It’s been a week since “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie ‘s mother disappeared from her home in Arizona in what authorities say was a kidnapping.

Investigators have been examining ransom notes and looking for evidence but have not named a suspect. On Friday, officers returned to 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie ‘s home near Tucson and to the surrounding neighborhood to continue their search.

Here’s what to know about the case:

The disappearance

Family members told officials they last saw Guthrie at 9:48 p.m. on Jan. 31 when they dropped her off at home after they ate dinner and played games together. The next day, family learned she didn’t attend church. They reported her missing after they went to check on her.

Guthrie has a pacemaker and needs daily medication. Her family and authorities are worried her health could be deteriorating by the day.

Collecting evidence

Authorities think Guthrie was taken against her will from her home in an upscale neighborhood that sits on hilly, desert terrain. DNA tests showed blood on Guthrie’s front porch matched hers, the county sheriff has said.

Investigators found her doorbell camera was disconnected early Sunday and that software data recorded movement at the home minutes later. But investigators haven’t been able to recover the footage because Guthrie didn’t have an active subscription to the service.

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told The Associated Press in an interview that investigators have not given up on trying to access those images.

“I wish technology was as easy as we believe it is, that here’s a picture, here’s your bad guy. But it’s not,” Nanos told the AP on Friday. “There are pieces of information that come to us from these tech groups that say ‘This is what we have and we can’t get anymore.’”

The president of the Catalina Foothills Association, a neighborhood group, thanked residents in a letter for being willing to speak with law enforcement, share camera images and allow their properties to be searched.

Ransom notes

At least three media organizations reported receiving purported ransom notes, which they handed over to investigators. Authorities made an arrest after one ransom note turned out to be fake, the sheriff said.

It’s unclear if all of the notes were identical. Heith Janke, the FBI chief in Phoenix, said details included a demand for money with a Thursday evening deadline and a second deadline for Monday if the first one wasn’t met. At least one note mentioned a floodlight at Guthrie’s home and an Apple watch, Janke said.

Investigators said they are taking the notes seriously.

On Friday, KOLD-TV in Tucson said it received a new message, via email, tied to the Guthrie case. The station said it couldn’t disclose its contents. The FBI said it was aware of a new message and was reviewing its authenticity.

Family appeals

Concern about Guthrie’s condition is growing because authorities say she needs daily medicine that’s vital to her health. She has a pacemaker, high blood pressure and heart issues, according to sheriff’s dispatcher audio on broadcastify.com.

Guthrie’s children recorded two separate video messages to their mother’s abductor and posted them publicly on social media.

Savannah Guthrie filmed a sometimes emotional message on Wednesday asking the kidnapper for proof their mother was alive. She noted that technology today allows for the easy manipulation of voices and images and the family needed to know “without a doubt” that she is alive and in the abductor’s hands.

Police have not said that they have received any deepfake images of Nancy Guthrie.

Savannah Guthrie described her mother as a “kind, faithful, loyal, fiercely loving woman of goodness and light” and said she was funny, spunky and clever.

“Talk to her and you’ll see,” she said.

She spoke some words directly to her mom, saying she and her siblings wouldn’t rest until they’re all together again.

Trump’s involvement

The FBI has offered a $50,000 reward for information about Guthrie’s whereabouts.

The White House said President Donald Trump called and spoke with Savannah Guthrie on Wednesday. He posted on social media that he was directing federal authorities to help where they can.

On Friday night, he told reporters flying with him to his Florida estate on Air Force One that the investigation was going “very well” and investigators had some strong clues.

Famous kidnappings

The kidnapping is the latest abduction to attract the American public’s attention.

Other notorious kidnappings in U.S. history have included the son of singer Frank Sinatra, the granddaughter of newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst and the 9-year-old girl for whom the AMBER Alert was named.

Craig Turner, 24, of Siddington Walk in Middlesbrough, was jailed for three years for his part in a group facilitating the supply of cocaine in the East Middlesbrough area using a drugs line identified under Operation Blackberry.

