Vesper

That is only £66.6m that means we would take a £40.2m loss on him (we paid £106.8m) Adjusted for the pound sterling's inflation since January 2023 until now, it would be closing in on a £47-48m loss, and if the sale happens 4 or 5 months from now, with the pound further losing value, we could be talking close to a 50m quid loss.

Enzo Fernández has reportedly rejected Atlético Madrid. Several players tried to convince him to join the club during this break, but he is determined to stay at Chelsea. He likes London, yes, but all options are open. For now, Atleti isn't one of them.

SO many (even Romano now, ffs) are now pushing (many make the source hard to find) Fichajes bullshit rumour mongering. I am finding those shitbags at the core of 2/3rds to 3/4ers or so of the Chelsea 'transfer' stories. Caveat emptor!

Boehly on Chelsea FC Ownership Struggles, Possible Cricket Venture

Todd Boehly now says he could sell Chelsea for a profit amid twist in £2.5bn Clearlake takeover row https://www.thechelseachronicle.com/news/todd-boehly-now-says-he-could-sell-Chelsea-for-a-profit-amid-twist-in-2-5bn-clearlake-takeover-row/ Ask anyone in sports business about Chelsea’ Todd Boehly and they’ll tell you he is a visionary who can see around corners and is a hawk when it comes to smart investments. It’s a characterisation that is oceans apart from how the private equity titan is portrayed in the British press, where he is seen as the bumbling, bombastic American bulldog with more money than sense. The truth is somewhere between the two extremes. Todd Boehly’s record at Chelsea has been far from flattering but you don’t get where he has without a potent mix of ruthlessness, genius and humility. Photo by Steven Ferdman/Getty Images As far as billionaires go, Boehly is pretty self-made. He is from a relatively affluent background, yes, but now presides over a highly diversified empire of sports, insurance and tech assets worth £6.5bn. That includes his 13 per cent stake in Chelsea, who he bought in a consortium with Clearlake Capital in the summer of 2022 in a deal worth – the headlines said – £4.25bn. In reality, the transaction with Roman Abramovich – or the representatives handling the sale after his assets were frozen by the UK government – was worth far less than that. Chelsea ownership diagram Credit: Adam Williams/GRV Media/The Chelsea Chronicle Incidentally, the proceeds from that sale, which were earmarked for humanitarian causes, are still frozen in a UK escrow account to this day. At £4.25bn, the takeover would have been the most expensive in sports history at the time, but the value quoted in the press was a fugazi. £1.75bn of that figure was ringfenced for investment in the Blues and did not change hands in the deal, which saw Boehly’s fellow private equity titans Behdad Eghbali and Mark Walter buy into the club too. How Chelsea’s owners rank among football’s richest Club owner Rank in top 500 richest people Net worth Club(s) Bernard Arnault 4 $189B Paris FC Mark Mateschitz 80 $23.4B Red Bull clubs Stan Kroenke 85 $22.8B Arsenal, Colorado Rapids Philip Anschutz 86 $22.8B Los Angeles Galaxy David Tepper 87 $22.4B Charlotte FC Francois Pinault 90 $22.1B Stade Rennais Dietmar Hopp 112 $18.4B 1899 Hoffenheim Jim Ratcliffe 200 $12.4B Man United, Nice, Lausanne Hansjoerg Wyss 218 $11.9B Chelsea, Strasbourg Josh Harris 224 $11.7B Crystal Palace Simon Reuben 227 $11.5B Newcastle United David Reuben 228 $11.5B Newcastle United Dmitry Rybolovlev 246 $11.1B AS Monaco Mark Walter 252 $10.9B Chelsea, Strasbourg Dan Friedkin 253 $10.9B AS Roma, AS Cannes, Everton Shahid Khan 307 $9.33B Fulham Nassef Sawiris 324 $8.95B Aston Villa, Vitoria Daniel Kretinsky 402 $7.69B West Ham, Sparta Prague Joe Lewis 405 $7.66B Tottenham Todd Boehly 426 $7.28B Chelsea FC, Strasbourg Richest private owners in football, Sourced from Bloomberg Billionaires Index A fair whack of that cash has been injected into Chelsea via equity to cover operating expense and the gargantuan, £1bn recruitment drive that the new owners have sanctioned over the last three years. Chelsea have also taken out £500m worth of debt with Ares, one of the world’s biggest investment firms who, by extension, effectively have a place in the club’s corporate structure despite owning no shares. The club also has almost £500m worth of transfer debt and – in the story of the week – will at some point need possible three or four times that to build a new stadium or expand Stamford Bridge. Chelsea matchday income and planned stadium capacity infographic Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images In short, Chelsea have spent heavily and have more or less committed to spending even more heavily in the future, with all of the anxiety in terms of Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) that entails. Granted, Enzo Maresca, Laurence Steward and Paul Winstanley have droves of young talent tied down to long-term deals, locking in their value. If latest signing Geovany Quenda comes good, for example, the Blues have protected themselves with the 17-year-old’s seven-year deal and can finesse their player trading model on that basis. But this model – lobbied for by Boehly in his role as chairman – places a huge amount of faith in a recruitment strategy which, to date, has had very mixed results. The above is a roundabout way of saying that Chelsea are probably in a worse place since the takeover, though Boehly’s latest comments suggests he believes different. READ MORE: Chelsea youngster ranked as second best teenager in world football, only Lamine Yamal is better Todd Boehly says Chelsea now worth more than before Clearlake takeover Since May 2022, Boehly’s public appearances as the face of Chelsea have become more and more frequent, despite some reports suggesting he is essentially a lame duck as chairman. In his latest outing, Boehly spoke to Bloomberg about the rift between his ownership faction and Clearlake, which he says is exaggerated, as well as the future of Stamford Bridge. The main headline, of course, centred on the future direction of the ownership. “The status quo” is a fine place to be, he said, but also suggested that the stadium plans could see Clearlake and he go their separate ways in time. Interestingly on that topic, Boehly believes, if he was to sell his stake to Eghbali or anyone else tomorrow, he could actually get a markup on the £2.5bn deal the consortium completed three years ago. “I think the trend is our friend in this industry,” the 51-year-old, whose club has lost almost £400m since the takeover, told Bloomberg. Rank Club Value 1-yr change Owners 17 Manchester United $6.2B +4% Glazer family 18 Real Madrid $6.06B +16% Club members 35 FC Barcelona $5.28B +7% Club members 40 Liverpool $5.11B +8% Fenway Sports Group 46 Bayern Munich $4.8B +8% Club members 51 Manchester City $4.75B +7% Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan 61 Paris Saint-Germain $4.05B +19% Qatar Sports Investment 65 Arsenal $3.91B +9% Stan Kroenke 74 Tottenham Hotspur $3.49B +9% Joe Lewis family trust, Daniel Levy 75 Chelsea $3.47B ±0% Todd Boehley, Clearlake Capital Source: Sportico top 100 most valuable clubs “The opportunity to try and grow the fanbase around the world is big. Unlike American sports, we have the ability to grow internationally and grow our own revenue base on top of that. “So I think the opportunity is enormous. The Premier League is sitting in a great place. One of the great things – and one of the frustrating things – is that the Premier League is becoming so competitive. The depth in the quality of the teams are unlike any other league in the world. It [value] is not derivative of whether or not they won last year. This is a club that just celebrated its 120th anniversary. “I would say, yes [it’s more valuable than we paid for it].” READ MORE: Chelsea now want to sign two Real Madrid stars for £105m, Todd Boehly pulled out of a deal for one them in the past Chelsea in mix for £130m Club World Cup prize, John Terry hails ‘mega’ finance opportunity To justify a valuation of £2.5bn and well beyond, there will need to be some pretty fundamental changes both at Chelsea and the wider football ecosystem. The arms race that has taken place in the transfer ecosystem and retention and market means costs have spiralled much faster than revenues have risen – and more so at Chelsea than most. One new revenue source that can help offset this and bolster the Blues’ PSR situation is the new-fangled Club World Cup, which Maresca will take his side to in the United States in the summer. Chelsea’s Club World Cup draw Group Team 1 Team 2 Team 2 Team 4 Group A Palmeiras FC Porto Al-Ahly Inter Miami Group B Paris Saint-Germain Atlético Madrid Botafogo Seattle Sounders Group C Bayern Munich Auckland City Boca Juniors Benfica Group D Flamengo Espérance Sportive de Tunisie Chelsea Club León Group E River Plate Urawa Red Diamonds Monterrey Inter Milan Group F Fluminense Borussia Dortmund Ulsan Mamelodi Sundowns Group G Manchester City Wydad Al-Ain Juventus Group H Real Madrid Al-Hilal Pachuca RB Salzburg Club World Cup group stage draw This week, FIFA have confirmed that a staggering £780m will be shared among the 32 participants in prize money, with that pot weighted towards European clubs like Chelsea. If Chelsea go all the way in the knockout tournament, they will take home the lion’s share of £130m. It’s a monumental prize fund which, fundamentally, has essentially been artificially created by Saudi Arabia. Former Chelsea captain John Terry has been on the ambassadorial circuit for FIFA recently and, echoing the sentiments of Didier Drogba a few months ago, has talked up the financial opportunity for clubs. “This is an opportunity that financially is mega for every club involved, let alone if you go on and win it,” Terry told talkSPORT last week. “To participate, it’s big financials. “I think we have to be careful in terms of player welfare and stuff like that because being ex-players, we have to support that. “Can there be a break mid-season? I think there should be. You played two, three games a week around the Christmas period and it’s really busy. “Then in February, March, April, you play Saturday, Saturday, Saturday. You could easily just throw a couple of games in there as well. “But I think in terms of players, like for me, six years retired, I’d love to still be playing. I’d love to go back and say, ‘I wish I had 60, 65 games a season.'”

