Category: News

What a mom thing to do! The identity of the father of Mae Whitman‘s baby, Miles, has been revealed by none other than the actress’ onscreen mom, Lauren Graham.

Graham accidentally let it slip while sitting down with Dax Shepard on his podcast, Armchair Expert, on Monday. The duo were talking about her longtime friendship with Whitman — the two played a mother-daughter pair on Parenthood for all six seasons of the show — when Graham made the reveal.

“I’m trying to think the last time [I saw her],” Graham said of Whitman. “They’re in New York now. Carlos, her baby daddy, is on Broadway in Hadestown, which I feel happy to plug because he’s fantastic in it, Carlos Valdes.”

“He’s really great,” Graham said of Valdes. “And so they’re in New York for the next while and then she got this job in Ireland. So she’s in Ireland with the baby.”

Reps for Graham, Whitman, and Valdes did not immediately respond to Entertainment Weekly‘s request for comment.

Valdes and Whitman starred in the short-lived Hulu series Up Here together as love interests. According to PEOPLE, though he didn’t reveal more specific details, Valdes did open up about being a new dad recently.

“Not a lot of people know this, but I’m a dad, a relatively new dad,” he told the outlet. “And it’s my personal preference that I don’t share more beyond that, but being a Broadway dad… let me tell you, it’s not for the faint of heart! This life is pretty unforgiving when it comes to balancing it with parenting.”

In August, Whitman announced the birth of her first child, a boy named Miles, who was named after her and Graham’s Parenthood costar, Miles Heizer.

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She didn’t mention the identity of the baby’s father in the post, but did joke, “Not to be a Bieber about it but I too just gave birth to our son, Miles.” Whitman continued that “he is the kindest, gentlest, smartest, funniest little beebee and he’s our best friend (pretty much exactly like his namesake Uncle Miles.)”

“We are infinitely grateful he chose us as his parents,” Whitman continued in her post. She then thanked the obstetrics and midwifery organization Moxie Birth and Huntington Hospital in Pasadena, Calif. “for guiding our little family through all the unexpected twists and turns safely and with love and grace,” as well as “everyone in our circle who has shown us such radical generosity and support.”

“We love you! We’re so happy!” Whitman concluded.

Scotland’s largest private school is launching a fundraising appeal to help parents after an “unprecedented” drop in pupil numbers after the imposition of VAT on fees.

George Watson’s College in Edinburgh said 50 pupils had either left or decided not to join at the beginning of the 2024-25 school year because of the Labour government’s VAT hike.

A VAT rate of 20 per cent was added on January 1 to fees already increased last year for other reasons, fulfilling an election manifesto pledge by the Labour government.

The school, which costs almost £20,000 a year for senior pupils, has pledged not to increase fees this year but wants to prevent a further pupil exodus caused by what it calls Labour’s “education tax”.

It plans

Olivia Culpo pulled several trick plays before her big pregnancy reveal.

Hours after the former Miss Universe announced she’s expecting her first baby with husband Christian McCaffrey, her sister Sophia Culpo dusted off the playbook to show how Olivia attempted to hide her bump until it was game time.

Re-sharing Olivia’s Jan. 1 Instagram post, which showed the 32-year-old holding her dog Oliver in front of her stomach, Sophia quipped on Instagram Stories, “Now you all know why her nickname is Oblivia… she ain’t stealth.”

In another post, Sophia, 28, jokingly called out how “poorly” Olivia was concealing her growing belly at pals Hayley Sullivan and Deven Marrero‘s wedding in February. Sharing a close-up of Olivia standing in the crowd with a visible bump underneath her strapless dress, Sophia captioned to quote her sibling, “‘I’m just bloated.’”

However, Olivia agrees with Sophia’s assessment. In a screenshot of their text exchange discussing the wedding photo, the model wrote, “Hahaha so bad.”

Following India’s win over New Zealand to win the ICC Champions Trophy title, Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya remembered his late father, saying that he has been “blessing” him with all the success he is getting. Hardik concluded yet another memorable tournament for him with both bat and ball, playing a crucial role in India’s Champions Trophy win as an all-rounder, scoring 99 runs in four innings with the best score of 45 and picking four wickets. With this, the flamboyant right-handed hitter continues his hot streak in ICC tournaments, once again proving how clutch a player, he is for Men in Blue.

