47 m. ago Morning Live's Gethin Jones bids farewell as he confirms break from BBC show

Gethin Jones and Helen Skelton presenter Friday's instalment of Morning Live.

Economics

62 m. ago Donald Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ is the ultimate betrayal of his base | Sidney Blumenthal

The measure exposes the most elaborate charade in recent US political history. But betrayal is Trump’s operating principleDonald Trump’s so-called “big, beautiful bill”, which will eviscerate the living standards, healthcare and aspirations of his white, working-class base, conclusively draws the curtain down on his Maga populist conceit, the most elaborate charade in recent American political history.The price will be staggering: $1tn in cuts to Medicaid; throwing 17 million people off health coverage closing rural hospitals and women’s health clinics; battering food assistance for families, children and veterans; the virtual destruction of US solar and wind energy manufacturing; limiting access to financial aid for college; and, according to the Yale Budget Lab, adding $3tn to the national debt over the next decade, inexorably leading to raised interest rates, which will depress the housing market. These are the harsh, brutal and undeniable realities of Trumpism in the glare of da...

Politics

1 hour ago BBC 'faces being sued by up to 60 MasterChef contestants who fear Gregg Wallace's final series will never now be aired'

The sacked presenter, 60, was banned from working for the Beeb yesterday in a scathing dismissal letter following a damning independent review and a nine-month sexual-misconduct investigation.

Culture

2 h. ago The Open organisers agree to use of Spidercam on 18th green at Portrush

Major will be first time the technology is used in golfCamera will capture the walk up to the final hole in detailThe R&A has installed a Spidercam above the 18th green at Portrush for next week’s Open – the first time the technology has been used in golf.The four-point wire-cam system has been suspended above the final hole using four 25-metre-high pylons and will be used to provide spectacular aerial views and unique angles of play, as well as capturing the Open champion’s final walk up the 18th in unprecedented detail. Continue reading...

Politics

2 h. ago Airport cleaners caught stealing booze and cigarettes from planes when secret cameras installed

Sub contracted employees were caught by secret cameras installed after suspicions were raised

Events

3 h. ago Kokoroko: Tuff Times Never Last review – ruminative jazz outfit get stuck in a relaxed rut

(Brownswood)The London collective have an easygoing, ruminative sound – briefly lifted here by moments of lively counterpoint – that can feel all too placidSince breaking out with their 2018 track Abusey Junction, London jazz collective Kokoroko have become known for a soothing brand of improvised instrumentals. Blending whispered melodies with muted horns, downtempo hand percussion and shades of highlife guitar, theirs is an easygoing, ruminative sound. Their 2022 debut album, Could We Be More, continued in the same vein, full of warm brass and gently layered vocal harmony.So does their latest effort, Tuff Times Never Last. Across its 11 tracks of , tempos rarely exceed 100bpm, wallowing in tranquil bass lines and languorous grooves. The group establish a confident and comforting tone, playing through the lullaby vocal harmonies of Never Lost, the slowed guitar of Closer to Me and Rhodes piano reverberations on My Father in Heaven. Continue reading...

Politics

3 h. ago Phase Space: Degrees of Freedom review | Safi Bugel's experimental album of the month

(Phase Space)Switching wonky techno for spacious abstraction, Gwenan Spearing debuts a new alias on an EP of uncanny generative electronicsAfter establishing herself as a techno DJ in some of the wonkiest corners of underground dance music, Gwenan Spearing has spent the last few years settling into slower, more abstract territory. Alongside her club sets, she co-organises an ambient deep listening series in Berlin and spends her spare time experimenting with modular synthesis. Phase Space is the latest expression of this interest, a project rooted in generative electronics and real-time responses.Degrees of Freedom is Spearing’s first outing under this new alias: an EP of meandering ambient tracks that blur the lines between electronic and acoustic as instruments are sampled, warped and overdubbed through her synthesiser. On the subaquatic opening track Sync, cowbells are stretched and delayed beyond recognition against a pulsing analogue rhythm. Towards the end of Some Pluck, a den...