The group he was part of were observed dealing cocaine on ten occasions in February and March last year.

Craig Turner Jnr (Image: CLEVELAND POLICE)

Stephen Garbutt, 42, of Lighthouse View in Seaham, was found guilty of conspiracy to supply cocaine and was sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for 12 months. He must carry out 150 hours of unpaid work and 25 days rehabilitation.

Forty-five-year-old Craig Turner, of The Wickets in Marton, Middlesbrough, was also found guilty of conspiracy to supply cocaine and was sentenced to 21 months in prison, suspended for 12 months. He must carry out rehabilitation for nine months.

Craig Turner Snr (Image: CLEVELAND POLICE)

Luke Turner, 22, of Linnet Close in Guisborough, is due to be sentenced on Friday, March 6 after pleading guilty to supplying a controlled drug of class A in November 2025.

It is the second criminal group identified by Cleveland Police and the North East Regional Organised Crime Unit (NEROCU).

Luke Turner (Image: CLEVELAND POLICE)

Officers were working in the Project Orme area of east Middlesbrough.

During the three-month investigation, officers uncovered that a drugs line had been called 10,000 times in two months.

The line was being monitored by officers from Cleveland Police’s dedicated drugs unit with assistance from Middlesbrough’s community action team and NEROCU.

Stephen Garbutt (Image: CLEVELAND POLICE)

In November 2025, Curtis Cremin, 19, of Hubbard Walk in Middlesbrough, was jailed for four-and-a-half years after also supplying class A drugs through a drugs line in the east Middlesbrough area.

The 19-year-old was grooming and exploiting young teenage boys by recruiting them to hand over drugs to customers.

Curtis Cremin (Image: CLEVELAND POLICE)

Louie Leadbitter, 18, of Cargo Fleet Lane, Middlesbrough, was also sentenced to three years in prison.

Another teenager, Laiton Hopkins, 19 of Cotswold Avenue in Middlesbrough, was found guilty of supplying cocaine and was sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for two years.

Cleveland Police said their criminality was conducted in broad daylight, mostly in playparks and outside schools.

Louie Leadbitter (Image: CLEVELAND POLICE)

They would also be balaclava-clad and riding electric and off-road bikes to try and conceal their identity.

Inspector Phil Morris, from Cleveland Police’s dedicated drugs unit, said: “Having now uncovered two separate criminal groups who were openly supplying cocaine and other drugs, we are pleased that we can now help safeguard people, particularly those exploited by criminal gangs, and stop these drugs getting out onto the streets of Middlesbrough.

Laiton Hopkins (Image: CLEVELAND POLICE)

“It also shows that in the area of east Middlesbrough we are working hard with partner agencies to combat organised crime and revitalise the area for residents, businesses and everyone affected there under Project Orme.”

Cleveland Police has also released a list of signs to look out for if you believe your child is being exploited, manipulated or forced to carry out criminal activity:

• They have more money and new expensive clothes or accessories.
• They have formed new relationships with older people or are hanging around in groups.
• They carry weapons and own multiple mobile phones.
• They are regularly missing from home or school
• There is a change in their emotional wellbeing or behaviour

With the latest Nintendo Direct proving a disappointment, a reader argues that Nintendo’s contrary nature is working against it with the Switch 2.

We’ve had three Nintendo Directs so far this year and they’ve all been boring and unnecessary. One for the new Super Mario Bros. movie, one on Tomodachi Life: Living The Dream, and a Partner Showcase. The first two were what they were but the Partner Showcase could easily have just been part of a standard Nintendo Direct, because there were no big announcements and the mic drop moment was Bethesda – which I can’t imagine many people getting excited about.

