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We have a curated list of the most noteworthy news from all across the globe. With any subscription plan, you get access to exclusive articles that let you stay ahead of the curve.
We have a curated list of the most noteworthy news from all across the globe. With any subscription plan, you get access to exclusive articles that let you stay ahead of the curve.
We have a curated list of the most noteworthy news from all across the globe. With any subscription plan, you get access to exclusive articles that let you stay ahead of the curve.
Dua Lipa is partnering with George Clooney to revitalize his long-standing Nespresso campaign, which has been a staple for two decades.
The 30-year-old singer has been chosen as the new global ambassador for the coffee brand, joining forces with 64-year-old Clooney, who has represented Nespresso since 2006.
The duo posed for a fresh photoshoot to highlight their collaboration, featuring Dua in a sophisticated black jacket paired with a matching skirt.
In another image, she showcased a playful vibe, donning a vibrant blue short-sleeved top and coordinating skirt.
Lorenzo Aizpuru, Nespresso’s Chief Marketing Officer, noted that Dua’s involvement in projects beyond music, such as her Service95 book club and newsletter, made her an appealing choice for the brand.
A spokesperson told Adweek that George ‘continues to collaborate with us and will appear in future brand activities.
Dua Lipa has teamed up with George Clooney to reboot his 20-year Nespresso campaign
The singer, 30, has been recruited by the coffee company to be its new global face alongside George, 64, who has been a brand ambassador since 2006
‘This new campaign simply puts the spotlight on Dua Lipa, but George’s long-standing relationship and contributions remain essential to Nespresso.”
It comes after Dua looked loved up with her fiancé Callum Turner as she shared photos from their trip to Paris in February.
The Houdini hitmaker couldn’t stop laughing as she wrapped her arms around the actor, 36, with the couple pulling playful faces, stealing kisses and showing off their undeniable chemistry in the snaps.
Dua opened up about the struggle to maintain long-distance relationships as she offered advice to a fan who had moved away for work.
She took on a new role as an agony aunt for her lifestyle site Service95, and was asked for tips on ‘staying connected with loved ones from the other side of the world’.
Dua was the perfect person to ask, having just completed her year-long Radical Optimism tour that saw her travel the world and torn apart from her London-based fiancé Callum and family.
She answered: ‘This is something I’ve had to get pretty good at over the years, especially during touring seasons!
‘I’ll start by saying this: it does get easier with time, but it never stops being hard.
It comes after Dua looked loved up with her fiancé Callum Turner as she shared photos from their trip to Paris in February
‘Being far away from your family is tough. It’s not just the big occasions you miss; it’s the build-up of small moments that can leave you feeling out of sync with each other.’
Yet after acknowledging the hardships, Dua ended on an optimistic note, musing: ‘Yes, relationships do change with distance, but love doesn’t.
‘If anything, it can feel even stronger when you don’t get to see each other all the time.’
The chart-topper also opened up about her past splits after receiving a letter from a fan whose sister had lost confidence after a break-up.
Dua, who famously dated model Anwar Hadid and chef Isaac Carew before finding love with Callum, replied: ‘Break-ups are never easy, I know that firsthand, and it’s horrible watching someone you love get knocked by one.
‘When someone’s confidence takes a hit, your instinct is usually to rush in with the big affirmations: You’re amazing! F*** them! But I’d say that’s not always what they want or need to hear right away.
‘Sometimes the best thing you can do is just be there and be reliable.
‘Let her say, “This makes me feel like s**t,” without trying to fix it or put a positive spin on it.
‘Break-ups are disorienting and having the space to feel the weight of that can actually be really healing.’
Russell Wilson is offering his stepson, Future Zahir, a sneak peek into college life.
The star NFL quarterback recently took the young teen on his maiden visit to the University of Texas in Austin, capturing the experience in a video shared on social media.
In the video, Wilson can be seen navigating the campus roads, with Future eagerly observing the surroundings from the front seat as they drive past the stadium and various landmarks of the university.
“So, what are your thoughts?” Wilson inquires.
“I’m loving Texas, man. This school is amazing,” Future replies. “The stadium is incredible, and it’s true—everything is bigger in Texas.”
Wilson captioned the post, “Hook ’Em! Fun time! Future’s first campus visit!”
Fans reacted in the comments with many praising Wilson for being a great dad to his bonus son.
“I’m so happy Future has Russell in his life.”
“Future knows he’s going places! GOD protect that young man. Thank you GOD for his father @dangerusswilson that mentors and leads. He is in good hands!”
“INCREDIBLE!! Russell really leaves us speechless as a dad.”
“Preparing Future for his future.”
The visit included a tour of the university’s football facilities, where they walked through the trophy room, the film room and player areas.
During the trip, they even met with head football coach Steve Sarkisian and baseball coach Jim Schlossnagle and Future was seen posing with both coaches during his time on the campus.
Future, who turns 12 in May, still has several years before he has to make a decision about where to attend college.
