Credit rating agency Moody’s has cautioned that a government shutdown could harm America’s credit rating.

While it said that a short-lived shutdown would ‘unlikely disrupt the economy,’ it would ‘underscore the weakness of US institutional and governance strength’ of the US compared to other top-tier economies. 

Moody’s is the last major ratings agency to still have assigned US its top rating of AAA. 

Last month, Fitch, another major ratings agency, dropped the US rating from AAA to AA+, citing the country’s $33 billion debt and ‘a steady deterioration in standards of governance.’

On Monday, Moody’s echoed that sentiment, saying a shutdown would highlight the constraints that ‘intensifying political polarization put on fiscal policymaking at a time of declining fiscal strength.’

‘Looking ahead, weaker fiscal policymaking that leads to persistently high fiscal deficits and higher than expected interest costs would put pressure on the US rating or outlook,’ Moody’s wrote in a statement.

If Congress this week fails to provide funding for the new fiscal year, starting on October 1, government services would be disrupted and hundreds of thousands of federal workers would be furloughed without pay.

Moody’s analyst William Foster told Reuters the shutdown would be evidence of Washington’s weak policymaking in the face of financial pressures brought about by high interest rates and the country’s substantial $33 billion of debt.

‘If there is not an effective fiscal policy response to try to offset those pressures… the likelihood of that having an increasingly negative impact on the credit profile will be there,’ said Foster.

‘And that could lead to a negative outlook, potentially a downgrade at some point, if those pressures aren’t addressed.’

Moody’s rates the US government AAA with a stable outlook – the highest creditworthiness it assigns to economies.

‘Fiscal policymaking is less robust in the US than in many AAA-rated peers, and another shutdown would be further evidence of this weakness,’ Moody’s said.

President Joe Biden’s top economic adviser, Lael Brainard, said the Moody’s comment highlighted the importance that Congress reaches an agreement.

‘Today’s statement from Moody’s underscores that a Republican shutdown would be reckless, create completely unnecessary risks for our economy, and lead to disruptions for communities and families across the country,’ Brainard, director of the National Economic Council, said in a statement.

‘Congress must do its job and keep the government open.’

A Treasury spokesperson said the Moody’s report delivered ‘further evidence that a shutdown could undercut our current economic momentum’ at a time when inflation and unemployment were both below 4 percent.

Moody’s said the economic impact of a shutdown would likely be limited and short-lived, with the most direct effect from lower government spending, and the negatives growing the longer the shutdown lasts.

Congress so far has failed to pass any spending bills to fund federal agency programs amid a Republican Party feud. The shutdown would not affect government debt payments. 

Earlier this year political feuding around lifting the US debt limit threatened to cause a US sovereign debt default.

Although the crisis was eventually resolved before any debt payments were missed, it was a major factor leading to Fitch’s downgrade last month.

‘In this environment of higher rates for longer and pressures building on the debt affordability front, it’s that much more important that fiscal policy can respond,’ said Foster, from Moody’s.

‘And it looks increasingly challenged because of things like the government shutdown and having come off the debt limit episode, because it’s such a polarized political dynamic in Washington,’ he said.

The Voice Australia’s top four revealed ahead of grand finale

By Caleb Taylor For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 09:13 EDT, 24 September 2023 | Updated: 09:16 EDT, 24 September 2023

Thrilling gang warfare drama Top Boy came to an explosive conclusion earlier this month after more than a decade – with Netflix and Canadian rapper Drake helping to see the series to a satisfying conclusion after it was dropped by Channel 4.

The show became one of Netflix’s most-viewed shows in the week that its third and final season post-renewal went out.

Viewers tuned in to see what became of Ashley Walters’ Dushane and Kane Robinson’s Sully as their warfare with other drug gangs in the fictional Summerhouse estate in Hackney, London, reached a dramatic climax.

But the show had humble beginnings on Channel 4 when it first aired in 2011 – and featured a number of actors who were relative unknowns at the time, and have since gone on to appear in huge Hollywood productions.

Michaela Coel, Letitia Wright and Benedict Wong are among the stars to have used Top Boy as a springboard to launch themselves into Marvel movies, while others have since starred in big dramas, Netflix films and other blockbusters. 

It bodes well for the breakout stars of the rebooted series such as Micheal Ward – some of whom are already picking up plaudits across the industry.

Michaela Coel 

The Ghanaian-British actress, 35, appeared in series two of the show in its Channel 4 era, as Kayla – a woman charged with killing her own boyfriend. 

Her 2013 appearance was brief – across just two episodes – but Coel went on to star in E4 sitcom Chewing Gum and Black Earth Rising before writing and starring in I May Destroy You – a powerful BBC drama about a woman seeking to rebuild her life after being raped on a night out that won BAFTAs and a Primetime Emmy.

She famously turned down $1million from Netflix for rights to the show after it refused to let her retain the ownership rights, and was named one of Time magazine’s most influential people. It noted: ‘You don’t just watch Michaela Coel shows; you experience them.’

