Canada’s retaliatory tariffs on a range of US goods came into effect on Tuesday, with no sign of a trade deal on the horizon.

The counter-tariffs will apply to nearly C$28bn ($20bn; £15bn) worth of American products, from steel to furniture to cotton T-shirts, and will be as high as 50%.

Fresh fish and lobster were also on the list, but Canada later omitted them after pushback from its seafood industry – a sign of the tricky balance it has to strike as it retaliates against its largest trading partner.

Both US and Canadian officials have said they would like to strike a deal, but no movement has been made to resume talks after they collapsed in late August.

Speaking to reporters last week, Prime Minister Mark Carney said that Canada is still in search of a deal with the US that is “durable” and in the best interests of both countries.

“We’re ready to sit down and and strike that deal when the Americans are ready,” Carney said.

US trade representative Jamieson Greer, meanwhile, said on Thursday that the ball is in Canada’s court.

“We offered them the best deal, they looked at it square in the face and turned around,” Greer said in an interview with Fox News, adding that there has been sparse communication with the Canadians since talks collapsed.

In a separate interview with Canadian broadcaster CBC, Greer cautioned against retaliation and suggested the US might hit back by banning the import of some Canadian products.

President Donald Trump threatened on Monday to halt all US business with Canada-based airplane maker Bombardier unless it moved its manufacturing south.

The company is one of the largest in the country, contributing over C$7bn to Canada’s annual GDP in 2024, according to a report commissioned by Bombarier by public accounting firm PwC.

Shell’s Village Bakery in Ferryhill has been shortlisted for The Northern Echo’s Best Bakery award for a second year running.

Michelle Windress said it was “fabulous” to be recognised by customers again after winning the title last year.

Shell’s Village Bakery, Ferryhill winner of the Best Bakery 2025 (Image: Stuart Boulton)

The bakery sells sandwiches, pasties and cakes, serves hundreds of Sunday dinners each week and delivers meals to customers who cannot get to the shop.

Michelle, who is from Darlington and now lives in Chilton, took over the business in September 2020 after 25 years in car sales.

After being furloughed during Covid, she began considering a new direction when the chance to take on the bakery arose.

She said: “We had been furloughed from car sales. We had sold cars for 25 years and, when you get furloughed, it makes you start thinking of all the things you could do and other options.

“One of those things was this bakery coming up and that was something we thought we could take on and build on.”

Michelle said the move had been challenging, but she had enjoyed learning a new trade and growing the business.

Michelle of Shell’s Village Bakery in Ferryhill. (Image: Stuart Boulton)

She said: “It has been tough. It has been a huge learning curve for me, but I love every minute of it.”

Michelle and her team have built a loyal customer base in Ferryhill, with regulars returning for the bakery’s freshly made food.

The business has also expanded, opening a smaller kiosk in the village offering sandwiches and other bakery items.

Michelle said: “The response is great, people just seem to love the fresh produce.

“The business has been building and building over the years. We have opened another little kiosk now in the same village.

“We do a little less there because we do not do meals, but we do our sandwiches and things from the kiosk, it’s just been great.

“We have very, very loyal customers and it makes the day worthwhile when you get customers like that.”

Shell’s Village Bakery was named The Northern Echo’s Best Bakery last year, with Michelle saying at the time that the win meant even more because it had come from customer support.

She hopes the Ferryhill bakery can win the title again after making The Northern Echo’s Top 10 this year.

She said: “To be nominated once was amazing, but to be nominated twice is just fabulous.

Michelle of Shell’s Village Bakery in Ferryhill. (Image: Stuart Boulton)

“Last year was absolutely amazing, but the thought that we could do it twice is fabulous.”

Readers can vote with coupons printed in the newspaper, choosing their favourite from the 10 finalists.

Post coupons to The Northern Echo Best Bakery 2026, LOCALLY House, 1 Dalston Road, Carlisle, CA2 5NP.

Voting closes on Wednesday, September 16, 2026.

Photocopied or illegible coupons will not count.

