAY’S SCHEDULE
CITY SECTION
Northern League
Franklin at Eagle Rock
THURSDAY’S SCHEDULE
SOUTHERN SECTION
Alliance League
South El Monte vs. Alhambra at SoFi Stadium, 8:30 p.m.
Alpha League
San Juan Hills at Yorba Linda
Bay League
Palos Verdes at Mira Costa
Big West League
Corona Santiago at Corona
Eastvale Roosevelt at Riverside King
Norco at Corona Centennial
Bravo League
Tustin vs. Villa Park at SoFi Stadium, 5 p.m.
Delta League
Huntington Beach at Western
Desert Empire League
Shadow Hills at Palm Desert
Desert Sky League
Adelanto at Victor Valley
Barstow at Silverado
Epsilon League
Brea Olinda at Santa Ana Foothill
Golden League
Knight at Antelope Valley
Inland Valley League
Arlington at Hemet
Ivy League
Liberty at Rancho Christian
Orange Vista at Vista del Lago
Lambda League
Sonora at Santa Ana Calvary Chapel
Manzanita League
Nuview Bridge at Hamilton
Metro League
Bell Gardens at El Monte
Mojave River League
Oak Hills at Sultana
Montview League
Azusa at Hacienda Heights Wilson
Ontario at La Puente
Sierra Vista at Duarte
Mountain Pass League
San Jacinto at Elsinore
Omicron League
Garden Grove at Irvine University
Pioneer League
West Torrance at Torrance
River Valley League
Jurupa Valley at Rubidoux
Miller at Norte Vista
San Andreas League
Kaiser at Rim of the World
Sigma League
Costa Mesa at Rancho Alamitos
Sunbelt League
Valley View at Perris
Valle Vista League
Alta Loma at Diamond Ranch
Chino at San Dimas
Los Osos at Claremont
8-MAN
INTERSECTIONAL
Bakersfield Valley Oaks Charter vs. Milken at Birmingham, 5 p.m.
FRIDAY’S SCHEDULE
CITY SECTION
Central League
Hollywood at Contreras
Mendez at Bernstein
Roybal at Maywood CES
Coliseum League
King/Drew at Crenshaw
Washington Prep at Marquez
Eastern League
Bell at Legacy
Los Angeles Roosevelt at South East
South Gate at Garfield
East Valley League
Fulton at Arroyo
Monroe at San Valley Poly
North Hollywood at Grant
Verdugo Hills at Arleta
Exposition League
Manual Arts at Fremont
Marine League
Carson at Narbonne
Gardena at San Pedro
Metro League
Los Angeles Jordan at Hawkins
Rancho Dominguez at Locke
Northern League
Los Angeles Marshall at Lincoln
Los Angeles Wilson at Eagle Rock
Southern League
Belmont at West Adams
Diego Rivera at Torres
Valley Mission League
Granada Hills Kennedy at Canoga Park
Reseda at Van Nuys
San Fernando at Sylmar
Western League
Fairfax at Los Angeles University
Los Angeles Hamilton at Palisades
Westchester at Venice
West Valley League
El Camino Real at Chatsworth
Granada Hills at Birmingham
Taft at Cleveland
Nonleague
Santee at Angelou
SOUTHERN SECTION
Almont League
Montebello at San Gabriel
Alpha League
Los Alamitos at Edison
Mission Viejo at San Clemente
Angelus League
Cathedral at Bishop Montgomery
St. Paul at St. Francis
St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy at Paraclete
Arroyo League
La Canada at Burbank
Monrovia at Muir
Baseline League
Damien at Upland
Rancho Cucamonga ar Etiwanda
Bay League
Redondo Union at Inglewood
Big West League
Chaparral at Murrieta Mesa
Great Oak at Temecula Valley
Vista Murrieta at Murrieta Valley
Boulder League
Gabrielino at South Pasadena
Bravo League
Corona del Mar at Capistrano Valley
La Habra vs. Crean Lutheran at SoFi Stadium, 8:30 p.m.
