The trilogy of somber artworks is now complete, each canvas emanating an aura of despair and emptiness.

It begins back in the iconic Azteca Stadium in Mexico City during the 1986 World Cup. Here, we see Peter Shilton leaping, attempting to punch a high, arching ball. Conspicuously, Diego Maradona’s infamous “Hand of God” whisked it away from him, altering history.

Next, a flash forward to the 1998 World Cup captures David Beckham’s gaze fixed upon referee Kim Milton Nielsen. The tension is palpable after Diego Simeone’s provocation leads Beckham to impulsively flick his foot at his adversary. His expression is a mixture of dread and horror; he anticipates the red card that is about to shatter his world.

Completing this narrative, the final panel takes us beneath the grand dome of the Atlanta Stadium, painting a scene from July 15th. It immortalizes Argentina’s caricatured antagonist, Enzo Fernandez, his mischievous grin directed at the crowd after once more dashing England’s dreams.

A clock dominates the massive screen, marking the moment when England stood only five minutes away from their first World Cup final in six decades. It was then that Fernandez delivered the crucial equalizer, robbing them of history yet again.

There is a place for Lautaro Martinez, whose late, late header won the game for England’s bitter enemy. There is a place for Lionel Messi, the greatest of all time. In his first game against England, it was he who provided the winner for Martinez. His record against England will forever read Played 1, Won 1.

And so it is Argentina who will march on New York on Sunday to meet Spain and try to win their second successive World Cup. 

For England, this is a time of shattered dreams. England always finds a way to lose these matches and now they have done it again. They are always the punchlines for someone else’s jokes.

Three defeats to Argentina and, to travel alongside them, three appearances in World Cup semi-finals in 60 years and now three defeats. 

Paul Gacoigne’s face reddened with crying after defeat to West Germany in Turin in 1990 and the devastation of Marcus Rashford after England lost to Croatia in their last four tie in Moscow in 2018.

England dwell on Desolation Row. This is a city that will be forever associated with a man who had a dream. England were hoping that, from here, they would march on New York but their dream died here.

It turns out that the hope England harboured that Thomas Tuchel would be the coach who could finally drag them over the line in a major tournament was forlorn and misguided. England were regarded as favourites but, when it came to the moment of truth, Tuchel came up short. He was not the man to drag England over the line after all.

He took England to the last four here, which is a creditable performance but Gareth Southgate took England to the last four in 2018 and the fans were throwing bottles at him by 2024, when he led England to the European Championship final. Tuchel was supposed to take England to the next level. It was beyond him.

It is always the same when England lose like this. It is as if a spell has been broken. 

The 3-2 victory over Mexico in the Azteca in the Round of 16, achieved with 10 men, at altitude, in front of a hostile crowd, in a magnificent stadium, against all odds, was the greatest football occasion I’ve ever been to. I will never forget England’s heroics that night but they were in vain.

The 2-1 comeback victory in the quarter-finals against Norway in the stifling heat of Miami was graced by one of the finest individual performances I have ever seen from an England player. Jude Bellingham scored both England goals and dragged them through to the semi-finals by the scruff of their necks. That, too, was in vain.

The atmosphere reached fever-pitch before kick-off. The Argentina fans swarmed over the stadium and filled up part of the end that seemed to be nominally reserved for England supporters. They leapt up and down relentlessly. 

‘And now you see, and now you see,’ they yelled in Spanish, ‘whoever doesn’t jump is English.’

They sang their song about the Falkland Islands, too, and the war of 1982 between the two countries. ‘For the Malvinas, for Diego, for Leo’s last one,’ they chanted. England fans go further back for their history. They sang about ’10 German bombers’. A few dressed as crusaders, chain mail and all.

Rarely have two national anthems been drowned out so comprehensively by booing but Tuchel and Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni shared a warm embrace before kick-off. Tuchel, once more, had not been afraid to make changes to his starting XI.

Morgan Rogers had helped to change the game when he came off the bench against Norway in the quarter-finals and Tuchel preferred him to Noni Madueke on the right. Reece James started at right back. Djed Spence replaced Nico O’Reilly at left back, a fleet-footed marker for Messi.

Every detail was heightened. Bellingham and Rogers, old friends, wrapped each other in a last hug. Marc Guehi knelt on the pitch and prayed to his God. Messi stared up at the roof as he prepared to take the kick that started the game. Leandro Paredes’ first action was to shove Bellingham in the back and barge him to the floor off the ball.