Presumably Nintendo feel these Directs were worth it, or they wouldn’t have done them, but I can’t imagine what benefit they got out of them. By the end of last year people were already worried about the lack of big upcoming games and now they’re defintely looking for some reassurance of what’s coming up. They haven’t had that so far; if anything the Partner Showcase made things look even worse than ever, as it was missing several big games like Elden Ring.

All this has happened against a very confused backdrop as to how well the Switch 2 is doing, since it’s apparently both the fastest-selling console ever and a sales disappointment in the West. At the very least I think we can say the honeymoon period for the Switch 2 is over and I feel that if Nintendo does not turn things around soon then public opinion is going to turn against them.

We all know what Nintendo is like. They like to keep the cards close to their chest as long as possible and definitely don’t like to be predictable. That’s fine – I think we all just want Nintendo to do their thing, as weird as it sometimes seems – but at the moment it feels more like they’re being contrarian for the sake of it and I really don’t think they’re in a position to indulge their worst tendencies right now.

The problem is that both their best games – Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza – came out at launch and neither of them, I would say, are without their faults. They’re very good but they’re not top tier Nintendo. That’s fine in theory but only if you know what’s coming up, and can get excited about it, but I don’t think anyone bought a Switch 2 in order to play a new Mario Tennis or add some multiplayer modes to Super Mario Bros. Wonder. They were also probably hoping that Metroid Prime 4 would be worth the wait.

The Switch 2 will be a year old in a few months and we still have no idea about a new Super Mario (2D or 3D), a new Zelda (or remake), a new Splatoon (Splatoon Raiders seems to be a single-player spin-off), an Animal Crossing sequel (the Switch 2 Edition of New Horizons seems to rule that out for at least a year or two), Gen X of Pokémon, a Kirby platformer, Luigi’s Mansion 4, a new Paper Mario (they seemed to be building up to a new role-player with The Thousand-Year Door remake but so far, nothing), a new Pikmin, Xenoblade Chronicles, or any kind of fitness game like Ring Fit Adventure.

The only major game that’s properly been announced so far is a new Fire Emblem, which you would’ve thought should be a very low priority, given how relatively niche it is. Not to spoil anyone’s fun but I find it hard to imagine many people are going to rush out to buy a Switch 2 because a new Fire Emblem is coming to it.

I often wonder whether Nintendo’s Western divisions spend most of their days pleading with Japan to be less secretive but it’s worth pointing out that they’re being worse now than they were for the launch of the Switch 1. That had a tease for Super Mario Odyssey. It was only a few seconds, and they didn’t say what it was, but that’s all we need at this point.

Because we haven’t got that fans either have to blindly trust Nintendo knows what they’re doing or they begin to worry that they’ve lost the plot and most of the games are going to be years away. Most people will trust Nintendo in terms of game quality, but not in terms of business decisions, which they are definitely not infallible about.

I just think they’re playing all this wrong and if we don’t get a very good Nintendo Direct very soon then those underperforming Western sales figures are going to get even worse.

By reader Olliephant

The reader’s features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.

You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot.

Just contact us at gamecentral@metro.co.uk or use our Submit Stuff page and you won’t need to send an email.

MORE: Nintendo should make a Super Smash Bros. animated series – Reader’s Feature

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A drag queen’s body was found under a pile of cardboard boxes in an alleyway in the centre of Cardiff – and an inquest has heard the performer died under troubling circumstances

Once a glitzy performer taking to the stage in a blonde wig and immaculate make-up, this drag queen’s final moments were world’s away from the spotlight.

Darren Meah-Moore, 39, was found dead in a lane in the centre of Cardiff. The married drag queen, who performed under the names Crystal Couture and CC Quinn, was last seen glammed up in full drag leaving Pulse nightclub in the heart of the city

Meah-Moore once lived the high life and even featured on RuPaul’s Drag Race, but an inquest has heard that beneath the alter-ego, there was a much darker world. The perfomer, who was a registered sex offender, had met a man with a dog in the early hours of the night, and proceeded to have sex with both.