Trump’s faith adviser selling seven Easter blessings for $1,000 gift https://baptistnews.com/article/trumps-faith-adviser-selling-seven-easter-blessings-for-1000-gift/ President Donald Trump’s chief faith adviser is selling seven “supernatural blessings” for Easter season gifts of $1,000 or more. On her website and social media, televangelist Paula White has a special offer for what she calls the “Passover season” when “your obedience to align yourself with the desires of God” can “release seven specific supernatural blessings for your body, your family, your finances and your future.” White leads the White House Faith Office and recently assembled a group of 17 evangelical pastors to pray over Trump in the Oval Office. She bases her promise of seven blessings (for the gift of $1,000) on Exodus 23, which ironically begins with these words: “You shall not spread a false report. You shall not join hands with the wicked to act as a malicious witness. You shall not follow a majority in wrongdoing; when you bear witness in a lawsuit, you shall not side with the majority so as to pervert justice.” Televangelist and personal pastor to Donald Trump, Paula White, speaks during a Trump campaign event courting devout conservatives by combining praise, prayer and patriotism, Thursday, July 23, 2020, in Alpharetta, Ga. (AP Photo/John Amis) And then states this in verse 9: “You shall not oppress a resident alien; you know the heart of an alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt.” White and her team of spiritual advisers have endorsed and blessed Trump as he lies and seeks to have judges impeached if they cross him, and as he rounds up legal immigrants for deportation and imprisonment. With a portion of Exodus 23, she takes God’s promise to the Children of Israel and applies it today to those who give her $1,000 or more. “As we read in Exodus 23, when you honor God during this Passover,” she claims, God will “assign an angel to you,” “be an enemy to your enemies,” “give you prosperity,” “take sickness away from you,” “give you a long life, “bring increase and inheritance” and “give a special year of blessing.” All this can be yours, she says, if you bring a “Passover offering to the house of the Lord.” Then she relates this testimony from one of her followers named Alfred: “I sowed a seed as a result of the teaching of giving during the Passover season. As a result, my unemployment benefits were restored and increased this past week. My family and I are being provided for, and spiritual blessings are evident. I believe the 7 Blessings are being manifested in me, and believe full restoration will take place in my life, career, child, and service to the Lord.” Meanwhile, the Trump administration is seeking to cut benefits for the poorest Americans such as Alfred. But wait, there’s more! With your gift of $1,000 or more, White will send you a 10-inch-high Waterford cross, plus some devotionals and an “olive wood communion set from the Holy Land.” That special set “contains unleavened bread and grape juice from the Holy Land, two beautiful olive wood communion cups” and a booklet, her advertisement says. With these items in hand, “you can join Paula in taking communion during our special Good Friday online GLOBAL communion service at noon eastern on April 18.”

Chelsea fans call for Premier League to take action over Boehly’s connection to ticket resale site https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6232453/2025/03/26/Chelsea-fans-boehly-vivid-seats/ The Chelsea Supporters’ Trust (CST) has written to Richard Masters, the Premier League’s chief executive, regarding Todd Boehly’s involvement with Vivid Seats. Boehly, a minority shareholder and chairman at Chelsea, is a director at Vivid Seats, a website that allows the resale of Premier League match tickets — including to Chelsea games — for thousands of pounds above face value. The American ticketing company is listed on the Premier League’s website as an “unauthorised ticket website”, with the league urging fans to “exercise extreme caution” when using it and other ticket exchange companies. In the open letter sent to Masters, the CST penned that “Mr Boehly’s connection with Vivid Seats is totally inappropriate and significantly undermines the efforts of Chelsea FC, The Premier League, and The Metropolitan Police to combat ticket touting”. A CST spokesperson described Boehly’s connection to Vivid Seats as a “breach of trust” and a “clear conflict of interest”. “Vivid Seats continues to list Premier League tickets for above face value at significantly inflated rates,” a CST spokesperson said in a statement on Wednesday. “Not only does this undermine the efforts of Chelsea FC, The Premier League, and The Metropolitan Police to combat ticket touting, but Vivid Seats contravenes the Chelsea FC ticketing policy, and is explicitly named by the Premier League as a known unauthorised ticket website. “We believe that now is the time for the Premier League to act swiftly and ensure that a major shareowner of a Premier League club ceases facilitating the sale of tickets for significantly above face value.” (Ryan Pierse/Getty Images) Tickets advertised on Vivid Seats for Chelsea’s upcoming game against Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge on April 3 range from £144 to over £2,000, while tickets for the match at home to Liverpool on May 2 are priced between £442 and over £3,200. UK-based supporters are unable to use Vivid Seats or other ticket exchange sites similar to it to buy tickets to top-flight games due it being against British law to resell tickets in this manner. The CST’s letter to Masters was supported by the Football Supporters’ Association (FSA), who said, “It is clear the Premier League needs to take action.” “Clubs, supporters’ groups, the police and the Premier League itself has worked hard in recent years to combat ticket touting – there is no excuse for a club owner to be involved in such activity,” a spokesperson for the FSA said. What You Should Read Next Premier League fans are revolting – but for very different reasons Tensions that have simmered for months are threatening to boil over as the season reaches its climax Boehly has co-owned Chelsea with Clearlake Capital since May 2022, and his Eldridge Industries private investment firm invested in Vivid Seats in 2021. The American billionaire has been a director at Vivid Seats since the investment, meaning he passed the Premier League’s Owners’ and Directors’ Test with them knowing about his involvement. In February 2024, Chelsea posted on its official website that they are “committed to tackling ticket touting”. “We identify individuals who fraudulently harvest tickets/memberships to sell at vastly inflated prices, investigate both online and offline illegal ticket sales, and use a range of tactics and enforcement measures that help to combat ticket touting,” the statement read. “Supporters found to be selling their ticket for more than face value will be subject to a club investigation and sanctions.”

