MILAN (AP) — U.S. Vice President JD Vance sat with influencer and boxer Jake Paul as they watched the U.S. women’s hockey team ease to a 5-0 win over Finland at the Winter Olympics on Saturday.

Vance and his family entered during the intermission at the end of the first period, with the U.S. leading 1-0. Paul joined them shortly after. Paul’s fiancee Jutta Leerdam is a speedskater for the Netherlands at the Milan Cortina Games.

Vance sat with his youngest child, daughter Mirabel, on his lap. Usha Vance, wearing a sweatshirt with “USA” in big letters, clapped along to Queen’s “We Will Rock You,” before the second period started.

The vice president and his wife stood and clapped when the U.S. women’s team scored a goal. They were back on their feet cheering a few minutes later when the U.S. women scored again.

Among those seated near Vance were 2010 Olympic figure skating gold medalist Evan Lysacek and hockey’s twin sisters, Hall of Famers Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson and Monique Lamoureux-Morando. They were members of the U.S. gold medal-winning team at the 2018 Winter Games.

It’s the second time that Vance has watched the U.S. women’s team at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.

He was also at the Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena on Thursday, when the U.S. beat Czechia 5-1 in its opening game of the preliminary round.

U.S. player Taylor Heise said it was “awesome” to hear that Vance and Paul were at the rink, but she wasn’t aware during the game.

“I know (teammate) Abbey Murphy wants to meet Jake Paul, so we’d love to set that up,” she said.

“None of us knew that they were here, actually,” Heise added. “Just happy to be playing, and whoever’s there gets to watch the show, because I think we’re pretty good.”

The U.S. players are especially familiar with Paul through his relationship with Leerdam, who competes in speedskating against U.S. hockey captain Hilary Knight’s girlfriend Brittany Bowe.

“I know his fiancee, Jutta, we’ve watched her work out. She’s phenomenal. We’re excited to go and watch her and obviously we’re cheering on Brit Bowe,” Heise said.

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Michelle L. Price and John Wawrow contributed to this report.

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AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

The luxury train is heading back to Wales this summer

This summer you can experience luxury train travel in Wales as a popular vintage rail service comes to Wales. The Northern Belle is one of Britain’s most luxurious trains where you can encounter fine dining aboard a 1930’s classic train travelling across the country.

With views of the Welsh countryside you can enjoy a champagne reception, caviar blinis, a wine pairing with each course, Port with a cheese board, and Fortnum and Mason tea service as well as get a front row seat to live entertainment.

The Northern Belle is coming to Cardiff, Newport and Wrexham on multiple dates in June and September. From superstar gigs to cosy pubs, find out What’s On in Wales by signing up to our newsletter here

Each day trip includes a return trip on the vintage train with scenic routes to popular UK destinations along with food and drink services aboard.

Departing from Cardiff on Thursday, June 25 the Belle will travel via Newport, Gloucester and Cheltenham to Chatsworth House where you will spend the afternoon. As you step onto the train you will be greeted with a champagne reception and treated to a three-course brunch as you travel across the country.

Making a return to Cardiff on Thursday, September 17 the Northern Belle will make the same stops but on this journey you can get to see a section of Dawlish that was built on the sea wall and passes through five tunnels. A seven-course meal will be served with a strolling musicians passing through the carriages.

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Visiting North Wales on September 19, the luxury train will head from Telford to Shrewsbury then to Wrexham and Chester on what has been called one of the world’s most scenic railway journeys. There will be a spectacular scenic journey by steam over the Settle and Carlisle line with a chance to explore Carlisle.

For more information and to book tickets you can visit the Northern Belle website.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump received rare blowback from Republican lawmakers over a video posted to social media that included a racist image of former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama, depicted as primates.

Since Trump’s return to the White House, Republican lawmakers have treaded carefully when disagreeing with the president, often communicating their concerns in private for fear of suffering his wrath.

But the swift calls to remove the post, which also echoed false conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, represented a rare moment of bipartisan backlash to Trump’s actions from lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

Multiple GOP members of the Senate and House joined their Democratic colleagues in voicing disgust and criticism at the post and urged the president to remove it.

Trump declined to apologize, saying he did not see the racist portion of the video when he passed it on to staff.

How Republican lawmakers reacted

South Carolina’s Tim Scott, the only Black Republican senator and chair of the Senate GOP’s campaign arm, criticized the image and urged the president to remove it.

“Praying it was fake because it’s the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House. The President should remove it,” Scott wrote on social media.

Other Republican senators echoed the sentiment.