READ MORE: Teen admits murdering own ‘lovely’ mum, 45, found with blunt force head injury

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CCTV footage shows that Meah-Moore had sexual encounters with two other men that night, reappearing on camera multiple times during the encounters. However the performer fails to appear after a third encounter with a man, who later told the court his dog was involved in a sexual encounter with the drag queen.

An inquest heard that the man, who remains anonymous for legal reasons, said he went to a secluded car park with Meah-Moore and began to have sexual activity with him.

“Because it was consensual and desired I let him do what he was asked to do. I had never seen something like that before. I could have stopped it and I should have stopped it but I didn’t,” the man said.

The dog owner said he “lost interest” when Meah-Moore continued to allow the pet to have sex with him. After the encounter, he said Meah-Moore fell asleep and could not be woken up.

The inquest was told tests found “human and non-human” semen inside his body and DNA matched the man’s dog. Pathologists ultimately found the death was not “traumatic”.

Tests have since been carried out to see if Meah-Moore was allergic to dogs, with Coroner David Regan saying a pathologist had theorised the drag queen’s sudden death may have arisen “from the dog semen”.

He said: “The pathologist made a suggestion that there might be some pathological relation with sudden death potentially arising from the dog semen?” Detective Superintendent Paul Raikes replied: “I think it is accepted Darren did have a sensitivity to dogs but it wasn’t able to provide a cause of death and attribute it to that.”

The court heard the original medical cause of death was given as 1a: sudden death in a man with bronchial asthma who had consumed alcohol and in a temporal association with sexual activity including anal intercourse.

The dog’s owner was later arrested on suspicion of manslaughter but later released without charge. Meah-Moore was reported missing by his husband the following morning – and a worker at the club said she saw him enter a nearby car park. Nightclub manager Sean Rogers was told of his disappearance and went to check the car park and could see part of his dress from the previous night.

Mr Rogers said when he got out of his car he found Meah-Moore’s body covered with flattened out cardboard boxes which had “definitely been placed on top of him”. He said the boxes were “covering a large part of his body” and said he tried to rouse Meah-Moore. When he got no response, he phoned the emergency services.

He performed CPR until paramedics took over but Meah-Moore was pronounced dead at the scene. The inquest heard tributes from Meah-Moore’s father and husband who described him as “caring” and “right at the heart of Cardiff’s gay community”. He was also described as talented gymnast, who ran a jewellery company called Bling Bling Bling UK.

A tribute from Darren’s family said: “Darren Moore was a loving husband, son, brother, uncle and friend. He was always the life and soul where ever he went, he was our social butterfly. He made sure he had a lot of time for people, and never judged others.

“Darren’s husband and family want to thank everyone for their support but now need time to grieve and respectfully request privacy at this time.” Meah-Moore was jailed in March 1999 after being convicted of four counts of rape of a boy under 16. In 2011, he was also sentenced to a three-year community order and given 300 hours of unpaid work for breaching of a sex offender’s order.

The Pontypridd inquest, due to last four days, continues.

The M60 was shut between J13 (Worsley) and J15 (Clifton) heading clockwise following the incident at around 2.15am on Friday (February 6).

National Highways said the vehicle “struck the central reservation” and all emergency services were on scene.

Four fire engines from Stretford, Farnworth, Leigh and Eccles stations were called to the crash which involved a single car.

A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) said: “At around 2.15am on Friday 6 February, four fire engines from Stretford, Farnworth, Leigh and Eccles fire stations attended a crash on the M60 clockwise between junctions 13 and 14 involving one car. 

“Crews arrived quickly to make the area safe and remove one person from the vehicle before passing them into the care of North West Ambulance Service.

“Crews were in attendance for roughly one hour.”

A woman was taken to Salford Royal Hospital but North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) said her injuries are not thought to be serious.

The road was reopened again shortly before four am.

CHELSEA travel to Molineux on Saturday for their Premier League encounter with rock-bottom Wolves.

