Vesper

@CFCPys is a bullshit merchant

What to expect in Rachel Reeves’s spend, spend, spending review Labour is going big on infrastructure, the NHS and AI. Can the chancellor convince some voters we’re not back in austerity — and others that taxes won’t rise to pay for it? https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/labour-rachel-reeves-spending-review-uk-budgets-9tmk9xmfh As Rachel Reeves is so fond of telling her cabinet colleagues, she didn’t get into politics to talk about fiscal rules. This week she will attempt to counter claims she has become the “austerity chancellor” by announcing hundreds of billions of pounds of investment. The chancellor’s position on ruling out borrowing for day-to-day spending and not raising taxes again has fuelled speculation that she will introduce swingeing spending cuts. However, her team hopes that Wednesday’s spending review will be remembered more for the chancellor’s largesse than her Scrooge-like tendencies. Despite announcing £40 billion in tax rises — including £25 billion from employer national insurance contributions — and changing the fiscal rules to allow her to borrow to invest, Reeves has so far failed to win much political credit for unlocking an additional £300 billion for investment. On Wednesday she hopes all that will change when she explains how that money will be spent over three years. The centrepiece will be a £86 billion package for research and development to fund new drug treatments and investment in longer-lasting batteries and AI breakthroughs — up to £500 million will go directly to mayors to fund “innovation clusters” across the country. The funding, worth more than £22.5 billion a year by 2029-30, will be given to Liverpool to accelerate drug discovery, Northern Ireland to develop defence equipment and south Wales to assist with the design of cutting-edge semiconductors that power devices such as mobile phones and electric cars. Alongside this, nearly £5 million is being invested to kick-start a partnership between the high-growth regions of Manchester and Cambridge, strengthening the link between these hubs of innovation to attract more business investment. Long-planned transport and infrastructure projects, including the Sizewell C nuclear power plant and a new generation of mini-reactors, and a new railway line between Liverpool and Manchester, will also be approved to fend off Reform UK. Sir Keir Starmer and Reeves have been criticised for failing to construct a narrative about what this government is for. Since the local elections, when they lost two thirds of their council seats, they have clearly moved from insisting that they need to deal with the finances they inherited to conceding that they need to spend money to improve people’s lives. This week Reeves will set the budgets of her cabinet colleagues’ departments, which will determine what the year-old Labour government can achieve in the next four years. It will be followed in a fortnight’s time by the industrial strategy as she attempts to give Labour MPs a better economic story after last month’s humiliating U-turn over winter fuel payments for pensioners. The chancellor is said to have been heavily involved in the decision to extend free school meals to 500,000 more children whose parents are in receipt of universal credit and wants to see investment in crumbling school buildings so they are better than those in which she was taught. To that end, she is expected to fund dozens of new school buildings. Schools will receive an extra £4.5 billion a year, taking funding for each pupil in England to its highest level yet, according to The Observer. This will pay for teachers’ pay rises announced by the government last month, and an overhaul of special educational needs and disabilities provision. HM Revenue & Customs is to receive £500 million to overhaul its digital operation to allow AI to take notes and answer queries. The tech will instantly summarise calls to HM Revenue & Customs, so staff spend less time typing up notes and more time helping people. Millions of people will also be able to get instant answers about their tax affairs by consulting the “Ask HMRC” digital assistant. This is projected to save HMRC about £200 million a year in efficiency savings and productivity gains by 2028-29. As part of an effort to save costs, HMRC is also planning to send 75 per cent fewer letters by 2028-29, saving about £50 million a year. A similar approach will be taken by the NHS, as appointment reminders, invitations, health screenings and test results will be sent to people’s phones, leading to 50 million fewer letters being sent out each year and savings of £200 million. At present, according to the Treasury, HMRC handles approximately 100,000 calls each day, the DVLA processes about 45,000 letters daily and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs still manages more than 500 paper form-based services. The Foreign Office will also soon be embracing the digital age. AI will be used to assist diplomatic briefings, while there are also ambitious plans being pioneered by spy agencies to combine files with open-source data to analyse a counterpart’s vulnerabilities and interests before a negotiation. This is expected to help to reduce the number of directors in London from 50 to 30. On Thursday, David Lammy, the foreign secretary, will give a speech at Mansion House that will include more details on the spending review. This is expected to include plans to spend more than £700 million on embassy buildings, including potentially the refurbishment of the one in Beijing. Allocating billions of pounds is the easier part of the spending review for Reeves, but the squeeze on day-to-day spending is likely to dominate the headlines. Real-terms spending will grow by an average of 1.2 per cent a year over the three-year spending review period, well down on the 2.5 per cent over Labour’s first two years. Among the Whitehall departments that have already been forced to make savings is the Department for Work and Pensions, which announced £3.4 billion in welfare cuts in April. The changes, which have prompted a backlash among Labour MPs, are due to be voted on before the end of the month. However, disability claimants could be given more time to seek support as part of a series of tweaks to the proposals to soften the blow, which could be announced as soon as this week. Any changes to the two-child benefit cap are not expected until the autumn budget. The Department of Health and Social Care is expected to be the biggest winner with a