Chelsea risk falling inexorably behind while the future of Stamford Bridge remains unresolved https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6229780/2025/03/26/Chelsea-stamford-bridge-boehly-clearlake-eghbali/ “We have to think long-term about what we’re trying to accomplish. We have a big stadium development opportunity that we have to flesh out. I think that’s going to be where we’re either aligned or we ultimately decide to go different ways.” With one enigmatic sentence in an interview with Bloomberg this week, Todd Boehly brought the minds of many Chelsea supporters back to the ownership friction with majority shareholders Clearlake Capital that had gone quiet since spilling out publicly last September. Yet it was actually the unresolved stadium issue, referenced before the talk of parting ways, that has an even more substantial bearing on the club’s future. June will mark the third anniversary of Clearlake and Boehly’s £2.3billion ($2.98bn) takeover of Chelsea, and there is a distinct possibility that it will come and go without any public communication of a stadium plan. Only one option has been definitively discounted, according to senior club sources who spoke anonymously to The Athletic: there will be no stand-by-stand renovation of Stamford Bridge. In terms of the costs involved, the disruption and the limited ability to improve matchday experience or capacity, such a revamp is not regarded as feasible. That leaves only a complete demolition and redevelopment of Chelsea’s home of 120 years or a move to the other end of Brompton Cemetery, and the vast site which formerly housed the Earls Court Exhibition Centre. The unique challenges involved in the former would likely make it one of the most complicated stadium construction projects undertaken by a football club, while the costs involved in purchasing the Earls Court site from property developer Delancey and then building a modern stadium on it would be formidably expensive. There is a widespread belief that Boehly is set on moving to Earls Court, while Clearlake has not ruled out staying at Stamford Bridge as it continues to evaluate both stadium options. The reality is that neither party has declared their position, and Chelsea are trying to maintain a delicate balance between thorough due diligence and a sense of urgency that recognises how far the club has already fallen behind many Premier League rivals in this regard. Stamford Bridge, Chelsea’s home since 1905 (Ryan Pierse/Getty Images) Roman Abramovich knew Chelsea needed a new stadium to match their new status 15 years ago. This is a problem that Clearlake and Boehly inherited, and one of the conditions of their takeover was a firm commitment to build a stadium befitting of a club in Europe’s elite. The initial suggestions that a stadium plan would be communicated by the end of the 2022 seemed optimistic, even at the time. That self-imposed deadline was pushed back to the summer of 2023, then to sometime in 2024. Shareholders queued out the door to get a seat in the Drake Suite at Stamford Bridge for the annual general meeting of Chelsea Pitch Owners (CPO) — the fan group which owns the freehold of the stadium and the name Chelsea FC — in January. News that club president and chief operating officer Jason Gannon would be in attendance had some hopeful of finally hearing a firm announcement of a stadium plan. Instead they heard a reprise of a familiar message: nothing is decided, but when we have news we will share it. Gannon’s presence was still well received and he has made a positive impression in proactive dialogue with Chelsea fan groups, particularly in contrast to previous chief executive Chris Jurasek. Formerly the managing director of SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, Gannon has extensive relevant expertise and has been very active since his appointment in October 2023 in exploring the feasibility of the Stamford Bridge and Earls Court options. He also, crucially, has the full backing of Clearlake and Boehly to lead the project. But none of this changes the fact that Chelsea are caught between two dauntingly unenviable options: one which presents huge feasibility challenges (redeveloping Stamford Bridge) and another which requires land they do not own (moving to Earls Court). Publicly tipping their hat towards either before they have a proposal that is fleshed out and fully costed might put the entire endeavour in jeopardy, given the need to ensure a multitude of stakeholders are on board. There is a natural contrast here with Manchester United, who earlier this month announced grand plans to build a shiny new 100,000-seat stadium on the site of Old Trafford that were heavy on artist drawings and light on detail or clarity of funding. But moving too slowly runs the risk of Chelsea’s already limited options dwindling further. Delancey, via the Earls Court Development Company, submitted a hybrid planning application to the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) and the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham (LBHF) in July 2024 for a sprawling mixed use development on the Earls Court site. This would include the construction of 4,000 new homes, extensive retail and office space, three large cultural and performance venues, and an urban park. What You Should Read Next Chelsea and Stamford Bridge: Should Boehly-Clearlake stick or twist? Whatever decision Chelsea make on their stadium will be expensive and difficult, but it will also define the Boehly-Clearlake ownership That proposal was formally validated in September 2024 and public consultation concluded in November 2024. Even accounting for the scale, scope and complexity of the project and the need to satisfy two different London councils, there is a distinct possibility that planning permission could be granted before the end of 2025. Chelsea know all too well from Abramovich’s aborted “cathedral of football” stadium project that planning approval alone is no guarantee that a project will happen, but it is a significant milestone. Chelsea’s previous application to LBHF to redevelop Stamford Bridge was submitted in November 2015 and finally gained planning approval 15 months later. That plan initially involved leaving at the end of the 2017-18 season to play elsewhere for three years and return to a new home for the start of the 2021-22 campaign. Delays and spiralling costs, however, repeatedly pushed back that timeframe until Abramovich indefinitely paused the project in May 2018. To clarify, that was six years from submitting a planning application to hopefully inaugurating a redeveloped Stamford Bridge — and even that quickly proved too ambitious. It should be no surprise that many Chelsea season-ticket holders, who have an older average age than their peers at any other club in the Premier League, sincerely wonder if they will live to see their team play in a new stadium. In the meantime, other Premier League clubs continue to pursue their own stadium projects. Everton will bump Stamford Bridge down from ninth to 10th in the ranking of the division’s largest stadiums when they move into their new 52,888-capacity arena in the Bramley-Moore Dock area of Liverpool next season. Everton’s new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock (Carl Recine/Getty Images) Clearlake and Boehly both know that a new Chelsea stadium is a must within the next 10 years. The only option they cannot countenance is doing nothing, since it would condemn the club to permanently operating at a significant matchday revenue deficit relative to many of their domestic rivals. The ripple effects of that would be felt almost everywhere at the club, from ticket pricing to the players they could afford to sign and keep. To get it done they are also keenly aware they will need to work with CPO, the unique organisation created by former chairman Ken Bates and his lawyer Mark Taylor in 1992 to act as a democratic safeguard against anyone who might try to take Chelsea away from Stamford Bridge against the club’s best interests. Abramovich failed in the only previous attempt to gain the required 76 per cent CPO support to move Chelsea to another stadium site in 2011, but he was looking for blanket approval to leave Stamford Bridge rather than presenting a specific stadium plan. Clearlake and Boehly could secure a very different outcome if they made a detailed, compelling case for their own proposal. But ultimately CPO shareholders cannot provide any answer until they are asked a question. Could the journey to that point include a change in the current ownership structure at Stamford Bridge? It cannot be ruled out, though Clearlake and Boehly both remain adamant that they are going nowhere. Nor will Chelsea if the club’s long-standing stadium problem remains unsolved.