SunSport betting experts have previewed the contest and selected the best bets, tips and exclusive sign-up bonuses from our leading betting partners.

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Wolves vs Chelsea preview

Chelsea will look to bounce back from their midweek defeat to Arsenal when they travel to rock-bottom Wolves on Saturday afternoon.

It looks a good chance for Chelsea to respond, with Liam Rosenior’s side aiming to leapfrog rivals Manchester United into the top four after three straight league wins over West Ham, Crystal Palace, and Brentford.

The match also offers Rosenior the chance to become just the second English manager in Premier League history to win his first four games in charge – a notable achievement given predecessor Enzo Maresca managed just one run of four consecutive wins across 57 matches.

The sides have already met twice this season, with Chelsea winning on both occasions. In fact, the Blues have won their last four meetings with Wolves in all competitions, scoring 16 goals and conceding six.

Chelsea haven’t won back-to-back away league games at Molineux since 2010, but that run looks under threat – particularly given Wolves’ struggles in front of goal.

Rob Edwards’ side have failed to score in their last three Premier League matches and have drawn a blank in 13 of 24 league games this season.

Wolves have also scored just four goals across their last seven top-flight home matches and will be relying on Adam Armstrong to lift their attack following the departure of Jorgen Strand Larsen.

Wolves vs Chelsea preview betting odds

Odds are correct at the time of publication and are subject to change.

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Wolves vs Chelsea preview betting tips and predictions

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As mentioned above, Chelsea tend to enjoy this fixture. They’ve scored 3, 4, 3 and 6 goals in their last four meetings with Wolves, and have also hit 3+ goals in three of their last four away games in all competitions.

No Premier League side has posted a higher expected goals figure than Chelsea this season, while only West Ham have conceded more goals at home than Wolves. Wolves have also shipped three or more goals on six occasions at Molineux.

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He’s also facing a Wolves side that has conceded more fouls than any other Premier League team across the last four league games (54).

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Gail Sheridan is bidding to become an MSP at the Scottish parliamentary elections in May as a candidate for the ALBA party and hopes to be elected alongside her husband Tommy

The wife of left wing political firebrand Tommy Sheridan is to stand for election to the Scottish Parliament this year alongside her husband.

The Daily Record can reveal that Gail Sheridan will feature on the ALBA List of candidates for the Glasgow Region in May’s Holyrood election joining husband Tommy in a joint bid to become MSP’s.

Gail was approached to stand after one of the Glasgow candidates had to withdraw due to work commitments. ALBA must field a minimum of four candidates in all the eight regional list areas to qualify for party political broadcasts on BBC and STV.

Gail Sheridan yesterday confirmed her candidacy to the Daily Record.

She said:”I was a founder member of ALBA in 2021, so when I was asked to help the party by standing as a candidate in Glasgow I agreed.

“I knew former leader of the party Alex Salmond well from my cabin crew days on the BA shuttle flights to and from London. “He was always supportive of our trade union struggles with the company over wages and working conditions, so I was happy to join his ALBA Party.”

Gail added:”I have supported Scottish independence all my adult life. In truth I was reluctant about supporting Tommy getting back involved in politics, but it is in his blood.

“He gets things done and shakes things up. He fought Thatcher’s poll tax and managed to get warrant sales abolished and free and healthy school meals on the political table in the first parliament.

“I know he will fight hard for Glasgow and Scotland’s independence”.

Gail and Tommy have known each other since they met at school in Glasgow in the late 1970’s

However, they didn’t become romantically involved until 1992 and were married in 2000.

Last week we revealed how Tommy was planning a sensational return to the Scottish Parliament – following a break of almost 20 years – after he secured the party’s top spot on the Glasgow region list.

Reacting to his wife Gail joining the list of candidates Sheridan told the Record:

“I am very proud of Gail for stepping up to the plate.

“She is an extremely capable woman with decades of trade union experience, independence campaigning and community council and school parent council involvement.

