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In the next couple of months, the debt ceiling is going to become the dominant story in American politics. It is also something that has Trump scared because Republicans control Congress and the White House, but they don’t have the votes to increase the debt ceiling.
For decades, Republican presidents have counted on Democrats to raise the debt ceiling and do the right thing to avoid a default, but all of that looks to be changing.
As America hurtles once again toward a potential debt crisis, Democrats see an opportunity to turn the tables to cut off Trump’s agenda and take the debt limit off the table in future legislative battles.
…
“The days of Democrats just voting to raise the debt ceiling under a Republican president, they need to be over, period,” Rep. Brendan Boyle (Pennsylvania), the top Democrat on the House Budget Committee, told The Post. “We need to make sure that Democratic priorities are met, if we are in any way going to vote to increase the debt ceiling. But at the very least, we need to make sure there’s a permanent resolution to the perennial debt ceiling dysfunction.”
Getting rid of the debt ceiling is not enough of a concession because it would be a giant favor to Trump and the Republicans that would allow them to cut taxes for the wealthy as much as they wanted with no consequences.
It is also not enough to get policy concessions for this year and next.
A default on the debt would derail the Trump presidency. There are at least more than a dozen House Republicans who want a default because they want to stop spending.
Democrats have no responsibility to vote to raise the debt ceiling. Republicans control the Congress and the presidency. The debt ceiling is their problem.
“It goes beyond what happened at DHS & NASA today,” he wrote Wednesday.
1/It goes beyond what happened at DHS & NASA today.
CIA employees were told all resource & affinity groups are canceled. No black history month or MLK celebration, or any other ethnic recognition months. DEI folks are to be fired rather than allowed to rotate to former offices.
“CIA employees were told all resource & affinity groups are canceled. No black history month or MLK celebration, or any other ethnic recognition months. DEI folks are to be fired rather than allowed to rotate to former offices,” he wrote.
“CIA is also apparently banning lanyards that have to do with affinity groups. Women’s Council had to take down website & cancel all events, incl women’s history month,” he wrote in another post.
END/CIA is also apparently banning lanyards that have to do with affinity groups. Women’s Council had to take down website & cancel all events, incl women’s history month.
They are also compiling lists of members within affinity groups.
“They are also compiling lists of members within affinity groups. Because that’s not reminiscent of 1930s,” he wrote.
There was no official confirmation of what was taking shape internally in response to an executive order from President Donald Trump to dismantle the DEI apparatus in every federal agency. John Ratcliffe was confirmed as the new CIA director on Thursday, according to USA Today.
Trump’s order required “all executive departments and agencies (agencies) to terminate all discriminatory and illegal preferences, mandates, policies, programs, activities, guidance, regulations, enforcement actions, consent orders, and requirements.”
Federal agencies are changing titles and job descriptions to get around Trump’s directives banning DEI in the Federal Government
“I further order all agencies to enforce our longstanding civil-rights laws and to combat illegal private-sector DEI preferences, mandates, policies, programs, and activities,” the order said.
That was followed by an order from the Office of Personnel Management to put all federal staff holding jobs in which they implemented DEI rules to be put on leave, according to NBC.
A report from Fox News said that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is in the hot seat because it tried to shift an employee who was its chief diversity officer to the title of “senior executive.”
The ATF defied @realDonaldTrump’s order to place DEI workers on leave, instead giving their DEI officer a new title.
They attack citizens’ rights, ignore leadership, and act as though they’re above the law.
“The ATF defied @realDonaldTrump’s order to place DEI workers on leave, instead giving their DEI officer a new title. They attack citizens’ rights, ignore leadership, and act as though they’re above the law. Enough is enough. Time to abolish the ATF!” Republican Rep. Eric Burlison of Missouri posted on X.
Lisa T. Boykin had been the ATF’s chief diversity officer until Tuesday, when after the DEI order was issued, her title became “senior executive” in the agency.
A 66 million-year-old vomit fossil has been discovered in Denmark.
Found along the Stevns Klint coastal cliff, the fossil is regurgitated lumps of sea lily – a type of marine invertebrate.
They were eaten during the Cretaceous period tens of millions of years ago.
