All Activity

Even now, Republicans are still struggling to remember who was president in 2020 One professor joked, “‘Who was president in 2020?’ is the question of our time.” The number of Republicans who can’t answer the question correctly is amazing. https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/even-now-republicans-are-still-struggling-remember-was-president-2020-rcna236386 As part of the Republican Party’s scramble to gerrymander new district maps, a great many GOP officials have complained that the 2020 Census wasn’t good enough. To that end, Republican Sen. Jim Banks of Indiana issued this press release on Monday afternoon: In his correspondence to the Cabinet secretary, the GOP senator specifically noted that the 2020 Census — a project that Banks condemned as a “fraud” — was “prepared by the Biden administration.” Around the same time, Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama appeared on Fox News and insisted that Democrats had “rigged” the 2020 Census. There’s one rather important flaw in this partisan case: There was no Biden administration in 2020. At the time, Donald Trump was president. This comes up far more often than it should. A couple of months ago, for example, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis argued that “the Biden administration” shortchanged the Sunshine State in the last census. In July, Republican Rep. Mike Collins of Georgia blamed Joe Biden and his team for social unrest in the summer of 2020 — several months before the Democrat took office. A year earlier, Trump claimed that the “the White House” rigged the 2020 election, neglecting to mention that he was the one living in the White House at the time. Around the same time, then-Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody (months before she became a U.S. senator) took aim at the Biden administration’s approach to criminal justice protests in 2020 — when there was no Biden administration. The year before that, Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia blamed the Biden administration’s policies for a Michigan woman whose sons died in 2020, when Biden was a private citizen and Trump was president. Months later, Rep. Ronny Jackson of Texas blamed Biden for “paying people to stay home” in 2020, referring to a law that Trump signed into law. The same week, Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado blamed the Democrat for Covid-related school closures in 2020, a year that Biden spent campaigning. In an especially amusing example, in 2021 — just one year after 2020, when memories about the previous year should’ve been fresh — former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany pointed to crime data from 2020 to blame Biden for the U.S. murder rate, apparently unaware that it was her former boss who was president at the time. Georgetown University professor Renee DiResta joked this week, “‘Who was president in 2020?’ is the question of our time.” The number of Republicans who continue to struggle with the question is amazing.

Guéhi on a hat trick of assists already

3 nil super goal by Saka sheep shaggers in the dirt

2 nil already Morgan Rogers - 3' Ollie Watkins - 11'

Good to see Jay Dasilva lining up for Wales tonight. Came through our academy and was a big part of the youth cup win x2. Talented player. If he was a bit taller, maybe would of had a better chance of making it here as he is very talented.

I'm actually more happy with this. This constant VAR has done some harm. I always wanted the option to appeal to technology as well to give only a finite amount to appeal those making it more tactical when to use. I'm okay with 2 for now, maybe 3 per match. That way the Ref or VAR don't stop the game every time, but it would be the affected club and they would used it wisely as they only have a finite opportunity. I'm much better with this.

FIFA to trial 'simplified VAR' at U20 World Cup FIFA is employing an alternative review system that allows coaches to appeal two referee's decisions per match at the Under-20 World Cup in Chile. The football video support (FVS) is a "simplified version" of VAR and has transformed the youth tournament into a testing ground for new technologies. Unlike VAR, which uses special cameras and a supporting team of officials, FVS referees review their decisions based on images captured by the television broadcast, without further assistance. According to FIFA, the FVS system aims to "democratise football by introducing video review technology as a complementary option," not only for top-level competitions but also for those that "could not afford VAR infrastructure," thanks to its low cost and simplified operation. Coaches can only appeal in four specific situations: whether or not there was a goal; whether or not there was a penalty, over a direct red card, or in case of suspicion that a card was not shown to the correct offender. The system had already been tested by FIFA in other competitions, such as the 2024 Youth Championship/Blue Stars in Switzerland and the 2024 Under-20 Women's World Cup in C

