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  • FDA finds potential source of cyclosporiasis outbreak linked to lettuce

    The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on Friday it has found a potential source of the cyclosporiasis outbreak that was tied to lettuce over the summer.

    The agency collected samples during its onsite inspections of Taylor Farms de Mexico facilities, it said.

    Two samples tested positive for the parasite, Cyclospora, according to the FDA. One positive sample was from a tank that held outgoing wastewater from a processing facility, the agency said. The second positive sample was from a drainage ditch of an iceberg lettuce grower, it noted.

    “While there is currently not enough evidence to conclusively determine how contamination occurred in this outbreak, the positive samples show that Cyclospora was present in the environment where lettuce was grown and processed,” the FDA wrote in an update on its website.

    “This adds to the strong epidemiological data and traceback convergence supporting the link between this outbreak and recalled shredded iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms de Mexico,” the update continued.

    The FDA said its investigation has closed. Health officials say they are confident that all recalled lettuce associated with this outbreak is off the market.  

    In a statement, a Taylor Fresh Foods spokesperson said its facility in central Mexico remains closed as the company works with its research team to implement enhanced safety protocols.

    “The independent grower where a positive sample was found is no longer part of our supplier program,” the spokesperson said. “The sample FDA referenced came from discharged waste and sewer water outside of our processing facility. As FDA noted in its report, there is currently not enough evidence to conclusively determine how contamination occurred or how results for these samples relate to ongoing genotyping of clinical specimens.”

    The statement concluded: “We remain concerned for the people and families impacted by this outbreak. Millions of families rely on the safety of Taylor Farms produce and we take that responsibility seriously. We know trust is earned by what we do, and we will continue to learn, improve and take action to keep our food fresh and safe.” 

    The logo of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is seen on a sign outside the agency’s White Oak campus in Silver Spring, Md., July 17, 2025.

    Issam Ahmed/AFP via Getty Images

    At least 12,883 people were infected with cyclosporiasis across 21 states after eating the recalled lettuce, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Thousands more cases were reported but health officials noted difficulties in tying infections to the recalled foods.

    A total of 570 people were hospitalized and two people in Michigan died.  

    In mid-July, the FDA and the CDC announced they were investigating a multi-state outbreak of cyclosporiasis illnesses linked to shredded iceberg lettuce served at some Taco Bell restaurants.

    The lettuce was supplied to Taco Bell by Taylor Farms and sourced from central Mexico.

    Taylor Farms de Mexico issued a voluntary recall of all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico, with the recall affecting 27 states. The recalled products were distributed from June 29 through July 16 and have best-if-used-by dates up to Aug. 3.

    Taco Bell said it is no longer using lettuce from Taylor Farms de Mexico at any of its restaurants.

  • ‘Just because it’s a concentration camp doesn’t make any difference’: Tourist goes viral for rant about refreshments at Auschwitz

    An English tourist has gone viral for complaining about the concessions… at a Holocaust concentration camp.

    TikTok user Lyn Pearman, 70, of Kent, U.K., posted a TikTok video in which she angrily complains about paying 9 British pounds, or nearly $12, for two small beverages outside the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp in Poland.

    “Just a little bottle,” Pearman says holding up an empty bottle. “Very expensive.”

    She also groused that her strawberry smoothie was watered down and her daughter’s lemonade smelled like a cleaning agent. The video was seen at least 4 million times before the TikTok account was made private.

    The retired woman told Kent Online that prices are simply too high around the death camp where more than a million people lost their lives to Nazi genocide.

    “If you pay for food or drinks anywhere you expect what you pay for,” Pearman explained. “Just because its a concentration camp doesn’t make any difference.”

    She also recommended that tourists bring their own beverages when visiting the camp.

    Many social media users suggested Pearman may have missed the point of the somber experience of visiting a living memorial where one of history’s greatest atrocities occurred.

    The Auschwitz Museum has on occasion had to remind visitors where they are and what happened on that hallowed ground.

    in 2019, visitors were asked not to treat the tracks leading into the concentration camp as balance beams while taking selfies. Other complained in 2023 that an ice cream stand set up outside the camp’s perimeter sent the wrong message.

