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When CBS News booked Donald Trump for its flagship 60 Minutes programme this weekend, it surely must have been expecting a combative interview.
Trump would have just attended the White House correspondents’ dinner for the first time in either of his presidencies, and for the first time since 2011, when then-president Barack Obama infamously made Trump the butt of one of his jokes in his speech at the dinner – a quip which it has been suggested fuelled the real estate mogul’s run for the presidency a few years later.
There were high expectations for Trump’s return to the dinner, then. His speech was expected to be a chance for him to berate his media enemies while they had to sit in front of him and listen in silence.
Shorts – Quick stories Scroll to previous short Scroll to next short Polanski backs Rayner or Burnham to replace Starmer Healthy life expectancy falls by two years in past decade Michael breaks records with $217m opening – despite reviews 1 2 3 POLITICS Polanski backs Starmer rivals to take over Green Party leader Zack Polanski (Photo: James Manning / PA)
Zack Polanski, leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, has said he would much rather see left-leaning figures like Angela Rayner or Andy Burnham leading the rival party than Sir Keir Starmer. 1 2 3 What did he say? Polanski told Sky News: “It is no secret that Burnham and Rayner would be much closer to my politics”. Caption: LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 23: Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks as he visit Kenton United Synagogue, which was recently the target of an attempted arson, on April 23, 2026 in the Kenton district of London, England. A 17-year-old boy pleaded guilty to trying to set fire to the building last weekend by throwing a bottle containing a type of accelerant through the synagogue’s window, causing minor damage. The prime minister visited the synagogue to meet with local leaders and “pledge his unwavering commitment to stand with the Jewish community and root out antisemitism.” (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
Former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner described the proposed changes as ‘un-British’ (Photo: Phil Noble/AFP)
He suggested that under different leadership, he could reassess a potential election pact. However, he caveated that he did have “reservations about their policies”. Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham (Photo: James Speakman/PA Wire) 1 2 3 Anyone but Starmer The Green Party leader admitted he would prefer a Government led by one of the more progessive Labour politicians.
“I do think it’d be a significant improvement to remove Starmer and make sure that the party as leaning more towards the left,” he said.
He added he wants to see an end to “rip-off Britain”. 1 2 3 4 Number of years Brits that can expect good
health is declining Over the past decade, the
amount of time we are expected
to remain healthy for has fallen
warning the country is “going backwards”. Caption: Deputy manager Kuldeep Singh speaks to an elderly resident at Applegarth Care Home, as the care sector braces for crisis over the British government’s plans to reduce migration numbers, in Maidenhead, Britain, March 11, 2026. REUTERS/Isabel Infantes
Read more 1 2 3 4 The story in numbers 73% The proportion of life a woman spends in good health declined from 77 per cent to 73 per cent between 2012 and 2014.
For men, it declined from 79 per cent to 77 per cent.
51 years In Blackpool, the healthy life expectancy (HLE) was just 51 years old for men.
Women in Hartlepool had the same shockingly low HLE. 1 2 3 4 British health is getting worse Unlike other comparable countries seeing steady improvement, the Health Foundation’s research found the British population’s health is poor and worsening.
In more than 90 per cent of the UK, the HLE was now lower than the state pension age, the study found. Caption: Deputy manager Kuldeep Singh holds the hand of an elderly resident at Applegarth Care Home, as the care sector braces for crisis over the British government’s plans to reduce migration numbers, in Maidenhead, Britain, March 11, 2026. REUTERS/Isabel Infantes
LIFESTYLE At 68, my good health isn't down to expensive supplements – it's something more achievable 7 min read 1 2 3 4 Experts ring alarm bells These findings reveal a stark truth – the UK’s health is going backwards. The lights on the dashboard are flashing red. More people than ever before are living with chronic health conditions. Dr JENNIFER DIXON, HEALTH FOUNDATION’S CHIEF EXECUTIVE Caption: Maribel Ezcurra, 77, a retired milling machine mechanic, practices tai chi with fellow seniors in a park in the Playa neighborhood of Havana, Cuba, Wednesday, April 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
1 2 3 4 Caption: Undated film still from Michael. Pictured: Jaafar Jackson as Michael Jackson on the set of the thriller video. See PA Feature SHOWBIZ Film Reviews. WARNING: This picture must only be used to accompany PA Feature SHOWBIZ Film Reviews. PA Photo. Picture credit should read: Lionsgate/Glen Wilson. All Rights Reserved. NOTE TO EDITORS: This picture must only be used to accompany PA Feature SHOWBIZ Film Reviews.
Photographer: Lionsgate/Glen Wilson. All Rights Reserved.
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FILM Michael smashes box office records
Audiences were undeterred by widespread critical panning, turning out in their droves for the opening weekend of the controversial Michael Jackson biopic.
This comes seven years after Leaving Neverland, the documentary about Jackson’s alleged sexual abuse of children. 1 2 3 4 Audiences defy critical consensus Michael shattered the box office record for a biopic opening weekend.
Worldwide, it raked in $217m (£160m).
But critics uniformly criticised the film for misrepresenting his controversial life and legacy. FILM The Michael Jackson biopic is repellent 5 min read 1 2 3 4 It’s a family affair The singer’s nephew, Jaafar Jackson, plays the titular role alongside Colman Domingo as his father, Joe.