Lookbook Autumn'25 https://orlebarbrown.com/en-eu/pages/summer25-lookbook

I would ignore any Chelsea briefing talking about transfers right now There's so much that goes on behind the scenes https://siphillipstalkschelsea.substack.com/p/i-would-ignore-any-Chelsea-briefing Chelsea are hardly going to be telling any reporters that they will be signing a new defender in January or a new goalkeeper in the summer right now are they? It would not be a smart move. But just because they are telling reporters, Kaveh from Sky to be precise, that we wont be signing a new goalkeeper in the summer or a new centre back in January, it doesn’t mean we wont be. It’s far too early anyway and so much can happen and change even between now and the winter window. Chelsea have actively asked about Marc Guehi again for January, that I do know. And many at the club still believe they need to sign a new goalkeeper. However, it is also very true that they rate Mike Penders very highly and they are most certainly being aware of his situation. But a decision on him will not be made until the end of the season, so we have to wait and see what they do with the goalkeeper situation. Filip Jorgensen and Robert Sanchez both want to be number one and neither are content with being number two, so there is absolutely a situation there and I believe that both or one will ask to go pretty soon, especially Jorgensen as things stand. Sanchez would not be happy behind a Penders for example and if he was number two, he would ask to go as well. So the goalkeeper situation is very much open right now and nobody can report with confidence that Chelsea will not be signing a new goalkeeper next summer, it’s just daft to. Chelsea are still very much considering Mike Maignan on a free also. You would have all seen the post I am writing this based on. If not, here it is… ‘Chelsea have no current plans to sign a goalkeeper or centre back in January. They will also not be signing a goalkeeper next summer. Chelsea have three goalkeepers – Robert Sanchez, Filip Jorgensen and Mike Penders – who are regarded as being good enough to be their established No. 1. Robert Sanchez is an exceptional shot-stopper and he won the award for the best goalkeeper at the Club World Cup. He has made a good start to the season and despite his red card at Manchester United he has cut down the number of mistakes he has made. ‘Filipe Jorgensen is still also highly rated at the club and he was a transfer target for some of the biggest clubs in England in the summer. Mike Penders has been in impressive form at Strasbourg and he has been receiving some rave reviews for his performances which have helped his side climb to third in the table. ‘Chelsea were offered the chance to sign AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan in the summer but decided not to pay the asking price because they had faith in Sanchez, Jorgensen and Penders. ‘Chelsea also have enough options at centre back and that is why they are unlikely to sign any players in that position in January. The challenge is to keep the players they have fully fit. Trevoh Chalobah, Tosin Adarabioyo, Wesley Fofana, Benoit Badiashile, Josh Acheampong are all high-quality centre backs and Levi Colwill is due to return from injury later this season. Jorrel Hato and Reece James can also play at centre back and Chelsea have two centre backs out on loan who are expected to return next summer – Mamadou Sarr and Aaron Anselmino. ‘Chelsea looked at the possibility of signing a central centre back in the summer but the only high-quality option available was Dean Huijsen and he decided to join Real Madrid from Bournemouth. ‘Chelsea are working to find clubs for Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi in January. The players are keeping fit and it is also up to them to agree to any deal which may materialise. ‘Tyrique George is likely to leave in January. Multiple Champions League and Europa League clubs wanted to sign him in the summer and he came very close too joining Fulham on Deadline Day. George is viewed predominantly as a winger and Chelsea have already have Pedro Neto, Estevao Willian. Jamie Gittens and Alejandro Garnacho. Geovany Quenda is also moving from Sporting Lisbon next summer. ‘Marc Guiu will be staying at Chelsea for the whole season after his loan to Sunderland was cancelled at the end of the window.’ It was posted on X by Kaveh Solhekol of Sky Sports, who annoyingly does not put any gaps between sentences when he posts and it’s so messy to read! Just write an article mate rather than an essay on X! Kaveh used to get a lot of stick for his news, with many not thinking it to be reliable. So it looks like he’s worked hard to get a contact on the Chelsea board who he clearly keeps going to in order to get ‘news’. So this info is all direct from Chelsea, and as we know, clubs will brief reporters with whatever they want to be out there in the media. But as you should also know, a lot of that will just be PR and tactical, rather than what is actually happening! It has to happen and all clubs do it because as I say, they will hardly say right now that ‘yes, we are going to sign a new centre back and a new goalkeeper’ whilst the season is being played out - it will hardly be the best motivation for the current centre backs and goalkeepers, will it? And Kaveh, it’s Filip not Filipe and also, Guiu cannot sign for another club now anyway because he’s played for two clubs this season. So of course he is now staying. By the way on Guiu, Chelsea were considering bringing Emmanuel Emegha in for January and still could, and that’s why they were trying to keep Guiu from playing so they could loan him out in January still. However, it now looks most likely that Emegha will join in the summer hence why Guiu has now played for us. Emegha’s Chelsea future is not 100% nailed on though, he could be sold, or loaned again.

