The Spanish Royal Family was visibly elated, celebrating enthusiastically as Spain secured its place in the World Cup final after a suspenseful showdown with France last night.

King Felipe VI, 58, shared a heartfelt embrace with Queen Letizia and their daughters, Leonor, 20, and Sofía, 19, after Spain’s 2-0 triumph over a formidable French team on Tuesday.

They congratulated the team on Instagram, writing: ‘You have proved again why you are one of the great teams in the world.

“Now, with an entire nation backing you, it’s time to pursue the title. Thank you for this incredible journey. Go for it!”

Dressed in customized Spanish jerseys, the family was captured on film watching the match on a large TV screen from a cozy, small white sofa.

While their celebration was subdued in the comfort of their home, the streets of Madrid came alive last night as ecstatic fans rejoiced over Spain’s advance to the World Cup final.

Felipe’s enthusiastic display of support comes just hours after members of the Spanish Royal Family divided football fans as they were seen wearing ‘French colours’ ahead of the clash with France at the Princess of Girona Foundation Awards in Barcelona.

The annual ceremony, which seeks to celebrate the lives of talented young people across Spain, saw the Royal Family meet with those committed to public service and youth leadership.

However, several eagle-eyed onlookers couldn’t help but notice the colour scheme of the royal women’s outfits – as all three stepped out in outfits that appeared to directly match with the red, white and blue of the French flag.

While Queen Letizia opted for a dark blue suit, Princess Leonor looked stylish in a bold red look. Meanwhile, Infanta Sofia, who recently completed three years of military studies, stepped out in an elegant wraparound white suit.

Taking to X in response to their outfits, one royal fan wrote: ‘Letizia, Leonor and Sofia dressed in the colours of the French flag. I don’t know if that was the best choice today.’

Meanwhile, another added: ‘I think it’s been a bad coincidence. There’s no subliminal message. But for these things they have entire teams (among them, a stylist). It’s a blunder.’

‘Oops! Someone in the Spanish royal house didn’t remind them about the World Cup?? French flag colours for the Spanish royal women,’ quipped another.

However, several came to the Spanish royals’ defence and suggested that the lighting of the photograph may have made their outfits look more distinct than they necessarily were, while others noted that the match was ‘still several hours away’.

‘It’s because today is the anniversary of the French Revolution and the Bourbons are of French origin,’ suggested another.

During the game, Spain’s star player Lamine Yamal wore a headband with the number 08304.

It’s the postcode for the working-class suburb of the Catalonian district which he calls home.

He was standing there with his teammates hearing the anthems played, looking for all the world as if he had just wandered in from that neighbourhood.

But he set his nation on their way to the World Cup final on Tuesday night, winning the penalty to secure a lead from which they never looked back.

Spain dominated the midfield and choked off the supply line to France’s stellar forward line, which struggled to find a way past the Spanish defence.

It was a complete performance, and sent a strong message to England and Argentina that whoever reaches the final will have their work cut out.

NEW YORK — Vast clouds of heavy smoke, originating from a series of extensive wildfires in both Canada and Minnesota, are predicted to blanket large regions of the Midwest and Northeast U.S. this week. This atmospheric disturbance is expected to subject millions to harmful levels of air pollution.

Minnesota authorities have announced an air quality alert effective from Tuesday through Friday. This warning covers key areas including the Twin Cities metropolitan region, Alexandria, and Two Harbors. The state’s northeastern region, grappling with widespread wildfires, is anticipated to experience intense smoke. Alarmingly, air quality in places like Two Harbors and the Tribal Nation of Grand Portage is projected to reach hazardous levels, posing risks to all residents.

Dan Westervelt, an associate professor at Columbia University’s Climate School, explained that a combination of severe drought conditions and high temperatures in both Canada and the U.S. has created an ideal setting for these massive wildfires. He noted, “a perfect storm for really dry conditions to provide a lot of fuel for these wildfires to burn.” Studies have shown that rising temperatures linked to the burning of coal, oil, and gas are resulting in fires that are both more frequent and intense.

Tyler Hasenstein, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Chanhassen, Minnesota, emphasized the importance of staying indoors as much as possible. He advised people to minimize exposure to the extreme heat and smoke as the latter sweeps through the area.