  • US withdraws B-1 bomber aircraft from UK’s Fairford base amid Iran fears

    US withdraws B-1 bomber aircraft from UK’s Fairford base amid Iran fears

    The abrupt redeployment to the US comes after several ‘terrorism-related’ arrests were made outside RAF Fairford.

    The United States has made the abrupt decision to withdraw its bombers from the Royal Air Force (RAF) base Fairford in the western part of the United Kingdom, citing concerns about a potential attack.

    Media reports emerged on Sunday that an urgent redeployment was under way, with B-1 bombers leaving RAF Fairford for the US.

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    Roughly a dozen such aircraft had been based at RAF Fairford prior to the sudden departure.

    “While operational security precluded us from confirming the movement of our assets and forces in real-time, we can acknowledge now that all US bombers that were deployed to RAF Fairford have re-deployed to their home stations in the United States,” a Pentagon spokesperson told Al Jazeera.

    “The Airmen that operate America’s bomber force, including B-1s, B-2s, and B-52s, remain ready to deliver precision global strike capabilities – including through operations that launch and recover from the continental United States – anywhere, anytime,” the official added.

    It is unclear precisely what prompted the withdrawal, which comes as the US and Israel remain embroiled in a war against Iran.

    RAF Fairford has served as a stopping point for US bombers participating in the war, which began more than seven months ago, on February 28.

    But the base, located roughly 160km (100 miles) west of London, has been rumoured to be the target of a “terror” plot involving Iran.

    On September 27, UK authorities arrested five men on suspicion of plotting to plant explosives near the base.

    Iran has denied any such scheme, and the men were released without charge a day later. Investigators discovered petrol, but no explosive devices, in their vans. Still, officials in the UK say they remain under investigation.

    On Thursday, British police also announced they had arrested a 25-year-old UK-Iranian dual national in London on suspicion of plotting an attack against the airbase.

    UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham suggested last week that “Iran played a part” in the alleged plot, though he declined to provide details.

    “The investigation into circumstances surrounding events in Gloucestershire is hugely complex, and our specialist teams are interrogating multiple lines of enquiry,” Senior National Coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing Vicki Evans said in a statement.

    “As we’ve made clear, we’re looking at all possible angles – including possible foreign state involvement.”

    US President Donald Trump responded to the initial arrests by accusing the men of seeking to do “big damage” to US facilities. He also praised UK authorities for their efforts.

    “The arrest in the UK was fantastic. Working with Britain – it was an amazing job. We had them under investigation,” Trump said of the suspects. “We had them under view for a long time, and we got them.”

    Iran, meanwhile, summoned the UK ambassador to Tehran over the last week in protest of the arrests.

    The US has a long history of stationing forces at RAF Fairford during its wars in the Middle East, stretching back to the Gulf War in the 1990s.

    RAF Fairford has been the site of antiwar protests in the past. During one instance, in 2003, five protesters broke into the airbase in an attempt to destroy military equipment slated to be used in the US invasion of Iraq.

    The UK has largely declined to participate in the ongoing war on Iran, despite pressure from the Trump administration.

    Still, while the UK government was initially hesitant to let the US use its bases for the war, it granted the US “defensive” access to bases, including Fairford and RAF Diego Garcia, in March.

  • Apple Martin makes her runway debut in a dreamy white dress

    Apple Martin makes her runway debut in a dreamy white dress

    Apple Martin has officially gone from fashion campaign star to runway model. The 22-year-old daughter of Gwyneth Paltrow and Coldplay frontman Chris Martin made her runway debut on Thursday, Oct. 1, stepping onto the catwalk for Chloé’s Spring/Summer 2027 show during Paris Fashion Week.

    For the milestone moment, Martin wore an airy white maxi dress that leaned fully into the romantic, free-spirited aesthetic associated with Chloé under creative director Chemena Kamali.

    PARIS, FRANCE - JANUARY 24: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY - For Non-Editorial use please seek approval from Fashion House) Apple Martin attends the Chanel Haute Couture Spring Summer 2023 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on January 24, 2023 in Paris, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)© Getty Images
    PARIS, FRANCE – JANUARY 24: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY – For Non-Editorial use please seek approval from Fashion House) Apple Martin attends the Chanel Haute Couture Spring Summer 2023 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on January 24, 2023 in Paris, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

    And while Martin has spent the past few years steadily building a fashion résumé, walking a Paris Fashion Week runway puts her in an entirely new category.