“Too Stupid for Words”: Trump pulls back 20 semi trucks of food from Cleveland’s food bank https://www.cleveland.com/news/2025/03/too-stupid-for-words-trump-pulls-back-20-semi-trucks-of-food-from-clevelands-food-bank.html The Greater Cleveland Food Bank faces a crisis that could leave thousands of Northeast Ohioans hungry as early as this week, bringing harsh criticism of the Donald Trump administration from “Today in Ohio” podcast hosts Chris Quinn and Lisa Garvin. “The food bank is facing cancellation of 20 semi trucks full of food, and that could happen as early as this week,” explained Garvin. “This food is coming from the Federal Emergency Food Assistance Program. Each truck holds 100,000 pounds of food. So that’s $2 million worth of food.” Garvin noted the truckloads represent about “a week’s worth of food for Northeast Ohio.” The cancellations appear to be part of broader federal spending cuts, but the hosts questioned whether this decision was deliberate policy or simply incompetence. “I’ve got to think that Trump himself doesn’t know about this because this is too stupid for words,” Quinn said bluntly. “Nothing drives you more than hunger.” The podcast highlighted how the cancellations would impact not just recipients but also local farmers. The food bank expects to lose “a million pounds of food from local... Food for Purchase Assistance,” which provides fresh food from area farmers to food banks. Garvin explained that “losing this program means that they can’t meet the demand for fresh food or protein, which is really expensive to replace and really hard to get donated to the food bank.” The food bank is uncertain about when or if the issue will be resolved. According to Garvin, Food Bank CEO Kristin Warzocha is “worried that these trucks, this food is going to sit and spoil while things are getting worked out. And that would be the loss of 2 million, 3 million pounds of food.” Quinn expressed particular frustration about the political shortsightedness of the move. “If you want to rally people to vote in the midterms, make them hungry, leave them without enough food. See how many show up to make their feelings known,” he said. The podcasters noted that the federal cuts come as Ohio Governor Mike DeWine’s budget proposal calls for “a $7.5 million decrease in food bank funding in Ohio,” creating a perfect storm for hunger relief organizations. The hosts emphasized that this isn’t just about feeding hungry people—it’s also about supporting local agriculture. “It isn’t just about them. It’s about the small and medium sized farmers in Ohio that are supplying this fresh fruit and produce. It’s become a business for them. It’s a big client for a lot of these people. So they’re affected too,” Garvin noted. As of the podcast recording, there had been no explanation from the Department of Agriculture about the cancellations, leaving the food bank and its clients in limbo. The “Today in Ohio” team promised to follow up with the food bank to determine exactly how many people could be affected by these cuts if they go forward.

SignalGate - A Former NSA Collection Operator Explains Trump's Massive Security Breach An ex-NSA/Navy cryptologist explains a VERY DIFFERENT way to see the damage Sec Def Pete Hesgeth, VP JD Vance, Tulsi gab bard et al inflicted on America when they used private mobile phones for advanced war plans and had a journalist in the chat without knowing. Our enemies were likely listening to these dopes as well. The Legion: How Russia’s invasion of Ukraine drew in thousands of international volunteer fighters https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/ukraine-war-russia-putin-fighters-b2286908.html

I am not 100 per cent sold on him yet but after the ones I listed he would probably be up there with the rest would probably take him over Gittens

