By Tess McCracken for Nca Newswire

Published: 7:25 AM EDT, March 22, 2024 | Updated: 7:43 AM EDT, March 22, 2024

Dylan Dreyer is the latest Today cohost to take a brief (and unexplained) absence from the NBC morning show.

Dreyer, 42, did not participate Craig Melvin And Al Roker on the third hour of Today on Thursday, March 21. Although the reason for the meteorologist’s absence was not specified, Saturday Today coach Laura Jarrett was ready to attack. Jarrett, 40, took over Today with Hoda and Jenna cohost Jenna Bush Hager a day before.

Jarrett has also served as a replacement for Savannah Guthrie And Hoda Kotb all week long while broadcasters are on spring break with their families. Kotb, 59, gave fans a glimpse into her vacation via Instagramcaptioned a beach photo from Monday, March 18 at sunset with a single red heart.

Dreyer’s co-cohost of the third hour Sheinelle Jones was also absent from the show this week.

Before you miss Today show on Thursday, Dreyer gave fans a glimpse into her life raising sons Calvin, 7, Oliver, 4, and Rusty, 2, with her husband, Brian Fichera.

“Well, things have taken a turn! #boys,” she captioned a screenshot of a text message from Fichera via Instagram on Wednesday, March 20, with a photo of broken glass on a table. “Boys are great!! Good morning!” Fichera wrote next to the photo.

Although further details were not revealed, Dreyer seemingly hinted that she was spending her day off Today in New Jersey by sharing a Instagram photo of her bologna and egg breakfast. “Must be in NJ #iykyk,” she wrote Thursday.

Dreyer and Fichera married in 2012 and welcomed Calvin four years later, followed by Oliver in 2020 and Rusty in 2021. She regularly shares photos of her children via social media, including photos from a family trip to the circus earlier this month.

“When you go to the circus with @fishlense, you get one of everything!” she captioned one Instagram slideshow on March 10, featuring Fichera and their boys enjoying the show while wielding glowing swords and light sticks. “What an amazing day with the boys @ringling… I thought it would be magical to see it through their eyes, but it was pure magic through mine too! What incredible artists!! Well done!!”

Earlier this week, Dreyer made headlines for revealing that she sometimes showers with all three of her sons to make their bedtime routine more efficient. “If I shower in the evening and I can get all three of them in the shower with me so I can get everyone bathing at the same time, we’re good to go!” she told the Daily email on Monday.

She added: “It’s getting a bit weird now that my eldest is seven so he doesn’t shower anymore, he’s in the bath while I shower. But you know, I put the towel on pretty quickly, I don’t hang around.”

A MOTHER-OF-TWO has been called ‘financially manipulative’ by her husband for hiring a cleaner.

He claims she is “wasting money” by paying someone else to do chores she can do “on her days off.”

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The woman took to Reddit to explain the situation and vent, revealing that she works 13 hours a day most days as a steam fitter.

And since her husband is not in favor of cleaning the house, she decided to hire a cleaner to lighten the burden on her when she comes home from a grueling shift.

The woman’s steam fitting earns as much as £80 an hour, so she even suggested her husband “could pay her the same hourly rate to do extra housework”.

A steamfitter is a professional who installs, maintains and repairs piping systems that transport gases or liquids under high pressure, such as steam, air, water or chemicals.

Also known as pipe fitters; the average salary for someone in Britain is £37,050, according to Talent.com.

“However, my husband is angry because I decided to pay for a cleaning lady,” the woman explained.

‘He and I discussed it and we agreed that he and the children had not done a good job of keeping the house clean and tidy while I was away at work.

“I hated coming home to a mess.

“It caused a few arguments because it seemed like they expected me to come home and clean up the mess.”

She described the cleaning lady as “fantastic” because she is always happy when she walks through the door to a tidy house and the children “have more time to study”.

But despite the improved quality of life, her husband believes the cleaner is a “waste of money”.

“I said I could give him two options,” she said.

“If he wanted we could get rid of the cleaner altogether, he and the kids could make sure the house was in good condition when I got home.

