The president singled out two former popular Fox News evening-programme hosts, Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly, and right-wing conspiracy theorists Alex Jones and Candace Owens, for criticism. He ticked through each, using derisive language to highlight what he viewed as their past failings and deficiencies.

April showers are set to continue

After Storm Dave last weekend, it hasn’t felt like Spring at all this April across Northern Ireland.

Looking ahead to this weekend, the weather forecast suggests things aren’t set to change too much and the April Showers are set to persist.

According to the Met Office, a dry morning is set to take a wet turn into the afternoon on Saturday.

READ MORE: Work begins on transforming landmark city centre building into £20m Staycity aparthotelREAD MORE: Meet the teams taking part in the Red Bull Soapbox Race at Stormont

The forecaster added that strong gale can also be expected in coastal areas on Sunday.

This is the Met Office’s weather outlook for the weekend across Northern Ireland:

Saturday:

A dry morning with sunny spells. Becoming cloudier in the afternoon with outbreaks of rain which may be heavy at times. Winds strong at times, especially near the coast. Maximum temperature 10 °C.

Outlook for Sunday to Tuesday:

Heavy outbreaks of rain on Sunday. Sunny spells on Monday with scattered showers. Dry with sunny spells Tuesday. Winds will be strong with risk of gales Sunday, then becoming light.

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

The collision happened shortly after 9pm on Wednesday, March 8 and involved a blue Yamaha off-road motorbike that collided with a car park barrier.

The rider was pronounced dead at the scene.

A woman in her 30s, who was a passenger on the bike, sustained minor injuries and was taken to hospital but has since been discharged.

Sergeant Andrew Swindlehurst, from the Lancashire Roads Policing Unit, said: “A man has very sadly died following this collision, and our thoughts remain with him and his loved ones at this difficult time.

“We are in the early stages of our investigation, and I am appealing directly to you, the public, for your assistance.

“If you witnessed this collision, have any CCTV, dashcam or doorbell footage, or have any information that could assist us, please do get in touch with us.”

Police are also seeking footage from nearby residential areas that may show the motorbike being ridden prior to the collision.

Anyone with information is asked to call 101 quoting log 1561 of April 8 or email the Serious Collision Investigation Unit at SCIU@lancashire.police.uk.

Specially trained officers are supporting the man’s family.

Brian Hooker, the Michigan man arrested in the Bahamas after his wife went missing at sea, is now in an “extremely fragile state,” his attorney said.

The 59-year-old told investigators his wife, Lynette Hooker, fell overboard while they were on a boat traveling from Hope Town to Elbow Cay on April 4, according to the Royal Bahamas Police Force. He was then detained on Wednesday evening.

His attorney, Terrel Butler, described him as “completely heartbroken and deeply distressed” in a statement shared Friday with The Independent.

“His primary concern and source of intense frustration is his inability to continue the search for his wife of 25 years. The trauma of her disappearance, coupled with his current detention as a suspect, has left him in an extremely fragile state,” he said.

Hooker, who has not been charged, “unequivocally denies any wrongdoing,” according to Butler.

Hooker is also suffering from a knee injury, which he sustained after falling overboard while police were searching his boat on the night of his arrest, according to his attorney.

“Under conditions of heavy rain and strong-force winds, he was taken by boat to his boat, the Soulmate for a police search. Despite the choppy and dangerous sea conditions, he was kept in handcuffs,” Butler said.

“While attempting to move sideways across the wet, unstable flooring of the boat to maintain his balance—with a bundle of clothes in his restricted hands—he lost his footing and fell overboard. He was submerged in the cold water and took in a significant amount of seawater before his life jacket brought him to the surface. He had to be rescued from the water by the police,” he added.

Hooker is expected to receive treatment at Rand Memorial Hospital.

The Independent has contacted the Royal Bahamas Police Force for comment.

Hooker initially told investigators his wife was carried away by “strong currents” after she “fell overboard” while they were on a boat together, the Royal Bahamas Police Force said Sunday.

