The 2028 election is more than two years away, but speculating about who will be the first person in over a decade not named Donald Trump to appear atop the Republican ticket appears to be the 47th president’s favorite parlor game.

Trump on Monday conducted an informal straw poll of visiting law enforcement officials and other allies whom he’d gathered for dinner on the slate patio where the White House Rose Garden was until he tore it up and paved it over last year.

The question? Whether they prefer Vice President JD Vance or Secretary of State Marco Rubio as the next GOP presidential candidate.

After opining about the current state of the Democratic Party’s bench and laying into California Governor Gavin Newsom over a months-old interview, Trump dismissed the potential 2028 opposition to a MAGA successor as “a lot of beauties.”

Turning to Vance, Trump said: “JD, I envy you — and other people.”

“I don’t know who’s it going to be — Is it going to be JD, is it going to be somebody else? I don’t know,” he said.

The president then turned to his guests for their views.

“Okay, who likes JD Vance?”

After diners responded with tepid applause, Trump asked another question: “Who likes Marco Rubio?”

The crowd’s response was slightly more muted.

At that point, Trump appeared to have had his fun, telling the loyalists arrayed before him that a Vance-Rubio ticket sounded good to him.

“JD, this is a perfect that was a perfect ticket. By the way. I do believe that’s a dream team, but these are minor details,” he said.

But lest his vice president get any delusions of grandeur, the president then cautioned him: “That does not mean you have my endorsement under any circumstance!”

Trump’s dinner emcee act echoed what The New York Times has reported to be a familiar survey he’s put to guests at his Mar-a-Lago club during his frequent visits there, asking his friends and colleagues to pick which of the two top officials should succeed him.

Vance, 41, is largely considered the frontrunner to take the reins of Trump’s legacy due to his popularity among moderate Republicans. But 54-year-old Rubio’s decades of political experience and multifaceted role in the current administration have resonated with many voters.

The president only poses the question for fun, Trump advisers have said, according to the New York Times, and often suggests the two men, whom he refers to as “kids,” should run on the same ticket.

But the consistent conversations around Vance and Rubio have ignited debates, especially as both men take on more public-facing roles.

Vance has taken a larger step into foreign affairs, helping lead so-far unsuccessful peace negotiations with Iran and attempting to rally support for Viktor Orbán, the former Hungarian leader who lost his re-election bid.

Recently, Vance has been deployed to rallies in the Midwest to connect with voters ahead of the midterms. The vice president’s background growing up in a white working-class Appalachian family has helped him engage with voters. But his recent stumbling through a speech in Iowa attracted negative attention.

Once a self-described “never Trump guy,” Vance’s progression to becoming Trump’s running mate mirrors much of the Republican Party’s feelings toward Trump between 2015 and now.

After being heckled at a Turning Point USA event in April, Vance struck an understanding tone with young voters who disagree with the administration’s stance on the Iran war.

“I’m not saying you have to agree with me on every issue. What I am saying is don’t get disengaged because you disagree with the administration on one topic,” Vance said.

Rubio, an ex-Florida senator who unsuccessfully sought the presidency in the crowded 2016 primary that eventually crowned Trump as the GOP standard-bearer, has less of a high profile despite his years in public service in Florida’s legislature and the U.S. Senate.

But his time in the Trump administration has seen him become the subject of a running joke stemming from the many roles he fills while also serving as head of the State Department.

In addition to his Senate-confirmed job, making him fourth in line to the presidency, he is also the first person since Henry Kissinger to serve as both Secretary of State and the White House National Security Adviser.

But Rubio has also had stints, now complete, as acting Archivist to the United States and acting head of the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Each time a new role opens up — in the White House or elsewhere — social media erupts with AI-generated images of Rubio taking on those roles, from the Secretary of Homeland Security or Attorney General to the Supreme Leader of Iran or head of Spirit Airlines.

His status as a wearer of many hats has cemented him as a trusted leader in the administration. Already, Rubio is intimately involved in foreign affairs, assisting in discussions with Iran and leading efforts to reform Cuba’s communist government.

And while he’s infamously been cut out of high-stakes negotiations over the Russia-Ukraine and Iran wars in favor of Trump’s friend Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner, Rubio has nonetheless stepped into a more public spokesman role recently by leading the White House press briefing with jokes and making a public display of amends with Pope Leo XIV.