The winner will be announced after voting closes.

The competition is open to bakeries across County Durham and Darlington.

Lucy Pittaway, celebrated for her vibrant depictions of rural landscapes across the Yorkshire Dales and Lake District, has released her first-ever abstract collection.

The new body of work explores raw emotion and transformation through six limited-edition abstract pieces, marking what she describes as the most significant creative shift of her career.

Lucy Pittaway is normally celebrated for her vibrant depictions of rural landscapes across the Yorkshire Dales and Lake District (Image: Supplied)

Ms Pittaway said: “This is not a collection inspired by place.

“It is a collection inspired by feeling.

“Each piece has been created during a period of change and reflection and all of them are incredibly personal.”

Known for her uplifting and accessible artwork, Ms Pittaway has built a loyal international following over more than a decade.

Her latest collection abandons representation entirely, instead exploring instinctive expression through themes of confusion, passion, excitement, anger, conflict and energy.

She said: “The collection is really a complete departure from anything I’ve created before.

“I had a real pull to create something that represented what was going on inside, something with no view, no place, no reference point.

“It was a kind of turmoil that needed somewhere to go.

“So I let it.

“There was no plan for where each piece would end up.

“No sketch of a destination.

“Just paint, and me making the decision to keep going until something true came out the other side.

“That’s what this collection is all about, and why it’s so very personal to me.”

The paintings trace a journey through shifting emotions, difficult decisions, and moments of clarity (Image: Supplied)

The paintings trace a journey through shifting emotions, difficult decisions, and moments of clarity that begin to emerge.

Recurring motifs include the lightness of a feather and the heaviness of a storm, contrasting delicacy and freedom with density and turbulence.

Ms Pittaway said: “This isn’t the Lucy Pittaway you’re used to.

“It’s the one underneath.”

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The collection is available as original artworks and limited-edition prints.

A highly limited series of Artist Editions has also been released, with each piece reimagined in five unique colourways—making every edition one of a kind.

Each Artist Edition is signed by Ms Pittaway and comes with a certificate of authenticity.

The full collection can be viewed online and at Ms Pittaway’s galleries in York, Richmond, Yarm and Keswick.

Artist Editions are available exclusively through the artist’s website.

Justin and Hailey Bieber shared a passionate kiss for WYouth magazine‘s inaugural cover this week, days after sparking drama with a seemingly tense chat at Billie Eilish’s brother’s wedding.

The 32-year-old pop star and 29-year-old skincare mogul locked lips for the steamy cover headlined ‘Justin and Hailey Bieber, more in love than ever.’

And they gave readers a glimpse at their relationship as they brought a camera into their bedroom, resulting in very intimate and affectionate snapshots.

There was no shortage of snogging from the Biebers as they lounged in a bed of white sheets in photos they provided to the publication.

The proud husband captured Hailey in an ivory slip dress, and she photographed him shirtless as he modeled orange shorts from his SKYLRK clothing line.

It comes after the husband and wife were seen having an intense exchange at Finneas O’Connell’s recent wedding to Claudia Sulewski in photos obtained by the Daily Mail.

The 32-year-old pop star and 29-year-old skincare beauty founder locked lips for the steamy cover headlined ‘Justin and Hailey Bieber, more in love than ever’ and opened up about their marriage in a candid interview

They gave fans a glimpse at their relationship as they brought a camera into their bedroom, resulting in very intimate and affectionate snapshots

However, they couldn’t keep their hands off each other in the new photos, released on Monday. They opened up about their marriage in the candid, corresponding interview.

When asked who is each of their ‘favorite artist of all time,’ Hailey snubbed her singer-songwriter hubby as she answered that it’s ‘way too hard to pick one,’ with Justin echoing the sentiment.

They also both agreed that their ‘favorite way to relax’ is by going to a spa retreat.

Following what appeared to be a dispute at O’Connell’s Santa Barbara nuptials, friends told the Daily Mail the Biebers, whose son Jack just turned two, are a passionate couple who fight as fiercely as they love.