LWers Kenan Yıldız Antoine Semenyo Bradley Barcola Rodrygo Malick Fofana AMFs/No 10s Jamal Musiala (crazy hard pull and too expensive, plus there is the Bundesliga to EPL curse to think of) Morgan Rogers Fermin Lopez Nico Paz (but Real Madrid will activate his ultra low buy-back option for sure) Rodrigo Mora (would be a typical teenage BlueCo dice-roll)

UP THERE x ASICS GEL-Kayano 12.1 'Natsukashii' https://uptherestore.com/products/asics-gel-kayano-12-1-x-up-there-gravel-irvine Back for a fourth time, UP THERE and ASICS return to collaborate on the GEL-KAYANO™ 12.1. Inspired by the Japanese term "Natsukashii"—a feeling of fondness when reminiscing of times past—it references nostalgia and a sense of familiarity which feels both old and new. Our reinterpretation uses some Australia favourites, with mesh lifted from the GEL-KAYANO™ 20 and lining borrowed off the GEL-KINSEI 4. Those glossy overlays are oh-so-2000s, just how we remember. We reworked the GEL-KAYANO™ 12 forefoot flex zone—swapping a flat graphic to a mix of mesh and fused TPU. Underneath, Signal Red rubber demarcates the instep traction zone whilst our signature UP THERE green traces the guidance line. GEL-KAYANO™ 20 mesh Gloss overlays w/ reflective accents GEL-KINSEI™ 4 lining Branded heel tab GEL-NIMBUS™ 17 tooling 2x lace options Co-branded sockliner Custom box SKU: 1203A869-021

Terrorists don’t end wars mate, that isn’t what they stand for. At best it will be postponed

Joe Cole I think is a pundit that the majority of Chelsea fans like. Even if we wont…View the full article

https://people.com/dad-convicted-indecent-exposure-allegedly-shot-3-children-day-of-sentencing-11822433

My predicted winner of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize: Emergency Response Rooms (ERRs) (Arabic: غرف الطوارئ) in Sudan Emergency Response Rooms https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergency_Response_Rooms https://khartoumerr.org/

Man City and Girona were given clearance to play in CL last season

This team needs to learn to win without him, he's a key player but it's time others started stepping up, not just a few

we won several games without him eheh

BREAKING; Cole Palmer has a strained groin and will be out for weeks, with November as the likeliest return. (@kierangill_DM)

Chelsea https://thedailybriefing.io/i/175592890/Chelsea Chelsea are preparing a January transfer window move to sign Barcelona midfielder Marc Casado, who could cost around €35m, but who is also wanted by other Premier League clubs. (Mark Brus, the Daily Briefing) Chelsea do not currently plan to sign a new goalkeeper or centre-back as they are happy with their options in those positions. (Kaveh Solhekol, Sky Sports) Tyrique George is seen as likely to leave Chelsea in January as he’s attracting options from Championship clubs. The Blues also want to find new clubs for Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi. (Kaveh Solhekol, Sky Sports)