“Those two things coinciding with each other is not good from a health perspective,” he commented, highlighting the compounded health risks brought on by the soaring temperatures and dense smoke.

Officials in Michigan and Wisconsin warned residents Tuesday about air quality issues that could last for days. High levels of fine particulate matter in the air from wildfire smoke may be unhealthy for sensitive groups, such as children and people with heart or lung conditions.

In parts of Maine, residents were reporting a yellowish and brownish color in the sky. “There is plenty of smoke upstream, so expect periods of hazy skies over the next day before the cold front pushes through,” the National Weather Service in Gray, Maine, said on social media Tuesday.

By Wednesday afternoon, intense smoke will spread into the East Coast and Midwest, including parts of the New England coast, northern Pennsylvania, Detroit and Milwaukee, Hasenstein said.

Multiple counties in western and central New York were under an air quality advisory Wednesday until midnight. The most intense smoke could spread as far south as Washington, D.C., by midday Thursday, Hasenstein said.

Fine particle pollution from wildfire smoke can cause shortness of breath, coughing, dizziness or fatigue and aggravate heart and lung diseases and other chronic health issues. Experts suggest reducing or eliminating outdoor activities, wearing a N95 mask if you have to be outside and keeping your indoor air cleaner by closing windows and running an air purifier or air conditioner. Long term, exposure to fine particulate matter from wildfire smoke is one of the leading causes of premature death.

In another legal twist, a Democratic legislator from New Hampshire is challenging speeding charges. Alleged to have driven in excess of 100 mph in one instance and at 92 mph in another, she claims a historical clause in the state constitution shields her from being stopped when commuting to or from legislative sessions. Court documents accessed by News Media detail her argument.

State Representative Ellen Read asserts that her detainment by the police was unlawful. She believes the New Hampshire Constitution offers lawmakers protection against being “arrested, or held to bail” when participating in or traveling to and from the General Court. Her defense argues that the charges are the result of an unconstitutional traffic stop and should be dismissed.

Her first alleged violation took place in December 2024, when authorities accused her of driving at speeds exceeding 100 mph on Interstate 93 in Windham. The second incident was reported in June 2025, with claims of her driving 92 mph in a 65 mph zone in Londonderry.

In both cases, Read argued she was driving a vehicle displaying a New Hampshire state representative license plate and told officers she was returning from a legislative session.

“At the time of the stop, Ms. Read was a sitting member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives,” her petition states. “She was traveling in a vehicle bearing a New Hampshire State Representative license plate. Upon being stopped, Ms. Read informed the deputy that she was returning from the General Court.”

In response to questions from News Media, Read said she is not arguing the Constitution shields lawmakers from prosecution, but instead protects them from being stopped while traveling to or from legislative duties.

“The plain reading of the Constitution says that legislators cannot be stopped on their way to or from their duties,” Read said. “It says nothing of being ticketed or arrested at the end of the commute, and nothing about prosecution.”

“Under the plain language of the New Hampshire Constitution, defendant was unlawfully detained/seized/arrested in violation of her Legislative privilege,” one motion states. “All evidence illegally obtained should be suppressed, and the charge dismissed.”

At the center of Read’s defense is a 1784 provision of the New Hampshire Constitution that states, “No member of the House of Representatives, or Senate shall be arrested, or held to bail, on mesne process, during his going to, returning from, or attendance upon, the Court.”

Read said the provision was intended to prevent local officials from delaying lawmakers and interfering with legislative votes, not to exempt legislators from criminal liability.

“It was always the commute itself that was meant to be protected… Not the legislator protected from breaking the law,” she said.

Read’s petition argues the New Hampshire Supreme Court has never interpreted the scope of the provision in the roughly 240 years since it was ratified, calling it a constitutional question of first impression that the state’s highest court has never squarely addressed.

“The question is not whether a sitting legislator is ‘above the law,'” the petition states.

Instead, Read argues, lawmakers traveling to and from legislative duties should receive the same “functional analysis” applied to police officers or emergency medical technicians who violate traffic laws while performing official duties.

A judge rejected that argument in Read’s first speeding case.

Court records show she was found guilty of negligent driving in August 2025 and fined $1,240, with half the fine deferred.