‘Hailey bickers with Justin all the time, so a wedding spat, if any, was probably just a minor flare-up,’ the source said. ‘They are crazy in love and committed to each other, make no mistake, and eventually want another child.’

At the star-studded ceremony in late August, the couple spoke animatedly, with Hailey gesturing in a dramatic fashion before walking away from her beau. 

Body language expert Judi James told the Daily Mail: ‘The way that Hailey looks back at her husband as he walks away after their animated conversation gives the impression of tension or drama here.’ 

James added Justin’s ‘gently hunched posture and the way his arms hang slightly in front of his torso makes him look less motivated and less positive here.’ 

It comes after the pair were seen having an intense exchange at Finneas O’Connell’s recent wedding to Claudia Sulewski in photos obtained by the Daily Mail 

However, the analyst noted that it did not appear the two were arguing, explaining: ‘Hailey has been waving her arms and pointing, although not at him, so no signal of conflict.’ 

They tied the knot in a New York City courthouse on September 13, 2018.

And in 2019, they enjoyed a large-scale wedding with family and friends, later documenting the celebration on YouTube.

Elsewhere in their WYouth chat, Justin said golf is his favorite hobby, while Hailey admitted: ‘I don’t have a fun hobby.’

Hailey shared the WYouth snaps on Instagram with her nearly 60 million followers, writing in the caption, ‘Jack’s Mom and Dad 4 @wyouth 1st issue.’

This year has been monumental for the power couple, as they’ve hit notable achievements in their respective careers.

They have wielded their influence with back-to-back business collaborations.

The husband and wife dropped a co-designed fashion collection under Justin’s clothing line SKYLRK.

There was no shortage of snogging from the Biebers as they lounged in a bed of white sheets in photos they provided to the publication

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Hailey shared the WYouth snaps on Instagram with her nearly 60 million followers, mentioning their two-year-old son in the caption as she wrote, ‘Jack’s Mom and Dad 4 @wyouth 1st issue’

The proud husband captured Hailey in an ivory slip dress

Hailey photographed her husband shirtless in a POV image showing off his myriad tattoos

Hailey looked angelic while resting on a cloud of plush pillows

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The model showed off her diamond wedding ring and flashed a blue manicure

In another photo, Justin modeled SKYLRK shorts and slippers

And in recent weeks, the Yukon hitmaker has been teasing a tech branch of the brand, beginning with wired earphones.

Hailey has also promoted the product, whose drop date has not yet been announced, posing with the colorful corded earbuds.

In April, they launched collaborative pimple patches via Hailey’s billion-dollar skincare brand Rhode.

That month, Justin completed back-to-back weekends of history-making Coachella sets with surprise appearances from SZA, Sexyy Red and Big Sean.

Hailey made use of the event as well, bringing her Rhode range along for a pop-up activation.

ITV soap fans are facing a disruption to their regular viewing, with Coronation Street and Emmerdale taken off air tonight

The week has only just got underway, and soap fans are already facing a disruption to their regular viewing, with Coronation Street taken off air tonight.

When the ITV soap, which is filmed in Salford, returned to our screens on Monday (September 6) night, DC Kit Green was seen being left shaken by an unexpected breast cancer diagnosis in another hard-hitting health storyline for the long-running show.

Kit, who arrived in Weatherfield in 2024 after Bernie Winter went searching for her long-lost son, will be diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer, which has spread to his lymph nodes.

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The discovery comes after the family is made aware that they may carry the familial BRCA gene following the passing of estranged Aunt Celeste, who left behind the devastating family secret.

But as mum Bernie (Jane Hazelgrove) and half-sister Gemma (Dolly Rose Campbell) face testing, unbeknownst to them and the viewers, until now, Kit (Jacob Roberts) has already been seeking medical help after concerns for his own health.

Following the diagnosis scenes, Corrie fans will now have to wait for the story to continue on Wednesday (September 9) night. That’s because Tuesday’s (September 8) episode has been taken off air, alongside Emmerdale, to make way for live coverage of the National Television Awards.

