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Kamala Harris’s fears of a progressive backlash killed a plan for her to appear on Joe Rogan’s podcast, a campaign official has said, shedding light on a decision that infuriated some Democrats who are reeling after Donald Trump’s election victory.

The Harris campaign and Rogan, whose audience is bigger than that of many television networks, had discussed an interview for his podcast — a move some Democrats hoped would help Harris reach young men who were gravitating towards Trump.

The talks faltered because of concerns at how the interview would be perceived within the Democratic party, said Jennifer Palmieri, a senior adviser to Harris’s husband, Douglas Emhoff, during the campaign.

“There was a backlash with some of our progressive staff that didn’t want her to be on it, and how there would be a backlash,” Palmieri said on Wednesday.

Palmieri, who previously worked in the White House and for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign, is among the first officials from the Harris campaign to go into detail over a decision that some Democrats fear may have contributed to their loss.

Just over a week after Harris’s heavy defeat the party is hunting for scapegoats, with some operatives blaming President Joe Biden. Others have said the campaign flubbed its media strategy and was too cautious with alternative media.

Rogan, who endorsed Trump the night before the US election, is widely viewed as the most popular podcaster in the country. He holds a particularly large following among young men — a demographic Trump successfully spent much of the past year courting through appearances across a “manosphere” of YouTubers and podcasters.

Palmieri also said news leaking that Harris was in talks to do Rogan’s show created a “very weird dynamic” with the podcaster.

“Because all of a sudden he’s on his heels about how his audience is going to react to this, and the demands that they were going to put on him to be tough on her,” Palmieri said at a conference organised by The Clearing House, a payments group owned by large US banks.

A representative from Harris’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Trump’s interview with Rogan has been viewed nearly 50mn times on YouTube, while the interview with vice-president-elect JD Vance racked up 16mn views.

By comparison, about 29mn people watched Harris’s speech to the Democratic National Convention and fewer than 8mn watched her interview on Fox News.

Rogan, a former UFC commentator, has gained a large following particularly among men for his hours-long, often meandering conversations with guests on a wide range of topics, including martial arts, aliens, workout routines and politics.

He also stirs controversy. In 2022, musicians including Joni Mitchell pulled their music from Spotify in protest against the platform’s ties with Rogan, who had recently interviewed a virologist who was critical of coronavirus vaccines. Backlash swelled when musician India.Arie posted a video of Rogan using the N-word multiple times on his show. Spotify removed more than 100 of his podcast episodes from its app.

Democratic senator Bernie Sanders this week argued members of his party should be speaking to podcasters such as Rogan. “I think we’ve got to get — and clearly you have an alternative media out there, a lot of podcasts that millions and millions of viewers — get on the show,” he told CNN on Sunday.

A BIZARRE seven-bedroom home that once stood as a lighthouse is now up for grabs.

The unique property, which beckons buyers with the promise of its very own hot tub, has even featured on a hit BBC show.

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West Usk lighthouse used to protect ships harbouring in the Severn estuary, near Newport, Wales, and now offers potential homeowners breathtaking sea views.

When you’re not looking out onto open waters, there are sandy beaches, salt marshes and coastal mudflats teeming with a variety of wildlife.

The Gwent Levels area, a site of special scientific interest, was first inhabited the monks of Tintern Abbey and Goldcliff Prior in the middle ages.

West Usk lighthouse itself is a Grade II listed building die to “special interest for its highly unusual plan form”.

House hunters may be intrigued to learn about the lighthouse’s rich history, dating all the way back to 1821.

It was designed by James Walker, who was a consultant engineer at the time.

Ben Batchelor and John Williams of Newport built the 17 metre tall property, which at the time is understood to have consisted of just the tower.

Meanwhile, documents show the lighthouse was extended in 1867.

The interior layout originally consisted of wedge shaped rooms around the central spiral staircase.

There were two symmetrical quarters, built for two lighthouse keepers and their families.

It stopped being used in 1922 and was sold for £670, before laying abandoned until the 1960s when it was renovated.

But, within two decades it was left by the wayside once again.

In 1987, new owners took on the building and transformed it into a modern home.

With help from CADW and the Welsh Tourist Board they even managed to salvage the original lantern room.

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The former lighthouse was then used as a B&B, and a wedding venue.

It even appeared in the BBC Cymru Wales series of Doctor Who, in an episode called Fugitive of the Judoon.