Wilson , meanwhile, played college football at North Carolina State from 2007 to 2010 before transferring to Wisconsin for his final season in 2011.
In 2016, he married singer Ciara, and they share three children together: Sienna, Win and Amora. The couple also raise Ciara’s son, Future, from her previous relationship with rapper Future.
Andy Cohen is expressing discontent over the decision of several original Real Housewives stars to leave Bravo for E! Network.
In February, it was revealed that former RHONY cast members Luann de Lesseps, Sonja Morgan, Ramona Singer, and Kelly Bensimon will feature in a new E! show titled The Golden Life. Although Jill Zarin was initially part of the lineup, she was removed following her controversial remarks about Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Halftime Show.
‘RHONY’ alums are ‘dead’ to Andy Cohen
For Cohen, who is the creative force behind the Real Housewives franchise, this move feels like a significant betrayal.
“He considers this an outright betrayal,” an insider shared with Radar Online. “Andy was the architect of that franchise. In his eyes, they’ve crossed a line.”
Another source added, “You can’t just take the brand he developed, rebrand it, and make money elsewhere. Andy won’t let this slide.”
“You don’t take the brand he created, slap on a new logo and cash another check. He won’t forget it,” another source said.
Cohen is “fiercely protective” of the Housewives brand, a network source told Radar. “Cross that line, and the door doesn’t just close – it locks.”
Over 10 episodes, The Golden Life (WT) will follow the quartet of New Yorkers as they start fresh in the Sunshine State.
“In this new ‘golden’ era of life, the longtime friends are thriving in and around Palm Beach with fabulous second homes and a bustling social scene,” E! shared in a press release. “With their signature humor and non-stop hijinks, the series will follow the group as they navigate dating, family, and career milestones. Though skies are bright in Florida, unresolved drama looms as they reconnect after years of highs and lows.”
The show, which does not yet have a premiere date, recently began filming in Palm Beach, Page Six reports.
Bethenny Frankel weighs in on ‘The Golden Life’
One RHONY icon who won’t appear in the new show is Bethenny Frankel. In an Instagram post, she said some of the other woman asked if she would return to TV. But Frankel said she’s moved on and is focused on her various business ventures.
“The amount of money it would take for me to come back — that E! could presumably never pay — would make the other Housewives resent me so much, which did happen before,” she said.
Nonetheless, Frankel said she was rooting for her former co-stars and impressed by E!’s willingness to take on Cohen’s reality TV crown, calling it a “savage, amazing move.”
“I’m really happy for these women and I want them to thrive [and] succeed,” she said. “and I want the show to do well.”
For more news and exclusive interviews, follow Showbiz Cheat Sheet’s Instagram.
Nearly 20 years have passed since the untimely death of actor Heath Ledger at 28 due to an overdose in 2008, a loss that left a promising Hollywood career unfinished and, more heartbreakingly, a young daughter without her father.
Despite her well-known lineage—her mother is the acclaimed Oscar-winning actress Michelle Williams—and a luxurious upbringing in New York City, Matilda Ledger, now 20, has remarkably maintained a life of near-total privacy.
According to the Daily Mail, Matilda resides with her mother’s family in a $10.8 million townhouse located in the upscale Brooklyn Heights neighborhood. A lover of books and a self-proclaimed foodie, she harbors aspirations of working with animals.
Known for her sociable nature and strong family ties, Matilda has embraced her role as a big sister. Her mother, Michelle, now 45, welcomed a third child last August with her husband, theatre director Thomas Kail, through a surrogate.
However, Matilda’s time as the family’s babysitter may be short-lived as she looks toward her own future endeavors.
The high school graduate (who guards her privacy so closely, she’s never publicly revealed where she studied) is hoping to fly the nest soon and spend time with her father’s relatives in his native Australia, according to a source.
Pictured on March 9: Matilda Ledger, 20, was spotted getting coffee in her neighborhood of Brooklyn
Actor Heath Ledger, who died in 2008 aged 28, shares lookalike daughter Matilda with actress Michelle Williams
It’s hardly the usual ‘nepo baby’ lifestyle of excess and frivolity all on mommy and daddy’s dime – and raises the question: Who exactly is the fiercely secretive Matilda and how did she manage to build a life so far from the spotlight?
Her parents, who became famous in the late 1990s and early 2000s, met in 2004 on the set of gay Western romance Brokeback Mountain. Ledger earned an Oscar nomination for his role as Wyoming ranch hand Ennis Del Mar while Michelle played his on-screen wife Alma.
At the time, Heath was a teen heartthrob following his role in the 1999 romcom 10 Things I Hate About You. Meanwhile, Michelle was known for playing the ‘girl next door’ Jen on TV show Dawson’s Creek, which ran from 1998 until 2003.
But, in a 2018 interview with Vanity Fair, Michelle admitted: ‘[Ledger] loved me before anybody thought I was talented or pretty or had nice clothes.’