“Even if this was a Lion King meme, a reasonable person sees the racist context to this,” Sen. Pete Ricketts of Nebraska, wrote on social media. “The White House should do what anyone does when they make a mistake: remove this and apologize.”

Sen. Susan Collins of Maine called the image “appalling.” Roger Wicker, the senior senator from Mississippi, denounced it as “totally unacceptable.”

“The president should take it down and apologize,” Wicker wrote.

Sen. John Curtis of Utah called Trump’s post “blatantly racist and inexcusable. It should never have been posted or left published for so long.”

In the House, Rep. Mike Lawler of New York called Trump’s post “wrong and incredibly offensive—whether intentional or a mistake—and should be deleted immediately with an apology offered.” Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska, a frequent Trump critic, quipped on social media about the White House’s shifting explanations for the video’s origin and deletion.

Praise for the post being removed

More Republicans lodged their objections to the post after the video was taken down.

“This content was rightfully removed, should have never been posted to begin with, and is not who we are as a nation,” wrote Sen. Katie Britt, an Alabama Republican.

Rep. John James, a Michigan Republican running for governor, said he was “glad to see that trash has been taken down.” James, one of four Black Republicans in the House, said he was “shocked and appalled by that post” but defended Trump’s character.

“I know the President. He is not racist,” said James, who campaigned for Trump in Black communities during the 2024 presidential campaign.

Still, some of Trump’s closest allies defended him. Laura Loomer, a far right activist and media personality, called on her social media followers to highlight any Republican lawmakers “attacking Trump today with false accusations of racism.”

“I am compiling a list of every single GOP Senator who attacked President Trump today, and I am printing it out and giving it to President Trump ahead of the @NRSC Winter Meeting in Palm Beach, Florida this weekend,” wrote Loomer, who has influenced administration policy and threatened retribution against GOP lawmakers in the past.

A shifting White House narrative

Trump has been a longtime critic of the Obamas. Before entering politics, he earned fame among conservatives as a champion of the “birther” conspiracy theory that falsely claimed that President Obama was not born in the U.S.

White House officials made multiple shifting statements about how the animated video, which has circulated among conservatives online for months, came to be posted by the president’s account.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt at first said the post, which appears to be AI-generated, depicted Trump as “King of the Jungle” and the Obamas and other Democrats as characters from “The Lion King.” But the Disney animated classic does not include any characters depicted as apes, and is set in an African savanna not a jungle.

White House officials later said that the video was erroneously posted by a staffer.

“I liked the beginning. I saw it and just passed it on, and I guess probably nobody reviewed the end of it,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One. Asked if he condemned the racist parts of the video, Trump said, “Of course I do.”

Democrats rally to former first couple

Supporters of the Obamas also took to social media not only to condemn the president’s post, but also to celebrate the former first couple.

“We should ALL be outraged,” Pete Souza, the former chief White House photographer during the Obama White House, posted to social media. “I will not post a screenshot of the video here. Instead, I thought it best to respond with a few of my photographs of Barack and Michelle.”

Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., posted images of the Obamas and praised their “brilliance, elegance, and beauty.”

“I want Americans, particularly our young people, to know that the vast majority of our country supports and uplifts you despite the filth spewing from the Oval Office,” former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., wrote to the Obamas on social media.

The ITV show sees famous contestants disguised in elaborate costumes sing in front of a celebrity panel who must guess their identity.

After weeks of viewers at home and judges Jonathan Ross, Davina McCall, Mo Gilligan and Maya Jama guessing who’s behind the masks, the finalists have finally been confirmed.

So far, the 2026 series has seen the likes of Alex Jones, Professor Green, Anton Du Beke and Harry Hill all be behind a mask.

Now, following the semi-final of The Masked Singer, the finalists have been revealed. Here’s everything you need to know.

Who is in the final of The Masked Singer 2026?

The finalists for The Masked Singer 2026 are as follows:

Who has been unmasked so far on The Masked Singer 2026? Full list

If you’re struggling to keep track of all the unmaskings in the latest series of The Masked Singer, or just need a bit of a refresher, we can help you stay up to date.

Warning: If you haven’t seen the most recent episodes, which air weekly on ITV, spoilers are ahead.

During the series, as well as the famous faces taking part, there have also been some separate unmaskings for celebrity guest panellists.