Enzo Fernandez scythed down Elliot Anderson. 

Argentina, predictably, made it a priority, to try to provoke Bellingham. It was bedlam. It was unbelievably intense. No quarter given and none asked. Referee Ismail Elfath struggled to keep control. It was only when the hydration break came that anyone took a breath.

Quite how Fernandez and Giuliano Simeone avoided bookings is anyone’s guess. Although it did fit with Fifa’s favouritism towards them at this tournament. 

England showed they could mix it, too. Messi wriggled away from a series of challenges in midfield and then was a cut down by a combination of Anderson and Spence. Spence was shown a yellow card. It was hard to believe but it was the first of the match. The lesson: foul Messi, get booked.

Seven minutes before half time, someone even tried a shot. Fernandez’s effort from range flew just too high. For most of the time, it felt less like a football match and more like watching a very angry man crammed into a washing machine with a man he hates and then putting the machine on spin. Then half-time arrived.

England had won a corner on the stroke of the interval but the referee refused to allow it to be taken and blew up for half-time. Which puzzled everyone. It fitted with a theme of the favourable treatment Argentina have been shown at this tournament.

England ignored it and 10 minutes after half time, they took the lead. Rogers found space on the right and curled a low cross to the back post. While Nahuel Molina hesitated, Anthony Gordon stole in front of him and clipped the ball deftly past Emiliano Martinez and into the corner of the net.

What a moment. Another was to follow swiftly, this time at the other end. Simeone, the son of Beckham’s tormentor of 1998, sprinted in on goal and, as he prepared to shoot, Spence slid in and executed a perfectly-timed tackle. England celebrated it almost as much as the goal.

Argentina have come back from behind many times already in this tournament and now they tried again. 

Midway through the half, substitute Nico Gonzalez ran on to a cross from the right and met it full on but Pickford dived low to his right and pushed the header away superbly.

Fifteen minutes from time, England got a little luck, the luck that usually deserts them on these occasions. Rodrigo de Paul sent in a cross from the right and Alexis Mac Allister flung himself at it. His header cannoned off the post and out to safety. A few minutes later, Gonzalez headed agonisingly wide.

But then, five minutes from time, Argentina took a corner. They played it short to Messi. Messi drew three or four England defenders to him and then slipped a short pass to Fernandez. Fernandez took his time and then smashed a shot past Pickford from 25 yards. Bellingham had come rushing out to meet him but had not quite got there in time.

And then the final blow. Mac Allister hit the post with a low shot but it was picked up by Messi, of all people, on the right. Messi made space for a cross and crossed deep. Lautaro Martinez was there and he met it and powered it past Pickford with a thumping header from close range.

It was over. Over for another four years. And who knows how many after that. 

Outside, as they trudged into the early evening in America’s south, the faintest of breezes interrupted the humidity. All England’s hopes, so keenly felt, felt foolish and fragile now. All those hopes, gone with the wind.

A former reserve deputy sheriff from California, part of an extended family’s tragic outing, has been identified as the sole fatality from the accident. The vessel overturned in the cold waters of San Francisco Bay just off Alcatraz Island, with family members aboard.

Clifford Joseph Boisa, aged 79 from Sutter County, tragically lost his life when the three-level recreational vessel went down on Tuesday afternoon. With 20 passengers on board, the Sutter County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Boisa’s past service as a reserve deputy sheriff starting in 1987.

By Wednesday, three individuals were still missing as the U.S. Coast Guard continued its comprehensive search, aided by local agencies across the bay. Meanwhile, sixteen people were brought to safety, with three hospitalized for further care.

The ill-fated voyage involved members of an extended family convened for a poignant memorial service to scatter a loved one’s ashes in San Francisco Bay, according to reports by The New York Times.

San Francisco Fire Chief Dean Crispin said crews were dispatched at about 3:35 p.m. local time after receiving reports of a vessel fire roughly 600 yards off Alcatraz Island between the former prison and the Golden Gate Bridge.

When first responders arrived, they found no evidence of a fire, but instead discovered the boat had capsized and was already mostly submerged.

Crispin said the San Francisco Police Department’s marine unit found the vessel with only its upper deck above the water. The boat’s engine was still running, and fuel was leaking into the bay.