After their 2004 meeting, the pair began a whirlwind relationship and had Matilda in October the following year. However they split in 2007, 12 months before Heath’s accidental overdose on a lethal cocktail of six prescription drugs that included opioid painkillers and anti-anxiety medications. Matilda would be just 2 years old.
In the ensuing media frenzy, Michelle moved Matilda to a rural farmhouse in upstate New York to create a ‘sane home environment’ away from the paparazzi.
Describing that period and comparing it with her own upbringing in Montana, Michelle later told Vanity Fair: ‘[It was] getting on a bicycle and being out and coming back for meals, and exploring snakeskins and arrowheads and cliffs and plants and abandoned houses, and having that sense of freedom and safety in the world.’
The mother-daughter pair returned to New York City in 2014, eventually settling in their current Brooklyn home in 2020. But that early and prolonged period of childhood privacy upstate has had a strong impact on Matilda in the years since.
‘Matilda has been protected by her mom for so long that she lives as normal and natural of a situation as possible,’ a source told the Daily Mail.
‘Matilda wouldn’t have it any other way. She enjoys the anonymity she is usually blessed with. Her friends are real, her life is great.
‘It might sound boring but she is your typical, young girl, loves being on her phone, hanging with friends and just loves living life. She is exceptionally polite and people love to be around her. She is very easy to get along with.’
Pictured in 2005: Michelle Williams and Heath Ledger met in 2004 on set of the Western romance Brokeback Mountain
Pictured in 2006: Their daughter Matilda, Heath’s only child, was born the following October
As well as meeting friends for coffee in her neighborhood, Matilda enjoys trying out the ‘endless array’ of restaurants in the city, with a source describing her as ‘a bit of a foodie.’
Matilda is also a passionate ‘book nerd’, the source added, and reads as many as two books a day.
‘She still is trying to figure out what she would like to do for a career,’ the source said. ‘But it isn’t going to be acting. She wants to leave that to her mom.’
While nothing’s set in stone, insider say it’s likely that Matilda’s future work will be with animals.
‘Although she doesn’t want to be a vet, she’s really big with animals,’ a source said. ‘She lovesanimals, loves being around them all the time. She’d do very well on a farm.’
It has also been suggested that Matilda shares her father’s talent for chess – and could even pursue that as a profession.
Ledger was an avid and preternaturally skilled player, winning competitions in Australia as a child. When he died he was only a few points away from achieving Grand Master status. He had also been planning to direct an adaptation of The Queen’s Gambit, Walter Tevis’s 1983 novel about a chess prodigy who is addicted to pills. (It would later be adapted into a series by Netflix in 2020, starring Anya Taylor-Joy.)
As long ago as 2012, when Matilda was around the age of 7, a source told Australian magazine New Idea that she was already ‘getting quite good at [chess]. She even has her dad’s old chess board. Matilda has the skills to become a Grandmaster. Michelle thinks this is a great thing and will prevent her from getting up to no good.’
Matilda Ledger has lived a very private life away from the cameras and was last pictured in New York City in January
Matilda remains close with her mom, 45, who moved her to upstate New York after Heath’s death in 2008 to create a ‘sane home environment’
As well as sharing her late father’s interests, Matilda also remains close to his parents, Kim and Sally Ledger, and his sister Kate in Western Australia.
The Ledger family have nicknamed Matilda their ‘little New Yorker’ and are ‘always sharing stories’ about her late father.
‘Matilda is in constant contact with Heath’s family and is literally a phone call away at all times,’ a source said. ‘They keep up on each other’s happenings, reach out during holidays and keep tabs on each other often.
‘She is very close with Heath’s family and is eager to visit them and vice versa as often as possible.’
And more than a visit might come soon, as Matilda is understood to considering moving to Australian to study at a university Down Under after a ‘gap year’ traveling the world.
‘She is very interested in going to Australia to study but also to experience life out there,’ a source said. ‘She does feel as if she would miss New York though, so decisions are still being made on when to go over and for how long.’
Could a move Down Under be permanent?
‘She loves her life in the States so any future visit might be long but it won’t be forever,’ the source said. ‘Matilda keeps those plans on the down low because she doesn’t want to make it into any type of spectacle.’
Heath’s mother Sally (left), father Kim and sister Kate Ledger collect his posthumous Oscar statuette in 2009 for his role in The Dark Knight
The source said that Matilda still feels her father’s presence and love’ and knows ‘he was a very special person’
But while secretive Matilda weighs options for her future, it is safe to say she won’t be limited for choice having inherited her father’s entire $16.3million estate.
In 2003, Ledger had signed a will that left his fortune to his parents and sisters. But, after his premature death, his family signed over the entire estate to the actor’s only child.
‘Our family has gifted everything to Matilda,’ his father Kim told People magazine in 2008. ‘That was the plan from the moment my boy passed away. There was never any question about the fact that Heath’s estate would go to Matilda. Never a question.’