Boulder League
Burbank Burroughs at San Marino
Pasadena at Crescenta Valley
Camino Real League
Mary Star of the Sea at Cantwell-Sacred Heart
St. Genevieve at St. Bernard
St. Monica at Verbum Dei
Channel League
Moorpark at Thousand Oaks
Oak Park at Buena
Westlake at Ventura
Citrus Belt League
Cajon at Beaumont
Citrus Valley at Yucaipa
Redlands at Redlands East Valley
Citrus Coast League
Channel Islands at Del Sol
Grace at Carpinteria
Santa Clara at Nordhoff
Coast 101 League
Agoura at Camarillo
Calabasas at Oxnard
Conference 12 League
Mountain View at Keppel
Conejo Coast League
Rio Mesa at Santa Barbara
Cottonwood League
Vasquez at Riverside Prep
Webb at Riverside Notre Dame
Whittier Christian at Arrowhead Christian
Crest League
Glendale at Temple City
Hoover at Arcadia
Del Rey League
Alemany at Harvard-Westlake
La Salle at Salesian
St. Anthony at Crespi
Delta League
Dana Hills at Laguna Beach
Troy at El Modena
Desert Empire League
La Quinta at Palm Springs
Xavier Prep at Rancho Mirage
Desert Valley League
Coachella Valley at Desert Hot Springs
Yucca Valley at Banning
Epsilon League
Newport Harbor at Aliso Niguel
Tesoro at Trabuco Hills
Foothill League
Hart at Castaic
Saugus vs. West Ranch at Valencia
Valencia at Canyon Country Canyon
Foxtrot League
El Toro at Irvine
Orange at Beckman
Segerstrom at El Dorado
Gano League
Don Lugo at Montclair
Nogales at Walnut
Rowland at Chaffey
Gateway League
Cerritos at La Serna
Downey at La Mirada
Mayfair at Warren
Gold Coast League
Viewpoint at Rio Hondo Prep
Golden League
Eastside at Littlerock
Golden Valley League
Highland at Quartz Hill
Lancaster at Palmdale
Hacienda League
Los Altos at Covina
South Hills at Diamond Bar
West Covina at Baldwin Park
Hub City League
Compton Early College at Dominguez
Inland Valley League
Citrus Hills at Canyon Springs
Lakeside at Heritage
Iota League
La Palma Kennedy at Garden Grove Pacifica
Marina at Cypress
Northwood at Laguna Hills
Ironwood League
Cerritos Valley Christian at Aquinas
Village Christian at Capistrano Valley Christian
Western Christian at Heritage Christian
Kappa League
Anaheim Canyon at Esperanza
Fullerton at Portola
St. Margaret’s at Sunny Hills
Lambda League
Fountain Valley at Westminster
Placentia Valencia at Woodbridge
Manzanita League
Desert Chapel at St. Joseph Academy
Silver Valley at San Jacinto Valley Academy
Marmonte League
Newbury Park at Simi Valley
Oaks Christian at St. Bonaventure
Oxnard Pacifica at Bishop Diego
Mesquite League
Desert Christian Academy at Maranatha
Linfield Christian at Santa Rosa Academy
Metro League
El Rancho at Schurr
Mid-Cities League
Bellflower at Paramount
California at Gahr
Santa Fe at Norwalk
Miramonte League
Garey at Ganesha
Pomona at Bassett
Mission League
Bishop Amat at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame
Gardena Serra vs. Loyola a SoFi Stadium, 5 p.m.
Sierra Canyon at Chaminade
Mission Valley League
Rosemead at Arroyo
Mojave River League
Ridgecrest Burroughs at Apple Valley
Serrano at Hesperia
Moore League
Lakewood at Long Beach Wilson
Long Beach Cabrillo at Compton
Long Beach Jordan at Millikan
Mountain Valley League
La Sierra at San Bernardino
Mountain View League
Temescal Canyon at West Valley
Ocean League
Hawthorne at Beverly Hills
South Torrance at Lawndale
Omicron League
Buena Park at Santa Ana
Estancia at Los Amigos
Pioneer League
North Torrance at Culver City
Santa Monica at El Segundo
Rio Vista League
Firebaugh at Lynwood
Pioneer at Whittier
River Valley League
Pacific at Patriot
Ramona at Big Bear
San Andreas League
Colton at Rialto
Sierra League
Ayala at Bonita
Glendora at Charter Oak
Northview at Colony
Sigma League
Katella at Saddleback
Ocean View at Anaheim
605 League
Artesia at Glenn
Skyline League
Bloomington at Fontana
Carter at San Gorgonio
Indian Springs at Arroyo Valley
Sunbelt League
Hillcrest at Paloma Valley
Riverside North at Moreno Valley
Sunkist League
Jurupa Hills at Eisenhower
Summit at Grand Terrace
Sun Valley League
Indio at Desert Mirage
Twentynine Palms at Cathedral City
Tango League
Godinez at Garden Grove Santiago
La Quinta at Savanna
Loara at Santa Ana Valley
Tri-County League
Hueneme at San Marcos
Royal at Fillmore
Santa Paula at Dos Pueblos
Trinity League
JSerra vs. Orange Lutheran at Orange Coast College
Mater Dei vs. Servite at Cerritos College
Santa Margarita at St. John Bosco
INTERSECTIONAL
Brentwood at Jefferson
Carson City Sierra Lutheran (Nevada) at Trinity Classical Academy
California Lutheran at Francis Parker
8-MAN
CITY SECTION
City League
Animo Robinson at Stella
New Designs University Park at USC Hybrid, 3 p.m.