    Apple Martin makes her runway debut at Paris Fashion Week

    Martin made her first-ever runway appearance at Chloé’s Spring/Summer 2027 ready-to-wear show in Paris, where she joined an established cast that included models Mona Tougaard, Edie Campbell, Mariacarla Boscono and Eva Herzigová. Cynthia Erivo and Claire Danes were among the famous faces watching from the front row.

    Apple Martin makes her runway debut at Paris Fashion Week, walking for Chloé in a plunging white dress as her fashion and acting career takes off.© Getty Images
    Apple Martin makes her runway debut at Paris Fashion Week, walking for Chloé in a plunging white dress as her fashion and acting career takes off.

    The debut came at a particularly high-profile show for the French fashion house. Chloé presented its collection at the historic Paris Observatory, with Claudia Schiffer also among the celebrity guests. Kamali’s Spring/Summer 2027 collection, titled “Obsession,” revisited elements from Chloé’s archives while mixing delicate lace, lingerie-inspired details and broderie anglaise with more substantial outerwear.

    She walked in a billowing white dress featuring a plunging neckline, ruffled details, dramatic sleeves and intricate eyelet cutouts. The romantic design extended to a scalloped hem, while light brown platform shoes added serious height to the look.

    She walked in a billowing white dress featuring a plunging neckline, ruffled details, dramatic sleeves and intricate eyelet cutouts.© Getty Images
    She walked in a billowing white dress featuring a plunging neckline, ruffled details, dramatic sleeves and intricate eyelet cutouts.

    Her beauty look remained understated. Martin wore her long blonde hair loose in soft waves and kept her makeup minimal, allowing the bohemian dress to command most of the attention.

    At points during her walk, she slipped her hands into the dress’s pockets, giving the elaborate look a more relaxed feel.

    At points during her walk, she slipped her hands into the dress’s pockets, giving the elaborate look a more relaxed feel.© Getty Images
    At points during her walk, she slipped her hands into the dress’s pockets, giving the elaborate look a more relaxed feel.

    Apple Martin’s Chloé relationship started before the runway

    The Paris Fashion Week appearance was not Martin’s introduction to Chloé. Earlier in 2026, she became the face of the fashion house’s Chloé à la Plage summer collection. The campaign, photographed by David Sims, placed Martin in a surreal beach setting and featured airy dresses, broderie anglaise pieces, beachwear and accessories.

    That campaign made her runway appearance feel like a natural progression in her relationship with the label.

    Apple Martin attends the Chanel Haute Couture Spring Summer 2023 show © Getty Images
    Apple Martin attends the Chanel Haute Couture Spring Summer 2023 show

    Martin has also worked with Self-Portrait and GapStudio. Vogue notes that she appeared in a GapStudio campaign alongside her famous mother, giving the mother-daughter pair another fashion connection beyond Martin occasionally dipping into Paltrow’s wardrobe.

    Her modeling career began gaining momentum in 2025. She appeared in a Self-Portrait resortwear campaign that October and returned for the label’s Spring 2026 campaign.

    Now, she can add Paris Fashion Week runway model to the list.

  • Versailles Gives ‘Marie Antoinette’ (and Sofia Coppola) the Royal Treatment 20 Years Later

    Versailles Gives ‘Marie Antoinette’ (and Sofia Coppola) the Royal Treatment 20 Years Later

    When Sofia Coppola was granted access to the Château de Versailles’ hallowed halls for her 2006 film, Marie Antoinette, their collaboration was unprecedented. Though the film initially received criticism for its unconventional portrayal of the young French queen (intentionally opting for an anachronistically stylish over stuffily period-appropriate approach), 20 years later, its legacy is undeniable. This fall the anniversary is being fêted with a new documentary on the movie’s making (directed by Coppola’s late mother, Eleanor), a book featuring behind-the-scenes photographs by Andrew Durham, who also produced her first short movie, Lick the Star (1998), as well as a theatrical re-release in the United States. Now the palace itself is joining in on the fun, too.