Actress Jodie Whittaker, who portrayed The Doctor, filmed inside the lighthouse and even climbed the tower.

And, it featured on the BBC’s My Unique B&B.

The lighthouse is now once again a private home up for sale.

It boasts a luxurious roof terrace below the lantern room which offers 360 panoramic views of the surrounding sea and landscapes.

These stunning vistas can be enjoyed from the hot tub out on the deck.

There’s also a garden, on which sits another property called the Lightkeeper’s Lodge.

And, this has it’s own superking size bed, kitchenette and ensuite.

Within the main lighthouse building there are seven bedrooms sprawled out across two floors, excluding a living room and dining room.

There’s more than enough land to use for weddings and a car park, on the 14,520 square foot property.

The lighthouse is now on the market with the JNS property investment company, which states the sale includes the lighthouse, the lodge, a lifeboat, three static caravans and a dalek oddly enough.

It has a price tag of £2,250,000 and has the potential to make up to £454,000 in rental income per year according to the company.

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The Israeli right has rejoiced after US president-elect Donald Trump nominated ardent supporters of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Iran hawks to his incoming administration.

Nominees including Pete Hegseth, Trump’s pick for defence secretary, and Mike Huckabee, the future US ambassador to Israel, were adored on the Israeli right for their unflinching support for Israel’s military campaigns in Gaza and Lebanon. Huckabee has also supported their desire to annex the occupied West Bank.

Steve Witkoff, an American-Jewish real estate tycoon set to be Trump’s Middle East envoy, is also a prominent pro-Israeli voice in the US.

Nadav Shtrauchler, a political strategist who has worked with Netanyahu, said: “The Israeli right is thinking of moving independence day to November 13. They could not have dreamt of appointments like these . . . it’s a major blessing.”

The appointments project “strength, determination, and this is a good thing for the US but also good for us”, Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the UN, told Israeli Army Radio on Wednesday. “This doesn’t mean that everything we want they’ll say yes, but I think the attitude will be that of someone who understands the situation.”

Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s far-right minister of national security, posted “Mike Huckabee” on X alongside emojis of a heart and American and Israeli flags.

Others, such as incoming UN ambassador Elise Stefanik and mooted secretary of state Marco Rubio, are also known for their staunch support for Israel.

A video of Rubio telling pro-Palestinian activists in the halls of Congress that he rejected calls for a ceasefire in Gaza, shortly after Hamas’s October 7 2023 attack triggered the war, went viral across Israeli social media this week.

“I want them to destroy every element of Hamas they can get their hands on,” the Florida senator said of Israel. “I think Hamas is 100 per cent to blame [for the civilian deaths in Gaza] . . . Make sure you post that please.”

Stefanik, a New York congresswoman, needed little introduction to the Israeli public, with her broadsides against US university presidents last year over allegedly unchecked campus antisemitism garnering mass attention.

Senior ministers in the Netanyahu government — the most far-right in Israel’s history, which includes many settlers — are making plans for the coming Trump administration.

On Tuesday, finance minister Bezalel Smotrich said 2025 would be “the year of sovereignty in Judea and Samaria”, using the Jewish biblical name favoured by Israeli nationalists for the West Bank, which Palestinians see as the heart of a future state.

Huckabee used the same terminology for the territory when asked on Israeli Army Radio on Wednesday whether the Trump administration would greenlight annexation.

Trump “already demonstrated in his first term, that there has never been an American president that has been more helpful in securing an understanding of the sovereignty of Israel”, Huckabee said. “I fully expect that to continue.”

In his first term, Trump reversed years of US policy with pro-Israeli moves including recognising Israel’s claim to sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights and moving the American embassy to Jerusalem, which is disputed between Palestinians and Israelis.

Huckabee and Rubio are extremely well-known to the Netanyahu government, said a person familiar with Israeli thinking, with both having visited Israel’s prime minister on several occasions over the past year.

Hegseth’s nomination also received extensive attention, helped in part by a 2022 interview with the pro-Netanyahu Channel 14 in which he admonished Joe Biden’s administration for actively undermining Netanyahu and his Likud Party.

“We have a deep state in America, there’s a deep state in Israel as well — [Netanyahu] had to fight through that,” Hegseth said at the time.

Since Trump’s election last week, Palestinian Authority officials such as President Mahmoud Abbas who were sidelined during the US president-elect’s first term have congratulated him but remained largely quiet on his administration picks.