Fossil hunter Peter Bennicke made the discovery after splitting open a piece of chalk.
He brought the fossil to a local museum where it was cleaned up and examined by experts.
It was there John Jagt concluded the remains were sea lilies that had been eaten by an animal which then threw up the indigestible parts.
Such discoveries are invaluable to scientists because they offer a window into ancient ecosystems and reveal what predators ate and how food chains functioned millions of years ago.
The find was named Danekrae DK-1295 – Danekrae are rare natural treasures of Denmark.
Image: A sea lily – a type of marine invertebrate. File pic: iStock
Museum curator at Geomuseum Faxe and member of the Danish Wildlife Committee Jesper Milan told Sky News it was difficult to tell exactly which animal had thrown up the remains.
But he said it was likely from something that specialised in eating things with hard shells, such as a fish or a bottom-dwelling shark.
He added: “We have found teeth from sharks that were specialised in crushing hard-shelled prey in the same area.
“They are called Heterodontus, it’s a relative of the modern Port Jackson shark. That one is high on my list of suspects.”
“Sea lilies are not a particularly nutritious diet, as they mainly consist of calcareous plates held together by very few soft parts.
“But here is an animal, probably a type of fish, that 66 million years ago ate sea lilies that lived on the bottom of the Cretaceous sea and regurgitated the skeletal parts back up.
“Such a find provides important new knowledge about the relationship between predators and prey and the food chains in the Cretaceous sea.”
The vomit fossil will be displayed in a special exhibition at the Geomuseum Faxe.
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Today’s top stories
Acting Attorney General James McHenry fired several Justice Department officials yesterday who worked on the federal criminal investigations into President Trump, according to two DOJ officials. At least a dozen people who worked with special counsel Jack Smith received dismissals. It is not clear how many officials involved in the Trump investigations received termination notices.
The U.S. Department of Justice is seen on June 20, 2023 in Washington, D.C. At least 12 prosecutors who worked with the special counsel Jack Smith to investigate President Trump have been fired from the department.
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
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Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
🎧 In the termination letters, McHenry wrote that he did not trust the officials to faithfully implement the president’s agenda due to their role in prosecuting him, NPR’s Carrie Johnson tells Up First. A longtime lawyer informed Johnson he could not recall a time in modern DOJ history when so many prosecutors from a single case were dismissed. While the fired prosecutors could protest, sue, and potentially regain their jobs with back pay, the process could take time. Meanwhile, some senior civil Justice Department officials have been reassigned in recent days to work on a sanctuary city task force, which Johnson says could be a tactic designed to get them to quit.
The future is unclear for more than 1.4 million immigrants in the U.S. legally under several Biden-era programs. These programs provided temporary legal status to migrants from specific countries, many of whom were escaping violence in their home countries. However, Trump has now ended these programs and given immigration officials the authority to swiftly deport these asylum seekers.
🎧 One program is known as CHNV parole, which is specifically designed for people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela, NPR’s Sergio Martínez-Beltrán says. People from those countries were allowed into the U.S. as long as they had a sponsor and passed a background check. Trump has expanded the expedited removal, which was originally only applied to migrants who had recently crossed the border. Martínez-Beltrán adds, “it’s one thing to issue an order; it’s a lot more complicated to actually deport people, and it’s unclear how that will happen.”
Tech stocks worldwide have plummeted over the past day as investors digest reports that a Chinese artificial intelligence startup, DeepSeek, developed a competitive AI model at a low cost. The company has attracted Trump’s attention. In addition, DeepSeek became the No. 1 most downloaded app on Apple’s U.S. app store, ousting OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
🎧 What rattled markets is a narrative that DeepSeek, with some caveats, basically did it all cheaper, quicker and with less powerful microprocessors than its big competitors, NPR’s John Ruwitch reports from China. It’s a spinoff from a Chinese hedge fund, established in 2023. The founders hired great engineers and developed new algorithms. DeepSeek says it spent under $6 million to make, but analysts say that number can be misinterpreted as it doesn’t include the cost of developing versions in which the latest was distilled. Ruwitch adds that while this development is pathbreaking, China faces growing challenges from the U.S. export ban on microprocessors.