    Conceived in collaboration with Coppola and sponsored by Cartier, the Château de Versailles is staging an exhibition about the film’s fascinating origin, painstaking production and cultural impact. On view through January 24, 2027, the show is situated in the Petit Trianon, where Marie Antoinette would seek refuge from the demands of court life and spend time with her closest friends in and among its surrounding gardens. “The strength of the film is how it remains so modern; it seems as if it has been shot yesterday,” Laurent Salomé, Director of the National Museum of the Châteaux de Versailles and Trianon, told The Hollywood Reporter at the exhibition’s press preview last month. Salomé, who co-curated the exhibition with Hélène Delalex, Chief Heritage Curator in Charge of Marie Antoinette’s Apartments, believes much of the film’s timelessness and relatability stems from Coppola’s unique point of view: “Her style is to focus on facial expression and silent moments. It’s about being, suffering, and hoping.”

    The Billiards Room focuses on the film’s hair and makeup

    Stephanie Sporn

    Delalex also praised Coppola’s interpretation of the tragic figure, who was just 14 when she arrived at Versailles and 18 when crowned queen: “As a specialist, I think Sofia Coppola’s intimate portrait of the queen is very accurate in many aspects, for example, her youthful spirit, grace, sincerity, and légèreté, meaning frivolity.” In one of the exhibition’s introductory wall texts, Coppola explains how much of her coming-of-age portrayal of the young dauphine and later queen can be owed to Antonia Fraser’s 2001 biography, Marie Antoinette: The Journey, which offered a more human, sympathetic perspective on its often misunderstood, villainized protagonist. However, the film’s candy-colored palette (derived from a box of macarons), New Romantic–heavy soundtrack, and countless contemporary winks (eagle-eyed fans will spot those lilac Converse sneakers in the exhibition) are singlehandedly Sofia.

    “I didn’t think it was so far out to put modern music in that period, and [it’s] cool to see that’s totally accepted by an audience today, and also that a female point of view is accepted as something not unusual,” Coppola told THR. The director added it’s been “fun and gratifying” to see how the film’s legacy endures (even garnering a new generation of fans, including her daughters’ friends). It was also “moving” for her to return to Versailles with leads Kirsten Dunst and Jason Schwartzman on the occasion of this exhibition. “People had been hard on Kirsten when the film came out, and she felt bad that she had let me down. I always loved her performance, so it’s nice to hear people expressing that too.”

    Coppola had a strong hand in realizing the Versailles exhibition. “At the beginning we had imagined a more classical scenography, but Sofia and [production designer] Scott Dougan wanted it to feel like a teenager took over,” said Delalex, calling Coppola’s working style “delicate, natural, and intuitive.” At the same time, the collaborators sought to reveal the great lengths Coppola’s team went to make the movie possible. The nearly six months of negotiating with Versailles resulted in a major logistical operation. From January to April 2005, the film was shot over 57 days, including 20 days at Versailles. As filming was only allowed on Mondays under strict restrictions, Coppola’s team reconstructed some of the château’s key interiors, such as the Queen’s Grand Chamber and the Royal Opera, in nearby châteaux, such as Millemont.

    The Main Dining Room recreates the film’s lengthy feasts

    Stephanie Sporn

    “I hope [the exhibition] gives an impression a little of what it was like on set and the work that went into it from all the departments,” said Coppola, who provided the curators with original references, mood boards, scene sketches, annotated scripts, casting sheets, hair and makeup test photos, and more. “The curators really wanted to show the film making process, which I thought was so unusual to do at Versailles.”

    The curators additionally tapped the vast collections of Marie Antoinette’s production designer, K. K. Barrett, and Supervising Art Director, Anne Seibel. “We discovered hundreds and hundreds of boxes full of memories, papers, and objects [from research binders and sketches to scale models and fabric samples] that are testimonials of the way that almost everything in this film was crafted by hand,” recalled Delalex. Even if it was only featured “for a second and a half,” no detail was overlooked in order to maintain continuity between the real and reconstructed châteaux. The exhibition also introduces audiences to the French artisans and consultants, from cabinetmakers to food historians, that brought Coppola’s decadent vision to life.