She has also inherited the Oscar statuette which Ledger was posthumously awarded for his role as the Joker in 2008 Batman movie The Dark Knight.
The award, which his parents accepted at the ceremony, was later given to the Western Australian Museum in Perth. But, in 2016, Kim said it would eventually be given back to Matilda.
Until her future travels then, Matilda is simply enjoying life in hipster-hotspot Brooklyn. As well as her mother and stepfather, who Michelle married in 2020, Matilda lives with her 5-year-old half-brother, Hart, and two other half-siblings whose names have not been made public.
The newest member of the family was born by surrogate in spring of 2025 – and a source says Matilda is ‘ecstatic’ about the arrival.
Michelle and her husband theatre director Thomas Kail who she married in 2020
‘Although some might think that the drastic age range could be a conflict to really getting to know her siblings, she is making sure that she will be there as a great big sister and, more importantly, a great babysitter when needed,’ the source told the Daily Mail.
‘The family keeps things very secretive, very tight knit, but one thing is for sure, Matilda is excited for her mom and Thomas. Their whole family is ecstatic right now and Matilda is ready to help out in any way needed.’
Yet, through it all, the source stressed that Matilda will never lose sight of her father’s legacy.
‘She was only two when Heath passed away but she still feels his presence and love,’ they said. ‘She knows he was a very special person and is proud that he is her father.’
U.S. President Donald Trump leaves a St. Patrick”s Day event in the East Room of the White House on March 17, 2026 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Sipa USA/via AP Images).
A lawsuit recently filed in federal court accuses the Trump administration of launching a “campaign of retaliation” against Colorado, seemingly targeting an established research institution in the state. This legal action suggests a brewing conflict that has been simmering since early 2025.
The controversy began to unfold when President Donald Trump referred to Tina Peters, a former Mesa County clerk and convicted felon, as a “hostage.” Peters, who is serving time for election-related crimes, was, according to Trump, punished for “political reasons.” These comments marked the first signs of what the lawsuit describes as a retaliatory campaign.
As the situation developed, the administration allegedly began issuing more serious threats aimed at Colorado, notably demanding the state cease its mail-in voting system. The lawsuit claims these threats were closely linked to Trump’s demands for Peters’ release, further heightening tensions.
In September 2025, the stakes were raised when President Trump announced plans to relocate the U.S. Space Force headquarters out of Colorado. This decision, according to the plaintiffs, was another step in Trump’s attempts to pressure the state, including offering a presidential pardon for Peters that, ultimately, held “no legal effect.”
Adding to the turmoil, on a December day in 2025, Colorado’s scientific community was blindsided when the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder was suddenly threatened with closure. Simultaneously, $109 million earmarked for transportation funding was also put in jeopardy, marking a significant escalation in the alleged retaliatory measures.
“The federal government provided no reasoned justification for the decision to end Colorado’s—and only Colorado’s—funding,” the 47-page original petition filed on Monday reads.
Instead, a White House spokesperson “directly tied” the funding rescission and NCAR closure threat “to Governor Polis’s refusal to cooperate with President Trump’s demands,” the lawsuit claims.
The plaintiffs, University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), a nonprofit consortium of over 100 colleges and universities which provides research and training in atmospheric and related sciences, say the federal government’s actions are manifestly “unlawful.”
“This case arises from unlawful retaliation by federal administrative agencies that are violating long-established procedural limitations on agency action, exceeding the bounds of their statutory authority, and eroding the principles of federalism at the core of our constitutional structure,” the lawsuit begins.
Despite this constitutional framing, the five-count complaint is almost entirely a creature of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), the federal statute governing the behavior of administrative agencies.
The heart of the lawsuit is the notion that the 45th and 47th president first lashed out over the Peters situation, then piled on complaints about Colorado’s voting system and, finally, had agency heads violate multiple laws in an effort to exact “retribution” when Trump’s increasingly ratcheted-up threats did not result in obedience.
“Federal agencies and officials therein are waging a campaign of retaliation against the State of Colorado and institutions within it,” the lawsuit goes on. “Because Colorado refuses to relinquish to the federal government powers reserved to it by the Constitution, the Agencies have undertaken a series of retributive actions designed to coerce and punish Colorado.”
Showcasing Trump’s disdain for Colorado, the lawsuit also notes that the first time the president used his veto during his second term was to veto a bill funding a clean water project in the state on Dec. 31, 2025. That same day, Trump posted on social media that he hoped the state’s governor and the district attorney who prosecuted Peters “rot in Hell.”
The filing says “UCAR and NCAR are collateral damage” in the federal government’s campaign to encroach upon how Colorado runs its elections and “for the exercise of its constitutionally conferred power to administer and enforce its criminal code.”
The research institute employs nearly 1,400 people in the Boulder area, generates millions of dollars in annual economic activity, and has been a fixture in the state since 1960, the lawsuit notes.