Life advice
You can see the world and save money — it just takes a little savvy planning.
Photograph by Tsering Bista and Beck Harlan
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Photograph by Tsering Bista and Beck Harlan
Traveling on a budget doesn’t have to involve staying in hostels, eating cheap food or sleeping in train stations. You can enjoy a great trip without draining your bank account or compromising your safety or quality. Whether you are planning a quick weekend getaway or an international trip, here are some tips:
✈️ Find an affordable lookalike for your dream destination. Can’t afford Paris? Consider Montreal or Quebec City.
✈️ Be flexible with travel dates. Avoid flying on Sundays and Mondays, which are often pricier due to weekend trips.
✈️ Compare accommodations:Airbnb or other vacation rental services are not always more affordable. Check hotel rates or consider a home swap.
Qing Bao, one of the Smithsonian National Zoo’s new Giant Pandas, eats an apple on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025. In November 2023, the National Zoo sent its three pandas — Tian Tian and Mei Xiang, who had lived there since 2000, and their cub Xiao Qi Ji — back to China, in advance of the expiration of their loan agreement and amidst rising tensions between the two countries.
Tyrone Turner/WAMU
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Tyrone Turner/WAMU
Panda-monium has officially begun in the nation’s capital. After a three-month wait and an 8,000-mile trip from China, giant pandas Bao Li and Qing Bao are finally on display at the Smithsonian National Zoo. Their debut marks the latest chapter in China’s “panda diplomacy” in the U.S.
3 things to know before you go
When Claire Burnside Och was a young waitress, a customer’s unexpected reply put her at ease.
Claire Burnside Och
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Claire Burnside Och
In 2004, Claire Burnside Och was a server at a high-end restaurant when she made a mistake opening a bottle of wine. She had broken the cork, leaving half on her corkscrew and the other portion stuck in the bottle. Instead of being annoyed, the customer handled it with grace and left her with words she now uses to respond to others’ fumbles.
The last of the 43 monkeys that escaped from Alpha Genesis Primate Research Center in Yemassee, S.C., in November of last year have been recovered, according to the local police department.
On a hill above Altadena named Little Round Top, a grave stood for 136 years as the community below it blossomed.
Here lay the remains of Owen Brown, son of the legendary abolitionist John Brown. Owen moved to Pasadena in the 1880s and was greeted by locals as a hero for fighting alongside his father in the Bleeding Kansas wars and Harper’s Ferry raid. His funeral in 1889 attracted thousands of mourners, and he was put to rest near a cabin where he and a brother spent his last years.
His final resting place is now open to the public. A new owner gave a local group $300,000 to restore it in 2018, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors designated it as a historical landmark in December, and the site is now under the care of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy.
The saga was supposed to get its most prominent airing yet on Wednesday at Mountain View Cemetery, where two of Owen’s siblings are buried and where a plaque is inscribed with his name and image. Altadena resident and filmmaker Pablo Miralles had been scheduled to debut a 20-minute documentary on Owen’s life.
Facebook is where I learned about the screening. Facebook is also where I learned that Miralles and his family lost their home in the Eaton fire.
He and his son fled with important documents, photos and a painting his grandmother took with her as she escaped the Nazi invasion of the Netherlands. Gone are Miralles’ production notebook and the final paychecks for his crew. The documentary was already saved online, though Miralles has no idea when it will screen.
“People need to find places to live — we need to find a place to live,” said Miralles last week at Stumptown Coffee in Pasadena. “I’m proud of my film, but it can wait.”
Few were better qualified to make a documentary about Owen Brown than Miralles. His parents, immigrants from Argentina, moved from Eagle Rock to Altadena in the 1970s after finding a home large enough for them and their seven children. They ignored friends who said Altadena was “dangerous” and financed the purchase through a Black-owned bank. Their regular bank had refused “because they told my father that our house would be on a Black street,” Miralles said.