    Of course, the exhibition would be incomplete without Milena Canonero’s Oscar-winning costumes and Manolo Blahnik’s dazzling heels, brought together from all corners of the world. These frothy confections, worn on mannequins bearing Dunst’s and Schwartzman’s uncanny visages, are complemented by Durham’s amusing candid film snaps, often picturing the cast’s behind-the-scenes antics, whether listening to music with headphones or taking a cigarette break.

    Ultimately Delalex believes no one at Versailles could have predicted that Coppola’s film “would have such a remarkable life.”

    “Its visual language continues to inspire interior design, photography, fashion, and even pastry,” said the curator, noting, perhaps, the movie’s greatest influence has been on Versailles itself. “For many people today, the Marie-Antoinette style has become synonymous with Sofia Coppola’s style — many visitors come here hoping to see the Versailles of the film. Her aesthetic is so strong, it’s like a work of art.”

    In the Bedchamber, a gossamer gown reflects Marie Antoinette’s stylistic shift towards more naturalistic attire at the end of the film

    Stephanie Sporn

    The Movable Mirrors Boudoir features a recreation of one of the film’s most iconic scenes in which the queen is surrounded by sweets

    Stephanie Sporn

    The Reception Room features mannequins engaging in the popular 18th-century pastimes that fueled some of the film’s most riotous scenes

    Stephanie Sporn

    Several display cases are dedicated to images and sample materials used to craft the queen’s Grand Chamber, reconstructed in a nearby château to exacting detail

    Stephanie Sporn

    Marie Antoinette’s (Kirsten Dunst) and Louis XVI’s (Jason Schwartzman) wedding ensembles are displayed in the Chapel

    Stephanie Sporn

  • Manchester City charges: ‘Everyone knew’ – Marsch says relegation to follow

    Manchester City charges: ‘Everyone knew’ – Marsch says relegation to follow

    Jesse Marsch alleges Man City’s financial wrongdoing was widely known in the Premier League, and relegation must follow.

    Published On 4 Oct 2026

    Canada coach Jesse Marsch has ‌called for Manchester City to be punished severely over breaches of Premier League ⁠financial rules, saying his ⁠experience managing against the club left him convinced there were inconsistencies in the way it operated.

    City were found guilty of serious breaches of the Premier League’s ⁠financial rules over nine seasons from 2009-10 to 2017-18, with the league alleging the club used “sham” commercial contracts to inflate revenue and understate costs by more than 900 million pounds ($1.19bn).

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    The club has denied wrongdoing, saying the verdict contained material errors of law, principle and fact, and filed an appeal on Thursday against the independent commission’s ruling.

    Marsch, who managed Leeds United from 2022 to 2023, said the disparity between the clubs had been apparent to him during his time ‌in England.

    “I think Man City should be punished severely. I think they should have to go down, and by the way, everyone knew about it. Everyone knew,” Marsch told The Guardian in an interview published on Sunday.

     

    Marsch also pointed to the 2022 summer transfer window, when Leeds sold Raphinha to Barcelona and Kalvin Phillips to City, while both clubs reported making money.

    “That summer [2022], us and Man City were the only teams that said ⁠we made money,” he said.

    “For us, we did make money, because we ⁠sold Raphinha, we sold Kalvin Phillips. We had a lot left over from what we bought.

    “At the time, we weren’t in a position financially to not save. Our ownership didn’t have deep pockets. Whereas when ⁠Man City says this, I was literally like, ‘Are you kidding me? Is this some kind of joke?’”

    The American coach was also sceptical about ⁠City’s signing of Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund that summer.

    “When ⁠they said they got Erling Haaland for 52 million pounds ($69m), it’s like, ‘Yeah, OK, sure!’ So, I knew there were inconsistencies in it, but what can you do? You just put your arms in the air and go, ‘This is football’,” Marsch said.

    City’s appeal will be heard privately by an independent three-member board, with the club fully denying all charges.

    Potential sanctions include fines, points deductions and other sporting penalties, with relegation or ‌the ‌removal of titles also discussed as possible outcomes. It remains unclear whether any sanctions would be imposed before the appeal is decided.

  • Jennifer Garner reunites with ex Michael Vartan in new photo

    Jennifer Garner reunites with ex Michael Vartan in new photo

    Jennifer Garner is taking a trip down memory lane with one of her former Alias co-stars and ex-boyfriend, Michael Vartan.