To avoid confusion, here are the celebrities behind any of the main 12 characters that have been unmasked on The Masked Singer 2026 so far:

• Disc Jockey – Alex Jones – TV presenter on BBC’s The One Show (episode 1)
• Teabag – Professor Green – Rapper, singer and songwriter (episode 2)
• Yak – John Lydon – Sex Pistols frontman (episode 3)
• Gargoyle – Marcella Detroit – singer from Shakespears Sister (episode 4)
• Monkey Business – Kate Nash – singer and actor (episode 5)
• Artic Fox – Anton Du Beke – Strictly Come Dancing judge (episode 5)
• Red Panda – Harry Hill – comedian (episode 6)
• Sloth – Ben Fogle – TV host (semi-finals)
• Cans of Worm – Marvin Humes – Radio host and singer (semi-finals)

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How to watch The Masked Singer final

With the series nearly coming to an end, you might be wondering when the final will take place.

You’ll need to tune into the final on Saturday, February 14 at 7pm. The episode of the ITV1 show will finish at 8.30pm.

In his announcement, posted late on Friday, Hegseth said he was considering ending defence department associations with other top-level universities, but primarily focused on Harvard, giving a history of its long relationship with the US military that stretched back to the first American president, George Washington.

Products are recalled when there is a potential safety risk

A popular French bakery brand that is often on the shelves in many supermarkets in the UK has recalled a batch of one of its products after a potential choking risk was found. Brioche Pasquier has urged customers who have bought six-packs of its Pitch Chocolate and Hazelnut Brioches with a specific date to return them.

Products with a best before date of 4 March are to be returned or discarded due to “the potential presence of hard white plastic”, according to an announcement by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) on Saturday, February 7.

The product is stocked by several UK retailers including Asda, Tesco and Ocado. For the biggest stories in Wales first sign up to our daily newsletter here

In addition to posing a choking threat, ingesting pieces of plastic can potentially harm the digestive system. The FSA warned that the possible presence of plastic fragments make the product “unsafe to eat”.

Only Pitch Chocolate filled 225g (6×37.5g) packs with the batch code UK 034 are subject to the recall.

Customers who have purchased the affected product are advised not to consume the brioches and to get in touch with the brand’s customer care team via their website or by emailing technical@briochepasquier. com.

The batch code and expiry date can be located on the back of the pack.

Brioche Pasquier confirmed that no other batch codes or any of its other products have been impacted.

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The US president and Israel’s prime minister will meet on Wednesday in Washington to discuss negotiations with Iran, according to Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.

On Friday, Iranian and US officials met in Muscat, Oman, to hold indirect nuclear talks.

The talks came amid a continued American naval build-up near Iran, which Donald Trump has described as an “armada”.

The US president has repeatedly threatened to take military action since the Iranian regime launched a bloody crackdown against protesters who took to the streets of cities across the country last month.

Both sides said more talks are expected to be held soon.

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Oscar-nominated director on Iran

On Thursday, the White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, told reporters: “While these negotiations are taking place, I would remind the Iranian regime that the president has many options at ​his disposal, aside from diplomacy as the commander in chief of the most powerful military in the history of the world.”

A regional diplomat who had been briefed by Iran told Reuters news agency that Iran insisted on its “right to enrich uranium” during the negotiations.

The diplomat also said Iran’s missile capabilities were not raised in the discussions.

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Iran threatens US with ‘regional war’

Iranian officials ruled out putting the country’s missiles, which make up one of the largest missile arsenals in the Middle East, up for discussion.

Iran also wants recognition of its right to enrich uranium.

“The prime minister believes that any negotiations must include limiting ballistic missiles and halting support ​for the Iranian axis,” said the office of Mr Netanyahu, in a statement.

Bolivia’s political landscape has changed dramatically since August 2025, when a general election ended the Movement for Socialism (Mas) party’s rule after nearly two decades. Its presence in Congress has all but vanished, with rightwing parties now commanding an overwhelming majority.

The new president, Rodrigo Paz Pereira, campaigned with the rightwing populist slogan: fé, familia y patria (faith, family and homeland). He swept to victory in large part due to the widespread popularity of his running mate and now vice-president, Edmand Lara.

As the son of former Bolivian president Jaime Paz Zamora, who led Bolivia from 1989 to 1993, Paz Pereira represents a new generation of the country’s traditional political elite. But Lara, a former police captain who has become prominent on social media since 2023, comes from the popular classes.

The unlikely pair benefited from a strong desire among the Bolivian people for change amid a severe economic crisis marked by a shortage of US dollars and annual inflation of nearly 20%. They also took advantage of widespread distrust of reticence towards politicians from previous governments.

In his November inaugural address, Paz Pereira denounced that Mas had left what he called an estado tranca (obstructing state). He pledged to replace it with a smaller, technocratic state capable of attracting foreign investment. This model of state reform is part of his broader neoliberal project of “capitalism for all”, an ill-defined entrepreneurial vision that celebrates informality.