He remembers a bucolic upbringing in a multiracial paradise that informed the rest of his life and eventually became his muse. The 60-year-old created a well-received documentary about how his alma mater, John Muir High in Pasadena, resegregated as white families enrolled their children in private and charter schools. Last year, Miralles wrote and directed a play that imagined a friendship between two of the City of Roses’ most famous natives, Julia Child and Jackie Robinson. (I appeared in his 2012 documentary about the intense soccer rivalry between the U.S. and Mexico).
“I didn’t know I would cover Pasadena like I have,” he said, “but when you recognize that you came from a place with a history of struggle, you kind of have to.”
Pablo Miralles, a documentary filmmaker who lost his home in the Eaton fire, hikes to the grave of Owen Brown, son of abolitionist John Brown. Miralles is completing a documentary about Owen and how he ended up in the Pasadena area.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Altadena’s charm lured Miralles back as a resident in 2019. By then, he had made a four-minute short for the Owen Brown Gravesite Committee about their cause.
“You learn about [John Brown] in school, that he’s a maniac and a madman intent on killing white slave owners,” said Miralles, who had hiked up to Owen’s grave but otherwise didn’t know much about him at the time. “But when you read his papers, he wasn’t that at all.”
Miralles’ short film impressed committee chair Michele Zack. She asked Miralles to make a longer film that the Pasadena Unified School District could show in classrooms.
Owen joined his father in the armed conflicts that made John Brown such a divisive figure in U.S. history. In Kansas, Owen killed a man in a skirmish between abolitionists and pro-slavery settlers. He stayed behind to guard weapons and horses while his father led the raid on Harper’s Ferry in 1859, which resulted in the deaths of two of Owen’s brothers and in John’s capture and execution.
“The 1850s resonate so strongly with what’s happening right now,” said Zack, who also lost her home in the Eaton fire. “You think we’re divided now? We were divided even more in the 1850s. Owen Brown is symbolic of all that, and here’s this history right in our backyard.”
She still wants to screen the Brown documentary to the public — but not any time soon.
“There’s so much suffering and loss and pain right now, and that’s going to go on for years — but we’re not going to postpone [the film] for years,” Zack said.
Miralles and his team were busy putting the final touches on the project. In fact, the sound engineer was working on it the day the Eaton fire forced him to evacuate (his house remains standing).
“The idea that the original radical abolitionists have their literal roots here — the man is still there, his bones are there — is just so important,” Miralles said. “We need to live up to the ideals of this nation like Owen, which means we locals will fight to maintain diversity here.”
He looked at his phone’s home screen to check the time. It featured a photo of him, his wife, their son and their two dogs at their home in early January.
We got into his SUV and drove into Altadena. The plan was to visit his incinerated home, then see if Brown’s grave came out unscathed. Neither he nor Zack knew its fate.
Miralles drove by his former school, Franklin Elementary — destroyed. A chimney was all that remained of the home where his brother lived. “Here are a lot of my friends,” Miralles said with a sigh as his head darted from side to side. “Just blocks and blocks and blocks.”
He decided to not stop at his home “because I don’t want to put on a hazmat suit again.” Instead, we passed through checkpoint after checkpoint — “Military vehicles in my hood. It’s kind of crazy” — before getting on a winding street that ended near Brown’s grave.
Signs all around warned people to proceed at their own risk. Another proclaimed, “Looters Will be Shot.” Others said the fire danger was “extreme.”
The paved street turned into a one-lane gravel road leading into the Angeles National Forest. Miralles parked near a long-abandoned car that occupied the spot “where Owen’s cabin used to be.” A worker from the California Conservation Corps soon approached us to ask what we were doing up there.
Miralles explained the purpose of our visit. The worker nodded.
“I wondered why there was a trail going up there,” he said, waving over to Little Round Top before walking back to clear more brush.
The first part of the trail is narrow, with a steep drop that forced me to look ahead instead of writing in my notebook. Vibrant yucca, scrub oak and sage stood alongside dried-out chaparral. Along the way were interpretive signs that told the stories of two pioneers of Black Los Angeles: Biddy Mason, a formerly enslaved woman who became a wealthy property owner downtown, and Robert Owens, a successful businessman and Mason’s relative by marriage who used to collect wood in the hills we were trekking through.