Since Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russ Vought announced the government was “breaking up” NCAR, the Trump administration has engaged in a “cascading series of retaliatory measures,” the lawsuit claims.
Among those additional punitive measures are divesting the institute of its stewardship over a supercomputer that was built by NCAR, terminating a “multi-million-dollar cooperative agreement” with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), weaponizing “disparate and undue reporting requirements” to “saddle UCAR and NCAR with pointless bureaucratic burdens” and using gag orders to “unconstitutionally restrain the speech” of scientists, according to the lawsuit.
The filing holds out particular umbrage for the novel reporting requirements imposed on NCAR staff in light of the breakup plan.
“These disparate and undue reporting obligations and enhanced approval requirements with no precedent are not intended to serve legitimate purposes—they are solely intended to punish UCAR and NCAR as part of the retaliatory campaign against Colorado,” the lawsuit continues. “The reporting and approval demands that deviate from past practice are arbitrary, capricious, and unconstitutional.”
The plaintiffs also level constitutional claims at the gag orders.
“While prior restraints on speech imposed by the government are always inherently harmful, striking at the heart of civil liberties, the gag order in this case has worked particularly acute prejudices,” the lawsuit goes on. “When threatened with restructuring and change as a result of the Agencies’ campaign of retaliation, it is especially vital that UCAR and NCAR be permitted to speak freely without fear of repercussion. NSF is preventing UCAR and NCAR from exercising these fundamental rights.”
The litigation seeks APA-sourced relief in the form of a finding that the campaign against UCAR and NCAR be found unlawful and set aside. The lawsuit also seeks declaratory and injunctive relief as well as an end to the gag orders and restoration of two specific funding awards.
Some Jetstar travellers will be booted from Qantas lounges under new rules coming into effect on July 1.
Customers on Jetstar international flights will no longer have access to complimentary lounge invitations – a single-visit benefit provided by the Qantas Frequent Flyer program or a partner credit card program.
Passengers flying with Qantas, on Qantas codeshare flights operated by Jetstar, and on Jetstar’s domestic routes will still enjoy lounge access, provided it’s available.
The entrance to the Qantas lounge in London. (Qantas)
Free lounge passes can be connected to flights through an online portal or transferred to another member of the Qantas Frequent Flyer program.
Travelers often use social media platforms to exchange these complimentary lounge invitations among themselves.
However, the upcoming changes will put an end to this practice.
In the near future, complimentary lounge invitations will only be transferable to someone who is on the same flight as you.
Neither of these changes will affect Platinum One Frequent Flyers and Platinum One Lounge Invitations.
9news.com.au understands the changes were driven by customer feedback and ensuring the complimentary invitations are used as intended.
The Qantas domestic business lounge in Perth. (Qantas)
Qantas lounges are used by flight enthusiasts to relax, eat and drink before their flight or during a layover.
Access is usually granted based on the class of travel or Qantas Frequent Flyer, Qantas Club, oneworld or Emirates membership tier.
Lounges can also be accessed by the complimentary lounge invitation or a single-vist Qantas lounge pass.
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A peculiar suspect, clad in an unusual outfit, is believed to have taken the life of a 92-year-old millionaire developer at his beachfront residence in Southern California. The incident unfolded into a prolonged standoff with a SWAT team, as reported by authorities.
The Hermosa Beach Police Department received a call for a welfare check around 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. Concern arose when the elderly homeowner, residing in the 500 block of The Strand, had not been seen for several days.
Officers arrived at the scene for what seemed to be a routine check but soon found themselves in a grave situation. Upon entry with a property manager, they encountered an individual inside who was uncooperative, claimed to be armed, and subsequently barricaded himself within the home.
In response, SWAT teams from various agencies and crisis negotiators were deployed to the site, working tirelessly for hours to resolve the standoff peacefully. After approximately seven hours, the suspect was finally apprehended.
The individual, dressed in a black suit and tie, along with a fedora and sunglasses, eventually surrendered to the police. The arrest marked the end of an intense and unsettling episode in the otherwise serene neighborhood.
After obtaining a search warrant, officers located an adult male dead inside the home.
The victim was identified as 92-year-old Demetrius Doukoullos, a longtime developer who lived alone at the beachfront property, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner. The office lists the cause of death as deferred, pending further investigation. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Homicide Bureau has taken over the investigation.
Law enforcement sources told NBC4 Los Angeles the victim’s body showed signs of decomposition when it was discovered inside the residence.
Los Angeles County jail records identify the suspect as Elanor Beaulieu, 39, who is listed as male. The suspect is being held on suspicion of murder with bail set at just over $2 million. Records also show prior bookings under the name Robert Phillip Simmons.
Beaulieu was arrested while wearing a black suit and tie, a black fedora and black sunglasses.
Elanor Beaulieu was arrested while wearing a rather unusual outfit reminiscent of the Blues Brothers.
The relationship between the suspect and the victim remains unclear, and investigators have not publicly identified a motive.