The star-studded awards ceremony, now in its 31st year, will be hosted for the sixth time by comedian Joel Dommett at The O2 in London, and will be broadcast live on ITV1 and ITVX from 8pm.

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This year, the NTAs are celebrating their first all-female drama performance shortlist – with Gavin And Stacey star Ruth Jones to compete with Ella Bruccoleri, Judy Parfitt, Sheridan Smith and Vicky McClure for the prize.

Meanwhile, reality documentaries starring Tyson Fury, Jeremy Clarkson, Stacey Solomon and Joe Swash are also among the shows competing for a prize. They have been nominated in a new category recognising the rise of fly-on-the-wall celebrity-led shows, with At Home With The Furys, Clarkson’s Farm and Stacey & Joe to go head-to-head for the inaugural award.

Their competition includes Fletchers’ Family Farm, in which Emmerdale actor Kelvin Fletcher turns to rural life, and the fishing programme led by comedians Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse – Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing.

While the soaps may now be on air, the soap stars will be out in force. Serial drama sees nominations for Corrie and Emmerdale, going up against Casualty, EastEnders and Hollyoaks – while EastEnders’ Aaron Thiara, Emmerdale’s Jeff Hordley and Coronation Street’s Gareth Pierce are among those up for serial drama performance.

Saltwater isn’t something most people associate with English farmland. But in parts of eastern England, it’s becoming a growing problem, and not just for crops, but for farm incomes too.

In our new study focusing on Greater Lincolnshire, one of the UK’s most productive agricultural areas, we found that rising sea levels and more frequent flooding are pushing salt onto some of the country’s best farmland.

This isn’t just about crops struggling to grow. The real story is an economic one. Salt in the soil is changing which crops actually make money, and in some cases wiping out profits entirely.

Most studies on salinity look at what happens in the field. For example, how plants respond to increasing salt concentrations, how yields fall and how soils degrade.

We have been researching the problem from a farmer’s perspective. What happens to their income? How does risk change? And crucially, what can farmers grow instead when conditions shift?

To answer these questions, we combined maps of crops, land quality and flood risk with farm-level financial data and simulated what happens when salinity increases. The results were clear. Every major crop loses money as salt levels rise.

Some crops are hit much harder than others. Potatoes take the biggest losses, largely because they are expensive to grow, so when yields fall, profits collapse quickly. Crops like beet and oilseed also see large declines. Even cereals, which are generally more resilient, are not spared.

But the most important shift isn’t just that profits fall. It’s that the whole system changes. Under normal conditions, farming works with a kind of pecking order whereby some crops deliver high returns, others are safer but less profitable.

Salinity flattens that hierarchy. Instead of clear winners and losers, most crops end up clustered together in a lower-return, higher-risk situation.

One crop consistently stands out: winter wheat. It still suffers losses, but it holds up better than the others, making it the most reliable option as conditions deteriorate. In practical terms, that means farmers may increasingly fall back on it as their safest choice.

This matters because the places most exposed to saltwater flooding, especially the low-lying Fenlands, are also some of the most productive farmland in the UK. So this isn’t about marginal land becoming less useful. It’s about some of the country’s agricultural heartland coming under pressure.

There’s another complication. Salinity doesn’t just disappear when the floodwater drains away. Salt builds up in the soil and can linger for years, quietly reducing productivity over time. That makes it a slow-moving problem, but one with long-lasting consequences.

Over time, this could narrow farmers’ choices. Instead of a diverse mix of crops, more land could shift toward a smaller number that can cope with salty conditions. That has implications not just for farm incomes, but for food production and resilience more broadly.

Salty shifts

So what can be done? In the short term, adaptation is likely to mean shifting toward more resilient crops. Barley is already relatively salt-tolerant. Some wheat varieties cope better than others, and farmers are starting to move in that direction where risk is lower.

There is longer-term potential in crops that actually thrive in salty conditions, known as halophytes, edible saltmarsh plants like samphire. These are grown in the UK, but mostly as niche, high-value foods rather than mainstream crops. Scaling them up would require investment, new markets and changes in farming systems.