boost of up to £30 billion at the expense of other public services. Since Labour came to power, the NHS has already had an additional £22.6 billion as a “down-payment” on the forthcoming ten-year plan. Significant amounts of the extra day-to-day spending cash will probably be diverted to pay awards for doctors and nurses. With the increasing costs of medicines, technology and an ageing society there may be little left to fuel the health secretary Wes Streeting’s ambitions, which are due to be announced in the ten-year plan for the NHS next month. Analysts claim that holding the Department of Health’s capital budget flat in real terms over the period may have serious consequences for the government’s new hospitals programme and existing NHS buildings. Siva Anandaciva, director at the King’s Fund health think tank, said: “Dilapidated buildings and outdated equipment lead to poorer care for patients and severely hamstring efforts to improve how productive the NHS is. “If the NHS’s access to long-term capital investment is going to be held down yet again, there simply won’t be enough money available to both replace the existing and increasingly unsafe buildings parts of the NHS use, while also building the modern community-based facilities the future health service will need if the government’s hopes to transform the health service are going to be realised.” Reeves’s decision to prioritise health, after agreeing an increase in defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP, has led to a series of rows with other cabinet ministers. And despite the defence lift, pressure on the budget is likely to continue. The Nato chief, Mark Rutte, who is meeting Starmer on Monday, is said to be pushing for members of the military alliance to commit 5 per cent towards defence-related spending at a summit this month. In reality, 3 per cent is more likely. The chancellor and John Healey, the defence secretary, are said to back plans for a “defence, security and resilience bank”, modelled on institutions such as the World Bank, which could command as much as £100 billion in capital and would be funded by western governments. This weekend, Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, and Angela Rayner, the deputy prime minister and housing secretary, are still holding out over funding for police and councils, and have warned Reeves during heated negotiations that cuts will put some of the government’s pledges on crime and housing at risk. A source said: “Nothing’s settled until everything is settled and we are still working final things through with No 10 and the Treasury.” Sources close to Cooper denied that she had had a “bust-up” with Reeves but admitted there had been “tough conversations”. The Treasury offered a front-loaded settlement under which there would be more money upfront but tighter budgets in the second and third years, according to a source familiar with the discussions. A senior Whitehall source blamed Darren Jones, the chief secretary to the Treasury, for the last-minute negotiations with the outstanding departments. Another source added: “If you want a glimpse into the dystopian AI future, where the world is run by autocratic robots devoid of any emotion or humanity, then you need to spend five minutes in a meeting with Darren Jones.” It’s not just within the cabinet where wariness of the Treasury is growing. The public now trust Reform as much as Labour on the economy despite Starmer warning that the party’s sums don’t add up and comparing Nigel Farage to Liz Truss. According to a poll of more than 2,000 people by the think tank More in Common, voters were as likely to trust Reform as Labour on the economy (both at 22 per cent). In a head-to-head between Starmer and Farage, the public were split; 51 per cent chose the prime minister and 49 per cent chose Farage. Britons tended to think Reform posed a threat to the economy, but many thought it was worth the risk. By a margin of 46 per cent to 29 per cent, voters thought that a Reform government would pose a risk to the economy — but 40 per cent said that Reform could not be any worse than the other parties. By a large margin of 49 per cent to 15 per cent, voters supported Reform’s policies on tax and welfare. A quarter of Britons thought we were returning to austerity, and a further 27 per cent thought we never left. Only 22 per cent said that we were not returning to austerity. In slightly better news for Reeves, the perception of public services and public finances slightly improved compared with October when the government released its first budget, although views on the economy remained very negative. Satisfaction with public services rose from minus 56 to minus 37, and satisfaction with public finances rose from minus 61 to minus 49. But satisfaction with the economy remained at minus 56. Luke Tryl, the director of More in Common, said: “After a rocky first year, avoidable missteps and U-turns, it’s not an understatement to say this spending review is a make-or-break moment for the government’s relationship with the public. “The good news [for Labour] is the public have low expectations for the spending review with most assuming it won’t make Britain any better; the bad news is many people are now starting to look at Nigel Farage’s offer on the economy. “It’s striking that despite voters’ concerns about Reform’s inexperience they are now as trusted as Labour on the economy, and Nigel Farage and Keir Starmer are neck-and-neck on economic competence. “If Labour are to have a hope of arresting Reform’s momentum they will have to use next week to show that they get it, are taking real steps to improve living standards, improve public services and shielding the most vulnerable from the impact of cuts.” Andy Burnham, the Labour mayor of Greater Manchester, described the spending review as a “growth test” for Whitehall. He is among a group of mayors across England advocating for the devolution of powers to local authorities to implement visitor levies on overnight stays, aiming to boost tourist infrastructure and regional growth. Andy Burnham The proposed visitor levy, similar to those in Scotland and Wales, would involve a small charge on overnight accommodations. The Liverpool city region estimates it could generate nearly £11 million annually. Burnham said: “The spending review is a growth test for Whitehall and I’m waiting and hoping it passes it. Its usual modus operandi is to trade in fudges and play the long game while keeping hold of all the cards. The problem is growth doesn’t come from that.”