Valley League
East Valley at Valley Oaks CES
SOUTHERN SECTION
Agape League
Academy of Careers & Exploration at PAL Academy
Express League
Downey Calvary Chapel at Avalon
Vista Meridian at Southlands Christian
Freelance League
Malibu at Villanova Prep
Heritage League
Faith Baptist at Lancaster Baptist
Majestic League
Cornerstone Christian at United Christian Academy
Tri-Valley League
Flintridge Prep at Chadwick, 3 p.m.
INTERSECTIONAL
Bakersfield Legacy Christian Academy at Maricopa
Entrepreneur at Borego Springs
SATURDAY’S SCHEDULE
SOUTHERN SECTION
Ivy League
Rancho Verde at Riverside Poly
Manzanita League
California Military Institute at Temecula Prep
8-MAN
SOUTHERN SECTION
Agape League
Lucerne Valley at Hesperia Christian, 6 p.m.
Coast Valley League
Coast Union at San Luis Obispo Classical Academy, 6 p.m.
Express League
Downey Calvary Chapel at Avalon, 1 p.m.
Heritage League
Desert Christian at Santa Clarita Christian
Summit League
Calvary Baptist at River Springs
Tri-Valley League
Pasadena Poly at Thacher, 3:30 p.m.
Sage Hill at Cate, 2 p.m.
Oh, Strictly. Home of the both the most bizarre and glorious dances known to man. Over the years we’ve seen some incredible routines – ones that brought a tear to the eye, ones that made us double over with laughter, and ones that made our jaws drop.
Many have been watched again and again online. Here are six that broke the internet:
Faye Tozer and Giovanni Pernice’s Charleston
This charleston, choreographed the The Lonely Goatherd, is amongst the most iconic, inventive, and technically brilliant performances the programme has ever witnessed. Bruno hailed it a “theatrical masterpiece” and urged them to “take it to Broadway”. Darcey Bussell emphasised how remarkable it was that a specific movement had been crafted for every single beat of the music.
(Image: BBC)
Lewis Cope and Katya Jones’ Couple’s Choice
Lewis and Katya’s Couple’s Choice to a jazz version of Radiohead’s Creep during Series 23 proved to be one of the defining, standout moments of that series. The performance moved many viewers and judges to tears, with commentators and former professionals hailing it as one of the most unforgettable Couple’s Choice routines in Strictly history.
(Image: BBC)
Danny Mac and Oti Mabuse’s Samba
Who can forget the first samba to earn a 40 on Strictly? Oti crafted professional-level choreography, and Danny delivered fluid hip isolations and relentless energy that matched her step-for-step.
(Image: BBC/Guy Levy)
Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice’s Couple’s Choice
Their Couple’s Choice routine is widely regarded as one of the most powerful, moving, and culturally significant moments in British television history. Performed in Week 8 to “Symphony” by Clean Bandit ft. Zara Larsson, the contemporary routine was dedicated to the Deaf community.
At the midpoint of the routine, as the music swelled to its peak, the sound cut out entirely, leaving a silence lasting roughly 20 seconds while Rose and Giovanni continued dancing in perfect unison.
(Image: BBC)
Bill Bailey and Oti Mabuse’s Couple’s Choice
Bill, a 55-year-old actor and comedian initially regarded as the “novelty” or wildcard contestant of the series, astonished everyone with his remarkable sense of rhythm, musicality, and dedication. The performance immediately went viral on social media and established Bill as a genuine contender for the series title.
(Image: BBC)
Aston Merrygold and Janette Manrar’s Salsa
The choreography showcased numerous breathtaking overhead lifts and spins, capitalising fully on Janette’s mastery of Latin theatrical work. Their salsa proved hugely popular with audiences and achieved an impressive score, though it later became a focal point of debate within the series, as only three weeks later, Aston and Janette were knocked out.
(Image: BBC)