She published a book, Misfits, based on her experiences of racism and misogyny, in 2021. And since then, she has appeared in Marvel blockbuster Black Panther: Wakanda Forever as Aneka, a member of the royal family’s bodyguards in the fictional African nation of Wakanda.

Letitia Wright

Letitia Wright, 29, appeared in the first series of Top Boy as Chantelle, a drug dealer on the Summerhouse estate. She left after the first series as her character goes to work for a rival gangster.

She also made other early career appearances in the likes of Casualty and Doctor Who – but came to the fore as the star of coming-of-age drama Urban Hymn, set against the backdrop of the 2011 London riots. 

An appearance in the Netflix reboot of Black Mirror was then followed by the role that many know her best for – as Shuri, the quick-witted inventor sister of superhero T’Chala in Marvel flick Black Panther. 

She made appearances in subsequent comic crossover films Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame – but she was unexpectedly thrust into the lead role of Black Panther sequel Wakanda Forever when star Chadwick Boseman died of cancer and Shuri was written into an expanded role.

Benedict Wong

Wong, 52, was a prolific actor before appearing on Top Boy – in radio and on stage, with a role in 2002 thriller Dirty Pretty Things. His profile grew as he appeared in sitcom 15 Storeys High opposite the late Sean Lock with guest appearances on programmes such as The Bill and comedies like The Peter Serafinowicz Show and The IT Crowd.

But it was after his role in Top Boy, as scheming rival drug dealer Vincent, that he was catapulted into stardom and became a fan favourite with Marvel moviegoers as Wong, the sardonic and deadly serious sorcerer who befriends Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange and helps him to master mystical powers.

Appearing in both seasons of the original Channel 4 programme, he recruited characters including Letitia Wright’s to run a cannabis farm.  

Around the same time, he began making appearances in big films like Johnny English: Reborn and Alien sci-fi prequel Prometheus. But it is his appearances as Wong in Doctor Strange, its sequel, and other interconnected Marvel films and TV shows that have brought him a huge new audience of adoring fans.

Micheal Ward 

The young actor first appeared in Top Boy in the rebooted Netflix series as Jamie – a fearsome rival gangster on the Summerhouse estate – in 2019, at the same time that he appeared in controversial crime drama Blue Story.

The film was at the centre of an incident in Birmingham in which police were attacked by a group armed with machetes; cinema chain Vue later said that 25 incidents of violence were reported in screenings on the first day.

However, Ward was praised for his performances in both Top Boy and the music-led gang film – the latter of which earned him a Rising Star BAFTA – and since then he has appeared opposite Colin Firth and Olivia Coleman in Sam Mendes’ racial drama Empire of Light, and worked with Steve McQueen on his BBC anthology series Small Axe.

Next year, he will appear in The Book of Clarence as part of a star-studded ensemble cast including the likes of David Oyelowo and James McAvoy, and will feature opposite Bill Nighy in sports drama The Beautiful Game.

Sharon Duncan-Brewster 

Duncan-Brewster, 47, was an established TV actor before appearing in Top Boy – appearing as central character Crystal in ITV prison drama Bad Girls, with parts in EastEnders as Trina as well as appearances on Holby City, Waking the Dead and Doctors.

But after appearing in Top Boy as Lisa, mum of central character Ra’Nell in seasons one and two, the actress has appeared in Sex Education, Star Wars prequel Rogue One and even the FIFA series of football games, where she appears as the mother of fictional footballer Alex Hunter as he dreams of making it big in the game.

But she has received high praise following her appearance in Denis Villeneuve’s rebooted Dune as scientist Liet-Kynes. Her performance in the sci-fi flick led to Vanity Fair branding her ‘Dune’s secret weapon’ that ‘brings (her role) to life’. 

This year, she has continued her intergalactic ascension with a voice role in Disney+ sci-fi series Star Wars: The Bad Batch.

Nicholas Pinnock

Pinnock, 50, had long established himself as a stage actor but prior to Top Boy had made only guest appearances in UK programmes such as Casualty, Doctors, EastEnders and Holby City.

But it was when he appeared as central character Leon in series one of Top Boy that his career found new energy. His reformed gangster spent his episodes trying to warn others off of a life of drug-dealing, with tragic consequences. He then went on to appear in The Ice Cream Girls on ITV.

In 2020, he starred in legal drama For Life, as a man who obtains a law degree behind bars while serving time for a crime he didn’t commit, which was produced by rapper Curtis ’50 Cent’ Jackson. Pinnock previously told Hollywood news website Gold Derby that Top Boy won him the role – because the musician was a fan.

He is currently appearing in Sky Atlantic series Django, a reimagining of the classic Italian spaghetti western from the 1960s.

Paul Anderson

Anderson, 44, appeared in Top Boy in 2013.as Mike, a psychotic would-be rival drug dealer to main character Dushane, fresh out of prison after committing armed robbery.

A year later, he starred in Troubles drama ’71 before appearing in The Revenant alongside Leonardo Di Caprio.