“Or he can pay me my hourly rate to do extra housework when I’m on my days off.”

Her options were not well received and her husband even forced her to call her “financially manipulative”.

“I think if he and the kids actually did what they had to do when I was gone, none of this would be a problem,” she said.

Her post on Reddit has attracted massive attention, with countless people justifying her annoyance – and some even calling her husband ‘sexist’.

“This is definitely more about control than cost savings,” one person warned.

“Your husband has a big problem,” said another. ‘Why should you do the housework if he doesn’t do it?

“What a sexist attitude.

“You have the right not to be the housekeeper.”

A HOME decor expert has shared her affordable DIY garden fountain project.

The set piece took her less than an hour and came together with the supplies she had on hand.

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Lisa (@asimplystylednest) edited the water fountain for her vegetable garden in a TikTok video.

“Build your own solar fountain. All you need are two pots (these are from Lowe’s), gravel, river pebbles, plants and a solar fountain from Amazon,” she said.

She added gravel to a large ceramic bowl to weigh the piece down.

Once the gravel was leveled, she placed a matching ceramic pot in the center and filled the side surrounding the pot with more gravel.

For a pop of color, she transferred plants, roots and all, to the gravel on the sides of the bowl.

When all the sides of the bowl were full of flowers, she filled the pot with the remaining gravel and some river pebbles.

She poured a full bucket of water into the pot, into which a floating object was anchored $15 Sun Fountain she picked it up on Amazon.

“A fun and easy project for your patio or garden that takes less than an hour!” she said.

People praised her creative and affordable garden decoration project.

“Really beautiful! Please note: I have the solar foundation in my birdbath and the water evaporates quickly. You will have to refill the water often,” said one commenter.

Lisa didn’t think much about their concerns.

“I refill my garden hose when the level drops!” she replied.

One viewer suggested upgrading the fountain so it stands out at night.

“It would be cute if solar lights were also put in the bottom well so you can show it off at night,” they said.

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All in all, this has been the most wonderful week for republicanism since a ­petulant Harry and Meghan flounced out of the royal landscape four years ago.

Media outlets around the world have run excoriating commentaries mocking Britain’s Royal Family. Public-service broadcaster France Info sneered at the ongoing ‘fiasco’ while Italy’s La Repubblica newspaper scornfully questioned the monarchy’s credibility.

The New York Times, which rarely misses a chance to attack Britain and its ­institutions, gleefully reported on the ‘storm of questions’ and gave a po-faced warning that the King’s family faced ‘a lingering credibility gap’.

Even the Wall Street Journal, not normally noted for its royal coverage, weighed in with an incontestable observation. Citing the late Queen Elizabeth’s mantra that the monarchy had to be ‘seen to be believed’, it pontificated: ‘Now the family is faced with a more ­intractable problem: the British public doesn’t believe what it is seeing.’

The troubling fact is that, after the past few days, most dispassionate observers would be hard-pressed to disagree.

It all began with the best of intentions — the release of a charming Mother’s Day snapshot of the Princess of Wales and her children —before rapidly descending into what royal ­historian and commentator Dr Ed Owens described as a ‘debacle’.

This was the first official photograph of Kate since she went into hospital for planned abdominal surgery two months ago. If it was meant to douse weeks of speculation about her wellbeing, it had the opposite effect.

Kate’s admission that she had doctored the photograph, and her apology for doing so, were the latest self-inflicted wound by the House of Windsor, for which trust and integrity are fundamental commodities.

While many royal fans complained about what they saw as the trivial nature of the ­incident — as witnessed by the huge ­postbag the Daily Mail has received in the princess’s support — the overriding impression is bleak.

Would any other member of the Royal Family have enjoyed such stalwart defenders as Kate? I doubt it.

Take away the fact that the princess is a much-loved figure recovering from an invasive medical procedure: there remains a ­widespread and growing disenchantment that so much has gone wrong for the royals — so quickly.