We eventually got to the base of Little Round Top, named after a famous Civil War battle, and looked down at a devastated Altadena of blackened trees and leveled properties.
I asked Miralles what he saw.
“It’s not what I see,” he replied. “It’s what I don’t see.”
From there, we hiked up a short but steep switchback that ended on a dirt plateau. Pine trees offered shade for two benches. Before us was Brown’s grave.
After a short hike up the hill, Miralles views the grave of Owen Brown, son of abolitionist John Brown.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Stones outlined where his body lies. Someone had drawn a heart in the dirt. At the head of the grave was a tombstone that listed Brown’s name, his years of life and the legend “Son of John Brown the Liberator.”
There were no signs of fire damage. Miralles looked relieved.
“There used to be way more vegetation here, but it’s all cleared,” he said as we looked down at Altadena again. To our right in the distance was La Cañada Flintridge. A streak of pink fire retardant soiled the valley below.
“I hope people recognize the importance of this grave and what Owen and his family represented for this country,” he said as we looked at Brown’s tombstone. Then he looked back to his Altadena. A plume of dust now rose from a neighborhood.
“I used to hike these hills growing up. There would be fires every three to four years, he said. “But I never thought what happened to us would ever happen.”
Google is the default search engine on iPhone because it pays to be
Google has been found in court to be a monopoly, but there is to be a trial to plan how to remedy the situation, and the judge has now refused to accept Apple intervening, saying it waited too long.
The US Department of Justice’s (DOJ) antitrust lawsuit against Alphabet, the parent company of Google, reached a key point in August 2024. Judge Amit Metha ruled that Google is a search and advertising monopoly, and is in breach of Section 2 of the Sherman Act.
Following this, the trial continued, and it is shortly to be followed by what’s called a remedy trial. According to Courthouse News, Apple filed a motion to defend its “property interest” over its contract worth billions of dollars with Google over search on the iPhone — and it’s been dismissed.
Apple reportedly requested permission to file a motion on December 23, 2024. However, Judge Mehta said that Apple should have known from the outset in 2020 that the case could “directly affect its contractual rights.”
“Apple knew (or should have known) that waiting two-and-a-half months to intervene in a proceeding scheduled to last just eight months altogether would constitute a significant delay,” he continued.
“Because Apple’s motion is untimely, the court must deny it,” wrote Judge Mehta in his full ruling. “The court, however, will permit Apple to participate as amicus curiae and file post-hearing submissions to ensure consideration of Apple’s views when crafting the remedial decree.”
“Apple does not dispute that it knew or should have known since this suit’s inception that its contractual rights would be directly affected,” continues the ruling. “Nor could it.”
Initially, Apple reportedly said that it wanted only limited intervention, and present witnesses who could address how proposed remedies would affect the company. Apple then later said that it wished to propose its own remedy, and more fully participate in the forthcoming trial.
There was reportedly also the issue that Judge Mehta believes allowing Apple to do this would mean all other possible parties such as Samsung, would follow. Judge Mehta intends to conclude the remedy trial with a ruling by August 2025.
Apple did provide witnesses during the original DOJ trial. It was revealed during that trial that Apple typically earns $20 billion annually from making Google the default search on iPhone.
Conor McGregor continues to be everywhere but in the cage as he continues his adventures in the United States.
“The Notorious” flew over for the inauguration of Donald Trump, stuck around to marshal attention for BKFC’s KnuckleMania 5 event, and was spotted courtside last night in Salt Lake City at the Jazz-Bucks game. Although the Mac had a loose definition of what constituted the side, repeatedly stepping onto the court and even interacting with players on the bench mid-game.
One viral moment from the game came as the Bucks were going for a free throw in the second quarter. McGregor cut across the court to talk to 7’1 Milwaukee center Brook Lopez. The 5’9 McGregor asked him to stand up, and Lopez obliged, towering over the former UFC double-champ.
“He asked me how tall I was. I let him know,” Lopez told reporters after the game. “He asked me to stand up, and I did. And I knew at that point once I got up, I had to size him up. I had to do a little something. I’ve seen the face-offs before, so I knew I had to do my part.”