agree

Chelsea approach Dortmund for Jamie Gittens transfer, seven-year contract agreed https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6077611/2025/06/07/Chelsea-transfers-jamie-gittens-dortmund/ By David Ornstein Chelsea have submitted an official proposal to sign Jamie Gittens from Borussia Dortmund and have agreed a seven-year contract with the forward. The 20-year-old is keen on a move and only wants to join Chelsea, who hold a long-standing interest in the England Under-21 international. Dortmund view the potential sale of Gittens as key to a summer rebuild and believe the forward is not a natural fit for head coach Niko Kovac’s preferred system. Gittens, who has yet to play for England’s senior international team, believes the move will provide a platform for him to push for a place in Thomas Tuchel’s squad for the 2026 World Cup. The Athletic reported on June 3 that Gittens and Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho were on Chelsea’s list of winger targets in the summer window. Chelsea’s move comes after the club opted against making Jadon Sancho’s 2024-25 season-long loan deal a permanent move, having scored five goals in 41 appearances during his move from Manchester United. Bayern Munich had previously expressed an interested in a summer move for Gittens, but a bid never materialised. Gittens joined Dortmund in 2020 from Manchester City’s youth system and has made 106 first-team appearances for the German club, with whom he is contracted through to 2028. 2024-25 was a breakthrough season for the England Under-21 international, who scored 12 goals for Dortmund including four in the Champions League. Predominantly a left winger, Gittens has also been deployed in an attacking midfield role. He is yet to be capped at senior level with England, with whom he won the European Championship in 2022 at under-19 level. Additional reporting by Sebastian Stafford-Bloor and Simon Johnson. (Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

GK and CBs

J David on a hat trick already Canada kicking thre shite out of Ukraine 3 nil

love it!