One prominent Palestinian activist in East Jerusalem, Samer Sinijlawi, said he could easily see the incoming Trump appointments “being a catastrophe” for the Palestinian cause.

But he summed up the sense among many Palestinians that Biden had been disastrous during the past year of conflict. “I’ve never seen a president accept such humiliation” like Biden did from Netanyahu, he added.

“If Trump wants to do something then these aides will fall in line. He knows he’s the centre of the world,” Sinijlawi said.

Despite adulation for Netanyahu from the incoming Trump administration, some Israeli analysts and officials observed the president-elect is an unpredictable figure with his own priorities.

“There could still be challenges, and you may see a ‘bearhug’” from the Trump administration that could limit what Israel does, said Shtrauchler, the political strategist.

The person familiar with Israeli thinking said there is an understanding among Israeli officials that the US president-elect would like to “resolve the situations” in Lebanon and Gaza and does not want to see “all-out regional war between Iran and Israel”.

“It’s not like Bibi will have free rein,” the person added. “There was definite euphoria last week [when Trump won], and there is still great happiness now, but it’s a bit more realistic . . . Netanyahu and his people know they need to deliver.”

THOUSANDS of Brits are eligible for up to £75 in free supermarket vouchers, which will give them a boost as the cost of living increases.

From 1 October 2024 to 31 March 2025 the Government is providing support to a number of homes through the Household Support Fund which is worth £421million.

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Each council across England has been allocated a share of the pot and decides who to distribute the support to.

The funding will go to low-income households and will go towards food, energy bills, and other key bills, as well as other areas.

Part of the Household Support Fund is the issuing of vouchers for supermarkets to go towards essential food and household products.

“Funding is aimed at anyone who’s vulnerable or cannot pay for essentials,” the UK Government has said.

“You do not have to be getting benefits to get help from your local council.”

Applicants who prove that they are facing hardship will be awarded vouchers based on the size of their household.

Here are the varying amounts:

• Households with one or more adults will get £50 in supermarket vouchers.
• Households with one child will also get £50 worth of vouchers.
• Households with two or more children will get £75 of support.

Applications can be made through local councils and Citizens Advice.

People included in the target group for the funding include families with children, pensioners, unpaid carers, care leavers, disabled people, larger families and single-person households.

However, there are other households that could also be eligible for the support as each council has its own criteria.

All applications will be processed on a case-by-case basis.

The documents included in the applications should include proof of ID, a recent pill or proof of address that you live in the council the funding comes from, evidence of benefits, and evidence of hardship.

Any voucher issued can only be used for essential items and food and cannot be sold for money.

Cash payments will not be issued in place of vouchers.

It should be noted that successful applicants will only get a one-off support offering per household.

The majority of vouchers will be e-vouchers sent to recipients via email which could take up to 72 hours.

Applicants who fail to provide an email address will receive their voucher in the post.

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Another form of support is being issued to those who have lost winter fuel payments.

Hundreds of households can apply for a £200 payment to help cover energy bills as part of the Household Support Fund.

It comes after the Government changed the eligibility criteria for the winter fuel payment meaning only those on certain benefits, including pension credit, will receive the up to £300 payment.

The best thing to do for either of these support packages is to contact your local authority to see if any help is on offer.

You can find what council area you fall under by using the Government’s council locator tool via Gov.uk.

The Sun recently shared a guide and interactive map to help those unsure figure out what they may be able to claim.

How has the Household Support Fund evolved?

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The Household Support Fund was first launched in October 2021 to help Brits pay their way through winter amid the cost of living crisis.

Councils up and down the country got a slice of the £421million funding available to dish out to Brits in need.

It was then extended in the 2022 Spring Budget and for a second time in October 2022 to help those on the lowest incomes with the rising cost of living.

The DWP then confirmed a third extension of the scheme through to March 31, 2024.

Former chancellor Jeremy Hunt extended the HSF for the fourth time while delivering his Spring Budget on March 6, 2024.

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In September 2024, the Government announced a fifth extension.

PART of the job of being a travel writer is getting to stay in some extremely amazing hotels around the world.

Some of the best hotels I’ve stayed in were unforgettable – real bucket list stuff.

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There was the five-star overwater villa in the Maldives, where the entire room was glass-walled and sea-fronted, with new floral arrangements delivered every evening.