Ed Martin Is Trampling the Rule of Law. And He Won’t Shut Up About It. Trump’s loyal prosecutor is weaponizing the DOJ—one typo at a time. https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/03/ed-martin-washingting-dc-us-attorney-january-6-trump/ When Elon Musk ordered a government-wide email blast directing federal employees to list their recent accomplishments, most senior officials paused to consider their options. In the Justice Department, US attorneys around the country discussed the matter over an email list they share, with many deciding to seek more guidance before instructing career prosecutors on how to respond. One questioned whether the email was even real. But Ed Martin, an acolyte of President Donald Trump named interim US attorney for the District of Columbia, charged ahead. “It’s legit and we’ve already replied,” he told his fellow US attorneys. “Great leadership.” Just 33 minutes after the Office of Personnel Management directive hit inboxes, Martin urged lawyers under him to comply, though he suggested they respond carefully. “DOGE and Elon are doing great work!” Martin wrote in one of his frequent communiques to hundreds of assistant US attorneys and support staff. “We are happy to be participate.” For Martin—a right-wing activist and serial political candidate who has enthusiastically defended January 6 rioters—this was just one more typographically challenged missive in a campaign to turn a powerful legal office into a partisan weapon. Since taking on the gig in January, he’s compensated for his lack of prosecutorial experience by loudly proclaiming his desire to help Trump and Musk use the DOJ to punish their foes. Trump quickly returned the favor, nominating him to hold the post indefinitely. Martin, who did not respond to questions from Mother Jones, has announced investigations into his own staff for their role in January 6 cases and has volunteered to support Attorney General Pam Bondi’s Orwellian “Weaponization Working Group,” which purports to take aim at abuses of the justice system during the Biden administration. Martin has threatened former special counsel Jack Smith and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and has used X to indicate plans to investigate administration critics. He has even tried to leverage a dubious criminal probe to seize climate grant money awarded by the Biden administration. As he posts his way to prominence, Martin has bombarded his staff with chatty emails recounting his daily activities, then repeatedly berated them after those emails leaked. In a new administration defined by a mixture of malevolence and ineptitude, Martin has emerged as an avatar: a typo-spewing henchman of the moment, eager to help Trump transform the Justice Department into a political tool—and unable to shut up about it. Eagle Ed Martin, whom associates call outwardly affable, presents as a guy pleased and a bit surprised by his elevation. “He has a little bit of buffoonery and a ‘Mr. Smith comes to Washington’ vibe,” said one person who has worked in the DC US attorney’s office. His emails and other communications tend to read like daily journal entries. “Life is very different for me and my family these days,” Martin wrote in a February 4 Substack post. “I am up earlier and into the office in downtown DC. Home late. Pretty tired by then.” “There is so much to tell you,” he added. “One aspect: my new office is large.” If Martin is pinching himself at his new position, he has reason. While US attorneys are often experienced prosecutors or rising political prospects, Martin, 54, is more of a journeyman. He spent much of the past two decades as a conservative activist in Missouri, running a series of political organizations—a sort of far-right change agent who sometimes leaves behind litigation and enemies. As chief of staff for Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt in 2007, Martin fired a state attorney, Scott Eckersley, who had warned against deleting emails that state law required be retained. In a lawsuit, Eckersley alleged that Martin and other officials had falsely accused him of “accessing group sex websites on his state computer” and had defamed him to the media. The state attorney general’s office ultimately agreed to pay Eckersley a $500,000 settlement in the matter. Martin ran for Congress in 2010; he started and ended Senate and House campaigns in 2012, before committing to the state attorney general race that year. None of his campaigns were successful. After a stint running Missouri’s GOP and heading several conservative nonprofits, Martin landed in 2015 as president of the Eagle Forum, an organization founded by conservative hero Phyllis Schlafly, then 90 years old. Within a year, Martin had been fired by the group’s board and accused by Schlafly’s daughter, Anne Schlafly Cori, of manipulating the aging icon to commandeer her organizations and legacy. In 2016, Cori and other group members sued Martin for alleged acts that included impersonating Schlafly in Facebook posts and other correspondence. “During Martin’s brief tenure, the Eagle Forum…has experienced unprecedented chaos,” the plaintiffs asserted in their complaint. Martin denied those claims. In March 2016, with Martin at her side, Schlafly endorsed Trump. She died September 5, 2016. Her name appeared posthumously alongside Martin’s as an author of the book The Conservative Case for Trump, published the next day. A year later, Roy Moore, the former Alabama Supreme Court chief justice then running for Senate, claimed Schlafly among his endorsers. Moore’s webpage, Roll Call reported, said: “Phyllis Schlafly, Late President, Eagle Forum; inference of Ed Martin.” Martin by then had launched a new group, Phyllis Schlafly’s American Eagles. And he retained control of another Schlafly-founded nonprofit, the Eagle Forum Education and Legal Defense Fund. Tax filings by the latter group show Martin’s salary as president, which fluctuated, peaked at just over $204,000 in 2020. He’d received more than $1.4 million in total from the group as of 2023. He still uses the X handle @EagleEdMartin. Martin netted more than $322,000 from yet another former Schlafly nonprofit, America’s Future, while serving as its president beginning in 2016. In 2021, Martin’s final year leading that group, he received more than $83,000 for the job, which, according to tax filings, took him eight hours per week. That year, the group appointed Michael Flynn, Trump’s former national security adviser and a prominent far-right conspiracy theorist, as its board chair. America’s Future also hired Flynn’s brother Joe and sister Mary to top jobs. Within a few years of Martin’s departure, America’s Future was paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to members of the Flynn family. Asked about this, Joe Flynn, a sometime-spokesperson for the family, texted: “Fuck off quote me.” Stop the Steal Martin moved to Virginia in 2017 and spent much of the first Trump administration as a far-right pundit. He lost a gig as a CNN contributor after complaining about appearing on the network alongside “Black racists.” He ran a feeble 2019 campaign for the Board of Supervisors in Fairfax County, Virginia. He also designed a coloring book based on Trump’s 2017 “covfefe” typo tweet. In it, aspiring artists can color in outlined images of Kanye West and Candace Owens under a West tweet boasting that he had a signed MAGA hat, or they can complete a connect-the-dots puzzle of a MAGA hat on a page advertising a free downloadable song sharing a “#CovfefeIsLove” message. Martin gained focus following the 2020 election, organizing pro-Trump protests alongside Ali Alexander, the “Stop the Steal” activist who claimed he “came up with the idea” to pressure Congress on January 6 to not certify Biden’s victory. Martin “was kind of like a mentor,” Alexander said in a December 2021 deposition conducted by the House January 6 committee. According to Alexander, the two men “prayed together every morning.” In depositions, other January 6 rally organizers expressed various concerns about Alexander, who raised hundreds of thousands of dollars without setting up a nonprofit group or accounting for the funds. But Martin offered his own nonprofit as a place for Alexander to park cash, Alexander told the committee. Martin’s group acted “as a sponsor for collecting Stop the Steal funds” for the rally, Alexander testified. Alexander did not respond to inquiries from Mother Jones. In late 2020, Martin was in regular contact with Vincent Haley, a White House aide, according to previously unreported text messages released by the January 6 committee. Shortly after the election, Martin urged Haley to “push” a pardon for Michael Flynn, who had pleaded guilty in 2017 to lying to the FBI but was never imprisoned. The Trump DOJ already had dropped the case against Flynn, but Martin suggested that the former general would be more willing to join Stop the Steal rallies once pardoned. “He’d come to dc for the rally/March,” Martin texted Haley on November 10. “We need that guy loosed.” “I have recommended it,” Haley responded. It is not clear whether Martin’s pressure had any impact, and Haley didn’t respond to Mother Jones’ questions. But Trump pardoned Flynn on November 26, 2020. Flynn then spoke at DC rallies on December 12 and January 5. Martin also spoke at those rallies. And he was outside the Capitol on January 6, 2021, as rioters attacked police. But Martin, who was not charged with a crime, saw no evil. “Rowdy crowd but nothing out of hand,” Martin tweeted at 2:53 p.m. that day. “Ignore the #FakeNews.” In a video he posted the next day, Martin repeated false claims that the attack had been orchestrated by left-wing infiltrators. “Now we know that it was antifa,” he said. “It was plants.” Martin’s efforts drew a subpoena from the January 6 committee. He ignored it, failing to appear for a scheduled deposition. He went on to become a vocal advocate for attackers facing legal charges and represented several people charged with taking part in the riot. Martin was no ordinary defense attorney. He suggested that the defendants should receive “reparations” and pushed a bizarre and unsubstantiated conspiracy theory that “January 6 was staged by Mr. Coffee,” a supposedly unidentified man seen drinking coffee near the gallows display constructed outside the Capitol that day. Martin pursued this theory vigorously, posting “missing person” flyers featuring grainy images of the man around Washington. On the right-wing podcast circuit, he called for “accountability” for those who had investigated January 6. “One of the reasons I think that we should fear for this election,” he said last summer, “is because there’s hundreds of Democrats and some Republicans—Liz Cheney—that they know they’re going to jail.” “A Great Failure of Our Office” Martin began working as US attorney on Inauguration Day, the day Trump granted clemency to 1,600 January 6 defendants. The president’s vaguely worded declaration largely left implementation to the DOJ. Martin took on that task with alacrity. When a judge barred Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes, whose 18-year sentence Trump had commuted, from entering DC, Martin intervened, successfully arguing that the order was improper. Rhodes—who has since shown up on Capitol Hill—later told reporters that the judge “got slapped down by Ed Martin.” As an interim US attorney, Martin can serve a maximum of 120 days, unless the Senate confirms him to fill the job permanently. He wasted no time in reshaping the office in his image, demoting key attorneys who’d worked on January 6 cases and initiating an internal investigation of prosecutors who charged defendants with violating a particularly harsh obstruction statute—18 USC 1512—that the Supreme Court later ruled did not apply to most of the rioters. For Martin, the DOJ’s use of the that provision had long been an obsession. “Who ordered the 1512?” he asked on Charlie Kirk’s podcast in 2023. “If it was [Merrick] Garland, or [former Deputy Attorney General] Lisa Monaco, or Joe Biden, or Hunter…that guy or gal needs to end up in jail.” In a January 27, 2025, email that began by lamenting the Washington Commanders’ playoff loss the day before, Martin asked DC prosecutors to hand over material relevant to his probe into this matter, which he dubbed the “1512 Project.” “Obviously, the use [of the statute] was a great failure of our office,” he wrote to his staff, “and we need to get to the bottom of it.” The next day, he reminded employees to cough up information about their own activities. “Please be proactive – if you have nothing, tell the co-chairs,” he wrote. “Failure to do so strikes me as insubordinate.” News of this investigation was quickly reported. “Wow, what a disappointment to have my email yesterday to you all was leaked almost immediately,” Martin wrote in another email. “Again, personally insulting and professionally unacceptable. I guess I have learned my lesson.” Maybe not. A few days later, Martin was again chastising his staff after Reuters reported that he had put his name on a January 21 DOJ filing requesting that a judge dismiss charges against one of Martin’s personal January 6 clients, whom Trump had just pardoned. Martin, it emerged, had not withdrawn as the man’s attorney, putting him on both sides of the case, an ethical breach that drew a bar complaint. (In a February 5 filing, he told the judge that he had not actually represented that defendant since 2023 and asked to withdraw from the case.) “I have said repeatedly over the past few days that we must protect our lawyers, staff, and all on our team from doxing, from attacks and from any threats,” he wrote in a February 5 email to his staff complaining about that “leak.” He urged them to join a training “to protect ourselves from unethical behavior.” This admonishment came a few paragraphs after Martin’s description of his visit to Frederick Douglass’ house in DC—“It’s a fascinating site and I encourage you to visit”—and a meeting with DC District Court Chief Judge James Boasberg and other judges: “It was an off the record conversation, but I can say it was an extraordinary one.” “Noone Is Above the Law” Martin has also made repeated public offers of DOJ assistance in combating the Trump administration’s enemies. Shortly after Wired reported the names of engineers working for Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency—prompting a flurry of social media attention and public complaints from the billionaire—Martin posted an image of a letter to Musk on X. In it, he typed, “Dear Elon,” which he then crossed out and replaced with a handwritten “Elon.” “I ask that you utilize me and my staff to assist in protecting the DOGE work and DOGE workers,” Martin wrote. “Any threats, confrontations, or other actions in any way that impact their work may break numerous laws.” Five hours later, Martin posted that his office already had found that “certain individuals and/or groups have committed acts that appear to violate the law in targeting DOGE employees.” Martin released a new letter February 7—which he clarified had been “sent only via X.” He again crossed out a typed “Elon” in favor of a handwritten “Elon.” “Thank you for the referral of individuals and networks who appear to be stealing government property and/or threatening government employees,” Martin wrote. “If people are discovered to have broken the law or even acted simply unethically, we will investigate them and we will chase them to the end of the Earth to hold them accountable.” He added, misspelled and in bold: “Noone is above the law.” Martin has since routinely used his X account to publicly suggest that the Trump DOJ might take action in response to allegations lobbed on social media. “Duly noted,” he wrote in response to a request from the Homeland Security Department X account that he look into an unsubstantiated DOGE claim that a “Biden transition team member” had rigged a contract. “We are on it.” As large protests against DOGE began last month, Martin retweeted a post by Mike Cernovich, a commentator known for his role in boosting a false conspiracy theory related to Pizzagate back in 2016. Cernovich was now suggesting that Trump fans take advantage of Martin’s presence at the DOJ to “attend far left wing rallies, capture the reaction, and where appropriate, seek criminal prosecution.” Martin in January personally wrote to Schumer, threatening legal action over a 2020 speech warning Supreme Court justices against curtailing abortion rights. “You have released the whirlwind and you will pay the price,” Schumer said at the time. The Democratic senator wasn’t threatening actual violence, but he expressed regret for his statement the day after he made it, saying he meant “there would be political consequences.” And his chief of staff appears to have explained that in a response to Martin’s query. But Martin, in a February email, asserted that Schumer had ignored him, calling the snub “a personal disappointment and professionally unacceptable.” That’s nearly the same phrase Martin used to berate his staff for email leaks. He urged Schumer to “complete this inquiry before any action is taken. I remind you: no one is above the law.” Days later, Martin forced the resignation of Denise Cheung, a 24-year DOJ veteran, after she declined to launch a criminal probe and freeze assets of an environmental group awarded a contract by the Biden administration. Martin then personally submitted a seizure warrant application, an extraordinary move for a US attorney. A magistrate judge rejected the request, finding the application lacked sufficient evidence of a crime, the Washington Post reported. The same week, Martin helped defend the administration from a lawsuit filed by the Associated Press, which had been barred from some White House events over the news organization’s refusal to adopt “Gulf of America” in its style guide. “As President Trumps’ [sic] lawyers, we are proud to fight to protect his leadership as our President,” he declared in a graphic posted on X by the US attorney’s office while a court hearing in the case was taking place. The AP, he complained, was refusing “to put America first.” On February 17, Trump officially nominated Martin for the permanent US attorney job. His conduct so far could complicate his Senate confirmation. Even Sen. Josh Hawley, Martin’s fellow Missouri election denier, has declined to commit to backing him. But the same antics that leave some Republican lawmakers wary of Martin appear to make him exactly who the president wants. Meanwhile, Martin is still firing off communiques. A few days after ousting Cheung, he sent his staff pictures from a meeting with Joe diGenova, a pro-Trump former DC US attorney who once claimed Fox News “is compromised when it comes to” George Soros. “These weeks have been a whirlwind,” Martin commented. “Meeting so many new people.” In a March 15 Substack post, Martin again groused about his emails leaking. “Personally insulting and professionally unacceptable,” he wrote. “But regularly happening.” He added that he is “actively and carefully (quietly!) investigating. And when I find the leaks, you will find the accountability.” The same day, Martin renewed his search for “Mr. Coffee,” posting a video he’d previously made suggesting “the real architects of January 6” were connected to the FBI. “Worth a look, no?” the interim US attorney wrote. “Who lied to us?”