After the match, Hardik said during an interaction with the media, “From where we (he and his brother Krunal Pandya, who has also played for India) have come, this was all just a dream for us. We had never thought of this. I think we can just thank god and can just keep working harder, and he keeps giving us. We are blessed for our parents, to have them say that you achieve your goal and we are here. Even though our father is not with us, I know he is watching us, he has been blessing us with the things we are getting.”

Speaking on winning the CT 2025 with the team eight years after missing out on the title despite a brave 76 against Pakistan during a tough run chase of 339 runs in the UK, Pandya said that his “unfulfilled dream” is finally fulfilled now.

“These eight years have been so long. So much has happened. At the same time, India’s win has been very important for me. If that happens, toh sab bhala. I hope everyone is happy back home and celebrating,” he added.

Hardik also opened up on his mindset as a senior in the team, saying that he never “understood difference between seniors and juniors”.

“Whatever I have learned in my career so far in 9-10 years, if I am able to share my experiences with newer guys, I am not helping just him, but just helping my team. If I am able to contribute even 1 per cent and that player is able to perform better, that has always been my mindset,” he added.

The all-rounder said that so far in his life and career, there have been many challenges and he tries to “throw punches” at them.

“If you do not leave the battlefield, you will have a chance. If you will go home and cry, you would not be able to see the outcome. If you dive, you would be able to stop the ball. If you do not, you would not be able to do so. This learning has helped me with life and cricket both,” he added.

Hardik also revealed that bowling is close to his heart.

“If Hardik is bowling, I do not have to worry about my batting because it can take care of itself. I have prepared myself for game situations. I was fond of hitting sixes since I was 14. I did not have power back then, but now I have power. It is my hard work that is paying off,” he added.

“If you do not trust yourself how can others trust you. I have always trusted myself. I have always prepared behind the scenes. What you prepare, it gets reflected in your game. Keeping my calm, watch the ball and then hit if it is in your arc,” he spoke about his self-belief.

Hardik also said that India is not an individual-driven team and enjoys each other’s success.

“We believe that everyone can do something magical,” he concluded.

New Zealand won the toss and opted to bat first.

Kiwis got off to a fine start with a 57-run stand between Will Young (15) and Rachin Ravindra (37 in 29 balls, with four boundaries and a six). However, Kuldeep Yadav (2/40) applied some breaks and reduced NZ to 75/3.

A 57-run stand between Daryl Mitchell (63 in 101 balls, with three fours) and Michael Bracewell pushed Kiwis towards 150-plus runs. Bracewell played a fine hand of 53* in 40 balls, with three fours and two sixes, taking NZ to 251/7 in their 50 overs.

Kuldeep (2/40) and Varun Chakravarthy (2/45) were the top wicket-takers for India. Mohammed Shami also took a wicket, but conceded 74 runs in his nine overs.

During the run-chase, India had a fine 105-run stand to start off things, between skipper Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill (31 in 50 balls, with a six). While Gill, Virat and eventually Rohit (76 in 83 balls, with seven fours and three sixes) lost their wickets quickly, leaving India at 122/3, Shreyas Iyer (48 in 62 balls, with two fours and two sixes) and Axar Patel (29 in 40 balls, with a four and six) stitched a 61-run stand. After India lost Axar following crossing of 200-run mark, KL Rahul (34* in 33 balls, with a four and a six) and Hardik Pandya (18) did their job of taking India to the finishing line with six wickets and an over left.

Michael Bracewell (2/28) and Mitchell Santner (2/46) were the top wicket-takers for NZ.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

A bed-bound mother-of-four suffering from long Covid claims she has been left with ‘no choice’ but to travel 800 miles to Switzerland and end her life.

Kelly Louise Smith-May, 41, claims she has been left shackled by a ‘living death sentence’ after being unable to recover from catching the virus in 2021.

‘You can’t live like this and I wasn’t born to just lay in bed, rotting away at 41-years-old,’ Mrs Smith-May told MailOnline.

‘This is a living death sentence. I have had no improvements for over three years. Life is for living not to be trapped in a bed suffering from over 50 symptoms. It is horrific.’

The former carer, whose health gradually deteriorated over three years, spends most of her days lying in bed, unable to move, eat and sometimes even talk.

She has been unable to care for her children – Kai, Tawny, Zayn, and Jett – the youngest of whom is seven, and was forced to give up work.

‘I get exhausted, even just trying to read to the kids takes it out of me,’ she adds. ‘It takes my mental energy and then I end up getting so upset. I am in pain 24/7.’

After feeling ‘let down’ by doctors and nurses within the NHS, Mrs Smith-May, who was later diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome, made the difficult decision to end her life at Pegasos, a voluntary assisted dying organisation near Basel.

