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Wales Online
a day ago
- Sport
- Wales Online
Tonight's rugby news as Wales star reveals 'disgusting' training regime and Morgan's chances rated
Tonight's rugby news as Wales star reveals 'disgusting' training regime and Morgan's chances rated These are the rugby stories making headlines on the evening of Thursday, June 19 Jac Morgan warms-up during a training session (Image:) These are your headlines on the evening of Thursday, June 19 Page reveals 'disgusting' training regime Macs Page says training sessions in the intense heat at Wales' Vale base have been the hardest thing he's ever done. Matt Sherratt is busy preparing his side for their two-Test tour of Japan this summer and has been putting his players through a gruelling schedule in order to help them acclimatise. Temperatures in the Far East will reach sweltering levels during their visit and in preparation for the conditions, the heating in the gym at the Vale has been turned on to get temperatures up to more than 38°C. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby. Article continues below Sitting down in conversation with team-mate Taine Plumtree, the pair discussed what it's been like in their first week in camp. "The highlight was probably that chamber," Page began. "That's probably the hardest thing I've ever done. Yeah, it's disgusting. Getting used to that heat and being able to work in it. It's been good getting training. "All the boys have been good getting around me." Page, new to the squad this summer, said there had been a few tears when he told his family of his call-up. "The first person I told was my dad, I FaceTimed him and told him," he added. "Then I FaceTimed my mam," to which Plumtree asked "any tears?" "My mam was crying yeah!" he replied. "No tears from me." Page has earned some rave reviews for his performances in a Scarlets jersey last season and hopes a debut in the red of Wales could be the cherry on the top. "Well, that's the dream, isn't it, someone growing up in Wales, that's what you dream of," he said. " If I get that opportunity, it's obviously a proud day for me and my family if it happens and the people that have helped me the last few years." Woodward: Morgan good enough to start Tests Former Lions head coach Sir Clive Woodward says Jac Morgan is good enough to start in the Tests against Australia this summer but needs to show it. Morgan has been handed a first start under Lions chief Andy Farrell in the warm-up match against Argentina in Dublin on Friday night. Farrell has gone strong in the Lions' first proper hit-out, with Morgan named alongside Tom Curry and Ben Earl in the back-row. Morgan will know he has stiff competition for his shirt but Woodward believes he has the talent to make the jersey his own, if he shows what he's all about. "There are only two Welshmen in this Lions squad - Morgan and scrum-half Williams," Woodward wrote in his Mail column. "Wales have had such an awful time of it in the last two years or so. "But I've been hugely impressed with flanker Morgan. To stand out as he has at international level in a team that has struggled so badly is very, very impressive. "He fully deserved his Lions selection and it's great for him that he starts against Argentina. "Alongside Tom Curry and Ben Earl, Morgan forms part of a very dynamic back-row. I like what I see in that area. "The back row is probably the most competitive area of this Lions squad and there are the likes of Josh van der Flier and Jack Conan still to come into the equation. "Morgan is good enough to start the Tests. He just has to show it." Russell signs new deal By Rachel Steinberg, PA Scotland fly-half Finn Russell has signed a new deal with Bath that will keep him at the Gallagher Premiership champions until 2028. The 32-year-old kicked 13 points and added an impressive interception in Saturday's 23-21 victory over Leicester to inspire Bath to an historic treble and first Premiership title in 29 years. Russell, who joined Bath in 2023, has made 45 appearances and scored 420 points in all competitions, and finished the 2024-25 Premiership season with 183 points. 'I have loved my time here at Bath,' the British and Irish Lion told the club website. 'It's a great team and a great club. We've come a long way over the last couple of years and I am really looking forward to staying here and seeing what the club can achieve. 'The fans have been outstanding since I got here. We've had some big results at home and that's just our way of giving back to the fans and trying to represent them in the right way.' 