“According to preliminary information, a male complainant reported that he and his wife, both U.S. nationals, departed Hope Town around 7:30 p.m. aboard an 8-foot hard-bottom dinghy enroute to Elbow Cay,” the agency said in a statement.

“During the journey, his wife reportedly fell overboard with the boat keys, causing the vessel’s engine to shut off. Strong currents subsequently carried her away, and he lost sight of her. He then paddled the vessel to shore,” the statement continued.

The agency announced Hooker’s arrest late Wednesday. Advardo Dames, the assistant commissioner of the Royal Bahamas Police, said he was “taken into custody as a suspect,” according to Reuters. The U.S. Coast Guard has also opened a criminal investigation into the incident.

Origin Deleveaux, a Royal Bahamas Defense Force commander, told NBC News crews are still searching for Lynette Hooker as of Friday.

Lynette Hooker’s daughter, Karli Aylesworth, has spoken out about the case in interviews with several media outlets. Aylesworth told NBC News she was unlikely to “just fall” off the boat, and explained the couple has a​​ “history of not getting along, especially when they drink.”

During a Fox News interview, she also described her mother as a “very fit person” who was unlikely to lose her balance.

“I do believe something might have happened to her,” Aylesworth told the network. “There’s history of them choking her out and threatening to throw her overboard. So the fact that this is actually happening makes me believe there’s more to the story.”

Butler said his client denies Aylesworth’s claims.

“Mr. Hooker categorically and unequivocally denies any wrongdoing and in particular the allegations recently made by Karli Aylesworth. He has been cooperating with the relevant authorities as part of an ongoing investigation,” he said Thursday.

Sinitta has hit back at ITV viewers after facing backlash over her comments to Gemma Collins about her Chicago casting, saying parts of their conversation were edited out

Sinitta has hit back at I’m A Celebrity viewers following their response to her on-screen clash with Gemma Collins. Thursday’s episode saw friction emerge between the pair, after Sinitta revealed to the TOWIE star that she had considered the announcement of Gemma succeeding her as Mama Morton in Chicago to be a ‘joke’.

Gemma had been set to portray the prison warden in 2022 but withdrew due to a “terrible injury”. During I’m A Celeb, Sinitta said: “We were like ‘is this like a joke announcement?’” before adding: “I thought you were like Zsa Zsa Gabor… You don’t do anything, but you make a great entrance! You make everybody laugh, but I didn’t know you could actually sing and dance.”

Gemma appeared visibly taken aback by the remark, responding: “I don’t think you’d get casted as Mama Morton in Chicago if you didn’t pass the audition.” She subsequently told producers: “I am not a joke. I was taken aback. It was just a bit weird.”

Viewers appeared equally displeased with Sinitta’s comment, taking to social media in droves to voice their displeasure and calling for her exit. Sinitta has now fired back at the “nasty” criticism directed her way.

In a social media post, she said: “Goodness! I know none of you have ever heard of me before because you are young, if you did you would know I’m a very kind person who would never be horrible to Gemma Collins or anyone else.

“We actually bonded over discussing Chicago, I didn’t call her a joke, I said I thought the announcement was a joke at the time as I had not been aware that she sang and danced etc.

“There was lots of gossip about it in Theatreland when she didn’t do the show. Me and Brenda Edwards had to step in and play the role again,” reports the Mirror.

She went on to claim that ITV producers had “edited out” portions of their exchange. “I had nothing else in common with Gemma apart from Chicago so it was a natural thing to talk to her about and they edited out us speaking amicably about the director and her calling us ‘2 Mama Morton’s’.

“You are all being genuinely nasty here, because you love her, I get it. But I gave her a chance to tell her side from the horses mouth! Think about it…. That is not rude, it’s called conversations. Why do people fear open conversations?

“Maybe I’m too old school, but then I AM OLD and been working since the 80’s, I had a successful TV, theatre and film career before I even met Simon Cowell.”

Sinitta also took to her Instagram account to offer Gemma a public apology. Beneath a photograph of Kermit the Frog sipping Lipton tea, she wrote: “I am truly sorry that I hurt your feelings when I said I initially thought your Chicago announcement was a joke.