‘I would never want to do it if I had a choice but I have been left without a choice,’ she explains. ‘All I do is suffer, suffer, suffer. I just want to once and for all be out of it.’

The once ‘vibrant, lively’ woman is determined not to end her life by poisioning, hanging or starving herself to death, as she claims other chronic fatigue sufferers have done.

Mrs Smith-May is predominately cared for by her husband Stuart as well as her 78-year-old grandmother Kay Philpott, who visits her multiple times a week.

While her family are ultimately supportive of Mrs Smith-May’s choice to humanely end her life each day they pray for her recovery.

‘I keep hoping and praying that she will get better and something will happen, which is a grandmother’s only wish. I live in hope, she doesn’t,’ Ms Philpott said.

‘I will support if that is what she needs because I keep thinking what life has she got? It’s the same each day and it’s really upsetting to see and makes me ill as well.

‘I still hope and pray something can be done – I have to be that way – but if it’s her wish, I have to support her in that.’

The mother-of-four, whose youngest child constantly asks her ‘Mummy, can you spit the virus out to get better?’, is currently trying to raise enough funds to travel to Switzerland.

She needs £10,000 to travel to and end her life in the non-for-profit assisted dying facility.

As she can only lie down and is unable to even use a wheelchair, bought through the fundraiser, Mrs Smith-May wants to hire a camper van so her husband can drive to Switzerland via France using the Euro Tunnel.

Mrs Smith-May had hoped that the newly proposed assisted dying laws would include those sufferers of chronic fatigue.

Proposals made by the Government, however, mean that assisted dying would only be avaliable to terminally ill people, over the age of 18, who are expected to die within six months.

Those deciding would need to have clear mental capacity to choose and be free to make the decision without coercion.

Two separate declarations would need to be signed and witnessed, as well as two different doctors agreeing the patient is eligeble within a seven day window.

Mrs Smith-May, however, believes the proposals, which MPs voted for in November, leave out those suffering from chronic illness who have ‘no quality of life’.

She said: ‘Euthanasia, assisted dying should be legal in the UK not just for terminally ill but for chronically ill people as well, for people like me with no quality of life.’

‘If she were an animal you would put it down but you can’t do that to a human being,’ her grandmother agrees.

‘She wants to be the vibrant, lively girl that she used to be. We would always go shopping together and do things out and about but now she is just stuck in a bed in the darkness all day. There are blackout blinds pulled down and there is no sunlight in here.

‘It is just dismal and I don’t think, to be honest with you, if it was a dog you would put it down. There is no quality of life. She is trying to survive but what kind of life is it when you spend it lying in bed every day?’

The GoFundMe fundraiser has raised over £8,000 in just over a year but has failed as of yet to reach its target.

Long Covid, a poorly-understood phenomenon, can leave sufferers with a persistent cough, fatigue, muscle aches and loss of smell.

While many long Covid sufferers find their symptoms eventually fade, some people, just like Mrs Smith-May, experience them for months or even years.

Some experts consider long Covid to be on par with chronic fatigue syndrome, also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) — a historically disputed condition that has often been overlooked as laziness.

However, it is now recognised as condition by both the NHS and World Health Organization.

Mrs Smith-May’s family claim her long Covid progressed into ME.

Viral infections are hypothesised to be a potential trigger for people to develop the condition by both charities and the NHS.

Much like long Covid, there is no test that can diagnose myalgic encephalomyelitis and no established cure. The NHS instead focuses on treating sufferers’ symptoms to help people manage their condition.

Mild cases are treated with cognitive behavioural therapy and ‘energy management’ — a system to help patients utilise their limited energy throughout the day.

Drugs can help sufferers with pain and insomnia they experience, as well as devices like wheelchairs to increase their mobility.

Similarly, long Covid treatment also focuses on helping sufferers alleviate the dozen or so symptoms attributed to the condition.

The most common symptom of chronic fatigue syndrome is extreme tiredness but sufferers can also experience muscle and joint pain, flu-like symptoms, nausea and cognitive problems.

In rare severe cases, people with the condition can no longer use the toilet or feed themselves independently.

As both chronic fatigue syndrome and long Covid are poorly understood conditions, the relationship between the two is uncertain.

Medically assisted dying, or euthanasia, is illegal in the UK, and can be prosecuted as manslaughter or murder with a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

Helping someone take their own life, called assisted suicide, is also an offence and punishable by up to 14 years in prison, but the law looks set to change. 