Or there were the stunning fairytale lodges in Kenya, where my pre-dinner entertainment was watching elephants come to the watering hole.

But if you ask me what my go-to hotel is? It’s the humble Premier Inn.

You probably think I’m mad for opting for a budget chain over bucket-list resorts, but let me explain.

Of course I love it when I walk into a sparkling hotel, where staff greet me by name with a glass of champers in hand.

But those kinds of places come at a price – with some resorts costing upwards of £1,000 a night.

As someone who has always been a backpacker and cheap traveller (my biggest bargain being an £8 hostel in the middle of a nightclub in Thailand) it’s hard to quantify that cost, no matter the glamour.

Yet the humble Premier Inn has never left me down, and all for the price of a meal out.

I’m apparently not the only one. A study conducted by the hotel chain in 2022 found that 83 per cent of guests would stay again after booking.

And that £39 base rate has looked after me in the form of clean, if not simple rooms.

If you don’t believe how much I loved a Premier Inn bed, then come to my house – I have the same pillows as the hotel.

They are also amazingly located in the middle of cities, next to airport terminals, or in ideal bases to explore the area.

And it always marks the start of something exciting.

The night before a long flight, not able to sleep with anticipation, or arriving just to drop my bag and get ready for a day exploring a new city.

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It’s ease of check-in and check-out beats a fancy resort, which always seem to take forever.

Not Premier Inn, where I dump my card in the morning and am out in seconds.

And I am the guest who gets Buffet Fear – that nervousness when there are just too many stations and options.

In my opinion, you can’t go wrong with a classic English fry up, where you know what you’re getting every time.

Followed up by a croissant or three, of course, that you can sneak into your bag for laters…

I’m not saying I’m not a fan of a gorgeous hotel – I’m still dreaming of my beachside suite, after a trip to Turks & Caicos last year.

But the humble Premier Inn has a place in my heart. Purple pillows and all.

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Boohoo has urged investors to vote against Mike Ashley’s demand to be installed on the board of the UK fast-fashion retailer, saying the sportswear tycoon is “not suitable” for such a role.

The statement in a circular to investors published on Wednesday is the latest salvo from Boohoo after Ashley’s company Frasers, its largest shareholder, accused the struggling retailer of mismanaging the business and criticised a £222mn refinancing.

Investors will be able to vote on whether to appoint Ashley, as well as restructuring specialist Mike Lennon, to the board on December 20.

“Frasers and Mike Ashley have history of exerting pressure on competitors, and shareholders should be concerned about the possibility of Mike Ashley joining our board,” said Boohoo.

Boohoo shares have plunged more than 90 per cent since their peak in mid-2020 when the retailer was buoyed by a boom in online shopping during the coronavirus pandemic. Since then, it has had to contend with more subdued demand and higher day-to-day costs from factors including merchandise returns, as well as increased competition from rivals such as Shein and Temu.

Wednesday’s comments come as Boohoo this month promoted an insider to group chief executive, in a snub to Frasers, which had been demanding that Ashley be installed chief executive and director at the retailer.

Boohoo said on Wednesday that shareholders should ask themselves why Frasers would want Lennon, a practising insolvency expert, “in situ at Boohoo”. The company added that Lennon acted on several administration processes for Frasers and therefore was not “a suitable candidate for appointment as a director”.

Boohoo claimed Ashley was “conflicted and not a suitable appointment to the board” as his 73 per cent stake in Frasers meant he had “significant influence over its day-to-day decision making” at the group, a competitor to the fast-fashion retailer.

Ashley and Frasers declined to comment.

Boohoo insisted it was “not deliberately seeking confrontation with Frasers” after the group, known as Sports Direct, previously accused it of “stonewalling” in light of their recent interactions.

Ashley has locked horns with Mahmud Kamani, executive chair and co-founder of Boohoo, in recent months over the retailer’s strategy.

This month, Frasers warned Boohoo not to sell assets without shareholder approval after the fashion group, which also owns the Karen Millen and Debenhams brands, said it would carry out a strategic review that could lead to it being broken up.

Separately, Boohoo said on Wednesday that it would seek to raise about £40mn in fresh funds from new and existing investors as it posted a 15 per cent fall in revenue to £620mn for the six months to August 31, while its adjusted loss before tax widened to £27.4mn from £9.1mn the previous year.