Our findings show that salinity isn’t just another environmental challenge. It’s a slow, structural pressure that changes how farming works. It affects not only yields, but decisions such as what farmers plant, how they manage risk and how land is used.

We’re not yet at the point where UK farming can switch to salt-proof crops. But the pressure from salinity is growing, and could push both crop choices and agricultural innovation in that direction over time.

You will have seen this — but do you know what it actually means?

It’s easy to take the Highway Code for granted once you’ve passed your test. But years down the line, how many of us can honestly say we remember every road sign and its meaning?

One common road sign features a plain white circle with a single black diagonal stripe running across it. You’ve likely seen it on country roads, dual carriageways and even just beyond roadworks — but do you know what it actually means? According to Ben Raffell at BigWantsYourCar.com, an online platform for selling used cars in the UK, this sign is “far more important than many drivers realise”.

The sign signifies the national speed limit applies. But drivers have gone online to ask why we have the sign rather than just the exact number for the speed limit depending on the road (for example, 60mph or 70mph). One asked: “Does anyone actually know the reason we have national speed limit signs with a diagonal black line on a white background rather than just the number 60 or 70 depending on the road? I’ve looked around and can’t find the history or reason for it anywhere.”

The basic reason the sign shows a black stripe rather than a number is because the speed limit “depends entirely on the type of road and what vehicle you’re driving”, explains Ben. Here’s how it breaks down:

For a heavy goods vehicles (HGV) the national speed limit is 50mph on single carriageway roads and 60mph on dual carriageway roads. The new national speed limits for HGVs came into force in 2015 but soon afterwards government research found that while all HGV drivers consulted were aware of speed limit changes on single carriageways, not all were aware of the changes on dual carriageways.

And Ben stresses that this isn’t a green light to hit top speed: “The sign doesn’t mean ‘drive at the limit’ — it simply means that the previous speed restriction has ended and the default national limit now applies. Drivers should always consider road conditions, visibility, and surroundings. On narrow country roads, for instance, doing 60mph could be incredibly unsafe.”

Unlike numbered speed signs, the national speed limit symbol relies on drivers remembering the associated rules — something that can fade over time.

“It’s not as intuitive as a clear 30 or 40 in a red circle,” Ben says. “That black stripe assumes you know what’s expected of you, which is fine in theory, but in reality, many drivers forget the details years after passing their test.”

He says this gap in understanding could potentially lead to dangerous driving, especially in areas where road conditions don’t safely allow for high speeds, and advises drivers to take a quick refresher.

“Revisiting the basics of the Highway Code is a great idea for any driver,” says Ben. “It’s not just about avoiding fines; it’s about keeping yourself and others safe on the road.”

The national speed limit sign is far from the only common sign on UK roads that drivers might not know the meaning of — there’s also this ‘blue and red cross’ road sign ‘everyone should know’ the meaning of. And drivers have also been confused by this huge road sign, saying they’ve “no idea what it means”.

Several of Tuesday’s papers reflect on the anti-migrant demonstrations in Portsmouth. Metro’s headline is “port in a storm”, explaining that police were injured, external and vehicles damaged as hundreds of protesters blocked efforts to bring ashore 120 migrants.

The Sun says the “anger of decent, law-abiding folk, external” is rising. “Now they try to stop the lifeboats, external” is the Daily Mirror’s take on events, adding that the “mob” targeted “RNLI heroes”.

The Daily Express urges the government “not to ignore public anger, external over illegal migrants”, although its editorial stresses the paper agrees with the police that “violence has no part to play in protest”.

The Times looks ahead to the government’s expected announcement of a trade ban affecting Israeli settlements, external in the occupied West Bank. The paper says retaliation by Israel is likely, as is sharp criticism from the US. The Guardian reports that Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband will also say that the government will take a “more active” approach in supporting the Palestinian cause, external.

The i Paper reports the Treasury is to introduce a new ISA, external to help people buy their first home, and that it will not have an age limit. It is believed that the details are likely to be set out by Chancellor John Healey in his upcoming Budget.