Despite recent high-profile allegations of child sexual abuse, Jackson’s popularity endures. Caption: This image released by Lionsgate shows, from left, Judah Edwards as Young Tito, Jaylen Hunter as Young Marlon, Juliano Krue Valdi as Young MJ, Nathaniel McIntyre as Young Jackie and Jayden Harville as Young Jermain in a scene from “Michael.” (Glen Wilson/Lionsgate via AP)
Caption: HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 20: (L-R) Colman Domingo and Jaafar Jackson attend the premiere of Lionsgate’s “Michael” at Dolby Theatre on April 20, 2026 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/WireImage)
1 2 3 4 A ‘wildly incendiary’ adaptation Caption: BERLIN, GERMANY – APRIL 11: Jaafar Jackson speaks onstage during the ???Bringing MICHAEL to the Screen” panel at the “Michael” Global Fan Celebration at Uber Eats Music Hall on April 11, 2026 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Andreas Rentz/Getty Images for Universal Pictures)
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The i Paper‘s film critic, Francesca Steele, argued the flick should never have been made. Steele’s review characterised the film as an obvious attempt to rehabilitate the star’s reputation. Caption: This image released by Lionsgate shows Colman Domingo as Joe Jackson in a scene from “Michael.” (Glen Wilson/Lionsgate via AP)
Caption: Undated film still from Michael. Pictured: Jaafar Jackson as Michael Jackson. See PA Feature SHOWBIZ Film Reviews. WARNING: This picture must only be used to accompany PA Feature SHOWBIZ Film Reviews. PA Photo. Picture credit should read: Lionsgate/Kevin Mazur. All Rights Reserved. NOTE TO EDITORS: This picture must only be used to accompany PA Feature SHOWBIZ Film Reviews.
Photographer: Lionsgate/Kevin Mazur. All Rights Reserved.
Provider: Lionsgate/Kevin Mazur. All Rights Reserved
She added that the film was not only “misrepresentative” but also “wildly incendiary”.
The show might have had the chance to tackle Trump on that, and his aggressive use of the powers of his office against the media, including appointing a chair of the Federal Communications Commission who has repeatedly threatened channels with regulatory action over their supposed bias against Trump, as well as lawsuits against several newspapers and TV networks – including CBS.
Instead, 60 Minutes had the first set-piece interview with the President since the third attempt on his life in the past two years, after a suspect was detained with weapons at a security checkpoint inside the Hilton Hotel in Washington DC.
Once again, Trump was surprisingly sanguine about someone wanting to kill him, and a gunman getting relatively close to him during a public appearance. He seems to take potential assassination attempts as a compliment, remarking in the aftermath of the attack that people only tried to kill the most “impactful” presidents.
Trump appeared relaxed when describing the shooting to 60 Minutes’ correspondent Norah O’Donnell. “I wasn’t worried, I understand life. We live in a crazy world,” he said, adding that he had been more curious than alarmed by the commotion as the suspected assailant was detained near the hotel ballroom.
Perhaps after surviving a much nearer miss when he came under fire at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania in July 2024, and later being targeted by a would-be assassin on his Florida golf course, Trump is simply unfazed. After all, he claimed divine providence had saved him when a bullet grazed his ear in Pennsylvania.
Donald Trump beside the First Lady and CBS News senior White House correspondent Weijia Jiang at the White House correspondents’ dinner. The network had booked an post-event interview slot with the President weeks in advance (Photo: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)
That relaxed Trump disappeared in a heartbeat, though, when O’Donnell gently probed the President over the contents of a manifesto believed to have been penned by the suspect behind the attack, which read: “I am no longer willing to permit a paedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes.”
O’Donnell read out the manifesto – which had been cited widely in pro-Trump media to suggest the attacker may have been radicalised by the media, or by Democrats – provoking a furious reaction from a President, who then remained irritable for the rest of the interview. “You’re horrible people,” he said. “I’m not a rapist. I didn’t rape anybody…I’m not a paedophile. You read that crap from some sick person?”
A visibly rattled Trump later called O’Donnell “disgraceful” and told her that “you should be ashamed of yourself reading that because I’m not any of those things”.
In reality, O’Donnell barely pressed Trump on any of these points. A New York court held in a 2023 civil case that Trump had sexually abused the writer E Jean Carroll. He was caught on camera boasting about grabbing girls “by the pussy”. There is a long trail of documentary evidence detailing Trump’s enduring and close friendship with Jeffrey Epstein – including that some of Epstein’s victims were recruited from the President’s Mar-a-Lago country club.
60 Minutes’ parent company, CBS News, was recently bought out by Trump allies Larry and David Ellison, who installed a new, friendlier to Trump editor-in-chief in the form of Bari Weiss. But the interview showed just how hard it is to please Trump in 2026 – the mere act of reading the manifesto and asking Trump to respond to it was enough to set off a temper tantrum from the most powerful man in the West.
Trump might have shown that he doesn’t fear assassins, but he showed us his weaknesses at the same time. He is still all too aware that Epstein could bring down his voting coalition, and he is too angry and thin-skinned to respond to it with anything other than irritation, peevishness or fury.
The President surrounds himself with sycophants, who flatter him and make sure he only sees the news they want him to see. Trump is so used to being cossetted that he can no longer handle even the softest of pushbacks.
He knows that his links to Epstein have caused him unprecedented harm within the Maga ecosystem, now compounded by controversy over his actions in Iran. He wants his critics silenced.