Lopez admitted he wasn’t as knowledgeable an MMA fan as his teammate Dame Lillard.
“Now, if something’s going to happen, maybe Dame can be my promoter or Dame can be my manager or whatever, teach me to fight because I got nothing,” he joked. “So I’m really going to rely on Dame for that.”
Hopefully that’s as much as McGregor got up to as he’s still dealing with legal issues from the last NBA game he attended. The Irish sports star has been looking to set up a big fight for himself, but can’t seem to get the UFC to agree to anything inside the cage or out. Unless something changes, we may not see McGregor compete again until late 2025.
Picture the perfect moment—intimate, natural, and utterly romantic. The love of your life kneels and asks the question, and there’s no traditional solitaire diamond ring in sight. The idea of breaking away from tradition might seem daunting at first, but you’re not alone in this. Modern couples are increasingly breaking away from tradition and proposing with nontraditional rings. Finding a design that truly reflects their love and matches their lifestyle is not always simple.
More often than not, choosing a nontraditional engagement ring is driven by personal style, design preferences, and practicality rather than finances. This change and the availability of creative engagement ring alternatives empower couples to choose a ring that reflects their story and personality, often with a statement-making main stone in the center and tiny diamonds for that extra sparkle.
Add a Pop of Color
While diamonds have long been the go-to for engagement rings, a more contemporary trend is emerging. Sustainable gemstones, accented by diamonds, are gaining popularity. One such modern alternative to diamonds are alexandrites. They were first discovered in the Ural Mountains of Russia in the early 19th century and were named in honor of the future emperor Alexander II. The natural version of this color-changing gem is rare, so a lab-created, more affordable version is often used.
Lab-grown alexandrites, with a Mohs hardness of 8.5, are highly durable and suited for everyday wear. Unlike mined alexandrite gemstones, engagement rings with alexandrites that are lab-grown are free of inclusions and conflict, as they have a minimal environmental impact. This makes them highly desirable among modern couples looking for a colorful ring that reflects their environmental values.
Aurelius
Your choice of metal to accompany the alexandrite can achieve a different aesthetic. You can’t go wrong with yellow or rose gold if you want a warmer, vintage look. However, to achieve a contrast with the color-changing gemstone, a cool tone of platinum or white gold would be the right choice.
Alexandrites, chosen as a birthstone for Gemini, go well with all types of ring styles, from elegant and simple solitaires to bold, attention-grabbing geometric ones like this kite alexandrite ring. Tiny white diamonds line the base of the kite, adding some extra length and sparkle to the shorter side. The uniquely shaped band also makes it easy to pair with many stacking rings like chevrons and open-band wedding rings.
Explore Geometrical Cuts
The geometrically cut gemstones are among the most popular choices for nontraditional engagement rings. Hexagon and kite-shaped stones, in particular, have been the couple’s favorites for the past few years. Their usually larger surface makes them the perfect cuts for semi-precious gems with unique patterns. Cue the moss agates, of course. Depending on your aesthetic, geometric rings can be stacked to create a trendy bridal ring set. If you are in the market for a geometric ring, you shall find it at Aurelius Jewelry.
The hexagonal cut features a six-sided shape commonly found in nature. Due to its shape, it is commonly set in bezels or secured with different numbers of prongs of different styles. The geometric look that the hexagon provides can be applied to both precious and semi-precious gemstone types.
Aurelius
Step-cut geometric shapes with a flat bottom part of the stone allow for incredibly comfortable low-profile rings. One such design that definitely stands out is this hexagon moss agate engagement ring with leaves and diamond pavé. The nature-inspired details will have you admiring, and you may or may not ever stop staring at your hand.
The main stone is secured by four heart-shaped prongs positioned at the outer corners, leaving the top and bottom tips exposed. This allows for a more open setting that lets as much light as possible pass through the stone and illuminate the mossy inclusions. However, the most distinctive feature of this design must be the mirrored and flipped leaf band design that makes this ring unlike any other you’ve seen before.
Play with Asymmetry
Other nontraditional engagement ring styles included asymmetrical designs with unique arrangements of side stones around or alongside the main gemstone. These so-called cluster rings break away from traditional symmetry of engagement rings with their artistic touch and unpredictability. They often include colored gemstones and east-west settings.