Now, he’s best known for starring opposite Cillian Murphy as his right-hand man, Arthur Shelby, in Peaky Blinders, and appeared in the modernised 2018 Hollywood retelling of Robin Hood.

Weruche Opia

Weruche Opia appeared in the second series of Top Boy as drug dealer Nafisa – before landing roles in hits like Bad Education and surreal BBC anthology series Inside No. 9.

These led to a leading role in Michaela Coel’s I May Destroy You as Terry, the best friend of Coel’s character Arabella, who tries to help her piece together the events of the night that she was raped. Opia has since appeared in Netflix film Slumberland, and appeared as herself in an episode of the most recent series of Black Mirror.

Opia has since distanced herself from her Top Boy role as well as her appearance on Bad Education, disparaging the parts as ‘stereotypical young black girl’ roles. She told The Observer in 2020: ‘I did it for a while – in [the TV series] Bad Education, in Top Boy – but then I made a conscious decision and told my team I didn’t want to do those roles any more.’

Saffron Hocking  

Up-and-coming actress Hocking, 31, appeared in the rebooted Netflix series of Top Boy as Lauryn, a pregnant mum-to-be who suffers domestic abuse before taking matters into her own hands. She has been nominated for a TV BAFTA for her role.

Prior to her role in the series, she appeared in Strangeways Here We Come – but since taking to the Netflix drama she has appeared in Marvel Disney+ series Moon Knight as well as Prime Video series Riches and The Devil’s Hour. 

She also appeared as the cover star on the digital edition of this month’s Cosmopolitan UK, speaking about how she has become an ambassador for domestic abuse charity Refuge after consulting the non-profit while researching for her Top Boy role.

Dating is a minefield – and a first date can often feel particularly incendiary, with those involved usually a bag of nerves, paranoid about saying or doing the wrong thing.

No one knows this better than relationship expert Jacob Lucas, 31. And he’s here to help.

The ‘Her Dating Coach’ author has more than 750,000 followers on his TikTok channel ‘jacoblucas101‘, and here shares his top tips for making sure a first date is fun, even if you don’t hit it off with your companion.

DURATION 

How long you spend with your date is ‘such an important part of the process’, according to Lucas, who believes three hours is ‘the perfect time to spend’ on a first date.

‘Three hours gives you enough time to get to know each other,’ he tells MailOnline Travel. 

‘And because the date isn’t too long, you will leave them wanting more, which is great when building attraction.’

The dating guru, from Wiltshire, warns that those who stay longer during the initial meeting ‘risk the date turning stale’, but if you leave too soon, your date may think you are not interested in them.

‘With the mix of dating nerves and excitement it’s easy to get tired quickly when dating because your social battery runs out faster than when you’re hanging out with friends,’ he says.

‘If you spend too long on a date, you may not come across as the best version of yourself, and it may harm your chances of getting a second date.

‘However, if the date is too short then it’s very hard to get to know each other. You need time to be able to invest in the conversation with the person you’re dating to see if you are both compatible.’

LOCATION

Lucas says keeping the date relaxed and casual is key to combatting any first-date nerves.

The dating whizz recommends a coffee shop or a cocktail bar for the first meeting, which he says offer the ‘best of both worlds’ whether your date goes well or not.

‘These types of dates are great because if you don’t like the person, you will only have to endure the time it takes for you to have one drink and then you can leave in a polite manner,’ he says.

‘However, if you like that person and want to continue getting to know them then you can order another drink and go for a nice walk after your coffee. Best of both worlds.’

Another key tip from Lucas is to ‘always remember to go somewhere public’.

He adds: ‘It’s much safer and sets the right tone for you to get to know each other without it feeling too intimate too soon.’

Places to avoid on a first date? The cinema, Lucas says, because ‘you will both be focused on the film and not each other and it makes it difficult to talk’.

This is also the case for high-energy, activity-based dates, he suggests, which should be saved for a third date ‘when you know each other more and can be more playful’. 

He adds: ‘A first date is about the basics and you need a calming, moderate activity.

‘I also recommend avoiding double dates for a first date.

‘Double dates can be fantastic later down the line but on the first date it can be hard to get to know someone when there are four people in the conversation and makes it a bit too casual.’

CONVERSATION

‘A simple way to keep a conversation flowing is by asking open-ended questions and to avoid asking “yes or no” questions,’ Lucas says.

‘This creates a conversation that can move in many different directions.’

If you are asked a question then ‘answer it’, he assures, adding: ‘When you feel like you have said your part, ask them a question in return that links back to them about what you have just said.’

Sharing another top tip, Lucas suggests ‘falling back on your strengths and passions’ if you feel like there could be an awkward silence.

‘For example, if you love travelling talk about that,’ he continues. ‘Talking about something with passion is contagious and it should inspire them to talk about their interests as well.’

HOW TO END IT 

Almost half of Britons who are actively dating feel more confident and relaxed on a date if they’ve set a deadline and known when and how they’ll make their exit, according to research commissioned by Uber. 