Many of the papers lead on the King clarifying that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex remain private citizens, after their recent move back to the UK. “No return to the Firm, external” is the Daily Telegraph’s headline. The Daily Mail says the King has put “Harry and Meghan in their place, external“. “Megxit means Megxit” declares the Sun, external.

And the Daily Mirror is one of several papers to have picked up on criticism of US President Donald Trump’s proposed new uniform for his Space Force, external. The paper says the look, which features a fitted tunic, peaked cap and knee high boots, have drawn comparisons to a “sinister Star Wars-villain style outfit”. The menswear writer Derek Guy is quoted as saying it is the kind of costume designers make to point out “who are the bad guys in a space movie”. The Daily Star’s headline is “storm bloopers, external“.

An Arizona realtor, who had to be duct-taped to his first-class seat after allegedly going on a hate-filled tirade, apparently flipped out mid-flight after talking about religion with a controversial doomsday author sitting next to him, it has been claimed.

In wild video footage, Layne Arthur Lundeen, 67, was seen duct-taped to his seat by fellow passengers after he allegedly launched a homophobic and racist rant during an American Airlines flight from Dallas, Texas, to Newark, New Jersey, on Thursday night.

The plane was forced to make an emergency landing at the Baltimore airport, where Lundeen was removed and arrested by Maryland Transportation Authority Police, before other passengers resumed their flight to Newark.

But what sparked the Tucson-based realtor’s alleged outburst has taken a bizarre turn.

Rabbi Jonathan Cahn, a controversial author known for linking biblical prophecy to current events, has claimed Lundeen grabbed him by the throat, hit him and broke his laptop after becoming incensed by their discussion of religion and his new book.

Cahn, the leader of the Beth Israel Worship Center, a Messianic Jewish congregation in Wayne, New Jersey, told the Daily Mail that he and Lundeen had been having a ‘friendly’ chat about their religious views for about two hours before things took a ‘demonic’ turn. 

In a ‘split second,’ Cahn claims, Lundeen, who he believes had just a couple of drinks, became enraged and started cursing at him and God.

‘He told me he was a realtor and onto his third marriage,’ Cahn said. 

‘He said he was at one point a Christian, but he rejected Jesus after he got divorced and he felt judged by Christians over the divorce.

‘I was trying to help him, I was trying to encourage him and say Jesus had trouble with religious hypocrites.’

But it was when married Cahn, 66, started talking about his own experiences of God that Lundeen allegedly saw red and ‘turned.’

‘His face changed, his voice changed, and he said… almost in a whisper, he was like, “I have something to tell you,” and he said, “Bulls***,”‘ Cahn alleged. 

‘He’s getting louder, and he starts cursing God, cursing Jesus, cursing me.

‘And then he said, “Go f*** yourself.”

‘This was from nothing. It wasn’t like there was any real argument.’

‘It was a split second. The change was like unbelievable. It was two hours of friendly, and then in one second it just changed to the most different voice, different faith, different guy,’ Chan added. 

‘It was as if something had taken him over.’ 

Rabbi Jonathan Cahn, a controversial doomsday author who claims he was sitting next to Lundeen, alleges the real estate agent erupted after the pair started talking about religion

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Lundeen, a realtor in Tucson, Arizona, was fired after the mid-air ordeal went viral. He has been charged with disorderly conduct and second-degree assault

Cahn claimed he tried to withdraw from Lundeen by doing some work on his laptop, but his seatmate allegedly then began knocking his screen and attempting to get him to talk again.

He said a flight attendant allegedly then came over to tell him to quiet down.

As the saga escalated, Lundeen allegedly called a black flight attendant the N-word and made homophobic comments, according to TMZ. 

Cahn, for his part, told the Daily Mail he didn’t ‘specifically’ hear what Lundeen said – including whether or not he uttered the racial slur or made homophobic comments.

But he claims he did hear him say something ‘vulgar’ about the genitals of a male flight attendant.