maybe they think it is who is coming, lolol

the £325K PW golden turd 🤮

Jorginho joins Flamengo after Arsenal exit, will play in Club World Cup https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6375412/2025/06/06/jorginho-transfer-flamengo-arsenal/ Jorginho has joined Flamengo as a free agent after leaving Arsenal. The Athletic reported on May 21 that Arsenal and Flamengo were in talks over Jorginho being able to join the Brazilian side early ahead of their participation in the Club World Cup. Jorginho’s Arsenal contract was due to end on June 30 but the tournament begins on June 14, with Flamengo’s first game three days later. FIFA set up an additional transfer window running June 1-10 to facilitate transfers and contract extensions ahead of the Club World Cup. Flamengo play Tunis of Tunisia on June 17 before facing Chelsea, Jorginho’s former club, three days later before concluding their campaign against LAFC on June 25. Jorginho’s move to Flamengo will see him play professionally in the country of his birth for the first time, though he represents Italy at international level. The 33-year-old came through at Hellas Verona before moving to Napoli in 2014. After four years there, he signed for Chelsea, where he won the Champions League and Europa League. Jorginho joined Arsenal from Chelsea for £12million ($14.8m) in January 2023 and has featured 79 times for the north London side, scoring twice. He signed a one-year contract extension last May and made 16 starts and 11 substitute appearances this season across all competitions for Mikel Arteta’s side.

TRUMP: The US could survive without almost anybody… except me. Crazier than a shithouse rat

Dario Essugo Player profile; Age: 20 Nationality: Portugese (Uncapped) Position: Defensive Midfielder (Right-footed) Height: 5ft 10in A holding midfielder by trade but has the ability to operate as a box-to-box no8 as well, Essugo joined Sporting’s academy at the age of 9, he went on to become the youngest ever Portuguese player to debut in the Champions League at the age of 16y and 268d. He made his senior debut just 4 days after signing his pro contract, without even appearing for the under-23 or reserve sides and made himself the youngest debutant in Sporting’s history at 16y and 6d. Dario spent the 24/25 season on loan at Las Palmas, playing 27 times in LaLiga scoring 1 goal. Here is a brief overview of Essugo’s strong points, being 20 years old he has loads of room to improve in every facet of his game. Verdict; Essugo has been signed so that we have a Caicedo-esque profile at the club, he will be with the first team squad for the 25/26 season and I would imagine he will play cup games and allow Caicedo to rest at certain points. He also has incredible potential himself and is ready for PL football from what I have seen of him.