Almost three-quarters of daters (73 per cent) worry about the awkward goodbye at the end of a date and three in five (61 per cent) wish they had a reason to leave, the findings show.

With this in mind, Lucas recommends pre-booking a ride home before your date as ‘a perfect way to end a date without feeling awkward’.

He says: ‘Let’s say you have booked a ride home for 9pm, then once the time comes you can leave the date in a way that doesn’t feel awkward, because you have a real reason to leave, and don’t need an excuse.’

The relationship expert says having your taxi home pre-arranged with a service like Uber Reserve not only ensures you get home safely but can also make you ‘feel more confident about your date because you will feel in control and not have to worry about what time you’re leaving’.

The service, which can be ordered via the Uber app, provides scheduled rides up to 90 days in advance with added benefits such as upfront driver assignment, early arrival, a longer 15-minute wait time, and an on-time pickup guarantee.

HOW TO END IT EARLY

If you feel your date is not going well, ‘the number one rule is to leave with good manners’, Lucas says.

‘Sometimes people just don’t have a connection and that’s okay,’ he adds. ‘However, if someone is rude to you, it doesn’t mean you need to stoop down to their level.

‘Keep it polite and classy and know that you’ve done your part.’

Lucas suggests saying you have lots of work to do when giving your reasons for leaving a date early.

‘Not many people will complain about this, because they will have also had moments when they’ve been overwhelmed with work themselves,’ he says.

‘Plus, it’s polite because you aren’t saying anything negative to or about them.’

Another way of drawing things to a close is by saying you have a lift home ‘that you have pre-arranged because you have a busy schedule’, the expert says, adding: ‘Again, your date should be understanding of this, and you won’t come across as rude but just a busy person instead.’

One of the world’s top hormone experts has been suspended for four months after she was granted illicit access to the confidential medical records of more than 100 patients held by a competitor.

Dr Marion Gluck, 73, known globally for her pioneering treatment of hormonal imbalances, asked another doctor for the sensitive log-in information ‘as a favour’ so she could get access to a restricted area of the competitor’s website.

As a result, staff at the London Specialist Pharmacy (LSP) were twice able to access private details held by arch-rival Roseway Labs before Roseway’s chief executive Elizabeth Philp discovered the data breach in 2022.

Gluck and her former colleague, Harley Street doctor Anu Arasu, 41, who shared the log-in details, were subsequently reported to the General Medical Council.

Dr Gluck is renowned for her use of natural bioidentical hormones dedicated to hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and has treated an estimated 14,000 patients since setting up her clinic in London ten years ago. 

She founded the first UK clinic to offer bioidentical HRT – which is used to relieve symptoms of the menopause – in 2007, after training to be a doctor more than 30 years ago in Hamburg. 

At the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service, Gluck was suspended from medical practice for four months while Arasu, from Bermondsey, South London, was suspended for two months after both were found guilty of serious misconduct. 

Inquiries revealed that Arasu, who accessed prescription HRT drugs for her patients from both firms, had shared her log-in details to Roseway with LSP as 73-year old Dr Gluck was her ‘mentor and friend’. 

Arasu claimed she had been ‘used’ by Dr Gluck and had made an ‘automatic assumption that what she was being asked was OK’.  

She claimed it felt as if Dr Gluck, whom she ‘trusted’, was ‘asking a simple favour’.

Arasu has since had to write letters of apology to all 104 patients affected by the data leak.

Dr Gluck denied personally accessing the details.

However, she accepted that she ‘facilitated’ the use the log in address for her staff, claiming it was to study the format of Roseway’s website.

Her chief pharmacist at LSP is now facing disciplinary action by the General Pharmaceutical Council over the data leak.

Arasu, who is qualified in obstetrics, gynaecology, child health, and sexual and reproductive medicine, began working for Dr Gluck in November 2014 before forming her own practice, London Bioidentical Hormones, in Harley Street in 2016.

Trouble began after LSP’s former general manager, Miss Philp, and another senior pharmacist left the firm in 2017 to found their own compounding pharmacy Roseway the following year. 

Initially Dr Arasu’s patients were only able to have prescriptions dispensed by LSP, but later had the option to use Roseway and a third compounding pharmacy.

However, in November 2020 Arasu shared her confidential log-in details for Roseway’s online portal, ‘eRoseway’ with Dr Gluck, which gave her access to names, dates of birth, addresses, all prescriptions and past orders for Roseway’s patients.

In December the following year she provided her eRoseway log-in details again – this time to a person working for Dr Gluck known only as ‘Mr D’.

In a statement Arasu said of Gluck: ‘She was a senior doctor whom I knew, respected and looked up to and had often turned to for advice, and this presented a powerful cognitive bias that made me lose sight of my own power.

‘I did not seek out contrary evidence, stand back and engage in critical thinking or use a systematic decision-making framework. I did not look at the situation from a broader perspective and did not consider all the ramifications on everyone that could potentially be involved.