Cahn said Lundeen tried to be ‘friendly’ to him again before allegedly putting ‘both hands around my neck’ and ‘pushing going back and forth.’

‘He’s doing like he’s playing, but it was threatening and it was a just bizarre thing,’ Cahn said. 

He claims a flight attendant came over a second time and asked Lundeen to stop bothering passengers.

In a bid to defuse the situation, Cahn said he showed Lundeen the cover of his new book, the Altar of Pergamon, on his laptop.

‘When he saw the book cover, that’s when he started getting violent,’ Cahn alleged. 

‘I could only describe it what happened as demonic. It was like he was influenced by the dark side.’

He claims Lundeen hit his chest and abdomen ‘like he’s trying to start a fight,’ before allegedly threatening: ‘I’m gonna punch your f***** Jewish face in.’

‘I knew I was in danger. I knew it was it was going towards violence. I was trying to keep calm.

‘There were glasses there. I was thinking, in a second, you can just smash it and take it and cut me with it. I was trying to get the glasses out.’

He claims he had a ‘feeling’ Lundeen wanted to destroy his laptop so he got up from his seat taking his computer and cellphone with him.

But he said when he stood up, Lundeen allegedly lunged for his laptop and tried to wrestle it off him – leaving the whole plane in ‘shock.’

He alleged that during the struggle, Lundeen broke Cahn’s laptop and hurt Cahn’s already injured arm.

The plane was forced to make an emergency landing at Baltimore airport, where Lundeen was removed and arrested by Maryland Transportation Authority Police, before other passengers resumed their flight to Newark 

Cahn recalls two male passengers seated two rows in front of him then got up to help.

‘Everybody in the area was disturbed by it,’ he claimed. 

‘The air stewards were trying, but they really didn’t know what to do until those guys intervened when it became totally violent.’

Juan Mejia, a retired police officer who was on the flight, and Richard Olenick, a store manager, reportedly restrained Lundeen with duct tape around his wrists, head and body to tie him to the seat.

Olenick appeared to back Cahn’s account, telling Fox10 Phoenix that Lundeen had allegedly ‘ended up striking the passenger that was next to him’ and then ‘put his hand on the passenger’s throat.’  

At one point, Lundeen allegedly tried to get out of his restraints but the male passengers held him down.

Cahn said he switched seats before the plane made its emergency landing at Baltimore. When FBI agents boarded the plane, he said he gave them his contact details but has yet to hear from them. 

Lundeen was charged with second-degree assault and disorderly conduct, both misdemeanors, and was released on recognizance bond, according to online court records viewed by the Daily Mail.

After footage of the wild incident went viral, Lundeen was promptly fired from Long Realty in Tucson, where he was reportedly vice president.

The real estate company confirmed to the Daily Mail that Lundeen is no longer employed with them.

‘Long Realty is aware of reports concerning criminal charges filed against a former affiliated real estate agent arising from an incident that allegedly occurred during a commercial flight,’ CEO Kevin Kaplan said.

‘Upon learning of the incident, Long Realty promptly ended its affiliation with the individual. The individual is no longer associated with or authorized to represent Long Realty in any capacity.

‘The conduct described in the reports is wholly inconsistent with the professionalism, integrity, compassion, and respect for others that Long Realty expects from those affiliated with the company.’

Cahn, who is no stranger to being in the headlines for his often controversial views, said he does not plan to take legal action against Lundeen but is ‘hoping the guy gets better.’

‘I don’t think he knew what he was doing. He was just out of control,’ Cahn, who once featured on a podcast of the late conservative activist, Charlie Kirk, said. 

‘I just heard he got fired because of this, so I am hoping the best for him.’ 

Cahn, for his part, has likened the 9/11 attacks to biblical warnings that God would punish a disobedient Israel, according to a 2019 New York Times report.

The outlet also reported that Cahn said abortion, gay rights and the apparent public perception of religion indicated America had lost its way.

Meanwhile, Maryland Transportation Authority Police would not respond to questions about Cahn’s account of what happened on board the flight. 