In a neighborhood Facebook group, a person claiming to live in the building said concerns were raised after the resident had not been seen for about a week and a strong odor was coming from the home. Those claims have not been independently verified.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner for additional details, including the victim’s official identification, cause of death and any known connection between the suspect and the victim.
Stepheny Price covers crime, including missing persons, homicides and migrant crime. Send story tips to stepheny.price@fox.com.
Stepheny Price is a Writer at Fox News with a focus on West Coast and Midwest news, missing persons, national and international crime stories, homicide cases, and border security.
Taylor Frankie Paul is stepping into the spotlight as she embarks on her quest for love in the 22nd season of The Bachelorette. However, her past continues to cast a shadow over her romantic journey.
“I’m eager to meet a diverse group of individuals who exist outside my usual social circle,” Taylor shared exclusively with Us Weekly in an interview conducted in September 2025, just a day before her new role as the leading lady was formally announced. “Even if just a few connections stand out, I’m thrilled to gain fresh perspectives and discover new facets of myself.”
She added, “Stepping out of my comfort zone is intimidating. You’re navigating emotions—both your own and those of others—and I’m not fond of hurting people’s feelings. It’s challenging when vulnerability and openness are on the line.”
Taylor first captured public attention on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, where viewers witnessed her relationship with Dakota Mortensen, with whom she shares a son, Ever, born in 2024. Additionally, Taylor is a mother to daughter Indy, 8, and son Ocean, 5, from her previous marriage to Tate Paul. Their marriage lasted from 2016 until their split in 2022.
As she prepares for this new chapter, Taylor Frankie Paul is embracing her role as the latest Bachelorette. Just after the announcement on Wednesday, September 10, that she would be leading the show, the 31-year-old star of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives gave an exclusive interview to Us Weekly, expressing her excitement and apprehension about the journey ahead.
Days before her season of the ABC dating show was set to premiere, an alleged domestic dispute between Taylor and Dakota made headlines. The incident, however, has not derailed the show’s start date.
Scroll down to learn more about Taylor’s season 22 of The Bachelorette:
Who Are Taylor Frankie Paul’s Contestants on Season 22 of ‘The Bachelorette’?
Before Taylor Frankie Paul’s contestants were officially announced, ABC shared a sneak peak of her more than 20 potential suitors in October 2025. Among the men on the list, some fans pointed to 30 year-old Casey as a look-alike to Dakota Mortensen.
“He looks like her baby daddy,” one user commented on the Facebook post, while another added, “He can be the Dakota’s [sic] twin.”
Us exclusively revealed the 22 men in her cast in February 2026. Ahead of the season, the contestants — including paralympic athlete Trenten — weighed in on why Taylor could be The One.
While Trenten admitted he “[didn’t] know much” about Taylor before The Bachelorette, he knows “she has a great smile and seems like she has a great personality. So for me, I’m like, ‘Awesome. Let’s get this started. Let’s see where it goes from there.’”
Trenten, Taylor Frankie Paul.Disney/Bahareh Ritter
Will All of Taylor Frankie Paul’s Contestants on Season 22 of ‘The Bachelorette’ Be Mormon?
While Taylor Frankie Paul is a practicing Mormon (she shared her religion during season 1 of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives), she wouldn’t rule out someone outside of her faith.
“I would love to talk to anyone on the subject, and definitely the very last people,” she told Us in September 2025. “I’m open to any religion. It doesn’t have to be Mormonism, but I would like to align, obviously, with the same values and morals, and at least someone that does believe in faith and God and whatnot.”
She continued, “When you’re raising kids, it does become a factor. I don’t know if it’s a hard thing, because I’m also very open minded, and I want to hear other people’s perspectives, but when it comes down to raising kids, I think that’s where it gets more important — what we are going to teach them, what we believe in.”
Does Taylor Frankie Paul Want to Get Engaged on Season 22 of ‘The Bachelorette’?
Taylor Frankie Paul shared that ending the season engaged is “definitely” her “goal.”
“And as my mom likes to say, I do fall in love quickly, and that’s also the reason I did it. I always call myself a lover girl because I, like, fall for people and I have done that in the past,” she told Us in September 2025. “Obviously, I got married young, and the first guy I dated was my second baby daddy — so it was just very quick, and this time, it’s going to be really cool, because, yes, I have been opening up to dating, but now I’m about to date, you know, 20 [or] 30 guys, and I’ve never done that before. I’m going to take my time, I’m going to kind of, like, get to know people. Maybe I learned things I didn’t like or do like that I didn’t even know. So I think this is gonna be really good for the long-term effect.”
In another promo, Taylor questioned her worth. “I have trouble admitting I deserve better,” she said. “I’m angry at myself because I knew he was lying. Am I worthy of love? Is it even possible? As a single mom, I want to better myself.”