‘I think I did feel some discomfort on sending the email but I suppressed my discomfort and I made the assumption that what was being asked of me was OK. 

‘I overlooked the issue that this would constitute a data breach. I was totally ignorant of the corporate significance of my actions, due to very limited exposure, due to trust in my professional colleagues and due to a lack of diverse perspectives.

‘In short I did not think independently and I failed to consider the option of saying “No”.’

Gluck accepted she had obtained the eRoseway log-in details from Arasu and forwarded them to colleagues at a meeting on a piece of paper but insisted she had never used them and was preparing a meal when discussions about the Roseway portal was taking place. 

She insisted the primary purpose of getting the log-in details was in order to ‘test the functionality of the LSP portal in comparison with that of eRoseway’. 

Robin Kitching, counsel for the GMC, said Gluck had ‘grudgingly offered half-hearted apologies to Roseway’, adding: ‘Dr Gluck personally used the log-in to eRoseway in order to access confidential information relating to Roseway and in order to access confidential patient information.

‘It strains credulity for Dr Gluck to say that she had never looked at Roseway’s portal. 

‘She is a successful businesswoman as well as a successful doctor, and her IT skills, albeit limited, were sufficient to access and to use the relevant information.

‘We also do not accept that Dr Arasu had given no thought to the propriety of giving her eRoseway log-in details to LSP. 

‘She must have been aware at the time she handed over her log-in details to a business competitor of Roseway that she should not have been doing so, even though she may not have considered all of the possible ramifications.’

Ranald Davidson, representing Gluck, said his client denied ‘pressurising or deceiving’ Arasu into forwarding her log-in details to eRoseway.

He added: ‘There was no intention, on her part, to obtain information with a view to scrutinising patient records or to breach patient confidentiality. Dr Gluck was unaware of the significance of her request and the success of her business cannot be taken as evidence of any sinister or premeditated motive on Dr Gluck’s part.

‘There was no evidence she used the log-in details herself. Her conduct was a one-off incident of naivety.’

Arasu’s lawyer Lee Gledhill said of Dr Gluck: ‘She was a mentor to Dr Arasu, and this relationship made a softening of the margins understandable. 

‘Dr Arasu was unaware that anyone would look further at the Roseway portal and she has written to all of the patients whose details had been shared and apologised to each of them. This had been a salutary lesson which she has learned the hard way.’

In its determination, MPTS chairman Peter Scofield said of Gluck: ‘Her unauthorised use of a rival company’s portal, made in order to gain a commercial advantage in the improvement of her own company’s site, together with the unauthorised disclosure – whether intended or not – of confidential patient information has brought the reputation of the medical profession into disrepute.

‘The Tribunal bore in mind and accepted Dr Arasu’s evidence that Dr Gluck was a former employer of a senior and respected doctor, and that she remained both a personal friend and mentor.

‘The provision of the log-in details by Dr Arasu followed a request and the Tribunal recognised a power imbalance between them. It accepted, in those circumstances, that it might have been difficult for Dr Arasu to refuse this request for the Roseway log-in details.’

Top Boy’s Adwoa Aboah stuns in a scarlet latex dress while on-screen girlfriend Jasmine Jobson wows in plunging blue jumpsuit at the Perfect Magazine x Valentino LFW party

By Summer Goodkind For Mailonline

Published: 08:51 EDT, 19 September 2023 | Updated: 08:53 EDT, 19 September 2023

• Two-footed challenge by player in Honduran Liga Nacional injures two players
• Andre Orellana was shown a straight red card against parent club Olimpia
• Listen to the latest episode of Mail Sport’s podcast It’s All Kicking Off!

By Dan Evans For Mailonline

Published: 08:43 EDT, 18 September 2023 | Updated: 09:35 EDT, 18 September 2023

The Biden administration has been blasted over plans to send out a letter to major news organizations demanding they probe the ‘lies’ of the House GOP’s impeachment inquiry.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced an official impeachment inquiry on Tuesday over allegations of corruption and involvement in son Hunter’s business dealings, setting off fiery reactions from Democrats.

Ian Sams, a special assistant to the president and senior advisor to the White House Counsel’s Office, penned a letter to both conservative and liberal-leaning outlets, slated to be distributed Wednesday in an apparent attempt to influence their coverage. Among outlets targeted are CNN, the New York Times, the Associated Press and Fox news.

‘It’s time for the media to ramp up its scrutiny of House Republicans for opening an impeachment inquiry based on lies,’ Sams wrote.

Sams added the impeachment inquiry should ‘set off alarm bells for news organizations,’ but commentators both left and ring-wing have condemned the interference. 

Journalist Matthew Keys tweeted: ‘This is not okay. The White House should not be encouraging, influencing or interfering in the editorial strategies of America’s newsrooms, including CNN and the New York Times. 

Keys added: ‘The media is not the problem. The bigger problem, at the moment, is what the White House is apparently planning to do, if Oliver Darcy’s reporting is correct (I have no doubt it is). 