Combining several smaller gemstones makes the ring look larger without increasing the price. Clusters might not be for everyone, as those who prefer minimalist designs might find them too ornate. However, couples seeking a unique, bold, eye-catching ring should definitely give them a chance.
Aurelius
One of the advantages of this ring style is its potential for personalization. These rings can be easily customized by incorporating your and your loved ones’ birthstones. For instance, a moss agate cluster ring with aquamarines and diamonds, aquamarines for March and diamonds for April.
Connect With Nature
Nature-inspired engagement rings are the new favorite choice for several reasons. Artistic details, like leaves and vines, add organic textures that align with modern couples’ eco-conscious values. The craftsmanship required to create such a detailed piece of jewelry should definitely not be overlooked, either.
The UK’s worst airports for cancellations in 2024 have been unveiled, following a difficult year for the industry who faced challenges from stormy weather to IT failures.
Data from January to November 2024 provided by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) was analysed by AirAdvisor. The CAA defines a cancelled flight as: “the non-operation of a previously planned flight, announced less than 24 hours before or after its scheduled departure time.”
Southampton Airport topped the list, averaging 3.3% monthly flight cancellations, which spiked at 5.5% in the month of November. London City comes in second with a monthly average of 2.9% of flights cancelled.
AirAdvisor’s chief executive Anton Radchenko gave his take on the figures: “2024 was a challenging year for Southampton Airport. In February, the CAA’s data suggests that cancellations hit 4.9 per cent – planned industrial action by firefighters and technicians was fortunately called off at the last minute. “Stormy weather, snow and fog often result in cancellations, with January and February being notoriously troublesome months for airports due to bad weather.”
Anton also highlighted the importance of passengers knowing their rights in case of a flight cancellation. He advised: “When flights are cancelled, you are entitled to request a seat on an alternative flight to your destination. If your airline can’t rebook you within a reasonable amount of time, then they must find an alternate flight even if this is with a different airline.
“If you choose not to travel, you are entitled to a full ticket refund. Speak to a representative from your airline at the airport, if there is a seat available on another carrier’s flight, they are required to book it for you, at their expense.
“There’s a whole multitude of reasons for flights to be cancelled, which might not always be properly communicated to passengers by airlines, so it’s always worth filing a claim if you are affected.If your flight is cancelled with less than two weeks’ notice and you’re flying with a UK or EU-based carrier or within the UK or EU, you may be due up to £520 in compensation.”
Despite the disruptions, some airports, namely Liverpool, Luton, and Bournemouth, achieved months with no cancellations at all. Bournemouth Airport now ranks as the one with the fewest cancellations with an average just 0.04% of flights cancelled each month.
Nearly two years after its riveting Netflix debut, The Night Agent has finally returned for a second season on January 23, 2025. Bigger, bolder, and more expansive, the sophomore chapter finds Peter Sutherland (Gabriel Basso) on a globe-trotting adventure that begins in Bangkok and ends in New York, with a new conspiratorial web of intrigue involving the U.S. government, the United Nations, the FBI, and the CIA.
While The Night Agent‘s twisty plot can get confusing and downright implausible with its outlandish conspiracies, the series delivers relentless action, visceral shootouts, harrowing fight scenes, and suspenseful rescue missions. To that end, the series shares plenty in common with the underrated and highly recommendable Prime Video original Hanna, a breathless action bonanza sure to deliver the same exhilarating jolt as The Night Agent.
‘The Night Agent’ Is a Hit Spy Thriller on Netflix
Shawn Ryan created The Night Agent for Netflix, an action spy TV thriller based on Matthew Quirk’s novel. The story concerns Peter Sutherland, a naive FBI agent who works in the White House in Washington, D.C., as a “Night Action” telephone operator. What begins as a boring and thankless job babysitting a phone that never rings soon blooms into a vast conspiracy when Peter answers a call one fateful night.