Jamie Gittens has had an underwhelming start at Chelsea. Florent Malouda has some advice https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6696228/2025/10/08/jamie-gittens-Chelsea-florent-malouda-interview/ Florent Malouda understands better than most what Jamie Gittens is going through at Chelsea. Gittens joined Chelsea for £48.5million from Borussia Dortmund in July, but has not made the start to his career at Stamford Bridge he would have wanted. The left winger has been in the first XI just three times and is the latest member of the social media trolls’ ‘007’ club, the term used to describe a player who has not registered a goal or an assist in their first seven games. When Malouda moved to Chelsea from Lyon for £13.5m in 2007, there was a lot more expectation on his shoulders. He had won Ligue 1 with Lyon four seasons in a row and was in the France side which lost the World Cup final against Italy a year before. At 27, Malouda was also a more finished article. Gittens turned 21 two months ago. Malouda, who also predominantly operated on the left flank, contributed just two goals and one assist during his first season in the Premier League. He was on the receiving end of moans and groans from the crowd, just like Gittens. “You should not be affected by this,” Malouda tells The Athletic. “They are your fans and have the right to express their feelings. Malouda had tough moments in his first season at ChelseaPhil Cole/Getty Images “If you play in a club like Chelsea, it could (be like this) home and away and you have to be able to handle that pressure, to understand they want your best. They do not do it for you to perform less, they do it to deliver a message to you, and you need to get the message. “How did I win them over? It was a strong relationship based on commitment. I was committed to the club. Every transfer window there were rumours but I was still fighting for the cause, the club, to earn the trust of the fans. The fans gave it back to me because they saw I truly loved the club, saw that I was defending the club with everything I had. I had the opportunity on great European nights and also the Premier League, the FA Cups. They felt I was a reliable player. It was a successful story in the end.” Malouda became an important player for Chelsea. As an individual, he registered an impressive 45 goals and 39 assists in 229 appearances. In terms of trophies, he won five with them, including the double of the Premier League and FA Cup in 2010, plus the Champions League two years later. He was watching from the stands last weekend as Gittens perhaps enjoyed his best experience so far courtesy of a late cameo from the bench. Gittens came on against Liverpool with 15 minutes to go and showed better attacking intent, and brought a good save out of Giorgi Mamardashvili. Chelsea went on to win 2-1 in stoppage time. “It’s a learning process,” Malouda, who is part of a Chelsea Legends squad playing against Liverpool Legends at Stamford Bridge on Saturday to raise funds for Chelsea FC Foundation and the Chelsea Players’ Trust, says. “When you are so young and join a club like Chelsea, you have to build your confidence. It is part of the journey. The talent is there (with Gittens), it is how you are able to perform at this level. When you are young, you have to be fearless, that is the only way. “The club believes in him, it is just how he is able to prove to the people at the club who put their trust in him that he belongs to this club. The beauty of football is that with one goal, one assist, a sparkle from Jamie, you can turn things around. You should also believe that you can do it and deliver on a regular basis. He can light the stadium on fire with one goal, and then it starts.” Gittens was born and developed in England at Reading, Chelsea and Manchester City’s academies. But like Malouda, his only taste of senior football before Chelsea was abroad. He joined Borussia Dortmund at the age of 16. Malouda believes it should be taken into account, but is also aware that Gittens cannot take too long to settle. He explains: “It takes time to adjust to the Premier League, but at the same time, you do not have time. Every transfer window is an opportunity for the club to reshape the team. “Everybody wants results. When you invest in a new player, the goal is to improve the squad. In England, there is maybe less patience with the players signed in the last window. Everyone wants to be excited about the new players. “In other leagues, clubs have to take time to see their signings develop. In England (due to the money available), they have an opportunity in the next window to correct things. That puts more pressure on any player at the club, not just the ones who have just joined. You have to learn very quickly just how competitive playing in England is.” When Malouda moved to Chelsea, he walked into a dressing room full of established winners like John Terry, Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba and Petr Cech. They had helped the club win the Premier League in 2005 and 2006, plus three domestic cups. This Chelsea squad are the youngest in the Premier League. While they won the Club World Cup and Conference League last season, Malouda admits Gittens has it a lot tougher than he had because so many of his teammates are also at an early stage in their careers. “This is part of the strategy of the new owners,” he says. “When they came in, they were investing in young players on long contracts. When I joined, it was different. There were more experienced players, ones who had either won at Chelsea, in the leagues they had come from, or were already representing their national team. The squad was way more experienced, had way more character, based on their pedigree. “This project is about developing young players here who need to win things together. It’s a different project and that is why there is more pressure on these young players. When you see the amount of money the club has spent and their price tags, I think there is more expectation and weight on their shoulders.” Gittens has also been hindered by not having a proper pre-season. Unlike early summer buys Joao Pedro and Liam Delap, he could not play for Chelsea at the Club World Cup because of a 13-minute substitute appearance for Borussia Dortmund in the group phase. Due to reaching and winning the final on July 13, Chelsea only reported back for training on August 4, under two weeks before their opening Premier League game. “Short term that makes a difference,” Malouda insists. “But it is not about proving yourself over two to three months. You have to look at the bigger picture. If a player belongs to Chelsea, plays on this stage, it does not matter about the pre-season. It is about how you adjust and build your confidence when it is challenging. It is not about being young or more experienced; when you get a chance to play, you need to deliver. “Cole Palmer is having some injury issues. Every player should see this as an opportunity and be ready for it. It does not matter where the opportunity comes. Every chance you get to wear this jersey is one to show your talent against the opponent. You always have to be ready. “Pre-season is the past; you should not use that as an excuse.” Gittens and Chelsea had a limited pre-seasonJack Thomas/Getty Images Another factor in Gittens’ lack of starts is the arrival of Alejandro Garnacho from Manchester United. Despite joining at the end of August for £40m, the Argentina international has adapted much quicker, starting three of the last four games. Malouda believes Gittens must not see Garnacho’s signing as a negative. He concludes: “You need competition to be at your best. The sooner you accept it, the more you are able to deliver. It is not a problem. “This is a context that you choose when you come to a club like Chelsea. When I was there, I remember every year Chelsea would sign a new striker. They had Didier Drogba, Hernan Crespo, Andriy Shevchenko and so on. This is what you want because then the squad becomes competitive and then you have to upgrade your game. “As a young player, you sometimes don’t see it because you are maybe looking for personal attention. But on the biggest stage, you need a strong squad. You look at Liverpool and Manchester City in recent years, this is why they have been able to compete in every competition. Chelsea want to get there, to be in a position when they start a season that they can win every competition possible. You need quality players.” Malouda clearly feels that if Gittens can get over some teething problems, he has what it takes to be one of them. Just like he did.