“She is a formidable organiser.

“We already had a very good candidate, so Gail is an ideal replacement.

“Gail was a supporter of Scottish independence before me, so she is well suited to ALBA’s determination to make independence a priority in the next parliament. “With Gail backing me and the party I know we have a chance of winning”

ALBA was launched by the late Alex Salmond shortly before the last Holyrood election in 2021 but it has so far failed to elect any MSPs.

The party has struggled since Salmond’s death in 2024 and lost its only MSP last year when Ash Regan – who had defected from the SNP – cancelled her membership.

The Record previously revealed how Sheridan was elected to Alba’s governing body last year.

He was one of the best known politicians in Scotland in the early years of devolution after he was first elected as an MSP for the Scottish Socialist Party (SSP) in 1999.

He quit as leader in 2004 and later endured a bitter fall-out with his SSP colleagues over his decision to sue the News of the World for defamation after it accused him of an affair and visiting a swingers’ club in Manchester.

Sheridan won his case in 2006 but he was charged with perjury in 2007 and later jailed for three years following a lengthy trial in 2010.

After forming Solidarity, he appeared on Celebrity Big Brother and fronted a show for Russia backed channel Sputnik UK. He was declared bankrupt in 2022 over an £82,000 legal bill.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s racist social media post featuring former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama, as primates in a jungle was deleted Friday after a backlash from both Republicans and Democrats who criticized the video as offensive.

Trump said later Friday that he won’t apologize for the post: “I didn’t make a mistake,” he said.

The Republican president’s Thursday night post was blamed on a staffer after widespread backlash, from civil rights leaders to veteran Republican senators, for its treatment of the nation’s first Black president and first lady. A rare admission of a misstep by the White House, the deletion came hours after press secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed “fake outrage” over the post. After calls for its removal — including by Republicans — the White House said a staffer had posted the video erroneously.

The post was part of a flurry of overnight activity on Trump’s Truth Social account that amplified his false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him, despite courts around the country and Trump’s first-term attorney general finding no evidence of systemic fraud.

Trump has a record of intensely personal criticism of the Obamas and of using incendiary, sometimes racist, rhetoric — from feeding the lie that Obama was not a native-born U.S. citizen to crude generalizations about majority-Black countries.

The post came in the first week of Black History Month and days after a Trump proclamation cited “the contributions of black Americans to our national greatness” and “the American principles of liberty, justice, and equality.”

An Obama spokeswoman said the former president, a Democrat, had no response.

‘An internet meme’

Nearly all of the 62-second clip appears to be from a conservative video alleging deliberate tampering with voting machines in battleground states as 2020 votes were tallied. At the 60-second mark is a quick scene of two jungle primates, with the Obamas’ smiling faces imposed on them.

Those frames originated from a separate video, previously circulated by an influential conservative meme maker. It shows Trump as “King of the Jungle” and depicts Democratic leaders as animals, including Joe Biden, who is white, as a jungle primate eating a banana.

“This is from an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from the Lion King,” Leavitt said by text.

Disney’s 1994 feature film that Leavitt referenced is set on the savannah, not in the jungle, and it does not include great apes.

“Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public,” Leavitt added.

By noon, the post had been taken down, with responsibility placed on a Trump subordinate.

Trump, answering questions from reporters accompanying him Friday night aboard Air Force One, said the video was about fraudulent elections and that he liked what he saw.

“I liked the beginning. I saw it and just passed it on, and I guess probably nobody reviewed the end of it,” he said.

Asked if he condemned the video’s racism, Trump said, “Of course I do.”

The White House explanation raises questions about control of Trump’s social media account, which he’s used to levy import taxes, threaten military action, make other announcements and intimidate political rivals. The president often signs his name or initials after policy posts.

The White House did not immediately respond to an inquiry about how posts are vetted and when the public can know when Trump himself is posting.