The photograph issue, while small in itself, nevertheless exposed tensions that lie close to the surface in the family, as well as the fragility of an institution that for decades seemed impervious to any external threat.

But if we are not quite at the 11th hour, we are ­perilously close. There still may be time for the high tide of public disapproval to recede, but the cost to the royal image and to individual reputations has been high.

More concerning still, such crises no longer seem the exception, but the rule. A fortnight ago, the sight of a grinning Prince Andrew and his ex-wife leading this now-diminished family into church for the ­thanksgiving service for the late King ­Constantine of Greece prompted disbelief.

‘Like the cast of a ghastly pantomime,’ was how one of the King’s most trusted friends described it to me. ‘Thank God for the European royals who added a bit of decorum.’

As well as Kate’s absence, that of the King — who is receiving treatment for ­cancer — has contributed to the sense of vulnerability.

Yet the problems go beyond the two medical emergencies. Family cohesion and other certainties that we once took for granted are fast disappearing.

When the Queen passed away in 2022, there was still — despite the shock and ­sadness at her death — a broadly held view that the institution she had spent 70 years upholding was eternal.

For a time, that judgment held true. There was a ­seamless transition to the new reign as, amid private grief, the King acted with grace and dignity as he assumed his role as monarch.

He was warmly received as he travelled the country, ­skilfully heading off what might have been an early constitutional upheaval when his first Prime Minister Liz Truss was forced to resign after just seven weeks in office.

And he demonstrated ­nimble footwork over his non-attendance — on prime ministerial advice — at the Cop27 climate summit by hosting a pre-gathering reception for many of the main players at Buckingham Palace.

The textbook Coronation of the King and Queen almost a year ago already seems like a distant memory of happier, more stable times.

Now, there is something of a power vacuum. When the King is unavailable, who is in charge? Is it Camilla or ­William? No one can truly say, maybe because everyone is waiting — or at least hoping — for the two stars of the show to rally and return.

These unavoidable ­sabbaticals have presented the royal household with a shivering reality test. ­Confidence in the institution comes from the top.

Elizabeth — and Philip, before infirmity finally forced him to take a back seat, aged 96 — embodied the traditional view of duty. Everyone took their lead from them.

Yet change was always going to come. The Queen and her husband were of that wartime generation for whom obligation was the sine qua non.

Their loss has only exposed what mighty characters they were in our nation’s royal story. And what we have lost.

As Prince of Wales, Charles did not agitate for the ‘top job’, as Diana called it. But when he finally got there, he brought a discipline to the position that has vanished since he was laid low.

It is hard to believe he would have permitted Andrew to lead the Windsors into St George’s Chapel in Windsor, knowing full well how those pictures would be received. William’s own, sudden absence from that service for his late godfather — at which he was due to give a reading — remains a mystery.

For a prince, who two years ago indicated in reports that he intended to break with the royal convention of ‘never complain, never explain’, he has proved remarkably reticent.

It is also unlikely that his father, let alone his grandmother, would have made such a clumsy intervention in the Gaza conflict as William did last month, earning a stinging rebuke for appearing to ignore Israeli losses.

Older courtiers also ­shudder at the memory of his hastily authorised denunciation of racism that saw his godmother Lady Susan Hussey resigning as a Lady of the Household in 2022. It followed comments she allegedly made to a black charity boss at a Palace reception.

Closer to home, there have been questions about the Duchy of Cornwall, the vast property and land empire which generated profits of £24million last year. Because he became Prince of Wales half-way through the financial year, he is thought to have taken only a ­portion of the income. Even so, courtiers have asked what he spends the money on — or even if he has the faintest idea what to do with it.

‘His father had his huge staff at St James’s Palace, the gardens and farm at Highgrove and for many years his polo expenses.

‘He was also paying William and Kate’s running costs and, for a time, Harry and Meghan’s. ­William has only his own family bills to meet.’

William has also made several ­missteps, for example not ­supporting in person the ­Lionesses when they reached the final of the Women’s World Cup in ­Sydney last August. Many felt that, as President of the Football Association, he should have attended.