In November 2024, MPs voted in favour of assisted dying as historic legislation cleared its first hurdle in the House of Commons.

The Commons approved the second reading of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill by 330 votes to 275, majority 55, to continue its progress through Parliament.

If it completes its passage into law, the Bill will allow terminally ill, mentally competent adults – with less than six months to live – to seek an assisted death in England and Wales with the approval of two doctors and a High Court judge.

No date has been given yet for the Bill to return to the Commons for further debate by all MPs at report stage, but it is likely to be towards the end of April.

With soaring egg prices and ongoing bird flu headlines, many parents are uncertain about the risks and facts surrounding the virus, a national poll suggests.

Most parents say they don’t know if there have been cases of bird flu in their state, and less than half feel that they are able to find accurate and current information about it, according to the University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s health.

Many parents may hear about bird flu in the news but don’t feel well-informed or know if they should be taking action to protect their families.

This report highlights the challenge for parents to keep track of an emerging health situation and understand its potential threat to their child’s health.”

Sarah Clark, M.P.H., Mott Poll Co-Director 

Bird flu, or H5N1, which was reported in the U.S. in March 2024, is widespread in wild birds worldwide that transmit infection to poultry and dairy cows. H5N1 infections in humans have so far been limited to those who come in close contact with infected animals, including U.S. farmworkers.

While the current public health risk has been deemed low, with no evidence of transmission from human to human, the outbreak has increased public concern about the potential for broader transmission. 

Previous outbreaks of H5N1, including one in 2003-2005, highlight this possibility.

Steps parents believe protect families from avian flu

While one in five parents say the media is making too big a deal about the virus, two in five wish the government was doing more to prevent an outbreak, according to the nationally representative report based on responses from 2,021 parents of children aged 18 and under.

Another one in three parents have taken action to protect their family against bird flu, the poll suggests, but not all strategies are evidence-based.

A little less than a quarter of parents say they’re being more careful about general hygiene while 13% are more cautious handling eggs, chicken and beef. Another 12% are avoiding contact with birds and other wild animals while 7% are eating less eggs, chicken, and beef.

“Some parents indicated they have cut back on eating poultry products like eggs and chicken,” Clark said. “However, as long as eggs and meat are fully cooked, there’s no evidence that bird flu is spread through these products.”

Among the 68% of parents who haven’t taken preventive actions, their main reasons are that they already have good hygiene practices, don’t know the recommendations or don’t feel at risk.

Confidence in containing the virus

Nearly half of parents rate themselves as very concerned about the rising cost of eggs and meat associated with bird flu, and over a quarter are very concerned about bird flu spreading from animals to humans or humans to humans.

A third of parents, however, weren’t confident in the government’s ability to contain bird flu.

Less than 20% of parents expressed high confidence in the state or federal government’s ability to remove infected animals or animal products from the food supply while 22% are very confident the government will be able to inform people about which products should be recalled or thrown away.

“There appears to be a gap in public confidence when it comes to the national response to bird flu,” Clark said. “Misinformation and uncertainty can fuel anxiety, so it’s critical that health officials communicate transparently about containment efforts and food safety to reassure families.”

Keeping up with evolving information can be challenging with parents polled saying their main sources are news reports, followed by social media and internet searches. Fewer got information from family or friends, a government agency or healthcare providers

Reinforcing preventive health measures

Bird flu is an influenza A virus that produces a gastrointestinal infection, causing death from diarrhea and respiratory distress. The version currently circulating in the U.S., known as H5N1 2.3.4.4b, is highly lethal

Because H5N1 is very contagious, it’s become standard practice to cull the entire flock or herd to prevent the spread once it’s discovered in an animal. Millions of chickens have been culled as a preventive measure, contributing to the increased price of eggs.

While the risks of bird flu are greatest for individuals who work with farm animals and their families, Clark says, the situation presents an opportunity for parents to reinforce the principles of good hygiene with their children.

Children should be cautioned to avoid dead animals, she says, and try to avoid animal droppings, which can be hard to detect in yards or sandboxes.

“Parents should teach their child to keep their hands away from their face and remind them to wash their hands with soap and water after touching birds and other animals at a petting zoo or a neighbor’s backyard chicken coop,” Clark said.

Clark recommends that parents practice good hygiene with food, such as cooking eggs and meat to recommended temperatures, and choosing milk and other dairy products that are pasteurized to kill germs.