But the Secretary of State, who remains a close friend of Vance’s from their shared time in the Senate, has publicly stated that he would not run against the vice president if he chose to seek the presidency.

“If JD Vance runs for president, he’s going to be our nominee, and I’ll be one of the first people to support him,” Rubio said in a Vanity Fair interview last year.

Neidle, who has investigated the tax affairs of several politicians, looked into Polanski’s situation and wrote on his Tax Policy Associates website this week: “If, as seems likely, that was his main residence, then Mr Polanski and his partner should have paid council tax there.”

Ms Foy, who was elected as MP for the City of Durham in 2019, became the latest parliamentarian to call for Sir Keir Starmer’s resignation following damaging local election results in May which saw the party lose badly in Newcastle, Gateshead, Sunderland, South Tyneside and Hartlepool.

Three Government aides resigned on Monday evening – Joe Morris, a parliamentary private secretary (PPS) to Health Secretary Wes Streeting, and Tom Rutland, a PPS to Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds, urged the Prime Minister to set out a timetable for his departure.

Ms Foy said: “After listening to the Prime Minister carefully this morning, I’ve decided to offer my honest opinion about the situation we currently find ourselves in.”

She claimed “no one listened” to her various warnings about the state of the government impacting local election results both last year and this month.

(Image: UGC)

“Backbench MPs like me have felt consistently ignored, disappointingly branded the ‘usual suspects’ who aren’t ‘playing the team game’,” she said.

“My heart breaks at the current state of the party I’ve called my political home for my entire life and I’m embarrassed by the never-ending sound bites from Cabinet Ministers stating they don’t hear issues about the leadership on the doorstep.

“Perhaps they should knock on the same doors I have, but their lack of interest in listening to backbench colleagues has been made abundantly clear.

“Apologies won’t cut it any longer. I know I might disappoint some Labour members by saying this, but we’ve reached an existential crisis.

“Labour lies on its death bed – with the only realistic cure being a change in direction and a change in leadership.”

Ms Foy is the latest North East MP to call on Sir Keir to step down, following earlier calls from Jonathan Brash, Kate Osborne, Andy McDonald, Luke Myer and Mr Morris, among others.

In a speech in central London on Monday, Sir Keir said he took “responsibility” for the losses but would fight on.

Monday’s address had been billed as a move to set out sweeping changes needed to tackle the “big challenges” facing Britain, and was widely seen as a “make-or-break” moment for the Prime Minister.

Sir Keir set out a number of measures including legislation to nationalise British Steel, a ban on “far-right agitators” coming to the UK for a planned march on Saturday and a plan to put the UK “at the heart of Europe”.

The UK’s local elections saw the Green Party gain 440 councillors across England and win its first two elected mayors. They will join many councillors from all parties who will have to confront the same question: what can any one local authority actually do about climate change?

If they ask what they are required to do, the answer is: surprisingly little. In the UK’s highly centralised system, most responsibility lies with central government. Local authorities in England have no specific climate duties or targets – even though they have asked for them.

Ask instead what councils can do, and the answer is very different. Powers over things such as planning, business development, transport and social care, open up a huge range of opportunities to contribute to climate action. There are hundreds of initiatives driven or supported by local politicians which could provide vital inspiration to newly elected councillors.

Global problem, local action

For instance, local authorities across Cambridgeshire have worked together on a plan to boost home energy efficiency, providing help and funding to householders to fit heat pumps, cut energy use and bills, and creating green jobs.

The Robin is a new transport service in rural Gloucestershire that can be booked on demand, to fill in gaps in formal transport provision and reduce isolation for rural dwellers who don’t have access to a car. Leeds City Council has partnered with private energy companies to develop Pipes, a city-wide district heating network. Some local authorities, including North Somerset and Sheffield, have even banned advertising of high-carbon products and services such as petrol cars and flights.

In Lawrence Weston, a relatively low-income area of Bristol, local government and a community organisation worked together to build the UK’s largest onshore wind turbine, which ploughs its revenues back into the community.

In Hull, an area prone to flooding, the council is working closely with local residents to protect them from increasingly extreme weather, through sustainable urban drainage systems, and a “floodmobile” which engages with local communities to discuss how best to protect households and gains vital feedback from people’s experiences.