Paz Pereira’s government soon revealed the contours of its economic and political agenda in Decree 5503. The decree included over 100 articles covering numerous issues such as fuel subsidies, taxes, emergency powers, resource governance and fiscal and monetary policy.

The government presented the decree almost exclusively as a measure to end longstanding fossil fuel subsidies. These subsidies, which were introduced in 1997, had become largely unsustainable with the decline of Bolivia’s gas exports since 2017. The decree ended the subsidies, replacing them with modest increments to the minimum salary and state pensions.

Other, more problematic elements of the decree that overlooked established procedures and the stipulations of Bolivia’s constitution were soon exposed. These included measures to grant the government emergency powers without the required justification, as well as major changes to the nationwide tax regime without legislative approval.

The decree also introduced extraordinary powers for the central bank to acquire limitless external debt without mechanisms of democratic control. And it established a “fast track” mechanism for the approval of contracts for the extraction of strategic natural resources. Contracts would be awarded without legislative oversight or the required processes of environmental impact assessment and informed consent of Indigenous people.

Such a “fast track” mechanism openly revived what was known as the entreguista character of the Bolivian state, which had historically been prevalent under elite rule. This is a term used throughout Latin America to criticise governments or policies perceived as giving away a country’s national interests by, for example, surrendering control of natural resources.

Bolivia is home to the world’s largest known lithium deposit in the department of Potosí, estimated at 23 million tonnes. Lithium is a critical component in the batteries that power electric vehicles and smartphones, as well as in high-tech weapons systems. Bolivia is also well-endowed with other critical minerals such as tin, silver and antimony.

Nationalist movements have fiercely opposed entreguista policies in Bolivia before. These movements have inspired major political events, including a revolution in 1952 that overthrew the ruling oligarchy.

They also led to the so-called water and gas wars in 2000 and 2003. These were periods of social unrest arising over government plans to privatise the water supply in the central city of Cochabamba and export natural gas through Chile, respectively.

As noted in 2006 by Tom Perreault, a researcher at Syracuse University in New York, Bolivian people see tin or gas “not only as natural resources, but as national resources as well, that is, resources that properly belong to the nation and its people”.

This sentiment was captured recently by Bolivian researcher Gustavo Calle. In an article published on January 13, he said that by suggesting strategic resources will be exploited by foreign companies without meaningful control, Decree 5503 touched “the most sensitive vein of the popular nationalism”.

Repealing the decree

Two days after the government published the decree on December 17, Bolivia’s main workers’ organisation, the Bolivian Workers’ Centre, declared a general strike. It asked its members to mobilise, demanding the abrogation of the decree.

Then, on January 5, the largest Indigenous organisations joined the protests. They paralysed the country with more than 50 road blockades. And a march named “Bolivia is not for sale” later entered the capital city of La Paz, bringing together numerous sectors of society.

Paz Pereira portrayed the leaders of the mobilisation as reckless individuals defending their own privileges. He also pledged not to back down against “criminals”. But after nearly 28 days of protests, the government finally conceded and abrogated the decree on January 11.

The government’s image has taken a hit. However, unlike the government during the gas war, its legitimacy has not been challenged. That period of unrest ultimately resulted in the resignation of President Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada.

Paz Pereira’s defeat is also only partial. The elimination of the fossil fuel subsidies has now been consolidated. And the government is currently preparing a new authoritarian law to sanction road blockages as criminal offences.

In a recent interview with the Financial Times, Paz Pereira also sought to portray the popular opposition to his entreguista policies as being carried out by a mere minority of former Mas leader Evo Morales’ followers.

In the absence of an alternative political project, the new government appears to be in a strong position to impose its agenda. Yet the strength and explosive potential of resource nationalist sentiments in the country should not be discounted.

We all need a bit of comic relief once in a while

We all need a laugh once in a while, which is why a comedy night is the perfect way to spend an evening.

They are a fantastic avenue for up-and-coming comedians to get the exposure to crowds that they wouldn’t get otherwise. Equally, they are a place for established and well-known comedians to practice new material for their bigger tours.

Belfast has become known for creating great comedians and hosting great comedy nights across the city. We’ve put together a handy guide to some of the regular comedy nights happening throughout the city.

Lavery’s

Colin Geddis has curated one of the funniest comedy nights Belfast has to offer. He transforms Lavery’s middle floor into an intimate, side-splittingly funny evening with guaranteed laughs; get down early to avoid sitting in the front row.

It takes place on Wednesdays and Thursdays every week.