    The actress recently reunited with Vartan as she celebrated the 25th anniversary of the hit spy series that helped launch her into stardom.

    Garner shared a rare photo with Vartan as part of an Instagram video commemorating the show’s milestone on Sept. 30.

    Garner and Vartan Reunite for Alias Anniversary

    In the selfie, the 54-year-old actress smiled alongside Vartan, 57, while wrapping an arm around him. Garner wore a black pullover, while Vartan kept things casual in a chambray button-down, glasses and a New York Mets baseball cap.

    The former couple dated briefly in 2003, during a break between Garner’s marriages to Scott Foley and Ben Affleck.

    Jennifer Garner Instagram

    “They were my whole world, the cast and crew, and they still are,” Garner said in a voiceover accompanying the video. “All these years later, we’ve been together. We’re a little band that’s gone together for the past 25 years.”

    Garner’s tribute also featured photos with several other Alias favorites, including Victor Garber, Ron Rifkin, and Merrin Dungey, as well as series creator and director J.J. Abrams.

    Jennifer Garner Reflects on Sydney Bristow

    Garner starred as CIA operative Sydney Bristow throughout the show’s five-season run from 2001 to 2006. Looking back on landing the role, she said the character was unlike anything she had previously done.

    “Alias was so far outside of anything I had done,” Garner recalled. “No one had thought of me for action. No one had thought of me for a tough role.”

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    The role ultimately had a lasting impact on her both personally and professionally.

    Garner, who shares daughters Violet, 20, and Seraphina, 17, and son Samuel, 12, with Affleck, said portraying Sydney “changed me as a person.”

    “I walked differently after I played Sydney,” she added. “It’s something I’m so proud to be a part of.”

    What Michael Vartan Has Been Up To

    While Garner has remained a familiar face on screen, Vartan has largely stepped away from the Hollywood spotlight in recent years.

    His most recent film role came in 2017, when he played a detective in the independent thriller Small Town Crime. He later made a guest appearance on the CBS comedy God Friended Me in 2018.

    Jennifer Garner and Michael Vartan (Photo by Albert L. Ortega/WireImage)© Albert L. Ortega
    Jennifer Garner and Michael Vartan (Photo by Albert L. Ortega/WireImage)

    Vartan previously opened up about his changing perspective on acting and fame during a 2017 interview with Entertainment Tonight.

    “For the first part of my career, I’ve really been an insecure actor,” he said at the time, adding that as he got older, he became less concerned with other people’s opinions and things that ultimately weren’t important.

    More than two decades after Alias premiered, Garner and Vartan’s reunion shows that the former co-stars have kept their connection alive long after the cameras stopped rolling.

  • The Hill Insider Boosts Midterm Content With Addition Of Decision Desk HQ

    The Hill Insider Boosts Midterm Content With Addition Of Decision Desk HQ

    As the midterms approach, Nexstar’s The Hill is adding Decision Desk HQ to its Insider premium membership package.

    The addition will allow users to access all of the Decision Desk HQ data and election tools used by the newsroom, including local races, vote tracking and live predictions. Nexstar’s NewsNation also partners with Decision Desk HQ, including for its election night data and projections. The access will be included through the end of 2026.

    The Hill’s Insider subscription service launched in July.

    Bill Sammon, senior vice president of Washington, D.C. editorial content for The Hill and NewsNation, said in a statement, “This new feature will give subscribers an opportunity to dive deeper into the polls, local races and probability models they care about most. We hope they’ll enjoy exploring the data and channeling their inner political nerd along the way.” Decision Desk HQ’s Scott Tranter said the partnership “allows us to put the same powerful tools used by news and election professionals in the hands of users leading up to Election Day, enabling them to customize their own election night experience.”

  • Can the KKK find a new foothold in the US?

    Can the KKK find a new foothold in the US?

    Experts have warned over the past decade of a resurgence in white supremacy in the United States, fuelled in part by the mainstream influence of political figures like President Donald Trump.

    Just this year, the Public Religion Research Institute released the results of a 2025 survey that asked more than 20,000 US adults to evaluate the statement, “Immigrants are invading our country and replacing our cultural and ethnic background.”