“I also apologised at the time of admitting it to you. People thought it was a joke when I was first announced too due to my tiny size and usually Pop vocals. I’m sad you were upset , prove everyone wrong, it feels good! Btw I love Zsa Zsa Gabor, that was a compliment.”

I’m A Celebrity… South Africa is on ITV1 and ITVX

Greater Manchester Police descended on the sleepy Dicconson Lane in the early hours of Friday (April 10) morning, in an incident Assistant Chief Constable Steph Parker described as ‘challenging’.

Residents were not allowed to leave their homes as around 17 police vehicles – including armed police – took over the street.

The terraced houses at the Wigan-end of Dicconson Lane (Image: Dan Dougherty)

Assistant Chief Constable Steph Parker said: “Following this challenging incident, I can confirm the individual has been detained by our officers, and those involved have been safely secured and protected.

“I want to commend the bravery and professionalism of our officers and thank the public for their patience and cooperation while we worked to bring this situation to a safe conclusion.”

Dicconson Lane connects Westhoughton and Blackrod to Aspull and Wigan.

The terraced houses at Dicconson Lane (Image: Dan Dougherty)

The incident occurred at a row of terraced houses near the Wigan end of Dicconson Lane, near Aspull.

The incident started around 2am after police were called by concerned residents who had heard a disturbance.

Police arrived and engaged in ‘prolonged negotiations’ with the subject before making an arrest.

Dicconson Lane with the police car noticeable to the right (Image: Dan Dougherty)

Residents were not allowed to leave their houses during the incident, which lasted around 5 hours between 2am and 7am.

One resident – who did not want to be named – said: “We heard all the noise from about 3.30am onwards.

“There were 17 police vehicles on the road and men with guns.

Dicconson Lane (Image: Dan Dougherty)

“It was over in one of the terraced houses.

“A man got taken out and arrested, then what looked like a mother and children came out afterwards and talked to the police. It looked like they were negotiating with them.

“I didn’t know if it was her son and daughter, but they were definitely younger.”

A police car with two officers inside remained parked outside the house in question for much of Friday.

Dicconson Lane facing back towards Bolton (Image: Dan Dougherty)

The suspect was arrested on suspicion of false imprisonment and remains in custody for questioning.

Nobody was harmed during the incident, and neither were any of the people in the neighbouring houses.

Police have been made aware of a video depicting the incident, which has been circling on various local social media channels.

The collision happened at around 4pm at the junction of Bradford Street and Bury New Road.

Emergency services attended the scene, and all those involved were taken to hospital with minor injuries.

A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said: “We were called at around 4pm to reports of an RTC on Bradford Street.

“Emergency services attended.

“A man has been arrested on suspicion of causing injury by dangerous driving and failing to provide.

“He remains in custody for questioning.”

The front end of the vehicle was extensively damaged (Image: Phil Taylor)

The road was temporarily blocked while police attended and recovery work took place.

Both vehicles sustained significant front-end damage, with one described as having major structural components no longer intact.

A pedestrian crossing signal was also severely damaged, and debris and an oil spill were left across the carriageway.

(Image: Phil Taylor)

A resident told The Bolton News: “It’s crazy, there are some shocking drivers out there but wouldn’t have thought it would happen right on my front door.”

By approximately 7.30pm, the scene was cleared, although traffic cones remained in place.

North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) has also been approached for comment.

Residents of Deansgate Square’s West Tower have been left in the dark for days after an internal electrical fault, with some forced into hotels as a luxury development struggles to restore basic services

It is one of Manchester’s most luxurious apartment blocks. Towering over the city at 44 floors, the glass West Tower building permanently changed the city’s skyline when it opened and is home to wealthy footballers and social media influencers.

The Renaker development, which was completed just six years ago, comprises a cluster of four towers – named North, East, South and West – and is made up of 1,508 properties including one, two and three-bedroom apartments and three-bedroom penthouses. The properties are known as The Residences, marketed as ‘extraordinary apartments’ with ‘exceptional service’.

Situated at Deansgate Square, penthouses are sold for as much as £2.5m. They boast unrivalled views right across Manchester and offer their residents access to extensive facilities, including a 22,000 square foot health and wellbeing space.