People want more action

My local town council, Kendal, held a citizens’ jury in 2020, to ask residents what Kendal should be doing about climate change. It was one of the first of many local assemblies and juries to involve a randomly selected group of ordinary people in climate decision-making.

My research group has pulled together the findings of over 30 of these processes. It found that people want more action on climate and support more ambitious policies on transport, home energy and green space. They want the opportunity to be more involved in the decisions that affect them.

Since Kendal’s jury, the town council has used its very limited budget to create more allotments, set up a bike maintenance hub, and support a community-run café that uses surplus food from supermarkets to serve pay-as-you-can meals.

These examples, from cities, towns and rural areas, involving councillors of all political persuasions, show what can be done by a determined local authority. What they have in common is they connect climate goals to immediate local benefits: lower bills, better transport, more green space and help for families struggling to make ends meet.

But there are limits

While it’s important to celebrate these successes, there’s a need to attach a substantial health warning. Each initiative has relied on a determined council officials, elected members, and community and business support. Nearly all need external funding, which is increasingly hard to come by. Local councils’ own budgets are under constant pressure, and there are fewer staff in post. Funding per person has decreased by 18% since the 2010s. Remember that councils have no formal duties to reduce emissions – and it’s easy to understand why many feel they need to prioritise elsewhere.

It’s also an uncomfortable, rarely discussed, truth that some things local councils do actually make it harder to meet our climate objectives. Examples include planning policies which increase car dependence through low-density housing and out-of-town developments, poor transport planning which makes walking and cycling more dangerous, and support for high-carbon industrial development. We may have a climate crisis on our hands, but with limited budgets and an increasingly fraught political arena, there is a huge temptation for local councillors to look the other way.

Given this mixed and confusing picture, one of the things a new councillor could do to have the most impact would be to lobby for clear climate-related responsibilities, targets and funding for local areas. This would provide firmer foundations for local areas to act, would raise the floor, to ensure that all local areas were playing their part, and would standardise reporting so that we could compare and learn what results in the best outcomes for climate, people and nature.

Perhaps targets, funding and reporting is not the best rallying cry for climate action, but it would be the best way to make sure that these exceptional initiatives that have sprung up across England could become the norm – not the exception.

Alice O’Keeffe, head of books for The Bookseller and chairwoman of the books of the year, said the judges “championed” Ms Giuffre’s memoir, adding: “With this award we recognise the late author’s extraordinary courage and determination, supported by (publisher) Doubleday’s sensitive campaign. #BelieveHer.”

Tucked away in Cumbria’s Lake District, the charming village has been named the UK’s fastest-growing travel hotspot for summer 2026 by TripAdvisor, and it’s easy to see why

The Lake District is a much-cherished national park that attracts thousands of visitors year after year, yet one of its more modest villages has largely flown under the radar for many of today’s travellers.

Despite being steeped in history and culture, Grasmere rarely features on the average tourist’s bucket list — certainly less so than the likes of Cornwall, Devon, or popular UK city breaks. Indeed, when it comes to the district’s 16 major lakes, Windermere remains the most visited and well-known, followed by Ullswater and Derwentwater.

Yet the quaint village appears to be enjoying something of a renaissance. TripAdvisor’s Summer Travel Index for 2026 has revealed the destinations proving most popular among British travellers next summer — and the charming village of Grasmere has been crowned the fastest-growing.

Nestled within Cumbria at the heart of the Lake District, this picture-postcard village has a great deal to offer those seeking a break immersed in nature, with just the right number of spots to sit back and recharge.

The founder of Lonely Planet described the village as an “absolutely beautiful corner of the world” — a sentiment apparently shared by many, including the celebrated poet William Wordsworth.

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He lived peacefully in Grasmere from 1799 to 1813, at Dove Cottage, alongside his well-known sister, Dorothy. It was here that the great writer drew inspiration for and penned some of his most celebrated works, famously describing Grasmere as “the loveliest spot that man hath ever found”.

The Lake

The lake itself sits beside the village that shares its name, ranking among the smaller stretches of water in the Lake District. Stretching just over a mile in length, it offers small rowing boats along its banks, allowing visitors to venture out and take in the lake from its very centre.

At the heart of the lake lies a tiny island, where it is believed Wordsworth would enjoy picnics. Now under private ownership and closed to the public, it nevertheless adds a rather charming touch to the already tranquil setting.