Outrage after Republican representative disparages Sikh prayer in the US House https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/06/us-house-prayer-republican-mary-miller A Republican congresswoman is facing widespread backlash after saying that a Sikh should not have conducted a prayer in the US House. Mary Miller, an Illinois representative, on Friday published – then deleted – a post on X saying that Giani Singh, a Sikh Granthi from southern New Jersey, should not have delivered the House’s morning prayer. Miller at first mistakenly identified Singh as a Muslim and said that it was “deeply troubling” someone of that faith had been allowed to lead prayer in the House and it “should never have been allowed”, Miller posted on X. “America was founded as a Christian nation, and I believe our government should reflect that truth, not drift further from it,” Miller continued. “May God have mercy.” Miller first edited her post to change Muslim to Sikh – then opted to delete it. Her comments triggered swift outrage, with the Democratic House minority leader, Hakeem Jeffries, saying: “It’s deeply troubling that such an ignorant and hateful extremist is serving in the United States Congress. That would be you, Mary.” Similarly, David Valadao, a Republican congressman of California, said on Friday: “I’m troubled by my colleague’s remarks about this morning’s Sikh prayer, which have since been deleted. Throughout the country – and in the Central Valley – Sikh-Americans are valued and respected members of our communities, yet they continue to face harassment and discrimination.” Jared Huffman, another Democratic US House member from California, wrote on X: “I often say that I serve in Congress with some of the greatest minds of the 18th century. With [representative] Miller I may need to take it back a few more centuries.” Meanwhile, the Democratic congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey said on X: “It’s deeply troubling that someone with such contempt for religious freedom is allowed to serve in this body. This should have never been allowed to happen. America was founded as free nation, and I believe the conduct of its legislators should reflect that truth, not drift further from it.” Grace Meng, a Democratic congresswoman from New York, also weighed in on Miller’s tweets, saying: “What’s deeply disturbing is the blatant ignorance and anti-Sikh, anti-Muslim xenophobia coming from my colleague across the aisle. There is no place in our country, and especially the halls of Congress, for this hate and intolerance.” Meng went on to add: “The tweet may have been deleted, but we still have the receipts.” The Congressional Asian Pacific American caucus (Capac) also condemned Miller, saying she had engaged in “anti-Sikh and anti-Muslim bigotry”. “Sikhs and Muslims practice two separate and distinct religions, and conflating the two based on how someone looks is not only ignorant, but also racist,” Capac said in a statement. The Sikh Coalition also responded on X, saying: “To be clear, deleting the tweet is not enough. Congresswoman Miller should apologize for her remarks – to both the Sikh and Muslim communities, because no one should be targeted on the basis of their identity.” Similarly, the Hindu American Foundation said: “Whichever version of the tweet [Miller] was going with, it is racist, xenophobic and plainly un-American to lash out over a Sikh prayer. When you took your oath of office [congresswoman] Miller, you swore to uphold our constitution, whose first amendment prohibits your establishing an official religion or favoring one religion over another.” Miller’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Guardian. same POS: VIDEO: Mary Miller Praises Hitler, Says His Views on Indoctrinating Youth Should Be Emulated June 26, 2022 Miller in a PREPARED speech in front of U.S. Capitol on 1/5/21: “Hitler was right on one thing. He said whoever has the youth has the future.” Taylorville, IL — Mary Miller is no stranger to espousing extreme rhetoric and behavior. Just two days after taking the oath of office, Miller praised Adolf Hitler in a PREPARED (!) speech in front of the U.S. Capitol Building, saying his views on indoctrinating youth should be emulated.

"Cannot SACK the man who DARED & DID!" Spurs fan DOESN'T WANT Thomas Frank to replace Postecoglou

comfortable win for us nil 2 and that was without Gyökeres and without Isak love our manager, Jon Dahl Tomasson

"DEVASTATED for him!" Former Spurs striker Teddy Sheringham DISAGREES with decision to SACK Ange Postecoglou

Breaking Ange Postecoglou sacked: Tottenham axe head coach despite winning Europa League Tottenham sack head coach Ange Postecoglou despite winning Europa League; dismissal comes after Postecoglou presided over the club's worst-ever Premier League campaign as they finished 17th; Sky Sports News understands Brentford boss Thomas Frank is the leading contender to succeed him https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11675/13350400/ange-postecoglou-sacked-tottenham-axe-head-coach-despite-winning-europa-league

I can live with 85m euros total cost (add ons included) That is around £71.5m in toto, £63m base + £8.5m in add ons

Transfer values: Yamal takes off https://football-observatory.com/WeeklyPost507 Following the extension of his contract until 2031, FC Barcelona’s prodigy Lamine Yamal has become the player with the highest value on the transfer market according to the CIES Football Observatory statistical model: €402.3 million. This extraordinary figure is linked to equally extraordinary performances achieved at an age - 18 in July - when most players, even the best, are just starting out at professional level. Norway's Erling Haaland (€239.6m) and England's former leader Jude Bellingham (€233.8m) complete the podium of the best-valued players, ahead of Frenchman Kylian Mbappé (€192.5m), who also is the oldest player in the top 10 (26.5 years). The English Premier League is by far the most represented in the top 100 (42 players), followed by the Spanish Liga (19). Paris St-Germain, on the other hand, is the most represented club (11 players). The highest values for defensive positions were recorded for Bart Verbruggen (€64.3m) among goalkeepers, Pau Cubarsí (€118.0m) for centre backs and Joško Gvardiol for full/wing backs (€100.7m). Only four of the top 100 footballers play outside the five major European leagues: two in Portugal (Samu Aghehowa and Viktor Gyökeres), one in Brazil (Estêvão Willian, already contracted by Chelsea) and one in Saudi Arabia (Jhon Durán). Top 100 highest estimated transfer values (€ million) Date: 02/06/2025. Positions: [gk] goalkeeper, [fb] full/wing back, [cb] centre back, [dm] defensive midfield, [am] attacking midfield, [wi] winger, [cf] centre forward.