‘And that is the kind of short-sighted move that gets Donald Trump re-elected next year.’ He was referring to CNN’s media reporter Oliver Darcy, who first broke news of the letter. 

The White House is demanding the news media avoid what Sams and the Bidens believe is false equivalency reporting. 

‘Covering impeachment as a process story – Republicans say X, but the White House says Y – is a disservice to the American public who relies on the independent press to hold those in power accountable,’ Sams wrote. 

He describes the Republican Party as full of ‘every day liars and hucksters’ who ‘peddle disinformation and lies everywhere from Facebook to Fox. 

Sams calls them ‘process stories that fail to unpack the illegitimacy of the claims on which House Republicans are basing all their actions only serve to generate confusion, put false premises in people’s feeds, and obscure the truth.’

The letter is going to be sent out to high-level executives at CNN, the New York Times, Fox News, the Associated Press and CBS News, among others, according to CNN. 

Sams – who worked on Biden’s transition team and has previously worked for the campaigns of Kamala Harris and Hillary Clinton – was heavily critical of the impeachment inquiry in a tweet posted earlier Tuesday, calling it ‘extreme politics at its worst.’   

‘House Republicans have been investigating the President for nine months, and they’ve turned up no evidence of wrongdoing,’ he wrote. 

He added Kevin McCarthy’s ‘own GOP members have said so. He vowed to hold a vote to open impeachment, now he flip-flopped because he doesn’t have support.’ 

McCarthy officially announced he will begin an impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden in a shock statement accusing the president of an ‘abuse of power and being involved in a ‘culture of corruption’ over son Hunter’s foreign business deals. 

‘House Republicans have uncovered serious and credible allegations into President Biden’s conduct,’ McCarthy said, speaking at the Capitol. ‘Taken together these allegations paint a picture of a culture of corruption.’

‘These are allegations of abuse of power, obstruction and corruption. And they warrant further investigation by the House of Representatives. That’s why today I am directing our House committee to open a formal impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden,’ he noted.

‘This logical next step will give our committees, the full power to gather all the facts and answers for the American public. That’s exactly what we want to know the answers.’

Republicans have charged Biden and his family made millions off shell companies Hunter Biden formed when his father was vice president. Hunter had business deals with an energy company in the Ukraine, received a discounted stake in a private-equity firm in China, and did consulting for a Romanian real-estate magnate.

The president has denied any involvement in his son’s business dealings. But Republicans claim at least a dozen Biden family members could be involved in a scheme to benefit financially from Biden’s public office. 

House investigators are expected to issue subpoenas for the bank records of the president and his family. The GOP also claim Biden sat in on at least 24 calls with Hunter’s business partners and was referred to as ‘the big guy’ by Hunter’s business associates. And they say Joe Biden used pseudonyms to discuss his activities related to Ukraine with his son Hunter during his time as vice president.

An inquiry is the first step in the impeachment process. It is when evidence is gathered for the articles, or charges, of impeachment against an official. 

It is a massive step with many pitfalls, including infuriating Republican moderates and many GOP senators, who are skeptical of the issue and causing friction with the White House as budget negotiations are underway. Congress faces a September 30 deadline to fund the government or it will shut down.

McCarthy, however, is under intense pressure from the conservative wing of his party to make such a move, including threats from some of his own GOP lawmakers to remove him from the speakership.

The White House has repeatedly denied Biden has conducted any wrongdoing. The president himself has said he was not involved with any of Hunter’s business deals. 

Again and again, it has been the rubber ball of BBC programmes, always bouncing back. Top Gear has long survived turbulence which would have instantly killed off other, less lucrative shows. Richard Hammond‘s 2006 car crash which left him in a coma for two weeks – and the subsequent Health and Safety Executive report which criticised the BBC for having a ‘gung ho’ attitude towards safety – if anything, only added to its blokey kudos.

Even losing its mighty presenters Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Hammond to Amazon after Clarkson had a fight with a BBC producer in 2015 didn’t spell its demise. The disastrous reboot – who can forget the awkward Chris Evans/Matt LeBlanc pairing – may have hit a ratings low, but it didn’t extinguish the BBC’s loyalty to its golden goose.

That looks very different today, however. The Mail on Sunday has been told by multiple sources that the overwhelming likelihood is Top Gear will not – and cannot – come back for another series. We can also reveal its production team has been quietly dismantled.

BBC sources confirm there is no development of a new series and no plans to broadcast any of series 34, which had been part-filmed.

Why? This seemingly sudden turnaround is explained with just one glance at the pictures of Top Gear host and former England cricketer Freddie Flintoff, seen in public last week for the first time since December 13, 2022, when a car he was driving for one of the show’s stunts crashed, with disastrous consequences. At Dunsfold aerodrome in Surrey, home of the programme’s test track, and in icy conditions, Flintoff, 45, was driving a three-wheeled Morgan Super 3, a novelty miniature vehicle with no roof or airbag. It flipped over at speed, sliding across the track, dragging his face along the asphalt with it.