Renters can expect to fork out anything between £1,400 and £2,300 a month for the privilege, up to £20,000 for penthouses and more premium apartments and duplex penthouses.

But for the third night the block will stand unilluminated. Residents have been forced to leave, having to find budget hotels elsewhere to stay in with a £120 per-night offering from the management firm, and an offering of food cover at up to £40 a day.

Residents had been given the choice of staying in their apartments without power, or to arrange the alternative arrangements amid the outage.

This is because the tower block was suddenly plunged into darkness at around 9pm on Wednesday night (April 8). The electrics first went off in the apartments, leaving no hot water and no way to use any facilities in each home. But it’s understood the management team first sought to reassure residents that works were ongoing to rectify the problem.

The power and hot water then remained off across Thursday (April 9), before a flurry of emails were sent to all residents advising them that the problem was more than it had seemed.

It will likely not be repaired until Monday.

But for a block of this size, suffering internal electrical faults, it has since left hundreds with no option but to crash with relatives or find budget hotels in and around the city, to then be reimbursed at a later date.

The plush block is known to be home to several high profile residents – including Premier League footballers. An insider has told the M.E.N that one footballer resident has been transferred to another apartment in an adjacent tower, while another has headed to a hotel like fellow residents.

One rental tenant has slammed the incident as ‘very concerning’ and claimed that they did not have the available finances to self-fund hotel stays. Another said the reception area was ‘busy with angry people’ on Thursday night as crowds packed their bags for a long weekend away from home.

Others, including a resident with cats, are reportedly opting to stay in their apartments without any electricity instead of forking out for rooms elsewhere.

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The email to residents said costs would be covered of up to £120 per night for accommodation and that meal costs would be provided for single people and couples, while families were told to speak to staff for ‘further guidance’. The original email from The Residences also suggested a number of budget hotels residents could consider, including Motel One, Premier Inn or Romzzz Aparthotels which are ‘well within the £120 budget’.

The firm also added that their “immediate priority is to assist those who require urgent support, particularly those who are vulnerable, including elderly residents, individuals with disabilities, families with young children, and anyone experiencing financial hardship”.

The Manchester Evening News has learned that the cause of the power outage was identified as a ‘fault with the busbar within the Deansgate Square site’. A busbar acts as a central connection point which conducts and distributes electricity in industrial, commercial and residential systems.

It’s also understood that generator specialists Pleavin Power have been drafted in to deliver ‘disaster recovery support’ for the time being and remain at the site.

“This is not an old building we are talking about here”

“I think it’s concerning,” one resident told the M.E.N on Friday (April 10), who has opted to stay with relatives over worries about hotel prices in the city. “This is not an old building that we’re talking about here. This is a new building. There should be contingency plans in place.

“What I’ve seen over the past 24 hours has been chaos. It’s been people not knowing what is happening. People not being able to afford hotels and desperately finding family members to go with. In a world where we are heavily reliant on technology for electricity, where pretty much everything runs off electric now.

“Your home is somewhere you should feel safe, and if this was a normal house you’d have the electricity board round quickly or emergency electrician to fix it in 24 hours, so I find it all the more concerning that this can happen at a building of this size. It’s awful really when you pay so much for a service.

“A lot of these hotels don’t have cooking facilities, and a McDonald’s or UberEats isn’t the same as a homecooked meal in your own house, so the whole thing is worrying and stressful.”

On Friday night (April 10), a huge generator was placed outside the tower, with workers still remaining on site. One resident said: “They’ve got a generator outside and it’s all getting fixed up now, but it’s such a big job, they’ve got to get wires up to the 44th floor.

“It’s like a big monstrous tank and they’ve told us they’ll be working all night to get it set up. The generator will be live from Monday but I’ve been told it could have to stay there for weeks while they try to find out the problem.”

And responding to the offer of a £120 hotel reimbursement, they added: “They’ve sent an email saying you’ll get covered, and that it will probably be taken out of rent. That’s okay for people who can pay upfront for hotel stays, but unfortunately some people can’t afford to go to a hotel so are having to stay in their apartments without power.”