'The way the club is developing and with the young players coming through, the belief and confidence that we've got week-to-week is just growing. There are some brilliant new signings coming in as well who will be great additions to the club and I can't wait to get started next season.' Bath head of rugby Johann van Graan, who has transformed the Somerset side from rock-bottom finishers in 2021-22 to league champions, added: 'It's amazing news. 'Finn is one of the world's best 10s, a player who performs in the big moments and more importantly he's an incredible team man and a family man. 'He is one of the lads, his training is exceptional, and he's added so much to our group. 'It's great that he'll be staying on at Bath Rugby and continuing his journey with the blue, black and white.' Care backing Smith to make mark By Ed Elliot, PA Danny Care has tipped 'incredible' Harlequins team-mate Marcus Smith to hit greater heights as he bids to make his mark with the British and Irish Lions. Smith began this year's Guinness Six Nations as England's first-choice fly-half before being shifted to full-back and dropped to the bench due to the emergence of rival playmaker Fin Smith. In preparation for this summer's series in Australia, the 26-year-old will start Friday's pre-tour send-off fixture against Argentina in Dublin in the Lions' number 15 jersey, with namesake Fin selected at 10. Care believes his long-term half-back partner has been a victim of his own versatility and also suffered at international level due to an underwhelming season for Quins, which concluded with a seventh-placed finish in the Gallagher Premiership after a 62-0 thrashing by Leinster in the last 16 of the Investec Champions Cup. Fin Smith, meanwhile, helped Northampton finish runners-up to Bordeaux in the European competition following last season's Premiership title triumph. 'I don't think he's got anything to prove,' former England scrum-half Care, speaking of Marcus Smith, told the PA news agency. 'He played in the autumn internationals against some pretty good teams not long ago and everyone was saying he's England's best player and he was wearing the 10 shirt. 'Unfortunately, I think Harlequins' form probably hasn't helped because we've not been playing in the big games, or giving ourselves a chance in those big games this season, whereas Northampton have been playing really well and got themselves to a European final. 'My belief in Marcus' ability is he's still going to get better and better; he's already incredible and he deserves everything he gets.' Marcus Smith was a late addition to the 2021 Lions squad as injury cover for Finn Russell but did not make a Test appearance during the series defeat in South Africa. Russell is the other fly-half selected by head coach Andy Farrell this time around, with fellow Scotland star Blair Kinghorn and Ireland's Hugo Keenan the alternatives at full-back. Following the Aviva Stadium clash with Los Pumas, the Lions will fly to Australia to prepare for Test matches against the Wallabies on July 19, 26 and August 2. 'They are three very different 10s, which I think is great for Andy,' said 38-year-old Care, who will officially retire from professional rugby at the end of this month. 'Maybe there are games where he can pick and choose a certain style that maybe he wants to see. 'Obviously Marcus almost suffered from his own success in a way: he's so good at playing 15 as well that he's so interchangeable. 'I'd imagine you're going to see him in a 10 and a 15 jersey this summer, whereas the other two are out-and-out 10s.' While the two Smiths took part in last week's Lions training camp in Portugal, Russell only joined the group on Monday after becoming a Premiership champion with Bath on the back of Premiership Rugby Cup and European Challenge Cup glory. 'I've been a massive Finn Russell fan ever since playing against him, seeing him throwing some of those incredible passes, unlocking our defence with England a few times,' said Care, who won 101 England caps and made a record 395 appearances for Quins. 'And Fin Smith has come in and taken to international rugby so well. I've been blown away by his professionalism. Article continues below 'He's a wise head on young shoulders but he's a real confident lad and it's shown again with the Lions that it's timing: if you get your timing right and you can get in and play really well in that Six Nations and your club form is good then you can find yourself on a Lions tour. 'Three different 10s to choose from and each of them would deserve a pick, so I'm looking forward to seeing how they go.'