A recent visitor shared on Tripadvisor: “We added a little stroll along Lake Grasmere from Rydal water. Pretty easy walk, and mostly flat. Scenery was beautiful, water nice and calm and our dog looked a little swim in it.”

Another wrote: “I live in Western Australia now, but this is by far the most beautiful place I have ever swam. It’s a half mile walk from White Moss Car Park, and very worth it. The lake is calm and flat, so great for kids, however, gets deep very quickly. The water is crystal clear, and even in shallow water, fish are present.”

Places to eat and drink

Tucked within the village are a variety of charming and welcoming establishments, ranging from traditionally English pubs to trendy cafés and restaurants. For those seeking a more classic experience and somewhere to unwind with a cup of tea, Baldry’s Tea Room is the perfect choice.

Situated on Red Lion Square, the delightful spot is defined by its vintage décor and straightforward menu of scones, cakes, soups and sandwiches. One diner said: “If you get to visit Grasmere then you just have to visit Baldrys. The staff are very polite and helpful, food is beyond scrumptious and the place is very clean. 10/10 would visit again.”

For a more contemporary café experience, Freda and Ray dishes up wonderful coffee and a hearty brunch to set you up for a full day of exploring the national park. Equally, visitors have heaped praise on Lucia’s Coffee + Bakehouse, hailing it as a “fabulous” destination in Grasmere.

Yet the village’s passion for food doesn’t stop there – it’s also the birthplace of its own beloved creation: Grasmere gingerbread. This distinctive delicacy sits somewhere between a biscuit and a cake, delivering a spicy-sweet medley of flavours that draws visitors from far and wide.

Originally created in 1854 by Sarah Nelson, the time-honoured recipe is still sold at The Grasmere Gingerbread Shop, a compact building that once served as the village school where Wordsworth taught.

Whether you’re enticed by the culinary offerings, its literary heritage or the breathtaking natural beauty enveloping Grasmere, this Cumbrian village has far more depth than first impressions might suggest.

President Donald Trump nominated Cameron Hamilton Monday to lead the Federal Emergency Management Agency, a notable comeback for the former Navy SEAL who was fired from his role as FEMA’s temporary leader last year after he defended its existence.

His nomination comes as the Trump administration has increasingly signaled it is backing away from promises to dismantle FEMA, an agency that has faced withering criticism by the president. The nomination of Hamilton, who argued abolishing FEMA was not in the country’s best interests, is the latest indication of that change.

If confirmed, Hamilton would be the principal adviser to Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin on emergency management and FEMA’s first permanent administrator in Trump’s second term. The agency has gone through three temporary leaders, including Hamilton’s brief tenure from January to May 2025.

He would take over an embattled agency still reeling from Kristi Noem’s turbulent leadership of the Department of Homeland Security, of which FEMA is part. FEMA’s workforce has been worn down by mass staff departures, policies that hamstrung operations and a 75-day-long DHS shutdown that ended April 30.

Hamilton will need to ensure the agency is prepared for summer disaster season, just weeks away, while answering to Trump, who is likely to expect major reforms after a council he appointed recommended sweeping changes last Friday.

“Now is the opportunity to stabilize FEMA,” said Michael Coen, the agency’s chief of staff in the Obama and Biden administrations.

Fired after defending FEMA

Hamilton, who had never been a state or local emergency management director and who had publicly criticized FEMA in the past, was a controversial choice when Trump named him temporary leader in January 2025, just days before the president floated the idea of “getting rid” of FEMA.

His rupture with DHS officials began as he defended a federal role in supporting disaster-impacted states, tribes and territories.

“Once the conversation shifted to, ‘Now we’re going to abolish,’ I immediately expressed concern,” he said last September on the “Disaster Tough” podcast with John Scardena, a former FEMA incident management team leader.

DHS officials even subjected him to a polygraph test, accusing him and other officials of leaking details of a private meeting. He passed, but said he knew his dismissal was inevitable.

At a May 7 appearance before a House Appropriations subcommittee, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, a Connecticut Democrat, asked Hamilton if he believed FEMA should be abolished.

“I do not believe it is in the best interest of the American people to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency,” he replied. The next day, he was fired.