Police did confirm, however, that an incident involving a ‘disorderly and unruly passenger’ had taken place.  

‘The responding MDTA officers observed a male passenger being restrained to his seat by duct tape and his hands secured by zip ties,’ Sergeant Clinton Kelly told the Daily Mail. 

‘The passenger 67-year-old Arthur Lundeen of Arizona was arrested by police and charged with disorderly conduct and second-degree assault for incidents that occurred aboard the aircraft at BWI Airport.

‘The incident that took place in the air is being investigated by the FBI Baltimore Field Office.

‘Lundeen was cleared by paramedics for an open wound on his arm that was noticed by officers while being taken into custody.’

American Airlines confirmed, too, that the flight was diverted due to a ‘disruptive customer.’

‘The ​safety and ​security of our customers ​and ​team members is our ​top ​priority, ​and ​we do ​not tolerate violence,’ a spokesperson said.

‘We ​thank ​our team members ​for ​their ​professionalism and ​our customers for ​their ​understanding.’

The Daily Mail has contacted Lundeen and his wife for comment.

NEW YORK (AP) — After missing more than three months, Aaron Judge is ready to return to the New York Yankees.

The three-time MVP was reinstated from the 60-day injured list Monday night, an off day for the Yankees. They open a three-game series at home Tuesday night against the Colorado Rockies.

Judge hasn’t played since May 31 because of a broken right rib, but the slugger traveled with the Yankees on their recent trip to the West Coast. He took batting practice on the field multiple times last weekend in San Diego and ran the bases as he worked toward his return.

The outfielder will rejoin New York’s active roster without going on a minor league rehab assignment first. Throughout his absence, Judge said he wouldn’t need a stint in the minors to get ready.

“If I tell them I’m ready to go play, I think we’re ready to go play,” Judge said on Aug. 27. “I’m not a pitcher. I’m a position player. I can get my reps down here in the cage. I’m in every game. I’m sitting there in the dugout watching every game, feeling the environment, feeling the energy, so I don’t think there’s going to be much of a difference.”

With 19 games remaining in the regular season, the Yankees (81-62) trail first-place Tampa Bay by four games in the AL East. They are two games ahead of rival Boston (80-65) for the top American League wild card and hold a potential tiebreaker between the teams after winning the season series.

The higher seed plays at home throughout every best-of-three Wild Card Series.

New York was 36-23 after Judge last played on May 31 and went 45-39 in the 84 games he missed since.

The offense, however, was obviously affected. The Yankees batted .243 with 86 homers in 59 games through May 31 but hit only .227 with 107 homers in 84 games while Judge was out.

Their batting average during that stretch ranked 29th among the 30 major league teams, ahead of only Seattle (.225).

New York had a .770 OPS through May 31, but it was .681 in his absence.

Judge is hitting .248 with 17 homers and 38 RBIs. He was initially injured attempting to avoid second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. on a diving catch in Houston on April 26 and batted .263 with seven homers and 20 RBIs in 31 games before being sidelined.

The 35-year-old captain’s only homer in the final 18 games before he went on the injured list was a game-ending, two-run shot to beat Tampa Bay 2-0 on May 24 that snapped an 11-game drought without an RBI, the longest of his career.

Judge won a batting title last season when he hit a career-high .331 with 53 homers and 114 RBIs in 152 games. He missed 10 games from July 26 to Aug. 4 with a flexor strain in his right elbow that he sustained on a throw to home plate July 22 in Toronto. He underwent a plasma-rich platelet injection and did not require offseason surgery.

Judge skipped a rehab assignment in 2023 when he missed 42 games with a fractured right big toe after crashing into the right-field fence at Dodger Stadium. In 2019, he appeared in five minor league games for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre when he missed two months with a strained left oblique.

To make room on the 40-man roster for Judge, right-hander Chase Hampton was designated for assignment Monday night.

New York optioned right-hander Elmer Rodríguez to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after Sunday’s loss in San Diego.

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AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum contributed to this report.

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