“There wasn’t even cold water. There was nothing at all”

Another resident has told of the moment electricity initially cut off on Wednesday night. They said they went to bed but woke up the following morning to find that the power outage remained.

“It was at around 11pm when it all went off and everybody sort of congregated wondering what was going on,” they said. “We didn’t really seem to know anything but there were rumours it would be sorted by 5am, so we just went to bed and thought that when we woke up, it’d be fine. But it was still off.

“There wasn’t even cold water, there was nothing at all. They were giving people bottles of water. I think everybody was just a bit p***ed because obviously it was like 11 at night.

“Everyone was tired. Everyone was just asking each other what they could do. I think most people will have left. We just decided to get a hotel and then got an email last night saying there wouldn’t be anything [power] until at least Monday. They recommended getting a hotel for the weekend.

“I think we’ll just leave for the foreseeable until we get another email. But even with the compensation, we don’t know when we’re going to get it back, so obviously people will have to spend at least £500 for the next five days.”

Multiple residents told the Manchester Evening News how power in communal areas and the use of emergency lighting remained, with the individual homes seemingly worst-hit by the outage. Manchester City Council confirmed that it had not been directly involved in dealing with or supporting displaced residents, with the management firm covering accommodation reimbursement costs.

Another resident of a two-bed apartment pays £2,400 a month. They chose to stay in the unpowered flat for their pet cats, adding: “There are so many pets in the building and they haven’t been considered at all in this situation. I’m having to stay in the building with no food, light or heating for my cats.”

On Friday evening, West Tower again stood for a third night mostly in darkness alongside its illuminated neighbours. It is not known how many people chose to vacate their homes or remain there without any power.

On Thursday, Deansgate Councillor Joan Davies echoed how power-cuts in high rise apartments like West Tower ‘have a huge impact’ with essentials like water supply affected.

“Power cuts in high rise buildings have a huge impact on residents, particularly where apartment water supply fails. I have contacted Electricity North West who confirm the problem is an internal building issue,” Coun Davies said.

“Deansgate Councillors would be interested to hear from residents and will be speaking with managing agents as soon as possible. We hope to hear that a permanent solution will be rapidly provided.”

An email from The Residences Management, seen by the M.E.N,was sent to residents on Thursday evening updating them of the situation. In it, they “sincerely apologise for the disruption and inconvenience caused”.

It said: “The cause of the outage has now been identified as a fault with the busbar within the Deansgate Square site, which is impacting power supply to all properties within West Tower.

“This section of the development is managed by a third party, who are working closely with their contractors to restore power as quickly as possible. The replacement component is bespoke and is currently being manufactured, with delivery expected onsite next week. Following this, insurers will investigate the cause of the outage and carry out the necessary loss adjustment process.”

It continued: “Although we had previously advised that the power may be restored to apartments this evening, due to unforeseen complications, it is anticipated that temporary generator power will not be in effect until Monday 13th April 2026.

“Whilst there is no power to apartments, we can confirm that there is an emergency supply to all lifts and life safety systems (fire alarm system, automatic opening smoke vents, sprinkler system) within the building, which remain fully operational during this period.

“In the meantime, residents have the choice to stay in the building or arrange alternative hotel accommodation from this evening until Monday 13 April 2026, when temporary power is anticipated to be restored.”

Legal and General (L&G), which owns the development also told the M.E.N generator power for homes in the high-rise apartment block should be in place from Monday. “We recognise the disruption this power outage has caused for our residents,” a statement read. “The technical issue has been traced to a fault within infrastructure managed by a third party, and their teams are working with contractors to restore supply as quickly as possible, with generator power expected to be in place from Monday, April 13.

“In the meantime, we’re reimbursing accommodation and meal costs for residents who choose to relocate, and those who remain can be reassured that emergency power to lifts and all life-safety systems remain fully operational. The wellbeing of our residents remains our top priority, and we thank them for their patience whilst this technical issue is resolved.”

HOUSTON (AP) — Their dramatic grand finale fast approaching, Artemis II’s astronauts aimed for a splashdown in the Pacific on Friday to close out humanity’s first voyage to the moon in more than half a century.