One person was found in the water, while the remaining occupants were located inside the vessel’s top compartment before rescuers pulled them to safety, he said.

Authorities have not yet determined what caused the boat to sink. However, officials have said strong summer winds and rapidly changing conditions on San Francisco Bay can create dangerous boating conditions.

Commercial fishermen Mike Montoya and Justin Marceline, who rushed to help after the vessel went down, described a frantic rescue as passengers fought to escape.

“There was even people banging at the windows as they were like filing out, and as soon as people were hitting the water, we were just trying to pick them up as fast as we can,” the fishermen told NBC Bay Area. “Some people didn’t even have life vests on and they were drowning.”

The Coast Guard and San Francisco Fire Department continued searching Wednesday using boats, helicopters, thermal imaging, tide predictions and drift modeling to find the three missing passengers.

The Sutter County Sheriff’s Office told News Media it had no additional information to provide about Boisa. News Media also reached out to the San Francisco Fire Department for additional information.

Officials said the vessel departed from the area near San Francisco’s St. Francis Yacht Club. The cause of the sinking remains under investigation.

Boisa’s family did not immediately respond to News Media’s request for comment.

As if waiting in line for a Double-Double wasn’t tense enough.

An unexpected brawl erupted inside an Arizona In-N-Out Burger, transforming the popular eatery into a scene resembling a fight club. Video footage captured during the incident shows a man being floored by a single punch, while other patrons hastily moved aside to avoid the unfolding chaos.

The altercation reportedly occurred as people sought refuge from severe monsoon rains, crowding the restaurant as they tried to escape the storm. Instead of calmly waiting out the weather with a meal, tensions rose, leading to a scuffle among several individuals.

Footage making the rounds online reveals a packed dining area just moments before the situation escalates. Several individuals become embroiled in a heated exchange, prompting startled customers to retreat and steer clear of the fray. Shortly thereafter, one man is seen being knocked to the ground by a forceful punch.

The specifics of the incident remain shrouded in mystery. The exact location of this fast food establishment has yet to be independently verified, and it remains unclear what triggered the fight or if any injuries or arrests resulted from the melee.

The dramatic footage quickly spread across social media, where viewers were less focused on the burgers and more concerned about the brawl unfolding in a family restaurant.

“You guys are about three seconds away from losing that In-N-Out,” one person commented.

Another user questioned why bystanders didn’t immediately leave the area, writing, “Kids are strapped now, how people don’t have more of a sense of urgency to take cover or leave is insane!”

Others lamented what they see as a growing problem with public confrontations.

“I’m so sick that I can’t take my family to public places now because of this crap! WTF,” another commenter wrote.

While viral restaurant fights are nothing new, this one stood out because it happened as customers were already packed inside trying to avoid severe weather. For many, the only thing they expected to witness was a long line for burgers, not a knockout punch.

JD Vance has stirred controversy by asserting he is the subject of an Israeli-sponsored propaganda effort due to his advocacy for peace with Iran. He also speculated about Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged connections to top officials within Mossad.

The Vice President made these bold claims during an extensive interview with popular podcaster Joe Rogan, which spanned nearly three hours.

Citing a Time magazine investigation, Vance argued that American influencers are being financially supported to discredit the Iran agreement. According to the report, this funding is channeled through a former operative from Trump’s campaign and is supported by specific factions within the Israeli government.

Vance responded defiantly to those participating in the alleged smear campaign by stating, ‘My response to that is, well, go to hell.’ He also expressed frustration at being accused of anti-Semitism, while claiming that Israel is failing to win over American public opinion.

He further alleged that certain members within the Israeli government are swaying American views to perpetuate the conflict indefinitely.

Vance then shifted to the administration handling of the Epstein scandal, revealing that the disgraced financier ‘clearly had connections to the highest levels of American intelligence’ and ‘Israeli intelligence.’

When Rogan noted that most people believe Epstein was working for Mossad, Vance did not dispute it. Vance noted that it was Mossad ‘or CIA or some other deep state, whether in America or Israel or another country or both.’

Vance, who described himself as a ‘conspiracy theorist’ on Epstein, said that anything tying Epstein to spy agencies was likely destroyed after 2006 – when the financier was first arrested.

‘What I have seen…is that there just wasn’t dispositive evidence. And if that dispositive evidence ever existed, it was probably destroyed after 2006, 2007,’ Vance told Rogan. 