Some reports suggest Flintoff wasn’t wearing a safety helmet but a co-driver was. One source said Flintoff’s final words before the smash were: ‘Do I need a helmet?’

Neither he nor the BBC will comment on this. It’s also been said that nobody at Dunsfold was able to find a stretcher for him.

Flintoff suffered serious facial injuries and several broken ribs and waited 45 agonising minutes for an air ambulance. Some staff who witnessed the crash and its aftermath were said to have required counselling.

He spent four hours on the operating table and his son Corey, 17, later said his father was ‘lucky to be alive’. His wife Rachael hurried to Surrey from the family’s Cheshire home to be at his side and was told to expect the worst.

Nine months of silence followed until he emerged at Cardiff on September 8 to watch England’s opening one-day game against New Zealand. This week he took training sessions at The Oval and Lord’s before further one-dayers in the series, which insiders believe could herald his full-time return to the sport.

The physical aftermath of the accident was sadly evident, with scarring from his nose to chin, suggesting multiple reconstructive surgeries, while the right side of his face suggests signs of nerve damage. Gauze covered his nose, grazes on his face were still fresh.

As to the psychological toll, that’s also said to be great. Some formerly close friends of Flintoff – beloved across the world for his sense of humour and fun-loving nature – said they were kept at arm’s length for months after the crash as he concentrated on his recovery, supported by close family only.

Neither his representatives nor his legal team will make any comment on his injuries and recovery.

Relaunching a light entertainment show, then, which has so maimed a sporting hero would require an imperviousness to criticism, and personal callousness, both of which are alien to BBC boss Charlotte Moore.

More significant, perhaps, is the liability of the BBC for the accident. BBC sources suggest there is no ongoing legal action from Flintoff’s side and there is nothing lodged from him or his companies at the High Court. Why? This could indicate that the BBC has already quietly paid Flintoff compensation.

Relations between Flintoff and the BBC are said to be ‘cordial’ and there have been ‘constructive discussions’ – all pointing towards BBC bosses being keen to draw a line under the debacle, at whatever cost. The Mail on Sunday can also reveal Flintoff is understood to have co-operated with two separate reviews by the BBC, one having concluded and another ongoing. So how much have they paid him? Judicial college guidelines suggest ‘very serious facial fractures with permanent effects’ may attract compensation of up to £45,000.

Damage to his broadcasting career, on which it seems he has now turned his back, would be a more substantial sum. He and co-presenter Paddy McGuinness were on deals worth around £500,000 a year for Top Gear and he will have earned a similar amount from his regular appearances on panel show A League Of Their Own. Flintoff’s company has around £7million in its accounts, earned from his ventures into TV thus far.

One thing is certain: the amount paid will be substantial – millions of pounds – and the BBC will hope to make a claim against insurance to cover it; hence their first, rapid, investigation, which seems to have cleared them of negligence. The Health and Safety Executive also made initial inquiries but decided that it did not meet the threshold for further investigation.

After their first investigation ended, the BBC said: ‘BBC Studios has concluded its investigation into the accident which regrettably injured Freddie. We have sincerely apologised and will continue to support him with his recovery.’

The BBC never released the results of that investigation, and seem unlikely to do so.

Their second investigation, then, could be seen as a helpful tool to quietly explain killing off the show, officially closing this painful chapter. This investigation is said to be more far-reaching, a ‘wider review’ sponsored by the BBC and conducted by an external third party which the BBC decline to name.

Sources say the reviewer is talking to a ‘broad group of people who have been involved in making Top Gear over the last several years’.

Clearly, it is not just looking at that day last December but at the culture, scope and format of the show, which was officially put ‘on hold’ in March. Whether it can, or should, continue is the ostensible question it ‘seeks’ to answer. It’s possible it will recommend that only professional racing drivers and not amateur presenters take part in the dangerous stunts if – and that’s a very big if – the BBC wanted to bring Top Gear back.

Many think such a recommendation would effectively smother the show, providing a helpful ‘box tick’ against any possibility of its return, which would no doubt relieve a concerned BBC management.

Regardless of what the report says, the days of Flintoff’s debut Top Gear series in 2019 are unrepeatable. Back then he bungee-jumped off a 540ft dam in a Metro car, crashed a Subaru, flipped and rolled a rally car in which his co-hosts were passengers, and came off the track while riding a bespoke trike at 124mph.

These kinds of dangerous stunts were dreamed up by an executive layer which was well used to prangs and smashes, some say fuelled by a macho one-upmanship.

As executive producer Alex Renton mused in 2021: ‘The challenge now is how to top a car bungee jump in how to scare Freddie.’

Today, though, such challenges would be verboten. The team which had recently moved production down to BBC Bristol is quietly being dismantled.

Top Gear’s editorial director Clare Pizey – in charge of reinventing the show after Clarkson, Hammond and May departed – quit her job at BBC studios three weeks ago while the investigation rumbled on.