The tension in Mission Control mounted as the miles melted away between the four returning astronauts and Earth.

All eyes were on the capsule’s life-protecting heat shield that has to withstand thousands of degrees during reentry. On the only other test flight of the spacecraft — in 2022, with no one on board — the shield’s charred exterior came back looking as pockmarked as the moon.

Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canada’s Jeremy Hansen were on track to hit the atmosphere traveling Mach 32 — or 32 times the speed of sound — a blistering blur not seen since NASA’s Apollo moonshots of the 1960s and 1970s.

They didn’t plan on taking manual control except in an emergency. Their Orion capsule, dubbed Integrity, is completely self-flying.

Like so many others, lead flight director Jeff Radigan anticipated feeling some of that “irrational fear that is human nature,” especially during the six minutes of communication blackout preceding the opening of the parachutes. The recovery ship USS John P. Murtha awaited the crew’s arrival, along with a squadron of military planes and helicopters.

The last time NASA and the Defense Department teamed up for a lunar crew’s reentry was Apollo 17 in 1972. Artemis II was projected to come screaming back at 34,965 feet (10,657 meters) per second — or 23,840 mph (38,367 kph) — not a record but still mind-bogglingly fast before slowing to a 19 mph (30 kph) splashdown.

Artemis II’s record flyby and lunar views

Launched from Florida on April 1, the astronauts racked up one win after another as they deftly navigated NASA’s long-awaited lunar comeback, the first major step in establishing a sustainable moon base.

Artemis II didn’t land on the moon or even orbit it. But it broke Apollo 13’s distance record, making Wiseman and his crew the farthest that humans have ever journeyed from Earth when they reached 252,756 miles (406,771 kilometers). Then in the mission’s most heart-tugging scene, the teary astronauts asked permission to name a pair of craters after their moonship and Wiseman’s late wife, Carroll.

During the record-breaking flyby, they documented scenes of the lunar far side never seen before by the naked eye and savored a total solar eclipse courtesy of the cosmos thanks to their launch date. The eclipse, in particular, “just blew all of us away,” Glover said.

Their sense of wonder and love awed everyone, as did their breathtaking pictures of the moon and Earth. The Artemis II crew channeled Apollo 8’s first lunar explorers with Earthset, showing our blue marble setting behind the gray moon. It was reminiscent of Apollo 8’s famous Earthrise shot from 1968.

“It just makes you want to continue to go back,” Radigan said on the eve of splashdown. “It’s the first of many trips and we just need to continue on because there’s so much” more to learn about the moon.

Their moonshot drew global attention as well as star power, earning props from President Donald Trump; Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney; Britain’s King Charles III; Ryan Gosling, star of the latest space flick “Project Hail Mary”; Scarlett Johansson of the Marvel Cinematic Universe; and even Captain Kirk himself, William Shatner of TV’s original “Star Trek.”

Artemis II was a test flight for future moon missions

Despite its rich scientific yield, the nearly 10-day flight was not without technical issues. Both the capsule’s drinking water and propellant systems were hit with valve problems. In perhaps the most high-profile predicament, toilet trouble prevented the crew from using it for No. 1 most of the trip, forcing them to resort to old-time bags and funnels.

The astronauts shrugged it all off.

“We can’t explore deeper unless we are doing a few things that are inconvenient,” Koch said, “unless we’re making a few sacrifices, unless we’re taking a few risks, and those things are all worth it.”

Added Hansen: “You do a lot of testing on the ground, but your final test is when you get this hardware to space and it’s a doozy.”

Under the revamped Artemis program, next year’s Artemis III will see astronauts practice docking their capsule with a lunar lander or two in orbit around Earth. Artemis IV will attempt to land a crew of two near the moon’s south pole in 2028.

The Artemis II crew’s allegiance was to those next Artemis crews, Wiseman said.

“But we really hoped in our soul is that we could for just for a moment have the world pause and remember that this is a beautiful planet and a very special place in our universe, and we should all cherish what we have been gifted,” he said.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.