On Epstein, the vice president agreed with Rogan that the financier was running an operation to pressure or compromise powerful people.

‘I will go to my deathbed believing there’s a story there,’ Vance said, though he admitted he cannot prove it.

‘And I promise you there’s not some document, at least that I’m hiding, that allows us to prove exactly what was going on and how.’

He conceded the administration ‘absolutely screwed up’ its handling of the files. 

Vance pinned much of the botched Epstein files rollout on Attorney General Pam Bondi, saying she ‘overstated what we had’ when she claimed Epstein’s client list was sitting on her desk.

‘I think we should have just dropped everything at the very beginning and, like I was saying, it takes a little time to review the stuff, to find the stuff, to redact things where you have victims and so forth, but we should have just done it as quickly as possible,’ he told Rogan.

Vance then floated his own theory that Epstein gained leverage over billionaires by crafting shady tax schemes for men like his original patron Les Wexner. 

Wexner, the Victoria’s Secret billionaire and once Ohio’s richest man, was Epstein’s first major client and handed him sweeping control of his personal fortune.  

Vance said he found it fascinating that Epstein was plugged into the left-of-center faction of the Israeli deep state rather than its right wing, admitting: ‘I don’t know what that means.’

He noted that in America, by contrast, the financier cultivated friends across the entire political spectrum from Republicans to Democrats.

HOUSTON — Just a week has passed since the tragic shooting of 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo during a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation in Houston. The incident has prompted a large gathering of residents at Houston City Hall, all calling for an independent investigation and increased accountability from their local leaders.

In a significant move Tuesday evening, Houston Police Chief J. Noe Diaz Jr. reached out to Texas Department of Public Safety Director Freeman Martin through a letter. Diaz requested the Texas Rangers to lead a separate investigation into the shooting, expressing that both he and Mayor John Whitmire believe that such involvement would ensure the investigation remains impartial and transparent.

Previously, community members, activists, and supporters had strongly urged city authorities to persist with a local inquiry.

One concerned speaker voiced frustration at a City Council meeting, stating, “It’s deeply disturbing that the city of Houston has not taken a stronger stand against ICE.”

Another impassioned plea implored, “I’m asking you to resist any pressure that deters you from continuing this local investigation until every member of our community feels safe.”

Around 100 people signed up to speak during the public session, with many urging elected officials to stand up for Houston residents.

“We need to stand for Houston. This cannot be right,” one speaker said.

SEE ALSO: DHS says ICE will ensure agents use bodycams in the wake of shootings in Texas, Maine

Recently unveiled bodycam footage captures a brief traffic stop involving Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo. The incident quickly concluded after the governor identified himself, leaving without a ticket for an alleged traffic light violation, highlighting the perks of his position.

In the approximately one-minute clip, a sergeant from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department halts Lombardo’s pickup truck near Mandalay Bay on May 15. The officer pulls over the governor for allegedly rolling through a red light without fully stopping before a right turn.

Upon approaching the truck’s passenger window, the officer promptly acknowledges Lombardo.

“Hello. How you doing, sir?” the sergeant greets, indicating a familiar recognition.

Before the officer can finish explaining why he initiated the stop, Lombardo interrupts.

“I’m Joe Lombardo,” the governor says.

“I’m aware,” the sergeant replies before continuing, “For the red light violation back there. Your right turn onto Giles…”

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“C’mon, man,” Lombardo responds.

Moments later, the sergeant ends the stop without issuing a citation.

“You’re good to go, sir. Appreciate you. Have a good day.”

The exchange lasts roughly 15 seconds.

Lombardo’s office told News Media that the governor and his wife were on their way to Harry Reid International Airport when they were briefly stopped by Las Vegas police on May 15 over what the office described as “a question about whether Governor Lombardo had come to a complete stop while turning.”

“Governor Lombardo spoke with the officer, fully complied with all instructions, and was promptly on his way,” the statement said. “He remains grateful for the professionalism of the officer involved and for the service of law enforcement officers across Nevada.”

The governor’s office also disputed any suggestion that Lombardo was attempting to use his position to influence the officer by mentioning his name.

“At no point did the Governor invoke his office and seek — or expect — preferential treatment,” the statement said.