As Trump Dodges Court Orders, Samuel Alito Suggests Obeying Judges Can Be Optional A justice suggests flouting democratic norms after taking part in a decades-long project to weaken democratic rights. https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/03/samuel-alito-lower-courts/ Justice Samuel Alito wants to know what a state should do if a court orders it to draw a new congressional map under faulty logic. Put more broadly, what should a litigant do if it believes that a court has made an order in error? The answer, of course, is to obey the court order. Decisions can be appealed, and sometimes confronted through the political process. But if anyone could simply discard a court order they disagreed with, we would not be governed by the rule of law. Alito’s query in Monday’s oral arguments in a redistricting case from Louisiana laid out a very different approach—one that is particularly troubling at this very moment, as the Trump administration is repeatedly disobeying court orders. The administration has not declared a right to ignore the courts, but its lawyers are toeing the line of malpractice in multiple cases by dodging court orders. Whether it is refusing to turn around planes carrying nearly 300 migrants to a labor camp in El Salvador or to release federal funding that the administration claims it can refuse to spend, the Trump administration is currently trying to blow past the orders of federal judges to enact its anti-democratic agenda. Monday’s complicated case concerned how Louisiana drew a second majority-Black district as the result of rulings from both a federal district court and the conservative Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in another case, Robinson v. Landry. Alito wanted to know if obeying this court order was actually required: “What if the Robinson decision were plainly wrong?” Alito asked. “Would you still have a good reason to follow it?” Louisiana’s solicitor general, Benjamin Aguiñaga, agreed that a wildly bad decision might be the rare kind of situation in which a state could not rely on a court order to justify its new map. But Alito pressed on, positing even weaker cases where a court might be ignored: “What if it weren’t wildly wrong?” the justice asked. “You look at it and it’s wrong. They misapplied something.” Several other justices likewise questioned the correctness of Robinson before Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson stepped in to point out how dangerous this entire line of thinking is to the rule of law. “I’m still a little confused as to why it matters whether the court order was right or not,” Jackson said. “You were still being compelled by a court to do what you did in this case. Correct?” Aguiñaga agreed, and Jackson continued: “Having a likely [Voting Rights Act] violation is all that was necessary for the state to take the steps that it did. So, I just don’t know that we need to even engage in the thought process of ‘What if the court order was wrong?’ It existed, and if it existed, then it seems to me that there is a good reason for Louisiana to have followed it.” In other words, court orders are not optional. Aguiñaga, a former Alito clerk, agreed. “I’m not going to stand here and say that the Robinson courts were right,” he said at another point, “but I will say that what is set in stone is what they said. That is the law, and we took that as gospel.” That’s how it’s supposed to work. Monday’s case, Louisiana v. Callais, isn’t about Donald Trump’s second term power grabs. Instead, it’s yet another case presenting the Supreme Court an opportunity to make it harder to enforce the Voting Rights Act’s protections for minority voters—and one that took a convoluted path to the high court. In June 2022, a federal district court ruled that, under the VRA, Louisiana must create a second majority-Black district in a state where Black voters were a third of the population but held a majority in only one of the state’s six congressional districts. That is the Robinson litigation. While the Supreme Court temporarily blocked that ruling for the 2022 election, its 2023 ruling concerning a similar situation in Alabama prompted the Fifth Circuit to reaffirm that Louisiana had likely violated the VRA. The state’s Republican-controlled legislature reluctantly held a special session in January 2024 to create a new majority-Black district that favored Democrats. A group of “non-African American” Louisiana voters then challenged that map, calling it “an odious racial gerrymander,” and in April 2024 a federal district court panel, with two Trump-appointed judges writing for the majority, struck it down, arguing that race had unconstitutionally been the predominant factor in drawing the district—even though Louisiana had been specifically ordered by another federal court to create the majority-Black district. Civil rights groups and the state of Louisiana appealed that ruling to the Supreme Court, which allowed the new district to take effect for the 2024 election, leading to the election of Democrat Cleo Fields. The case represented an unusual instance when Black voters and a Republican-controlled Southern state were more or less on the same side—and also a rare example of the Supreme Court delivering a victory for minority representation, given the Court’s well-documented hostility to voting rights. That includes gutting the Voting Rights Act on multiple occasions and holding that partisan gerrymandering can’t be challenged in federal court. But the uneasy alliance between civil rights groups and Louisiana is fraying. Though Louisiana defended the constitutionality of its congressional map, it also asked the Court to rule that racial gerrymandering claims, like partisan gerrymandering claims, can’t be brought before the Court. That would make it next to impossible for litigants to counter gerrymandered maps that target voters based on partisanship, race, or both. It has also argued, in separate litigation, that the core provision of the Voting Rights Act barring discrimination is unconstitutional. The Louisiana case should be relatively straightforward, given its similarity to the Alabama case, Allen v. Milligan, decided by the Court less than two years ago. But civil rights opponents are trying to use it as a vehicle to further roll back representation for communities of color and deal another blow to the Voting Rights Act. And the GOP-appointed justices on Monday appeared eager to assist in this project, possibly even at the expense of Allen v. Milligan, a very recent decision. As the Trump administration slashes agencies, halts spending without Congressional approval, and deports immigrants without due process—to name just a few of the dozens of illegal actions the new administration has carried out—Monday’s case seemed like a quaint concern, far removed from the current authoritarian threat facing the country. And in some ways it is—just another possible loss for voting rights, in a long line of decisions that have chipped away at access to the ballot. But there is a through line connecting the attack on the voting rights of Black people and the will to flagrantly ignore bedrock democratic principles like following court orders. The GOP, with the assistance of the Roberts Court, has for more than a decade unwound minority voting rights. That lack of commitment to democracy creates a permission slip to take a sledgehammer to the Constitution by, for example, acting outside the law. The third lawyer to argue Monday was Edward Greim, who represented the non-Black Louisianans trying to toss out the new map on the grounds that it relied too heavily on race. In 2020, Greim was one of the lawyers who tried to halt vote-counting in order to help President Donald Trump win the election. According to the Wisconsin Examiner, Greim later represented a fake elector from Wisconsin who was part of the plot to overturn the election results. Greim is a member of the Republican National Lawyers Association and the Federalist Society, where he is on the executive team of its Free Speech & Election Law Practice Group. That resume illustrates the line that links litigation meant to weaken the democracy and the willingness to attack it head on. There are many Republicans and former Republicans who showed no angst at whittling away the Voting Rights Act but who, when confronted with Trump, refused to be part of his authoritarian project. But for others, the slow withdrawal from democracy was surely part of the journey to deciding to ditch it entirely. The fact that the Roberts Court may now toss even its own recent precedents in order to make it even harder for Black people to vote—and do so while questioning the value of following court orders—at the same time that the Trump administration is bulldozing the separation of powers and other bedrock democratic principles is not a coincidence. It’s part of the same project, the slow part and the fast part together.