Politics

5 h. ago Bless Me Father by Kevin Rowland review – the Dexys Midnight Runners frontman tells all

A picaresque story of massive success and deep despair that Rowland narrates with an impressive lack of self-pityIn the summer of 1979, Dexys Midnight Runners were a band you would have been hard-pushed to describe as anything other than unique. Their sound was a pugilistic update of classic 60s soul, topped with frontman Kevin Rowland’s extraordinary vocals, impassioned to the point that he permanently sounded on the verge of tears. It was fervent and a little retro, perfect for a musical climate in which mod and ska revivals were already bubbling. But Dexys’ image threw a spanner in the works. “I wore a white 1930s shirt and big baggy light-grey trousers tucked into white football socks just below the knee to give the effect of ‘plus fours’,” writes Rowland of a typical outfit. “I wore pink Mary Jane ballet shoes and my hair swept back, Valentino style.”Other members appear on stage clad in jodhpurs and satin harem pants. The disparity between how they sound and how...

Politics

6 h. ago Josh Barrie On the Sauce at Dante: Take two icons and serve over ice

A New York legend comes to Claridge’s. Josh Barrie goes in for a Garibaldi

Politics

12 h. ago Skirly Crag by Helen Percy: Chaplain who found solace with a different kind of flock

Helen Percy's beautiful new book sheds light on life as a shepherdess and the interesting ways in which washing up liquid can be used when birthing a lamb.

Politics

12 h. ago Super Stimulated by Nicklas Brendborg: The secret super stimuli behind your bad habits

Can't stop scrolling or snacking? You're not weak-willed, you're being manipulated by big business, says a top scientist

Politics

12 h. ago Unforgettable and impossible to resist: The best Thrillers out now: A Murder in Paris by Matthew Blake, Love, Mom by Iliana Xander, Deadline by Steph McGovern

Geoffrey Wansell reviews the best Thrillers out now.

Events

12 h. ago Brilliant contemporary novels to read this summer: Bitter Sweet by Hattie Williams, Food Person by Adam Roberts, The Greatest Possible Good by Ben Brooks

Sara Lawrence reviews the best contemporary novels out now.

Politics

13 h. ago Donald Trump's top general 'p****** everyone off' as UK nuclear submarine deal on brink

Elbridge Colby, the Pentagon's Deputy Under Secretary of Defence for Policy, has unilaterally launched a review of the AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine deal after expressing his scepticism

Politics

13 h. ago Scientists crack mystery of 'interstellar object' racing through our solar system

A renowned physicist believes he's cracked the mystery of where a giant unidentified object hurtling through our solar system came from.

Politics

15 h. ago Grok, fresh off its antisemitic turn, is being installed in Teslas by next week

Update comes after Musk’s xAI company unveiled latest Grok artificial intelligence model

Politics

15 h. ago Duchess Sophie makes touching scarf gesture at memorial to Srebrenica Genocide

Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, travelled to Bosnia and Herzegovina today - and she made a poignant gesture while visiting the Mother's Scarf art installation at Sarajevo City Hall

Politics

16 h. ago Review: Facelifted Genesis GV70 Electrified adds new trims and luxury tech

The refreshed Genesis GV70 Electrified might be a rare sight on UK roads, but with serious style, luxury tech and nearly 300 miles of range, it’s a bold alternative to Audi and Porsche.

Politics

16 h. ago Solar eclipse 2026: A traveller’s guide to the best places to be when the light goes out

The path of totality will carve an arc of darkness across the surface of our planet – at the height of the August tourist season

Politics

17 h. ago Huawei Watch 5 review: A sleek, futuristic smartwatch with cutting

Discover the futuristic and innovative features of the Huawei Watch 5, reviewed in-depth for its design, functionality and value

Politics