The Empire

Belfast’s renowned comedy club welcomes local, national and international comedians for a night of outstanding stand-up comedy every Tuesday.

Presenting top quality acts from across Ireland, UK and the international comedy circuit, Belfast’s longest-running and most revered comedy club has been making people laugh since 1992, welcoming some of the biggest names in comedy through the doors for over 30 years.

There’s also a free pint of Harp Irish Lager for the first 50 people attending each week.

Accidental Comedy Club

It is described as gloriously unhinged, ridiculously funny and brutally honest. It takes place in Shaftesbury Square on the first Friday of every month.

Tired of safe comedy nights where every punchline feels like it’s been filtered through HR? Well, this one is for you.

The Pavilion

Some brand new comedians and some old pros are trying new jokes! Each with 5-10 minutes to make you laugh. Arrive early for a chance to win £10 in drinks.

It takes place every Monday night in the Big House.

The Spaniard

Get ready to laugh until your sides hurt with a hilarious mix of standup and improv comedy at Craic Off The Cuff!

Craic Off the Cuff is Belfast’s most unpredictable comedy night, which is a blend of stand-up, banter, and spontaneous fun. Hosted weekly by Ewan Latimer, the show mixes sharp jokes with on-the-spot improv.

Expect comedians thinking on their feet, unexpected moments, and plenty of laughs born in the moment. With board games on the tables and a relaxed, social vibe, it’s a night where no two shows are ever the same.

The Black Box

Hosted by Belfast Comedy stalwarts Alan Irwin (Chortle Student Comedian of the Year Finalist) and Ronan Linskey (Bulmer’s Irish Comedian of the Year 2015).

Kill Your Darlings is one of Belfast’s most loved comedy clubs. It features new and established comedians doing all new, never heard before material. Previous acts include Colin Murphy, Shane Todd, Colin Geddis and Teresa Livingstone.

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

A start-up founder is organizing a Saturday “March for Billionaires” in San Francisco in protest of a proposed one-time wealth tax on the state’s ultra-wealthy.

The march, set to kick off this afternoon at the San Francisco Civic Center, has attracted a small crowd already, though it has run into one problem: its organizer has to keep insisting the event is not a joke.

“Yes, it’s real,” organizer Derik Kauffman told KRON on Friday.

When news of the planned march first began to circulate, some on social media speculated the event might be satirical or funded in the background by a California billionaire.

Kauffman, whom the San Francisco Examiner identified as the march’s organizer, told the paper he is not in contact with billionaires or getting funding from them. The entrepreneur, who founded an AI company that took part in the Y Combinator start-up accelerator, added that he’s not a billionaire himself, but sees the wealth-tax proposal as a threat to the state’s tech economy and larger prosperity because it could force founders to sell shares in their companies.

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The march is meant to “change the sentiment on this to recognize that billionaires have done a lot for us and communicate that we’re glad they’re here,” he told the Examiner.

The march, whose main program began on Saturday lunchtime, attracted a small crowd, though a social media user who said he was nearby suggested they were outnumbered by media members and counter-protesters.

The tax proposal, a state ballot initiative backed by the state’s influential SEIU–United Healthcare Workers West, would levy a one-time tax on billionaires who were living in California as of January 1, equal to five percent of their net worth.

Revenues for the tax would be spent to bolster public healthcare, as the state reels from Trump administration cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act.

The state legislative analyst’s office has calculated that the tax could raise tens of billions of dollars, though it warned of uncertainty about the proposal’s impact, given fluctuations in the stock market and the possibility that billionaires could leave the state and take their tax dollars with them.

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“This would mean less money for the state’s general budget that supports education, health care, prisons, and other services,” the office wrote. “While there would be money from the wealth tax to pay for some of these things, like health care, that money would be temporary.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom opposes the proposal, as does a large swathe of the state’s tech community.

“This will be defeated — there’s no question in my mind,” Newsom told The New York Times.

“I’ll do what I have to do to protect the state.”

The tax still needs to make it to the ballot and get voter approval, but billionaires, including Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Bri,n have already begun cutting financial ties with the state.

Research suggests the ultra-wealthy aren’t actually prone to move en masse in the face of new taxes.

“These people are just very embedded in the places where they’ve built their careers, and have a lot of ties to where they live and work. It’s costly to give those up,” Cornell University sociologist Cristobal Young, the author of The Myth of Millionaire Tax Flight: How Place Still Matters for the Rich, told CalMatters. “So it’s one thing to say, ‘I’m moving to Texas.’ But a lot of people, when it comes down to making that move, they don’t want to do it.”