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    That belief is the cornerstone of the great replacement theory, a conspiracy that falsely claims that immigrants, Jews and nonwhite groups seek to supplant white people in Western countries.

    The research institute found that 32 percent of respondents – nearly one in three – nevertheless agreed with the idea.

    Critics have accused right-wing leaders like Trump of normalising such views, through rhetoric that paints immigration as an “invasion” and “an assault on Western countries”.

    Trump has also been accused of cosying up to white nationalists, even dining in 2022 with Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes, a key figure in the movement. When white nationalists engaged in a deadly clash with protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017, Trump said there were “fine people on both sides”.

    Al Jazeera correspondent Phil Lavelle travelled to Boone County, Arkansas, to see whether one of the most infamous white supremacist organisations in US history had seen a bump in its influence midway through Trump’s second term.

    He spoke to Thomas Robb, the head of what was formerly known as the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, a white supremacist group founded in the 1970s by David Duke.

    What Lavelle found was a group seemingly eager to rebrand. The group had shortened its title to The Knights Party, and members told Lavelle they were trying to re-centre their message around family and faith.

    But when Lavelle asked if a Black person would be welcome at the group’s church, Robb’s answer was simple.

    “No,” Robb responded. “Because this is a white nationalist church.”

    The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) has a long history of racism and violence in the US. The movement began at the end of the civil war in 1865, as a response to government efforts to expand civil rights to Black people and other minority groups.

    Through lynchings and other targeted acts of violence, the KKK attempted to block non-white participation in government and maintain racial divides.

    Robb, a Christian pastor, took over as the head of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan – a faction of the KKK – in 1989. He has since attempted to broaden the group’s appeal.

    He changed his title from “grand wizard” to “national director”, allowed new members to participate confidentially by mail, and distanced himself from KKK violence in public outreach campaigns.

    Still, he has adhered to the racist philosophy his organisation is known for.

    “What do you make of politicians like Zohran Mamdani or Abdul El-Sayed?” Lavelle asked Robb in his interview, referencing two high-profile US politicians who identify as Muslim.

    “Well, first off, they’re not Americans,” Robb said. When Lavelle pointed out that El-Sayed was born in Michigan, Robb brushed off the contradiction. “I don’t care where he’s born. He’s not American.”

    He proceeded to draw a distinction between the children of white and non-white immigrants. Only the children of white foreigners can be American, Robb said, “because they’re white”.

    The Knights of the Ku Klux Klan is one of dozens of white supremacy organisations operating in the US.

    The Southern Poverty Law Center, an advocacy group, estimates that there are at least 152 such groups active in the US today, part of what it calls a rising trend over the last decade.

    Just this year, another white supremacist organisation, the Patriot Front, marched through Washington, DC, during the Independence Day holiday.

    Critics say Trump, at times, has echoed their rhetoric. Trump told The New York Times earlier this year that “white people were very badly treated” in fields like academics.

    He also instructed his second administration to dismantle diversity initiatives, and under his leadership, the government has launched probes into whether universities and companies like Nike discriminate against white people.

    In addition, Trump has given priority to white South Africans in refugee admissions, falsely claiming they are the subject of a “genocide”.

    Robb claimed the current rise in white nationalist sentiment began well before Trump, in 2008, during the election of Barack Obama, the country’s first Black president.

    Still, Robb acknowledged public wariness of joining a white supremacist group like his. “As for people actually to become members, that’s kind of a line they [are] a little hesitant to cross sometimes,” he said.

    He also declined when asked to provide membership numbers or provide evidence for his assertion that support for his movement “is growing”.

    “Maybe we’re wrong. Maybe everybody hates us. I don’t know,” Robb said.

  • Mark Thompson To Remain At CNN As Chairman Under Ellison’s Skydance

    Mark Thompson To Remain At CNN As Chairman Under Ellison’s Skydance

    Mark Thompson will remain at CNN as Chairman and Editor-in Chief for CNN Worldwide after Skydance closes its purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery.

    The announcement Monday ends, for now, speculation about who will run the network, given that Skydance also is the parent of CBS News.