Arsenal make Chelsea’s Kepa Arrizabalaga main backup goalkeeper target https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6257012/2025/06/06/kepa-arrizabalaga-arsenal-transfer-Chelsea/ Arsenal have made Chelsea’s Kepa Arrizabalaga their main target as they seek to recruit a backup goalkeeper this summer. With Neto returning to Bournemouth after his loan, Arsenal are light on experienced goalkeeper options. After missing out on Espanyol’s Joan Garcia, who looks poised to join Barcelona, Arsenal are turning their attention towards the 30-year-old. While other options remain under consideration, Arrizabalaga is currently the preferred candidate. The Spain international, who spent last season on loan at Bournemouth, has a £5million release clause in his Chelsea contract. Arsenal see that as a potential market opportunity, enabling them to recruit a goalkeeper with Premier League and Champions League experience for an affordable fee. Arsenal are actively pursuing an agreement with the player and hope to persuade Arrizabalaga to join. Arrizabalaga made 35 appearances in all competitions and kept nine clean sheets last season as Andoni Iraola’s side finished ninth in the Premier League, their joint-best league finish with their most points (56). The 13-time Spain international joined Chelsea from Athletic Club for £71.6 million in the summer of 2018 and has made 163 first-team appearances for the English club, where he has won four trophies including the 2021 Champions League. Analysis Arsenal’s staff are long-time admirers of Arrizabalaga, and this is not the first time his name has been raised in recruitment conversations at the club. The affordable price means Arrizabalaga is expected to have various options this summer. One complication for Arsenal is that they already have an established number one in 29-year-old David Raya. Arrizabalaga is aware that Raya is in a secure position as Arsenal’s first-choice goalkeeper after a strong performance in 2024-25. Despite this, Arrizabalaga is still prepared to give Arsenal’s approach consideration.