Taylor Frankie Paul is changing the reality TV game — again. For more than two decades, The Bachelorette has sold viewers a fairy tale with one nonnegotiable: contestants must be here for the right reasons. For the franchise’s latest lead, producers picked a woman who has exactly the kind of résumé that would have once made […]
What Type of Group Dates Will There Be?
“It’s been so fun,” Taylor Frankie Paul said during the November 2025 finale of The Golden Bachelor. “The group dates have been insane by the way.”
According to Taylor, there will be a Dancing With the Stars-themed group date and one with her fellow members of MomTok.
“A few of them visited me and they helped me out a little bit,” Taylor teased. “They gave me some info that was very good for me to know.”
Host Jesse Palmer, however, noted that the Mormon Wives stars “terrified” the men.
“Some guys are still licking their wounds from that group date because they got lashed,” Jesse revealed at the time. “You’re doing things that no other Bachelorette has ever done before, things have already happened that we’ve never seen before.”
Taylor Frankie Paul.Disney/John Fleenor
What Taylor Frankie Paul Thinks of the Men
Taylor Frankie Paul revealed to Jesse Palmer that she thought her future husband was in the Bachelor Mansion.
“They’re all amazing, which has made this all so much harder,” she said in a preview for the season. “If they were not the best, it would make it easy to weed them out, but they’re just gentlemen and there’s chemistry with them. It’s been wild.”
That being said, Taylor had no issues sending home any man there for the wrong reasons.
“If I want to send people home before the rose ceremony if I catch something, I’m sending them home,” Taylor stated, revealing she recently did just that. “He made it easy because he was trying to fire back at me, and I’m like, ‘Absolutely not. I’m not here to waste your time, please don’t waste mine. If you’re here for the wrong reasons, you’re leaving.’”
What Happened Between Taylor Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortensen Before ‘The Bachelorette’ Premiere?
News broke on March 16 that Taylor Frankie Paul and on-again, off-again boyfriend Dakota Mortensen were involved in an alleged domestic violence dispute the previous month. The alleged altercation reportedly led to the halt of season 5 of Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.
A spokesperson for the Draper City Police Department in Utah confirmed to Us at the time that there was an open “domestic assault investigation” concerning the on-again, off-again couple, with allegations “made in both directions.”
“There’s more to the context to everything and it’s unfortunate,” Taylor exclusively told Us on March 17 while at a press dinner for season 22 of The Bachelorette. “It’s been hard. And it sucks to be in this position.”
The mother of three — who shares son Ever, 23 months, with Dakota, and daughter Indy, 8, and son Ocean, 5, with ex-husband Tate Paul — denied that the incident had anything to do with her as a parent.
Taylor Frankie Paul weighed in on her dynamic with ex Dakota Mortensen ahead of their alleged domestic dispute — and when she realized she deserved more. “It was hard because I’m, obviously, a part of that — it’s not like I am pointing the finger like, ‘He is [the toxic one].’ It takes two to […]
“And the mother that I am, that is something I will always stand my ground on. I believe that I am a good mother and I have always treated my kids very well,” Taylor explained. “So the headlines that are out right now are very hard to see because that’s not the truth of it. I have always treated my children with respect and I’ve never touched them. So it’s been really hard.”
Dakota broke his silence on the alleged dispute via a statement issued on March 18.
“His number one priority here is protecting [their son], Ever,” a rep for Dakota told Entertainment Weekly. “He knew there was a possibility it could come out, but he was not going to be the one to proactively do that because he has always wanted a decent relationship with Taylor. It’s been really hard to achieve that, but he wants to coparent well.”
Dakota’s rep continued, “He was just hoping that if he says nothing, as he usually does, it would go away. He’s never done any kind of sit-down interview about his side. He kind of just lets it all happen to him, and I think he realizes with the severity of everything now that he just can’t do that.”
Taylor Frankie Paul.Disney/Bahareh Ritter
Do ‘The Bachelorette’ Men Know About Taylor Frankie Paul’s Past With Dakota Mortensen?
“I feel like I was very open with them, especially those that asked, because I really told everyone as a whole if there’s anything you want to know, please let me know, because I wasn’t trying to shove everything down their throat of that in my life,” Taylor Frankie Paul exclusively told Us on March 17. “I wanted to tell them what they wanted to know.”
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Taylor recalled telling her suitors, “‘Please ask anything. I am [a] very open book.’ Especially the ones towards the end, I was open with the situation. So yeah, I was very honest, I feel like.”
A source, however, exclusively told Us that same day that the men on The Bachelorette “have all been rallying around each other in solidarity and feel extremely upset and let down by Taylor and the situation.”
When Will Taylor Frankie Paul’s Season 22 of ‘The Bachelorette’ Premiere?
Season 22 of The Bachelorette will premiere on Sunday, March 22, on ABC and can be streamed on Hulu. Variety reported on March 16 that the domestic dispute investigation involving Taylor and her ex Dakota “will not impact” The Bachelorette premiere schedule.