streets ahead of all the others on the list world class

Dewar’s is launching a 21-year-old expression finished in volcanic magma toasted barrels Dewar's is taking a unique route with the finishing of it newest whisky https://www.themanual.com/food-and-drink/dewars-double-double-21-year-old-magma-stone-toasted/ To say that Dewar’s is a big name in the blended Scotch whisky world is a massive understatement. It’s well known for its flagship expressions like Dewar’s White Label, Dewar’s 12, and Dewar’s 15, as well as its limited edition expressions. These include the recently announced Dewar’s Double Double 21-Year-Old Magma Stone Toasted. Dewar’s Double Double 21-Year-Old Magma Stone Toasted The most recent addition to its award-winning Double Double Series, Dewar’s Double Double 21-Year-Old Magma Stone Toasted. Crafted by Master Blender Stephanie Macleod and her team, this unique expression is made up of a blend of whiskies that were all matured for at least twenty-one years and finished virgin French oak barrels that were stone toasted with Icelandic magma rock. According to Dewar’s, this creates a truly memorable 46% ABV whisky with notes of cinnamon, cloves, caramelized sugar, baked apples, toasted cereal, and oaky wood. “Our motivation is to always aspire to make ever greater whisky,” Stephanie Macleod, Master Blender at Dewar’s said. “Curiosity and experimentation allow us to respond to the present and future desires of whisky lovers, and the Magma Stone Toasted expression embodies this philosophy, as we believe we are the first whisky to use this technique. We are always looking to push the boundaries and find new ways to do things, and this new finishing process has unlocked an entirely new spectrum of flavor for Scotch.”

Already happening

Huijsen and Murillo (and sell the deadweight) and I am happy.

only winger tagets I want to hear about Vinicius Junior Florian Wirtz Jamal Musiala Rodrygo Bradley Barcola Kenan Yildiz

good

Special moment for Olivier Giroud and his family as he is honoured as the top goalscorer in history for the French Sr men's team.

Whether Chelsea could actually afford to launch £200m bid to sign Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior this summer https://tbrfootball.com/whether-Chelsea-could-actually-afford-to-launch-200m-bid-to-sign-real-madrids-vinicius-junior-this-summer/ Brazilian superstar Vinicius Junior is in talks with Real Madrid over a new contract, but he does have interest from elsewhere, TBR Football understands. The 24-year-old is now widely recognised as one of the best footballers on the planet and narrowly missed out on last season’s Ballon d’Or. His current deal, that he signed in 2023, runs out in just over two-years and as such Real have instigated contract talks. During that time Vinicius has seen Kylian Mbappe arrive on the club’s largest contract, understood to be worth around £500,000-a-week. The Brazilian is a little way off Mbappe in terms of his current wages and is believed to be seeking near parity with his French colleague and TBR Football understands that is forming part of the current talks. Both parties are confident that a deal is close, but whilst a deal is not signed – links continue to emerge with possible moves away. The Saudi Pro League are long-term admirers of Vinicius and we are told would pay ‘whatever is required’ to land him and sources in Spain suggest that £200million would be the level that Real would consider business. Saudi Pro League could compete with Chelsea for Brazilian superstar Aside from the Pro League, TBR Football can confirm that Chelsea are huge admirers of Vinicius and would also be very interested in landing him, if the opportunity arose. Part of Chelsea’s interest is based on the fact that a move to London is believed to appeal to Vinicius if, and when, he does move on from Madrid. Whilst in theory Chelsea and Vinicius could be open to one day linking up – could it actually happen? No doubt Chelsea could afford any deal, but would the Premier League’s rather restrictive PSR rules prevent any sort of deal from happening? Not necessarily. Could PSR stop Vinicius Junior from moving to the Premier League? We spoke to our Head of Football Finance and Governance Adam Williams to get the lowdown on whether a deal would be possible. “The mantra of Chelsea’s owners seems to be ‘move fast break things’. They have only complied with Premier League PSR because of intra-company property sales, like the Stamford Bridge hotel sale that generated £76.5m for the profit and loss account,” Williams explained. “UEFA’s rules, which the Premier League has rejected the chance to mirror pending the outcome of Manchester City’s challenge to the APT system, are tighter. “However, the punishments are much less sever. UEFA are handing out relatively tiny fines – that’s why the likes of Aston Villa and Chelsea, are, I think, comfortable with breaching their rules. “UEFA’s system is acting more like a competitive balance tax at the moment, like the set of rules in Major League Baseball, which Boehly and Mark Walter are familiar with through their ownership of the Dodgers. “So if they were interested in a deal for Vinicius Junior, it’s the domestic rules they would have to worry about, not the European ones. “I think if there is a realistic chance of a deal of transfer of this magnitude and they really wanted to make it happen, they could probably make it work. “That would be through a combination of player sales and, potentially, more financial sleights of hands from the accounting department. “We haven’t seen their accounts for 2023-24 yet, but the estimates are that they will post a small profit thanks to the intra-company player sales. “In 2024-25, their massive operating losses and the – apparent – lack of intra-company sales mean that they will be well in the red again, although for PSR purposes it will be a more modest loss than previous seasons. “Although he wouldn’t really fit their usual recruitment profile, the commercial value of a player like Vinicius Junior might tempt them to test the limits of PSR once again. “That said, they obviously wouldn’t be able to get anywhere near what the Saudis are said to be offering him.”