The Elon-Trump Feud Is Oligarchy in Action Two deranged megalomaniacs think they own the American government. Of course they end up fighting. https://prospect.org/politics/2025-06-06-elon-musk-donald-trump-feud/ Elon Musk and Donald Trump attend a presidential campaign event at the Butler Farm Show, October 5, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania. I had been wondering if Elon Musk and Donald Trump would have a falling out. Two ultra-wealthy, ultra-corrupt, terminally online, megalomaniacal narcissists do not tend to make reliable partners. Augustus and Agrippa they are not. Yet until this week, they seemed to at least maintain a cordial front. At the time of writing Thursday evening, the sequence of events went something like this. On Tuesday, Musk posted on Twitter/X that Trump’s enormous reconciliation bill was “massive, outrageous, pork-filled” and a “disgusting abomination” that would jack up the budget deficit. On Thursday, Musk pressed the attack, complaining about the “MOUNTAIN of DISGUSTING PORK in the bill,” and whining that he had bought the government fair and square. “Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate,” he posted. “Such ingratitude.” Trump responded on Truth Social. “The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts,” he wrote. “Elon was ‘wearing thin,’ I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!” he added. Elon immediately escalated, posting that SpaceX would immediately begin decommissioning its Dragon rocket program, which is currently the only U.S.-based way to transfer astronauts and supplies to the International Space Station (though he later walked that back), asserted that Trump “is in the Epstein files” and that “is the real reason they have not been made public,” suggested he would start a new political party, called for Trump to be impeached and replaced with J.D. Vance, and predicted that Trump’s tariffs would cause a recession. No doubt there will be more petty, Mean Girls-esque drama by the time this article is published. But this is certainly a real dispute. They may patch things up later, or pretend to, but a fake conflict does not typically escalate to accusations of pedophilia right out of the gate. This is just what happens when people like Trump and Musk hold the reins of power. A few initial observations about this slap fight: First, it is largely pretextual. Reporting indicates that Musk is upset that the bill does not have enough pork, namely the EV tax credits that have hitherto benefited Tesla, and a fat FAA contract for SpaceX. He has not breathed one word about the $3.7 trillion in tax cuts for the rich that are the actual reason the bill would blow up the deficit. If we take the “PORK” complaints at face value, Musk seems upset that Medicaid and food stamps were merely gutted instead of abolished entirely. Second, Musk is correct that Trump is in at least some Epstein files; Gawker reported back in 2015 that he was included in the “little black book” of people who had traveled on his infamous private jet. Trump himself has been photographed and filmed partying with Epstein several times, and told New York in 2002: “I’ve known Jeff for fifteen years. Terrific guy … He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.” One Florida businessman told The New York Times that back in the ’90s, he said to Trump, “Look, Donald, I know Jeff really well, I can’t have him going after younger girls,” but “Trump didn’t care about that.” That said, Musk may not be innocent here either. Epstein reportedly helped his brother Kimbal Musk find a girlfriend, and Epstein claimed to the Times in 2018 that he had helped Musk find a new chairman for Tesla, though Musk denied it. Musk was also photographed with Epstein’s notorious fixer Ghislaine Maxwell in 2014, though again Musk claims he was photobombed. But fundamentally, this is an object lesson in how government works when demagogues and oligarchs have all the power. Both Trump and Musk are aspiring autocrats, one with a propaganda death grip on a critical mass of disgruntled low-information voters, the other the richest man on Earth who also owns an important communications platform. Unlike, say, a union leader or political boss who represents and is therefore accountable to some organized constituency, they both have wide latitude to indulge their deeply erratic whims. Outside of a tiny minority of unhinged ideologues, nobody voting for Trump wanted to obliterate America’s scientific dominance, or to destroy America’s international reputation by killing millions of Africans, or to start a nonsensical trade war with every country simultaneously. There is no large organic constituency for any of this. At the same time, both Trump and Musk are mutually dependent, and can therefore inflict serious damage on each other. Musk may be right that Trump would not have won without his money, but without Trump on the ballot money alone did not let Musk buy the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Musk is also right that NASA and the Pentagon have become totally reliant on SpaceX for their basic operations, but by the same token SpaceX depends on government contracts. Its Starlink service is reportedly somewhat profitable, but its future prospects of massive growth depend on the (dubious) prospect of government-funded missions to the moon and Mars. If Musk really tries to hold NASA and the Pentagon hostage, well, that has not worked out well for oligarchs in similar circumstances—but that won’t look great for Trump either. That is government by ultra-billionaire and reality TV charlatan. Terrible, idiotic policies nobody asked for might only be stopped because two world-historical megalomaniacs could not sit down and hash out their differences.

Chelsea (estimated pre-tax loss limit in 2024-25: £300m) https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6384537/2025/06/05/psr-premier-league-clubs-risk/ PSR-busting tactics at Stamford Bridge have gained plenty of headlines in recent seasons, and for good reason. Through the intra-group sales of hotels, car parks and even their own women’s team, Chelsea have turned a rather tricky PSR position into one whereby they enjoy mammoth headroom — at least domestically. Chelsea’s pre-tax result across 2022-23 and 2023-24 was profitable at £38.3million, even before any costs are deducted from their PSR calculation — and the deductions they can make are chunky. That sale of the women’s team means they won’t benefit from any cost deductions in that respect in 2024-25, but they’re hardly necessary in terms of current compliance. Based on our projections, Chelsea could lose £300m and still comply with Premier League PSR. They’ll lose a lot, but nowhere close to that much. The picture is rather different in Europe, where UEFA strips out intra-group sales. Chelsea are already in talks over a financial settlement for a breach based on their accounts for 2023-24, and another hefty loss in the last one won’t smooth their position there. The club’s return to the Champions League next season will at least help for 2025-26.

euros, not pounds and I doubt it will be as high as 100m euros