According to the governor’s office, the officer first introduced himself, and Lombardo replied by giving his own name “as a matter of courtesy.”

Lombardo, a Republican who served as sheriff of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department for eight years before being elected governor in 2022, was traveling with his wife, Donna, at the time of the stop.

The video quickly drew criticism from Nevada Democrats, who questioned whether the governor received preferential treatment because of his position.

“As a former law enforcement officer, I’m outraged that Joe Lombardo thinks he’s above the law and dismissed a police officer just doing his job,” Nevada State Democratic Party Chair Daniele Monroe-Moreno said in a statement to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “It’s clear that Lombardo’s ‘tough on crime’ approach doesn’t actually apply to him after he name dropped his way out of a traffic violation. Nevadans deserve to know if Lombardo thinks, because of his position, he should be able to avoid responsibility for breaking the law,” the statement continued.

The Las Vegas Police Protective Association, which endorsed Lombardo’s gubernatorial campaign in 2022 and backed him again this year, defended the handling of the stop after providing the bodycam video to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Union President Steve Grammas told the outlet the encounter reflected the type of discretion officers routinely use during traffic stops and rejected the suggestion that Lombardo received preferential treatment.

“It is an absolutely nothing car stop,” Grammas told the Review-Journal. “Thousands of those happen every month. We don’t write everybody a ticket.”

Grammas said the sergeant already recognized Lombardo as governor and former Clark County sheriff, making it unnecessary to spend time confirming his identity before explaining the alleged violation and ending the stop with a verbal warning.

“If he wasn’t the governor, no one would care about the hundreds of other stops that are done the same way,” Grammas said.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department has previously said Lombardo was not cited, noting that officers commonly exercise discretion during minor traffic violations.

News Media reached out to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, the Nevada Republican Party and the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada for comment.

Alison Arngrim, known for her role as Nellie Oleson on the beloved “Little House on the Prairie” series, recently revealed a lesser-known side of the show. She described a behind-the-scenes atmosphere teeming with drinking, smoking, and what she called “insane” parties.

In a candid conversation on the “Here’s What Happened” podcast last week, Arngrim shared that many of the crew members exhibited behavior reminiscent of the characters in “Mad Men.” The set, she noted, was populated by an “older” generation with a penchant for indulging in certain vices.

Arngrim remarked on the era’s cultural norms, saying, “They came from a time when smoking and drinking were nearly constant companions. Healthy dining options and things like gluten-free muffins simply didn’t exist back then.”

She painted a vivid picture of the set’s social dynamics, revealing, “The prop men managed the supply of both alcohol and cigarettes, not to mention candy, which made their truck a popular hangout spot for everyone.”

Importantly, Arngrim made it clear that the antics did not extend to the show’s younger cast members. At 64, she emphasized that none of the child actors were involved in smoking activities during filming.

But some of her adult co-stars, including Michael Landon, “were puffing Marlboros all over the place” with the crew, who she said “went through a couple cases” of beer every day.

Arngrim also claimed Landon, who played the show’s patriarch, Charles Ingalls, “often would have a shot of whatever he was drinking that day” — usually whiskey.

Despite that, Arngrim insisted “no one was drunk on the set.”

“They were burning it off or something, because these guys were going on ladders and hanging lights and I’m going, ‘I know they’re living on beer,’” she shared.

Arngrim also said when the crew was “running low” on beer, they’d send somebody out to restock.

“The prop truck had a whole bar and at the end of each day when they were done they’d put up like a bar with a board on a couple of saw horses and then start really drinking,” she recalled.

The crew, according to Arngrim, also had “insane” Christmas and wrap parties that involved everyone having a designated driver.

Arngrim said she couldn’t believe the crew members were “still awake” to party after such heavy drinking.

“Their tolerance was God knows what,” she shared. “Because they were out of the ’50s where you drank and you smoked. They did not think this was weird.”

Based on the popular book series by Laura Ingalls Wilder, “Little House on the Prairie” followed the pioneer Ingalls family living their rural frontier life in Walnut Grove, Minnesota. 

The series, which aired for nine seasons between 1974 and 1983 on NBC, had multiple scandals including Landon’s affair with teenage stand-in actress Cindy Clerico and stars Melissa Gilbert and Melissa Sue Anderson’s decades-long feud.

A “Little House on the Prairie” reboot series with a new cast premiered on Netflix last week.