She was also allowed to keep her license as long as she maintained good behavior for two years, completed a safe-driving course and avoided additional moving violations.

Read later asked the New Hampshire Supreme Court to take up the constitutional question before the second speeding case proceeded. The court declined, denying her petition without prejudice and allowing her to raise the arguments again in a future appeal that complies with court rules.

Read defended her handling of the case in an Instagram statement, saying she accepted the reduced negligent driving charge “to end the case” and did not appeal the constitutional issue.

In the same statement, Read’s office disputed allegations that she exceeded 100 mph, arguing the 2009 Toyota Yaris she was driving, which she said has more than 440,000 miles on it, “simply cannot go that fast.”

Her office also said the officer did not use radar or clock her speed and instead estimated it while accelerating to catch up to her vehicle. Read’s office further claimed a State House employee who was on the phone with her during the traffic stop later testified to an account that conflicted with the officer’s version of events.

Read’s office also criticized the lack of body-camera footage from the stop and said she now encourages motorists to use dashboard cameras.

Read said her challenge focuses on the legality of the traffic stops rather than the underlying charges.

“The unconstitutional manner of the stops, and not the charge, therefore, was the topic of discussion in the case,” she said.

It’s likely the senators will concede this one without any protest.

In an unexpected moment on the Senate floor this week, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer seemed to experience an embarrassing mishap, followed by a slight chuckle, which has since gone viral.

At the age of 75, while railing against President Trump and discussing the tensions with Iran, Schumer appeared to lose his own internal battle. An audible sound, interpreted as a fart, interrupted his speech and made its way onto C-SPAN’s live broadcast on Tuesday.

Starting his remarks on Iran and the National Defense Authorization Act, Schumer seemed to inadvertently cause a stir that quickly spread across social media, thanks to The Blaze, which first captured and shared the clip.

Schumer critiqued the Trump administration’s handling of the conflict with Iran, highlighting a statement by Trump that diminished the gravity of the situation by comparing it to Vietnam. “When all the Trump administration can articulate regarding the disastrous conflict with Iran is that Vietnam was worse, it underscores the depth of their failure,” Schumer argued. “Trump remarked the previous day, drawing a flawed comparison to Vietnam—a conflict that claimed nearly 50,000 American lives over almost a decade and deeply divided the nation.”

Ripped indeed.

The clip was shared widely online, including by RNC Research, the Republican National Committee’s official X account, and conservative commentator Mark Kaye, who suggested the episode made a strong case for imposing term limits on lawmakers.

Schumer’s Tootgate brought to mind a similar televised gaseous emission by disgraced former California Rep. and accused serial sex pest Eric Swalwell, who unleashed an air biscuit for the ages live on MSNBC’s “Hardball with Chris Matthews” in 2019.

“Chris, so far the evidence is uncontradicted that the president used taxpayer dollars to help him cheat —” Swalwell says with a pause, as the unmistakable *brappppp* can be clearly heard, “— an election.”

As reporters swooped in to determine who dealt it, Swalwell quickly denied he had been the one who supplied it, emphatically texting a BuzzFeed News reporter “It was not me!!!!!”

The show later claimed on social media that the errant sound was simply a mug scraping across a desk in the studio.

Schumer has not directly addressed his own outburst on the Senate floor.

In an unexpected twist, Meghan Markle has clinched a Daytime Emmy nomination for her canceled Netflix cooking show, a noteworthy contrast to her turning down an award ceremony invitation eight years prior.

Back in March 2025, the Duchess of Sussex, now 41, debuted the first season of “With Love, Meghan” on Netflix, coinciding with the launch of her lifestyle brand, As Ever.

The initial success prompted a second season and a special holiday edition, where the Duchess offered a glimpse of her home life with hosting advice and cooking tips from a luxurious £5 million estate close to her and Prince Harry’s Montecito residence.

Despite the ambitious production, critics and audiences didn’t warm up to the series, which struggled to reach even the top 1,000 on Netflix’s most-watched list, as per the platform’s ratings.

Nevertheless, against all odds, the series earned a nod for outstanding lifestyle programming, even though it was shelved in January 2026, as declared today.