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By JORDAN BECK FOR MAILONLINE

Published: 01:34 GMT, 11 March 2025 | Updated: 01:43 GMT, 11 March 2025

The father of Mae Whitman‘s baby boy has been revealed!

Back in August 2024, the 36-year-old Good Girls actress announced the birth of her first child, a baby boy named Miles. However, she never publicly revealed who the father of her son is.

While making an appearance on Dax Shepard‘s Armchair Expert podcast on Monday (March 10), Lauren Graham shared the actor who is the father of Mae‘s baby.

Keep reading to find out more…If you forgot, Mae, Lauren, and Dax all starred together on Parenthood, which ran for six seasons from 2010 to 2015.

“I’m envious of your relationship with Mae,” Dax told Lauren. “First of all, it’s the sweetest relationship. It really is special.”

Lauren, who has remained super close with Mae, responded, “It really is. I still get a little thrill when she’ll text me back because it’s not a given. And she’s a mom now, and she’s working and she’s in Ireland.”

The two then went on to gush over Mae before Dax said that he wants to meet her son Miles “so bad.”

That’s when Lauren revealed that the father of Mae‘s son is Carlos Valdes.

“I’m trying to think the last time [I saw her],” Lauren said. “They’re in New York now. Carlos, her baby daddy, is on Broadway in Hadestown, which I feel happy to plug because he’s fantastic in it, Carlos Valdes.”

“He’s really great,” she continued. “And so they’re in New York for the next while and then she got this job in Ireland. So she’s in Ireland with the baby.”

As of right now, the nature of Mae‘s relationship with Carlos, 35, is unclear. The two previously played love interests in the 2022 Hulu series Up Here and Mae shared several photos with Carlos on her Instagram, but hasn’t posted any photos of him since July 2023.

Did you see that baby Miles‘ name has a sweet Parenthood connection?!

The Queen Mother Champion Chase is the feature race on Day 2 of the 2025 Cheltenham Festival and 8 runners have been declared for one of the biggest horse racing betting heats of the season.

We’ve known the early entries for the Champion Chase for some time now but decisions have been made and all eyes will be on Prestbury Park on Wednesday afternoon.

Here, we look at some of the leading players in the Cheltenham odds for this year’s race, with a Queen Mother Champion Chase selection ahead of the 2025 renewal.

Will JONBON finally break his Cheltenham Festival duck? He has a fantastic chance to claim a first success at jumps racing’s biggest meeting, having finished second in the 2022 Supreme Novices Hurdle and 2023 Arkle Novices Chase.

The Nicky Henderson-trained son of Walk In The Park has won nine Grade 1s heading into this year’s Festival and punters will be expecting him to add to that tally in the feature race on Wednesday afternoon. He’s certainly the one they all have to beat.

It would be some story if Marine Nationale was able to record a second Cheltenham Festival victory, having won the 2023 Supreme Novices Hurdle under the late Michael O’Sullivan. Neutrals will be hoping that the Barry Connell runner can prevail.

He’s been running well without winning this season, finishing behind Quilixios at Naas before his third at Leopardstown over Christmas. He took his form to another level at the Dublin Racing Festival but had to settle for second behind Solness – though many believe he can reverse the form round Cheltenham.

Speaking of the Joseph O’Brien runner, he’s done very little wrong this season and he’s got an excellent chance. He will go from the front and it’ll come down to whether he is able to dictate and stay up the Cheltenham hill as effectively as he performs around Leopardstown.

He’s finished ahead of Marine Nationale on his last two starts yet Solness is a bigger price here – it’s hard to lead pillar to post round Prestbury Park but JJ Slevin is a superb jockey and he’ll take some pegging back if he gets the fractions right.

Dual winner Energumene is no back number and any falling rain will significantly help his chances of victory. Jonbon made light enough work of him in the Clarence House Chase at Ascot and perhaps age is just starting to catch up with this six-time Grade 1 winner.

Tony Bloom will be hoping for a double on the day with Bunting fancied earlier on the card but I’m struggling to see how Energumene reverses form with Jonbon. Even with critics pointing to Jonbon’s Festival record, he has won around Cheltenham before and it wouldn’t worry me too much.

I liked Found A Fifty as a potential Ryanair Chase contender but connections decided to send him to this race instead. His form ties in with the likes of Solness but he flopped at Christmas and has been off the track since. He’s got something to prove, if truth be told.

He’s won multiple Grade 1s but he was well beaten in last year’s Arkle and you could make a case that the Old Course doesn’t suit him. He’s best watched for me – especially after pulling up the last day.

SELECTION: JONBON