https://thedailybriefing.io/p/arsenal-liverpool-title-race Could Arsenal finally get their hands on the Premier League title through sheer consistency alone? Some interesting data caught my eye this morning which perhaps points towards Arsenal finally being given a clear pathway towards what would be a first title victory in 22 years. See below as Opta Analyst show the difference in points this season versus the same stage in the 2024/25 campaign. What immediately stands out is the pretty big drop from both Liverpool and Manchester City. Arsenal, despite some far-from-kind opening fixtures, are just one point worse off. So far, after what is admittedly a relatively small sample size, we can see that that shift is enough to put the Gunners in front of their two main title rivals. Despite the electrifying form of Erling Haaland at the start of this season, it is interesting to note that City as a whole have not really improved. Their drop-off since that Rodri injury last season is only continuing, with Pep Guardiola seemingly unable to rebuild the side to what it was when the Spaniard was at the peak of his powers. It is, of course, too early to draw major conclusions, but we do know that Arsenal under Mikel Arteta are the most consistent team in the Premier League. No one has more points than the north Londoners over the last three seasons… Perhaps Arsenal won’t be able to keep that kind of consistency going, but, if anything, they look like they should be in a better state to do so than what proved to be a hugely challenging season last term. A strong summer transfer window has massively improved Arsenal’s squad depth, and Swedish goal machine Viktor Gyokeres hasn’t even got going yet, even if his mere presence up front is already causing opposition defences problems and freeing up more space for the likes of Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Eberechi Eze. Meanwhile, even during their winning start, Liverpool didn’t look as convincing as they did for so much of last season, with Arne Slot even admitting that teams had perhaps worked out how to play against them after initially taking him lightly when he first came in to replace Jurgen Klopp. 🚨 NEW contract for Arsenal star, Man Utd eyeing £70m attacker, Chelsea plot Barca raid, Newcastle star discusses shock exit, & more Slot worked miracles in first season at Anfield, but we don’t yet know how he’ll respond to his first real crisis after three defeats in a row, and without Trent Alexander-Arnold, and with an ageing Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk. The early signs are hugely positive for Arsenal. Do you think this will finally be their year, or are you backing someone else? Let me hear your thoughts in the comments!

He has played like shit almost every time I have watch a full Juve game over the past several years

@GraemeBailey says Vlahovic targets Chelsea move: 🗣 "Once again his people are touching base with potential landing spots – Chelsea and Tottenham have been spoken to by intermediaries. Much will depend on whether he wants a ‘pay day’ – he won’t get that in England."