With Love, Meghan will compete with NBC’s heartwarming home makeover show, George to the Rescue, hosted by George Oliphant, which has an 8.8/10 rating on IMDB and Hallmark’s The Motherhood, presented by Connie Britton.

Meghan’s Emmy nomination comes nearly eight years after the Duchess declined an invitation to attend the ceremony in Los Angeles, California, shortly after marrying into the Royal Family.

The former Suits actress’s decision was a ‘line in the sand’ between her acting career and new life as a royal at the time, sources claimed, but the Duchess is rumoured to be eyeing a Hollywood comeback after Megxit in 2020.

At the time, a source told The Sun: ‘Show executives and NBC had offered Harry and her an invitation to celebrate with the biggest stars around, meet her showbiz friends and even present an honour.’ 

‘We had hoped Meghan would attend as a way of saying goodbye to her Suits fans and colleagues.’ 

While Meghan had been put forward for an Emmy for her role as paralegal Rachel Zane for her final season on the American drama Suits, she never ended up being nominated. 

Eight years on, Meghan is in the running for a Daytime Emmy for her Netflix series that featured guest appearances from Mindy Kaling, Tan France and Chrissy Teigen over the course of two seasons. 

The show was produced as a part of Meghan and Harry’s contract with Netflix, estimated to be worth over $100million (£74million), after they stepped down as senior working royals in 2020.  

With Love, Meghan’s second season was the 1,124th most-watched show between July and December 2025, with two million views, according to data released by Netflix.

In January, the streaming giant axed the show after the ‘tectonically tacky’ Christmas special was blasted by critics. 

Giving ‘With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration’ zero stars out of five, the Daily Mail’s reviewer Annabel Fenwick Elliott called the show ‘unlikeable.’

She wrote: ‘It’s the syrupy hypocrisy and our hostess’s deep lack of self-awareness that continue to make her and this show so unlikeable.

‘If only she could lean into her waspish, Type A personality – poke a little fun at herself, even – she could just about be endearing, in a Monica-from-Friends sort of way.’

In March, Meghan split from Netflix and took complete control of her As Ever food and homeware brand, as insiders said the Duchess felt Netflix was being too ‘cautious’ and wanted to ‘go global’.

The royal couple signed a new first-look deal with Netflix last year, giving the streaming giant first option on projects by the Sussexes’ Archewell Productions.

In May, it was announced that the production company would produce a war film for the streaming giant based on an Afghanistan memoir.

US outlet Deadline said the film will tell the story of Easy Company, a unit of Paras and Royal Irish Rangers tasked with holding a district in Helmand Province in July 2006, and who came under attack from the Taliban.

The film, called No Way Out: The Searing True Story Of Men Under Siege, is based on the memoir by Major Adam Jowett, who led the unit.

It comes as Meghan’s stint on MasterChef Australia is set to be broadcast later this month, with chefs challenged to create a dish fit for a Duchess. 

The former actress filmed the slot when she visited Australia with husband Prince Harry during their pseudo-royal tour three months ago.

She has said her love of good food and Australia were the two reasons she chose to be a guest judge on the country’s biggest TV show.

The Duchess, 44, a keen cook and founder of the As Ever lifestyle brand, left Harry flying solo when she spent a day filming a segment at MasterChef Australia’s Melbourne set for the latest series of the cooking competition.

Her involvement was revealed hours later when Channel Ten released a promo video showing Meghan striding onto the MasterChef set in a chic black outfit to meet Poh Ling Yeow and fellow judges Jean-Christophe Novelli and Sofia Levin.

Today it was revealed the episode will be broadcast on Sunday, July 26, at 7pm on Channel 10, with Mediaweek reporting: ‘Meghan will ask the contestants to create a dish fit for a Duchess.’

The Duchess of Sussex, who was claimed to have been ‘very frustrated’ when co-stars called her ‘royalty’ on camera, is said to set a challenge using seasonal ingredients including Brussels sprouts, celeriac and Australia’s famous macadamia nuts.

Quince, lemons, apples, mandarins and strawberries were also available to chefs, along with Australian honey to sweeten the dishes – rather than her own As Ever-branded honey.

‘What attracted me to the MasterChef Australia kitchen? Two things: my love of food and my love of Australia. It was an easy yes,’ Meghan said in a press release announcing the broadcast date.