CNN
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- CNN
Look of the Week: Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy and the heightened stakes of costume design
The 'wrong' shade of blonde; a deflated, empty Birkin bag; and a camel coat so stiff it looks 'like a brick,' according to one Substack writer. These are the main complaints of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy fans, who this week jumped to the defense of the late fashion publicist, whose memorable style many considered was being inaccurately portrayed in Ryan Murphy's latest biopic. On Saturday, Murphy, the TV producer and creator of 'Glee,' and 'Pose,' shared a first look at the upcoming drama, 'American Love Story,' which chronicles the tumultuous relationship and untimely demise of Bessette-Kennedy and her husband John F. Kennedy Jr. (played by Sarah Pidgeon and Paul Kelly). A 'fashion travesty' is what one user commented underneath the Instagram post teasing the images, noting that 'Carolyn would never put these looks together. The fabrics are shoddy. Drape all wrong.' Indeed, in Murphy's lighting test shots, the trusty, well-worn black Hermès Birkin bag that Bessette-Kennedy was often photographed carrying looked box-fresh, rigid and flat. Her camel coat appeared waxy and poorly tailored — something, commenters pointed out, went against everything the fashion titan stood for. Others also pointed out that Pidgeon's hair was incorrectly colored, washing her out and making her look ashy. Even Carolyn Bessette Kennedy's original hair colorist, Brad Johns, joined the conversation. 'No one would believe that Carolyn in the '90s would ever have that color from me. It's too 2024,' he told Vogue. 'When she sees that color, she's going to be swirling in heaven.' At first glance, the internet's visceral reaction to a piece of streaming entertainment may appear outsized. But it also reveals a new, intense standard which biopic costume designers are expected to adhere to, and the depths of public emotions that remain for Bessette-Kennedy even 25 years after her death. Related video How Colin Firth's wet shirt in BBC's 'Pride and Prejudice' sparked Austen-mania Bessette-Kennedy's journey from the Calvin Klein public relations department to becoming in-laws with then-US first lady Jackie Kennedy has captivated public interest for years. But her legacy extends far beyond the Kennedy surname, thanks to her strong visual identity and knack for sleek, casual dressing. In 2017, Gabriela Hearst told Vanity Fair that Bessette-Kennedy had an 'inner elegance' and was 'not of this earth, in a way.' Sotheby's, which auctioned off a series of Bessette-Kennedy's personal pieces (which included clothing from Yohji Yamamoto and Prada) for a total of $177,600 in 2024, called her 'the closest thing America ever had to their own Princess Diana.' As reverence for Bessette-Kennedy endures, it is perhaps unsurprising that any on-screen portrayal of the style icon would be subject to extreme scrutiny. Only two actors have dared take on the role before: Portia de Rossi in 2003 for the TV movie 'America's Prince: The John F. Kennedy Jr. Story,' and Erica Cox, who in 2017 briefly appeared in the four-episode mini-series 'The Kennedys: After Camelot.' Today, the stakes for Murphy's project — perhaps the most mainstream example, set to premiere on Hulu in 2026 — seem higher, as interest in Bessette-Kennedy has not only maintained since 1999, but mounted further. From recent books dedicated to her enviable dress sense and the details of her marriage to JFK Jr. to the Instagram accounts with thousands of followers dissecting her aesthetic, Murphy's new film has the potential to capitalize on a new wave of CBK adoration. However, the downside of more fans means more opinions. In the age of biopics — more than 20 were released in 2023 alone, and another 10 in the works currently — a passing likeness to the public figure in question will not suffice. In 2018, Gary Oldman spent more than 200 hours in the hair and makeup chair, weathering heavy prosthetics that added over half his body weight to accurately portray Winston Churchill. Part of Lily James's transformation when starring in the controversial 'Pam and Tommy' 2022 Hulu series was a fake forehead and custom-made dentures. In the fashion department, costumes are expected to be original items. Marisa Abela wore a cardigan and Pink Ladies varsity jacket that belonged to Amy Winehouse for the 2024 film on the late singer-songwriter. And when struggling to access Bob Dylan's personal wardrobe for 'A Complete Unknown' (a fictionalized account of the musician's life), the film's costume designer Arianne Phillips partnered with denim specialist Levi's to recreate an exact bespoke pair of the same Super Slims silhouette that Dylan wore. This high standard of character embodiment has given audiences a discerning eye, where even the slightest perceived inaccuracies are considered irredeemable. In the case of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, it feels particularly egregious because 'the wardrobe is a main character in this story,' as one disgruntled stylist wrote under Murphy's post. 'This breaks my heart.' Perhaps the pain also runs deep because fashion enthusiasts understand the importance of clothes as a medium to express one's identity to the wider world — and the strife of making sure you feel like yourself every day. Not only did Bessette-Kennedy seem to have mastered that difficult task; she also embodied the minimalist style of the decade while simultaneously being ahead of her time. Little wonder she has remained a mood board fixture for designers and editors alike. To sully that legacy seems like sartorial sacrilege.