London

Maison François founder François O’Neill’s favourite London restaurants He’s one of the capital’s foremost restaurateurs and the man behind Maison François and Café François. But where else does he eat in the capital — and beyond? https://www.thetimes.com/uk/london/article/maison-francois-founder-francois-oneills-favourite-london-restaurants-c7xl3qnwn François O’Neill’s first job was as a potwasher at a Knightsbridge brasserie. Since then he’s given London two of its best restaurants: Maison François in St James’s and its punk little brother, Café François in Borough Market. The Times restaurant critic Giles Coren described the latter as a “sublime” restaurant and the former features regularly on lists of the capital’s finest restaurants. O’Neill is at the heart of both, buzzing around in the finest tradition of London restaurateurs. With that in mind, we asked him for his list of London’s best restaurants — from west London seafood pubs to a Clapham bistro. As one would expect from a generous hospitality entrepreneur, he threw in a little extra too — five restaurants in the rest of the country he particularly rates. The Cow, Westbourne Grove The “OG” of pubs and the original trailblazer, and in my opinion the finest poured Guinness in town. Tom Conran beautifully combines the essence of an Irish pub with the simplicity of French cooking. Dressed crab and fish stew are the standouts. The Cow has a management team who have been there from day one, a rare accolade and one that underlines what a local gem this is. thecowlondon.com Bouchon Racine, Farringdon BOUCHON RACINE/INSTAGRAM Bouchon Racine, Farringdon Henry Harris’s cooking has been an inspiration to me since I got interested in restaurants. I even picked up a copy of his Harvey Nichols cookbook from the 1990s recently and the dishes still hold up and feel current. At Bouchon Racine he continues the trend with simple, classic French cooking, expertly finished with finesse. There is always a dash of naughtiness, with indulgent butter and tangy vinegar. The crème caramel is also the best around. bouchonracine.com Clipstone, Fitzrovia SAM HARRIS SAM HARRIS Clipstone, Fitzrovia The corner Parisian bistro that you always want to find in Paris but you never can. And here it is off Great Portland Street, hitting multiple high notes. The pared-back design is elegant. The wine menu is very well thought out with depth in choice and accessibility in price. All complemented by a delicious, seasonally led menu. clipstonerestaurant.co.uk Trinity restaurant in Clapham Trinity, Clapham Adam Byatt and his team are truly inspirational. He is a leader of chefs, still on the front line and cooking from the heart. What they created in this beautiful corner of London is French cooking of the highest standard, gastronomic food impeccably executed. This is three-star cooking and showcases why Michelin are so blind in their assessments. This is how Bocuse, Brazier and Fernand Point cooked. It is so wonderful to have this restaurant in London. trinityrestaurant.co.uk Palomar, Piccadilly MICKAËL A BANDASSAK MICKAEL A BANDASSAK Palomar, Piccadilly Zoë and Layo Paskin’s first London restaurant still holds itself so well. The freshness and flavour in the food is outstanding and their kubaneh bread is a must-have. Their attention to detail is admirable and they define a great vibe as well. It’s fun, classy and accessible. A must for me on anyone’s 48-hour layover in the city. palomar.co.uk Le Colombier, Chelsea A restaurant that runs deep in my own history. Didier Garnier ran my father’s restaurant business, St Quentin, in the 1980s and 90s. Here at Le Colombier, Didier carries on the tradition of wonderful regional French food with one of the finest and best priced wine lists in London. As well as French classics aplenty he delivers an immaculate whole roast grouse in season. lecolombier.restaurant Jamavar, Mayfair Jamavar, Mayfair With such an abundance of great Indian food in London, Jamavar stands out as an experienced hand, excelling in regional Indian cooking, with a beautifully presented dining room on Mount Street. My menu favourite is the Bhatti Ka octopus with black pepper. Samyukta Nair is an exceptional restaurateur who exudes charm and hospitality. jamavarrestaurants.com The Park, Queensway Jeremy King’s new world grand café has drawn inspiration from the west coast of the United States. The warm and inviting dining room is set overlooking Hyde Park. It’s my perfect place to start a working day with its wonderful breakfast and free-pour filter coffee. The team are warm, welcoming and professional. The dining room, and menu of reassuring dishes, lends itself to all occasions, which is the hallmark of any institution. theparkrestaurant.com Sweetings, City of London This landmark is more than 100 years old, specialising in seafood and set within the City of London. It never fails to make me smile . The simplicity of dishes like prawn cocktail, fish pie and Dover sole never disappoint. There is always hospitality aplenty from the charming and charismatic team, some of whom have worked there for 40 years. This is unique to London and so very special. sweetingsrestaurant.co.uk Fez Mangal, Ladbroke Grove When I lived in Ladbroke Grove for 11 years, Fez Mangal was my most frequented restaurant. A traditional Turkish restaurant with an open fire grill. Chicken kebab, chicken wings and a bring-your-own policy — all the best things in a neighbourhood restaurant. It is also fantastically good value. fezmangal.net And outside London … Updown Farmhouse, Deal, Kent YUKI SUGIURA Updown Farmhouse, Deal, Kent Ruth Leigh and Oli Brown have not only created a beautiful hotel and restaurant, but they have created a cult following. It’s frequented by locals and foodies. The menu is seasonal, fresh and inviting. It’s a pleasure to be there, set within the walled garden, and their hospitality is welcoming and special. Their cocktails are also standout, particularly in the garden on a summer evening. updownfarmhouse.com Crocadon, St Mellion BRIAN DANDRIDGE Crocadon Farm, St Mellion, Cornwall I was simply blown away by Crocadon. This is beyond creative. Dan Cox and his team are exceptional. Incredible ingredients from their garden and dishes that leave you speechless. A true gastronomic journey that will blow your senses apart. Again, Michelin need to take off their night mask and recognise Crocadon for what it is — a masterpiece in culinary excellence. crocadon.farm The Walnut Tree, Abergavenny, Wales KEITH DAVIES The Walnut Tree, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire A true leader in our nation’s restaurant scene. Seasonal, simple, accessible and hospitable. A masterclass in how to run a country house hotel and restaurant. Shaun Hill is a gentleman and inspiration. thewalnuttreeinn.com The Woolpack, Gloucestershire The Woolpack, Stroud, Gloucestershire When I first walked into the Woolpack, I realised it had everything I loved in a pub: understated design, retro vibes, quirky wine list and a beautiful food menu. All set within the stunning Stroud Valley. This is a truly exceptional pub and worthy of a serious detour on any journey. thewoolpackslad.com Wine and Brine, Moira Wine and Brine,Moira, Co Armagh This is a staple and thoroughbred stallion in the foodie scene of Northern Ireland, its classic menu executed to perfection by the ever-present Chris McGowan. It’s always a pleasure to arrive there and is always bustling with life. A true inspiration in the restaurant scene in and around Belfast. wineandbrine.co.uk