Mark Burns, a pastor and a prominent Trump supporter who is Black, said Friday on X that he’d spoken “directly” with Trump and that he recommended to the president that he fire the staffer who posted the video and publicly condemn what happened.

“He knows this is wrong, offensive, and unacceptable,” Burns posted.

Congressional Black Caucus Chairwoman Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y., told The Associated Press she does “not buy the White House’s commentary.”

“If there wasn’t a climate, a toxic and racist climate within the White House, we wouldn’t see this type of behavior regardless of who it’s coming from,” Clarke said, adding that Trump “is a racist, he’s a bigot, and he will continue to do things in his presidency to make that known.”

Condemnation across the political spectrum

Trump and White House social media accounts frequently repost memes and artificial intelligence-generated videos. As Leavitt did Friday, Trump allies typically cast them as humorous.

This time, condemnations flowed from across the spectrum — along with demands for an apology that doesn’t appear to be coming.

At a Black History Month market in Harlem, the historically Black neighborhood in New York City, vendor Jacklyn Monk said Trump’s post was embarrassing even if it was eventually deleted. “The guy needs help. I’m sorry he’s representing our country. … It’s horrible that it was this month, but it would be horrible if it was in March also.”

In Atlanta, Rev. Bernice King, daughter of the assassinated civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr., resurfaced her father’s words: “Yes. I’m Black. I’m proud of it. I’m Black and beautiful.” Black Americans, she said, “are beloved of God as postal workers and professors, as a former first lady and president. We are not apes.”

The U.S. Senate’s lone Black Republican, Tim Scott of South Carolina, called on Trump to take down the post. “Praying it was fake because it’s the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House,” said Scott, who chairs Senate Republicans’ midterm campaign arm.

Another Republican, Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, is white but represents the state with the largest percentage of Black residents. Wicker called the post “totally unacceptable” and said the president should apologize.

Some Republicans who face tough reelections this November voiced concerns, as well. The result was an unusual cascade of intraparty criticism for a president who has enjoyed a stranglehold over fellow Republicans who stayed silent during previous Trump controversies for fear of a public spat with the president or losing his endorsement in a future campaign.

NAACP President Derrick Johnson called the video “utterly despicable” and pointed to Trump’s wider political concerns that could help explain Republicans’ willingness to speak out. Johnson asserted that Trump is trying anything to distract from economic conditions and attention on the Jeffrey Epstein case files.

“You know who isn’t in the Epstein files? Barack Obama,” he said. “You know who actually improved the economy as president? Barack Obama.”

A long history of racism

There is a long history in the U.S. of powerful white figures associating Black people with animals, including apes, in demonstrably false, racist ways. The practice dates to 18th century cultural racism and pseudo-scientific theories used to justify the enslavement of Black people, and later to dehumanize freed Black people as uncivilized threats to white people.

Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence, wrote in his famous text “Notes on the State of Virginia” that Black women were the preferred sexual partners of orangutans. President Dwight Eisenhower, discussing school desegregation in the 1950s, suggested white parents were rightfully concerned about their daughters being in classrooms with “big Black bucks.” Obama, as a candidate and president, was featured as a monkey or other primates on T-shirts and other merchandise.

In his 2024 campaign, Trump said immigrants were “poisoning the blood of our country,” language similar to what Adolf Hitler used to dehumanize Jews in Nazi Germany.

During his first White House term, Trump called a swath of majority-Black, developing nations “shithole countries.” He initially denied saying it but admitted in December 2025 that he did.

When Obama was in the White House, Trump pushed false claims that the 44th president, who was born in Hawaii, was born in Kenya and constitutionally ineligible to serve. Trump, in interviews that helped endear him to conservatives, demanded that Obama prove he was a “natural-born citizen” as required to become president.

Obama eventually released birth records, and Trump finally acknowledged during his 2016 campaign, after having won the Republican nomination, that Obama was born in Hawaii. But immediately after, he said, falsely, that his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton started the birtherism attacks.