Boston Globe
2 days ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Primary challenger says Congressman Stephen Lynch ‘cannot be trusted' to stand up to Trump
'Effectively standing up to Trump is not about firing off press releases, or social media posts, or sternly worded letters,' Roath Lynch did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But Scott Ferson, a Democratic strategist who has worked on Lynch's past campaigns, dismissed the post. Advertisement 'I'm not going to respond to his fundraising appeals,' Ferson said. 'The congressman will continue to do the job his constituents re-elected him to last November.' Roath said since he began campaigning, voters have routinely told him they are 'absolutely terrified about what this administration is doing' and 'don't feel like people have their back in DC.' It's part of broader unhappiness with Democrats: In a Advertisement 'We're taking this step because I think people fairly ask not just 'Why me?' but also 'Why not him?'' Roath told the Globe in an interview. 'I don't want to get mired in name-calling or personal attacks, but I do genuinely think that there's a real difference here between the kind of leadership that I'd be offering and the kind of leadership that we've had.' While Roath has not aired official campaign ads, the Substack is intended to appeal to an increasingly-online audience, Roath said. The post addresses three key issues: 'Due process' on immigration, abortion, and healthcare. Roath criticized Lynch's vote for Roath also pointed to a resolution Lynch supported this month that included language to 'express gratitude to law enforcement officers, including US Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel, for protecting the homeland.' The language was tucked into a resolution condemning The measure denounced 'a disgusting act of terrible violence and of course that makes sense to endorse,' Roath said. 'But this resolution went on to say some gratuitous statements about the recent conduct of ICE agents ... and we can't just quietly accept that,' he added. Advertisement Roath also highlighted Lynch's wavering record on abortion, pointing to remarks in which the congressman decades ago declared himself 'pro-life and proud of it.' Lynch distanced himself from the 'pro-life' label in a Still, Lynch's unclear personal stance on abortion, Roath said, was a 'shocking abdication of leadership. ... At this moment we need unapologetically pro-choice leaders who are willing to fight Republican efforts to strip away reproductive care.' And Roath criticized the congressman's 2010 vote against the creation of the Affordable Care Act, which Roath called a 'generational piece of democratic legislation.' Lynch was the only Massachusetts Democrat to vote against it, Roath's primary challenge come as Lynch, simultaneously, is 'The pattern is clear: Congressman Lynch cannot be trusted to serve as a leader in the movement opposing what Trump and the MAGA right are doing to this country,' Roath wrote. Advertisement Anjali Huynh can be reached at
The Hill
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Obama: US ‘dangerously close' to moving toward autocracy
Former President Obama warned on Tuesday the current political climate isn't 'consistent' with American democracy. 'It is consistent with autocracies…,' Obama told a crowd in Hartford, Conn., where he spoke about the growing threat posed under the Trump administration, according to Connecticut Public Radio. 'We're not there yet completely, but I think that we are dangerously close to normalizing behavior like that,' he added. The former president was in conversation with Heather Cox Richardson, a Boston College professor who writes a daily newsletter on Substack, 'Letters from an American.' 'If you follow regularly what is said by those who are in charge of the federal government right now, there is a weak commitment to what we understood, and not just my generation, at least since World War II — our understanding of how a liberal democracy is supposed to work,' Obama told Richardson earlier in the conversation, Connecticut Public Radio reported. However, his rebuke wasn't just aimed at the White House, but to the Republican Party. 'In 2020, one person won the election, and it wasn't the guy complaining about it. And that's just a fact, just like my inauguration had more people. I say that, by the way, not because — I don't care, but facts are important,' Obama said. 'In one of our major political parties, you have a whole bunch of people who know that's not true but will pretend like it is,' Obama said. 'And that is dangerous.' Obama maintained he's still 'optimistic' about the country's future, even amid turmoil and public outrage, as exhibited last weekend during 'No Kings' protests across the country. 'I'm still the 'hope' guy. I guess the thing when I'm talking to young people that they need to hear the most is, it is important to be impatient with injustice and cruelty, and there's a healthy outrage we should be exhibiting in terms of what's currently happening both here and around the world,' Obama said. 'But if you want to deliver on change, then it's a game of addition, not subtraction. You have to find ways to make common ground with people who don't agree with you on everything but agree with you on some things.'