A man has been taken into custody for allegedly inflicting nearly $250,000 in “catastrophic damage” to a renowned museum in Washington state. The suspect also reportedly attempted to stab a security guard with a glass shard, according to law enforcement and media reports.
The Seattle Police Department responded to an emergency call at the Chihuly Garden and Glass, located within the Seattle Center, shortly after 11 p.m. on Monday. Officers arrived to find the scene in disarray, with large fragments of vibrant glass scattered across the museum grounds.
Officers rushed to Chihuly Garden and Glass on the grounds of Seattle Center just after 11 p.m. on Monday for a report of a man destroying glass sculptures. Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Police and local broadcaster KOMO News identified the suspect as 40-year-old Alexander Taylor Weis. He was arrested after museum security personnel pointed him out as the individual allegedly responsible for the extensive vandalism.
According to the police, security officers discovered Weis in a restricted section of the museum, where he was reportedly in the process of damaging the elaborate glass installations crafted by artist Dave Chihuly.
Weis allegedly hurled glass shards at security staff and picked up one to attempt a stabbing multiple times, targeting a museum security officer, police further reported.
As he was cuffed, Weis allegedly became “combatative” and refused commands. He was eventually hauled away to King County Jail, police said.
No security guards were injured in the chaos, according to authorities.
It is estimated that the vandal caused over $240,000 in damage to the famed sculptures, authorities said. Photos released by the department showed hundreds of pieces of shattered glass.
Despite the destruction, museum officials and crew quickly swept up the damage and reopened the following day. The damaged artwork has been removed and will be replaced in the coming weeks, KOMO reported.
Alexander Taylor Weis, 40, was arrested for causing nearly $250,000 of damage to glass sculptures at the museum. Seattle Police Department
Weis later refused to appear in court, but a judge found probable cause to hold him in custody on burglary, assault, and several counts of malicious mischief charges, the outlet reported.
“There’s really no words,” Gary Rockafield, a Chihuly Garden and Glass visitor, told the outlet. “The time and effort it takes to make these things and put them on display just to have someone come in and do that.”
In a significant shift from tradition, judges in the United States are now stepping off the bench to voice their opinions publicly, a move prompted by new guidelines from the U.S. Judicial Conference. These changes, affecting the entire federal court system, mark a departure from the longstanding norm where judges refrained from public commentary.
The decision comes in response to an alarming increase in threats and misinformation directed at the judiciary. As of this year, the U.S. Marshals Service has documented 241 threats against judges, following a concerning 564 threats in 2025. This surge has prompted federal judges to take unprecedented action to safeguard the integrity of the judicial system by speaking out about their experiences.
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Faced with a barrage of personal threats and broader attacks on the judicial branch, judges are now sharing their stories in a bid to inform and protect the institution they serve. “I’ve been a judge for 32 years. I have never seen the unprecedented attacks that have been made on judges, and it’s… it’s chilling,” said U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom, reflecting on the current climate.
Judge Bloom, who serves in Florida’s Southern District, will lead a panel discussion titled “Bench Breaks Its Silence.” This landmark forum will feature four federal judges from various parts of the country, who will openly discuss the personal threats they have encountered. Such a public dialogue represents a new chapter for the judiciary, one that only recently became possible under the revised guidelines.
Judge Bloom, from Florida’s Southern District, will moderate a panel Thursday titled the “Bench Breaks Its Silence,” featuring four federal judges from across the country who will detail the personal threats leveled against them in a landmark forum that up until just a few weeks ago wouldn’t have been possible.
“When there are threats made, or misinformation, or judges are are called corrupt. Now, it gives us an opportunity to speak out and to defend other judges that are under attack,” Judge Bloom told the I-Team.
She says thanks to a new advisory opinion from the U.S. Judicial Conference, issued last month, federal judges are encouraged to break their silence. “Silence can be acquiescence,” said Bloom. “We don’t rely on force. We rely on respect. And if there isn’t respect for the rule of law, respect for the work we do, then there’s a question as to the illegitimacy of our courts, and that impacts our rule of law.”
The I-Team sat down exclusively late last year with Chief Judge Virginia Kendall of the Northern District of Illinois to discuss the extraordinary threats facing members of the bench.
“We can’t be concerned about the judiciary safety when they’re doing this hard work,” said Judge Kendall.
Sources tell the I-Team judges in the Northern District have been issued panic buttons for personal protection, Judge Bloom says that’s far from common practice.
“We’re protected when we come to the courthouse. We’re protected when we make public appearances through the U.S. Marshals Service. But when we go home…we don’t have protection. So, oftentimes we’re sitting ducks,” said Bloom.
“When I first became a judge, it was an anomaly to have any judge have a significant threat. This seems to be like every day someone is contacting me,” Judge Kendall told the I-Team.
In a rare public statement Tuesday, U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice, John Roberts, said, “Personally directed hostility is dangerous, and it’s got to stop.”