___ Barrow reported from Atlanta. Associated Press journalists Moriah Balingit in Washington, Darlene Superville in West Palm Beach, Fla., and Ted Shaffrey in New York contributed to this report.

‘Amazing house, high standard, fabulous views’

This luxury eco-friendly beach house sits just steps from the sand along the Glamorgan Heritage Coastal Path and is made for an unforgettable group getaway. Sleeping up to 10 guests across four bedrooms the Southbank beach house in Ogmore-by-Sea is ideal for family holidays or trips with friends with sandy beaches and a coastal walks right on the doorstep.

Surfing, fishing, pony trekking, and golf are all nearby and, with local restaurants and a convenience store close at hand too, Southbank is peaceful yet everything you need is within easy reach.

Inside the home is modern and spacious with impressive designs. The beach house has an open-plan kitchen, dining, and living space framed by panoramic sea views. Large glass doors overlook the beach. Love dreamy Welsh homes? Sign up to our newsletter here

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Upstairs the bedrooms include two sea-facing king-size rooms with veranda access, a family room perfect for children, and sleek bathrooms throughout. Visitors highly praise the “superb” children’s bedroom that features a climbing wall.

Outside you’ll find a large decked terrace, hot tub, barbecue area, and enclosed garden while practical extras like off-road parking, an outdoor shower, and space for bikes and surfboards make this beach house as convenient as it is luxurious.

The Southbank beach house is a popular stay among Holiday Cottages and is fully booked for both July and August. It is available to book for other dates and a four-night stay in February would cost roughly £1.500.

For a cosy romantic retreat the Hen Beudy located in Eryri is a loved property by reviewers who call it a “beautiful cottage, clean, comfortable, with everything you could possibly need plus more”. It is available to book on Sykes Cottages in April for a slashed price of £453, which is down from £701.

Another cottage fit for a getaway is the Ty Crwn roundhouse in Ceredigion, described by one stayer as “absolutely stunning, unique, cosy, and beautifully finished”.

A guest of the beach house described the place as “Our stay at Southbank was a little slice of luxury. Perfect for all ages, the house is ideally situated for beach walks… and dips in the hot tub when the weather isn’t playing ball! The house is equipped to an exceptionally high standard and I was only sorry we couldn’t stay longer. Would love to come back if we get the chance.”

This beach house is incredibly popular, meaning availability over the next few months is limited. Guests have snapped up a stay in the beach house due to its prime location and luxury feel.

One reviewer expressed how suitable the beach house was for their girls getaway: “We stayed here for a girls weekend away and were totally blown away how beautiful the property was, and the views in the morning having a cuppa were incredible. Loved how we could walk down to the beach in 1 minute and was direct access. We loved the kitchen and living area, bedrooms were lovely and beds comfy, we are about to book for 2026 as we loved it so much!”

City of York Council’s fostering team will be at the LNER Community Stadium on Saturday, February 7, ahead of York City’s match against Forest Green Rovers to talk with fans about fostering opportunities and raise awareness of the growing need for foster carers in the city.

Councillor Bob Webb, the council’s executive member for children, young people and education, hopes the matchday will be a chance to reach new audiences.

He said: “Football brings people from all walks of life together and we’re excited to use this opportunity to let people know we’re always looking for foster carers to provide safe, loving homes for local children and young people.

“Fostering can be incredibly rewarding, and I can assure people thinking about it that there is a role for everyone.

“Our great team of advisors will be on hand to chat with anyone who thinks they can provide a safe and loving home.

“There are lots of different options available and our friendly, specialist team will help guide you through the application process and beyond.”

The fostering team will be available for informal conversations before and after the game, offering information about the fostering process and the support available.

Their stadium visit comes as part of the council’s ongoing campaign to recruit more foster carers across York.

For more information about fosteringcall 01904 555678 or visit fostering.york.gov.uk