Hamilton will have to rebuild trust

Defending FEMA despite knowing it would likely cost him his job garnered respect and trust among people whose job it is to lead communities through crisis, said Scardena, now president of the consultancy Doberman Emergency Management Group, which trains emergency managers.

“He won myself over and I think a lot of people by what he did,” Scardena said.

But multiple current FEMA employees who requested anonymity for fear of retribution for speaking publicly told The Associated Press they had concerns over some of the actions taken under Hamilton.

In 2024, Hamilton shared posts on X promoting misinformation about FEMA spending during Hurricane Helene.

During his temporary leadership, FEMA ceased door-to-door canvassing to reach survivors after disasters, and canceled a multibillion-dollar resilience grant program, since restored by a federal judge. The Department of Government Efficiency gained access to internal FEMA networks containing survivors’ private information. FEMA staff were fired for fulfilling a reimbursement payment to New York City for housing undocumented immigrants as part of FEMA’s Shelter and Services program.

Hamilton has said he believes FEMA needs major reform. He has said that he wants FEMA to move faster, that the agency is saddled with responsibilities he sees as outside its remit, and that some states have become too dependent on the agency. A Trump-appointed council last week urged sweeping changes to FEMA, which would require congressional action.

“I think he’s going to need to rebuild trust across the agency,” said Deanne Criswell, FEMA administrator under former President Joe Biden, adding that she believes Hamilton cares about FEMA and she appreciated his outreach to emergency management directors and former officials during and after his tenure.

Senate confirmation process could raise questions of experience

Hamilton could face pushback in the Senate confirmation process over never having led an emergency management agency, a common stepping stone to becoming administrator of an agency with over 21,000 employees.

Federal law requires the FEMA administrator to have “a demonstrated ability in and knowledge of emergency management and homeland security” and at least five years of “executive leadership and management experience.”

Hamilton trained as a Navy hospital corpsman before spending a decade as a Navy SEAL on SEAL Team Eight. He then became a U.S. State Department emergency management specialist handling overseas crisis response, then directed emergency medical services at DHS.

Anthony Pollio, 33, had been on a solo hike during a two-week trip when he suddenly disappeared in Glacier National Park, Montana, where it is said a bear attacked him

A “fearless” hiker left his dad a heartbreaking voicemail just moments before he was attacked by a bear.

Anthony Pollio, 33, had been on a solo hike during a two-week holiday when he suddenly vanished without a trace. The experienced athlete had rang his father while exploring a mountain trail, telling him he loved him.

But days later, search crews discovered his body in a remote, wooded area at Glacier National Park in Montana, USA. Authorities there understand Anthony was mauled by a bear during a hike. The tourist, a university graduate, had “communicated plans” to complete a famous route, hoping to reach the Mount Brown Fire Lookout.

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Rangers with the National Park Service and police officers launched an operation to find Anthony after relatives reported him missing. Officials subsequently found his body approximately 50ft off the Mount Brown Trail in a densely wooded area with fallen timber.

In a statement, Glacier National Park said: “The sequence of events leading to the bear encounter remains under investigation; however, evidence suggests that this was a surprise encounter.”

The park further noted that Pollio’s injuries were “consistent with those sustained by a bear encounter”. The trail has since been temporarily closed while the investigation remains ongoing.

Pollio’s devastated father, Arthur, later told Florida outlets that his son had left him a voicemail while out hiking. According to NBC6 and the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Pollio told his dad he loved him while describing the mountain trail he was exploring.

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Arthur also told local outlet WPLG Local 10 that his son was “a fearless man” and a seasoned outdoorsman. Family members believe Pollio may have come across a grizzly bear while making his way down the trail.

Authorities reportedly discovered bear spray amongst his belongings. Pollio, a graduate of the University of Central Florida, had visited numerous national parks and was described by those close to him as passionate about animals and outdoor adventure.

According to local reports, he worked as a service adviser in Florida and volunteered as a church deacon. The fatal attack is thought to be the first deadly bear encounter in Glacier National Park since 1998.

It comes after a bear attack on Monday in Yellowstone National Park left two hikers injured. Hiker Craig Lerman recorded video of one of the injured hikers, who was lying on the ground, reportedly with facial injuries, wearing a bloodied shirt. It was the first time a bear has injured someone in Yellowstone National Park this year, the park service said.