Stephen Colbert: ‘We’re not on our way to a dictatorship, we’re on the ship’
Late-night hosts looked at Donald Trump’s recent dictatorial behaviour, including his attempt to bully Harvard University into following his demands,On The Late Show, Stephen Colbert spoke about the alleged “administrative error” that saw Kilmar Ábrego García snatched off the streets by Ice and sent to a prison in El Salvador despite no proof of criminal activity,The supreme court ordered Trump to facilitate his return but the administration has defied the ruling,“These are court orders not court suggestions!” Colbert said,He said that they “made that mistake on purpose” and Trump has since been “publicly mulling the idea of sending American citizens to rot” in the same prison.
“We’re not on our way to a dictatorship, we’re on the ship,” he said before adding that “regardless of your politics, those aren’t your politics”,He wondered what could be done and asked if there was a “break-glass-if-constitution-stops-working mechanism” before talking about a law that does allow marshals to intervene if the president refuses to comply,The past week has also seen Trump attempting to “Maga-fy higher education” by imposing demands on institutions,But Harvard has become the first university to refuse,“Now you’re just like the rest of us because you just got rejected by Harvard,” Colbert joked.
The administration wants DEI programs shut down, plagiarism checks made on all staff and foreign students reported for conduct violations,“Dorm RAs were already drunk on power,” he said,But the head of Harvard “clapped back to insane dictatorial demands”, which has led to $2,2bn of federal funding being withheld,Colbert added that Harvard has been around since 1636 so it will probably continue to survive.
He said back then the only available classes were “Latin grammar, intro to leechcraft and witch kindling”.On Jimmy Kimmel Live, the host spoke about the return of Joe Biden, who appeared energised at a bipartisan event to help protect social security.“Man oh man did he come out swinging,” he said.Kimmel also spoke about Trump’s battle with Harvard, joking that it was “home to liberal elite alumni” – such as Ted Cruz.He joked that Trump was definitely the best person to get involved in the inner workings of a higher education institution after starting his own “fraudulent university”.
Kimmel said “my money’s on Harvard” as “I’ve seen Revenge of the Nerds”.Trump’s hatred of DEI has led to him calling for “merit-based hiring”, which Kimmel said can be seen in his cabinet, joking about hires such as Pete Hegseth and Linda McMahon.He also said that having a “reality star and Pizza Hut spokesperson” as president was perhaps not the best example either.Kimmel also called out the “orangenosers kissing his butt in ways we’ve never seen before” with a new badge being worn by his loyalists that shows Trump’s face in gold.With the economy still in a worrying place and tariffs that haven’t really come into full effect yet, Kimmel expressed concern that Americans having less access to coffee will have a terrifying impact.
“Can you imagine the mental health crisis?” he said before saying there will be an uptick in “workplace stabbings”.
Wigan’s Jai Field runs the show against St Helens in front of Christian Wade
There has rarely been any shortage of effort or endeavour from Paul Wellens and his St Helens side, and that was certainly the case here. But even the most ardent Saints supporter cannot argue that, right now, there is a gap between their team and their most ferocious rivals which is cause for concern.These two clubs have been thrashing it out for 150 years, since way before the advent of league itself. Yes, there have been greater gulfs between them than they are now – even in their very recent history. And yes, the Saints deserve immense credit for fighting back from 18-2 to set up a grandstand finale
200-1 winner Heavenly Heather kicks off Easter racing with major shock
The Easter racing programme saw a major shock at Newcastle on Good Friday as Heavenly Heather, a 200-1 chance ridden by the 3lb claimer Amie Waugh, became the longest-priced winner of the year so far with a half-length success in the seven-furlong Fillies’ and Mares’ Championships Handicap.Waugh’s mount had failed to win any of her previous five starts and was 19lb “wrong” at the weights, meaning that Heavenly Heather raced from an effective handicap mark of 79 rather than her official rating of 60.Her rider took full advantage of her draw on the stands’ side, however, and got a fine response from Heavenly Heather when she asked her to quicken against the rail a furlong from home.The winner was the 12th horse to win at 200-1 in Britain since the turn of the century, and the first at those odds since November 2024. The UK’s record price for a winner is 250-1, set by Equinoctial at Kelso in November 1990
World Snooker Championship: wide-open tournament may herald new era
A record 10 Chinese players are in the main draw at the Crucible, where picking a winner is tougher than everIt has been fairly common in recent years to discuss the winds of change blowing through the World Snooker Championship. But this year, with talk of the Crucible’s future being quieter than usual, it is on the baize where a significant shift might be poised to take place.The usual suspects – for the most part – are still assembling in Sheffield for snooker’s most prestigious event. Some of them in quite imperious form, too. But whereas a case can often be made for no more than three or four players to take home the £500,000 top prize and world champion crown, this year there is a much more open field
Premiership’s disjointed sprint finish begins with playoff battle bonanza
The Premiership season is rounding the final bend and entering the home straight. Organisers like to call this point in the campaign “The Run-in” and they could hardly have wished for a better set of fixtures this weekend to begin it with. Sixth host fourth when Saracens entertain Gloucester, fifth go to seventh with Sale travelling to Harlequins and on Sunday, second and third lock horns with Bristol facing Leicester.As was the case last season, the race for the playoffs is shaping up to be a blanket finish. Bath are out in front in first but with five matches remaining, only four points separate Leicester in third and Harlequins in seventh
England continue pursuit of perfection in Women’s Six Nations
Two years ago the criticism levelled at England was that their attack was predictable as they relied on their maul to get them over the line. When John Mitchell took over the Red Roses before the 2024 Six Nations, the head coach and his staff, particularly the attack coach, Lou Meadows, diversified that area of their game.While the maul was still lethal, the backs were getting their hands on the ball more with the top three try-scorers across last year’s Six Nations being England’s full-back Ellie Kildunne (nine) and the wings Abby Dow (five) and Jess Breach (four).With that fixed, England last year were criticised for their lack of discipline after two red and two yellow cards during the 2024 Six Nations. But that has not been an issue in the 2025 tournament, with no cards given to an England player in their opening three matches
Stuck on repeat: NHL’s playoff format keeps delivering déjà vu matchups
From Kings v Oilers to Leafs v Bruins, the league’s divisional structure has turned once-thrilling postseason clashes into stale reruns. Is it time for a change?“It’s the stupidest thing ever.” This was Washington Capitals’ forward Daniel Winnik’s review in 2017 of the NHL’s still (somewhat) new playoff format. Three seasons earlier, along with realigning its divisions, the NHL had abandoned it’s previous, simple playoff arrangement. For 20 years, the top eight teams from each conference qualified for the playoffs, with the first-placed team playing the eighth-placed team, the second-placed team played the seventh, and so on
NHS warned it must change guidance on single-sex spaces after court ruling
UK government accused of ‘delay and drift’ over adult social care talks
Trans activists accuse UK equalities chief of ‘overreach’ for suggesting bans
How will UK judgment on legal definition of womanhood affect policy?
Watchdog raises concern over DWP plan to deduct benefit overpayments
New daily weight-loss pill shows success at clinical trial