Paddy McGuinness, 50, said: ‘This lady kept all us naughty boys in check on @topgear. Gutted you’re leaving us @clarepizey.’

A few weeks previously, Chris Payne, the development producer in charge of all the show’s big ‘challenge films’, also quit to take up a job with Gordon Ramsay’s outfit Studio Ramsay.

As well as this, McGuinness apparently feels it wrong to return to the show without Flintoff. Richard Hammond’s take on the show’s future earlier this year was that viewers tune in for the jeopardy, which is a part of the entertainment. ‘Pratfalls and somebody else hurting themselves, hopefully not too badly, is one of the oldest forms of humour, isn’t it?’ he said.

He added: ‘If you’re taking risks, you have to mitigate everywhere against those risks. But also we’ve all got to remember, just because we’re on TV doesn’t mean we’re in some sort of magic protected bubble. Real world things still apply.’

Former England bowler Steve Harmison, one of Flintoff’s closest friends, said last week: ‘The first time I saw him after the accident, I was in tears. But there was also a lump in my throat when I saw the big fella back at The Oval.

‘He went off and did something else after cricket and I could understand that but the problem cricket had is what [Freddie] went into next paid him a hell of a lot of money and it was hard to get him back. But if you think about the knowledge he has, he will be a great addition to anything England want to involve him in.’

It was announced last week that Flintoff will make one more show for the BBC this year (a second series of Field Of Dreams, in which he mentors under-privileged Lancashire youngsters to turn them into cricketers), but his TV days are effectively done. Field Of Dreams is a passion project, more about sport than showbusiness.

Flintoff’s fans will be pleased to note one bright spot. Back at The Oval this week, onlookers noted Flintoff was smiling. Fit enough to cope with the fast bowling of current England stars, he greeted them warmly, embracing some, that smile never leaving his face.

Cricket, then, his old friend, could be the comfort he so sorely needs as he adjusts to a new life ahead.

The NHS is ‘not sufficiently resilient’ to look after patients this winter, a top doctor has warned.

Dr Adrian Boyle, Royal College of Emergency Medicine president, fears the health service could face a similar situation to last winter, described as one of the worst on record.

His comments come as Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Steve Barclay met with health leaders and charities in Downing Street to discuss how to keep the NHS running smoothly.

Doctors expect an influx of Covid cases, flu and other respiratory illnesses over the coming months.

Dr Boyle, who attended the meeting at No 10, said: ‘We remain concerned about how we’re going to be able to look after our patients this winter.

‘We still have far too many patients spending too long, waiting to be admitted into hospital. This will inevitably cause problems with ambulance handovers and also the problems with people being looked after in corridors last winter.

‘(Last winter) was extremely difficult and in terms of objective measures, it was the worst we ever saw.’

Asked if the NHS could see a repeat this winter, he said: ‘It is certainly a possibility. We still think our system is fragile and not sufficiently resilient to avoid a similar situation next winter.’

Dr Boyle said he would call for urgent action to tackle the numbers waiting for more than 12 hours in A&E. The figure in England was 23,934 in July, down 10 per cent from 26,531 in June. It hit a record 54,573 in December 2022.

The RCEM is calling for more to be done to vaccinate frontline health workers against flu and Covid.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, the Prime Minister said: ‘This year we started planning for winter earlier than before. We invested in more beds, ambulances and discharge lounges through our Urgent and Emergency Care Recovery Plan, and we’re freeing up 15 million GP appointments through our Primary Care Recovery Plan.

‘To drive forward that progress, today we’re bringing together the best minds in healthcare who all have one shared aim – protecting patients and making sure they get the care they need this winter.’

Mr Barclay added: ‘Winter is always an extremely busy period and we’re working across the NHS to make services more resilient, ensuring those who most need help and support will get the care they need.

‘I’m working closely with NHS and social care leaders to provide additional hospital capacity, protect emergency care and harness the full potential of technology to deliver the best possible service and intensify our efforts to tackle waiting lists.’

Earlier this year, NHS England announced plans for cash incentives for hospitals who ‘over-achieve’ on performance measures such as waiting times.

It also announced plans to introduce social care ‘traffic control centres’ to help speed up hospital discharges so patients could be shipped out of hospitals when they no longer needed to be there.

Other plans include having more ambulances on the road, extra beds in hospitals and ramping up the use of ‘acute respiratory hubs’.

Sarah-Jane Marsh, NHS England’s national director of urgent and emergency care, said: ‘The forthcoming winter will be another challenging one for health and social care, which is why teams across the NHS have been planning for this busy period since the start of summer, including getting more ambulances on the road and putting more hospital and virtual ward beds in place.’

Around three-quarters of patients in England were seen within four hours in A&Es in July. The figure hit a record low of 65 per cent in December.

The NHS recovery plan has set a target of March 2024 for 76 per cent of patients attending A&E to be admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours.

Meanwhile, a record 7.6 million people are waiting for treatment in England.