Upon receiving the call, Peter is made aware of Rose Larkin (Luciane Buchanan), a cybersecurity expert whose aunt and uncle were former Night Agents before their mysterious murders. Peter’s main mission is to keep Rose safe while identifying a mole operating secretly within the FBI and linking the mole to the murders. Yet, with vast inter-agency cover-ups, deceitful double crossings, and classic espionage defections, getting to the bottom of the conspiracy is much harder than expected.
With the stakes rising to death, Peter must deal with duplicitous government officials and ruthless assassins out for blood. Eve Harlow and Phoenix Rae play paired assassins Ellen and Dale, who track Peter and Rose with intent to kill. Ellen is particularly savvy with her skills as a professional killer, calling to mind Soarise Ronan’s awesome performance as child assassin Hanna and the 2019 Prime Video adaptation of the Joe Wright film.
‘Hanna’ Features a Super Assassin on Prime Video
David Farr created Hanna for Prime Video, a hardened action-thriller centering on Hanna Heller (Esme Creed-Miles), a 15-year-old girl trained by her adoptive father, Erik Heller (Joel Kinnaman) to be a super assassin. Shielded from the world since her mother’s death and raised in the Polish forest under Erik’s care, Hanna is targeted by rogue CIA operative Marissa Wiegler (Mireille Enos), a shady secret program leader who defects as an enemy to become Hanna’s ally.
These are the best of the best in terms of action shows out of the many different eras of television.
As Hanna comes of age and experiences the outside world for the first time, her bright-eyed naivety is balanced by her ruthless assassin skills. Hanna and Erik protect each other from Marissa’s cohorts while globe-trotting from Berlin to Morocco, London, Romania, Barcelona, Paris, and other key CIA outposts in Europe. Hanna’s conflict reaches a climactic pitch when she discovers that she has been part of UTRAX, a secret CIA program meant to create a race of super soldiers using enhanced adolescent DNA.
Although Marissa is hired to track Hanna down and shut down UTRAX, her sympathies shift, and she becomes more of a parent figure, especially when Erik becomes endangered. Apart from worldly travels and vast international settings, Hanna’s undying action is some of the best on television and often outshoots The Night Agent with expert precision and lasting aftereffects.
Why ‘The Night Agent’ Fans Must Watch ‘Hanna’
Those drawn to The Night Agent‘s web of deceit, double agents, and vast government conspiracy will get an even bigger kick out of Hanna‘s 22-episode run. Although not quite a spy thriller, Hanna’s brutal action scenes are second to none and often outshine The Night Agent’s rote and routine gunplay seen a thousand times in police procedurals. By contrast, Hanna is an expert hunter and an assassin, frequently using archery skills and hand-to-hand combat to subdue her assailants as a one-person army. Hanna‘s action set pieces are more varied, vicious, and visceral.
Past Hanna‘s superior action, the CIA’s involvement in Hanna and The Night Agent Season 2 links the two series even tighter. The CIA is behind UTRAX in Hanna, with scientists, leaders, and chairmen pulling the strings behind the scenes the whole time. The Night Agent‘s second season begins with a CIA leak from its Bangkok station, resulting in both action series indicting the intelligence agency for being as harmful as it is helpful.
‘The Night Agent’ might tell a new story when the series returns for Season 2, but that doesn’t mean it will lack entertaining political drama.
Outstanding character actors Noah Taylor, Dermot Mulroney, and the late great Ray Liotta play high-ranking CIA officials designing, implementing, and overseeing UTRAX, leading to better acting and more convincing performances than in The Night Agent. Better performances equal greater plausibility, making Hanna more realistic than The Night Agent‘s conspiratorial trappings.
While Hanna reigns supreme in many respects, The Night Agent has been viewed far more often. The Night Agent Season 1 became the seventh most-watched Netflix original TV series of all time (via Netflix). Hanna boasts nowhere near the same viewership on Prime Video despite boasting higher user ratings. Hanna holds a 7.6 IMDb rating and 79% Popcornmeter score compared to The Night Agent‘s 7.5 IMDb rating and 64% Popcornmeter rating. For a show with better acting, more intense action, and a more plausible government conspiracy, Hanna remains a highly underrated TV series that every Night Agent fan should check out as soon as possible. Hanna is available to stream on Prime Video.