Business Insider
2 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
TV anchors are agitating for side hustles as the cable cash dries up
TV news anchors and contributors have been watching the walls slowly close in on the cable business. Now, they want their networks to let them lay the groundwork for a Substack or podcast exit before the money runs out, talent agents and other TV insiders tell Business Insider. "We're trying to identify opportunities for people to make money outside their networks," a top talent agent said. "We're having those conversations every day — we all see there's going to be limited upside for these people at the networks." Networks have historically barred talent from moonlighting on other platforms with their own newsletters and podcasts (with books being an exception). But five TV news insiders told BI there'd been newfound openness to letting talent establish themselves on platforms like Substack — especially as the examples pile up of TV journalists taking the solo route. Catherine Valentine, Substack's point person for news and politics, said the platform had seen a surge of interest from TV journalists after it launched a live video feed and Jim Acosta, formerly of CNN, started broadcasting from the platform earlier this year. Some legacy news organizations, like CNN and MSNBC, are experimenting with letting talent use Substack to distribute clips like they would have done on X (formerly Twitter) in the past. "They're opening the door because talent who's left had such immediate impact on Substack," Valentine said. She added that she'd even fielded some calls from legacy outlets about letting their employees establish their own paywalled Substacks. Agents, with a financial stake in steering clients' careers, are pushing to exploit the shift in tenor at TV networks. Two told BI they're paying attention to movements like those of CNN's Jake Tapper, who distributes notes and links for free on Substack. One also said they hoped networks might give more leeway to news contributors than anchors, even if the distinction is lost on the audience. An example is Steve Kornacki, who left NBC to become a contributor at MSNBC, which will let him do other things outside the network, a person familiar with the matter said. Agents are also carefully selecting their company targets. One said they considered Paramount's CBS News and Disney's ABC News to be more conservative when it came to letting talent freelance, while they saw NBC and MSNBC as more open. Chuck Todd, the former "Meet the Press" moderator and now independent entrepreneur, said he'd heard "informed chatter" that news orgs could copy what Disney's ESPN has done with Stephen A. Smith and Pat McAfee. Smith's deal freed him to appear on more platforms to talk politics, while McAfee's gave him creative control. "It's likely the future all over the media landscape," Todd said. The TV business is wobbly The changing winds come as the With people cutting the cord faster than expected, media companies can't jettison their cable channels fast enough. Warner Bros. Discovery just announced plans to split its declining TV networks from its growing streaming and studios business. Comcast is also hiving off most of its cable assets, including MSNBC and CNBC. Meanwhile, the erosion of these news outlets' businesses has left them vulnerable to attacks by President Donald Trump and made it harder for them to fight back. At the same time, some TV news journalists like Acosta, Mehdi Hasan, and Megyn Kelly, untethered — whether by choice or by force — from big media companies, are starting to show there's a viable business for established voices in podcasting and on platforms like Substack and Beehiiv. As agents prepare to go into sensitive negotiations with the networks over talent side gigs, it helps to have examples out there like Acosta, one of Substack's top politics names, as well as less lucrative ones. Agents said they're also monitoring salaries. Outlets like Puck and The Ankler have reported on various flat or declining star salaries. Despite this economic reality, agents told BI they felt the bottom hadn't yet completely fallen out of the market — think, salaries getting cut in half. Why not? Why won't TV news companies just let all their employees have Substacks? The traditional TV company view is that they pay talent well for exclusivity and can face editorial, legal, and reputational risks if someone reports or comments on another platform outside the network's editorial or legal review. Some channels, like MSNBC, also stress that they work to create various opportunities for talent in-house. SVP Madeleine Haeringer said MSNBC is focused on expanding its hosts' reach through audio, digital, and social media, using all storytelling tools to build audiences beyond cable. Substack and others are beckoning Valentine of Substack is at the ready with stats: Substack now has 5 million paid subscribers, driven by news and politics; 30 people in news and politics gross $1 million or more. "This is an area we're happily investing in because this is the future," she said. "If you have spent your career on cable news, there is a clear path for you." Ray Chao, who leads Vox Media's podcast business — home to tech journalist Kara Swisher and others — said there's a "groundswell" of interest from current and former TV news employees. His pitch is that with Vox, they can build a show that reflects their vision and forge a direct-to-consumer relationship on a medium whose audience is growing. "You can own a lot of the financial upside," he said. "It can be very lucrative." The solopreneur route can be a mixed bag, however. Todd has a podcast and YouTube channel where he interviews newsmakers and gives his takes on the day's biggest stories. He said as an entrepreneur, it's hard to have downtime and not feel like he's missing an opportunity. But he enjoys the diversity of projects he works on and having full editorial control. John Harwood, a former CNN White House correspondent who's done a podcast and writes for Zeteo, Hasan's new venture, said there are perils in what he called the Substack "hamster wheel." "People who look at that as a source of income are going to feel a very large amount of pressure to maximize the number of subscribers and deliver content at a pace that satisfies people who are paying to get it," he said.