    Thompson, who joined CNN in 2023, will have a slightly different title, this time as chairman and editor in chief, after he was brought in as chairman and CEO of the news organization by Warner Bros. Discovery. Since then, he has tried to more fully integrate the linear and digital newsrooms, while launching the network’s latest venture into subscription streaming, All Access. Unlike previous efforts, All Access offers nearly identical streams of the linear network lineup.

    His continuation at the network is likely a relief to staffers, with months of anxieties that the network would combine with CBS News. Skydance CEO David Ellison’s father, Larry Ellison, is a major financier of the company’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, and there have additional worries that his close ties to Donald Trump would influence CNN coverage or would mean future changes. Makan Delrahim, the chief legal officer of Skydance, said at a Politico conference in August that when it came to CNN, Ellison “wanted to bring it back to news,” raising more questions about plans for the network.

    But as part of its settlement of an antitrust lawsuit brought by state attorneys general, Skydance-Paramount agreed to set up an editorial independence board to oversee CNN and CBS News.

    There also had been speculation that Bari Weiss, who serves as editor in chief of CBS News, would be given additional oversight over CNN. There was no announcement made about an additional role for Weiss when Skydance revealed its senior executive structure Monday. Skydance-Paramount acquired Weiss’ center-right site The Free Press when she joined the network, and she has remained as editor of that outlet as well.

    “I have real confidence that they both understand and will fully support the principle and practice of the kind of independent news that CNN has always stood for,” Thompson said of the company’s new owners in a memo to staffers. “That’s why I will be leading CNN into this new chapter as it becomes one of Skydance’s suite of major media assets and global brands, and leading it as an independent Editor-in-Chief with the same responsibilities and prerogatives that I have now.”

    Thompson previously was CEO of The New York Times Co. and director general of the BBC. He had already indicated that he wanted to stay at CNN after the merger closed, scheduled for Tuesday, and last week sources confirmed that Ellison was in talks with him to remain.

    Thompson wrote in his memo, “I really do believe we’ll be working alongside a team who don’t just have real vision and real energy, but real values as well.”

    He also addressed the anxieties about the network’s future, writing that “I know many of you have had trepidations about this moment. That’s understandable – indeed, as I’ve hinted before, I’ve had the odd moment or two myself!”

    What’s still unclear is whether CNN will be in for a round of cost-cutting and perhaps layoffs following the merger’s close, as was the case with CBS News after Skydance acquired Paramount last year.

    Thompson wrote to staffers, “The specifics of how CNN will plug into and operate in the new company have yet to be finalized – hardly surprising given that serious discussions could only begin after Paramount’s anti-trust settlement a few days ago.”

    Read Thompson’s memo in full below.

    Dear All,

    As you know, Paramount Skydance will close its deal to buy Warner Bros. Discovery tomorrow, and CNN will have new owners. Later today, the company is announcing the anticipated leadership lineup of the company which is now called Skydance. You’ll see my name on the list as Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of CNN. I’m writing to you now to explain what that means.

    The specifics of how CNN will plug into and operate in the new company have yet to be finalized – hardly surprising given that serious discussions could only begin after Paramount’s anti-trust settlement a few days ago. So I can’t answer every question today. Nonetheless there are a few important things I can say:

    First, I’m convinced that from David Ellison on down, Paramount Skydance leadership really does believe in news alongside entertainment as a top strategic opportunity for our new company. They’ve seen our digital strategy and are as excited about it as we are.

    And second, having now spoken to them at length on the topic, I have real confidence that they both understand and will fully support the principle and practice of the kind of independent news that CNN has always stood for. That’s why I will be leading CNN into this new chapter as it becomes one of Skydance’s suite of major media assets and global brands, and leading it as an independent Editor-in-Chief with the same responsibilities and prerogatives that I have now.

    I know many of you have had trepidations about this moment. That’s understandable – indeed, as I’ve hinted before, I’ve had the odd moment or two myself! But I want to say that on the eve of the acquisition of CNN by Paramount Skydance, I find myself in a very positive frame of mind. I really do believe we’ll be working alongside a team who don’t just have real vision and real energy, but real values as well.
    We’ll make sure that everyone gets details of how to watch the actual launch of the company tomorrow.

    More to come, and all the best,

    Mark