Then there was last week’s ­confusion over an announcement, made in error it seems, about Kate’s attendance at June’s Trooping the Colour ceremony. It saw the Army hastily removing the claim from its website.

Moreover, why was it left to Kate to take the rap for the farce over the Mother’s Day photograph?

The fallout from the debacle has seen a frenzy of online speculation about the state of her marriage, underscored by the curious absence of Kate’s ­wedding and engagement rings in the picture.

Might not a joint statement have helped to reinforce the ­couple’s unity and the security of the institution?

Cumulatively, these episodes speak of worrying dysfunction.

One matter above all represents the gravest threat to the future of the monarchy: the feud between William and his brother that ­poisons the House of Windsor.

Only this week a rare joint appearance underlined the estrangement. While William was an honoured attendee at the 25th anniversary of the Diana Legacy Award, set up in his mother’s memory, Harry’s contribution came by video-link after ­William had left the building.

At the heart of the discord lies the allegation that Kate (as well as the King) were the alleged ‘royal racists’ who dared to speculate about Harry and ­Meghan’s son Archie and the colour of his skin.

William rightly feels his wife has been cruelly smeared by the innuendo — and for now, the rift is total.

The coming weeks will be critical. Easter, with its ­message of restoration and revival, is only a fortnight away, and ‘after Easter’ is the vague date we have been given for the Princess of Wales’s return. Let us hope she is able to do so.

Charles’s own condition has unavoidably focused attention on his — and Camilla’s — long-term position. The King will be 76 this year and his reign will naturally not have the longevity of his late mother’s.

On the other hand, William —with Kate, all being well — will likely be on the throne for ­decades. It therefore poses a question: what can they do today to give us confidence that they will be ­anywhere near as effective as monarch and consort as the Queen and Prince Philip were? Can they steady the royal ship, even in the squalls and storms of social media comment and untamed ­foreign reporting?

William’s priority, understand­ably, has been his wife’s health and the welfare of their three ­children. But even before this ­crisis, he had drawn sharp ­boundaries to ensure that royal duty does not encroach on family time.

This has earned him the ­nickname among those in the King’s circle as the ’10am to 4pm’ prince, because outside those hours he is off-duty.

Plainly, as evidenced by his attendance at Thursday night’s Diana awards, it is not always fair. But the fact is he has memories of growing up with a father who was devoted to his official work.

Meanwhile, there is a Palace view that William’s stubborn nature, which can be helpful to royalty — not least when dealing with government ministers — is contributing to the current sense of aimlessness.

For the King, the ­frustrations must be deeper still. He has been moved by Camilla’s willingness to lead, although whether she is ­having to do so because of ­William’s absence is unclear.

Nor will he have been untouched by the media frenzy of recent days. He is no doubt dismayed that people are suggesting the current malaise harks back to those days in the 1990s when the crisis over his marriage to Diana paralysed the Royal Family.

It is surely no coincidence that these insecurities happen at a time of weak government. A strong prime minister would feel emboldened to intervene.

Thirty years ago, then-PM John Major was too busy propping up his administration to take a ­leading role in the Charles v Diana crisis. Fast forward to 2024 and Rishi Sunak, preoccupied by defections and discontent, is ­similarly missing in action.

Things can be turned round, of course — the monarchy has ­survived so long thanks partly to its ability to adapt. But the shift may need to be kick-started.

A change at the top in the King’s private office, for example. Observers have been disappointed that there has been no settlement of the many patronages and ­charity roles held by the late Queen.

Whitehall blames Charles’s ­private secretary, ex-Foreign Office operative Sir Clive ­Alderton, 56, for what is being called a ‘lack of grip’ — and for not managing the institution in the absence of its chief in the way it needs to be.

‘He was fine as aide to the Prince of Wales but it is a different ball game running the Sovereign,’ says one source. At Clarence House, Alderton was known as ‘wet-wipe’ because he was always on hand to ‘wipe the boss’s a***’.

The monarchy has come through stormier times — the Abdication, for instance. But in a world where a digitally altered ­photograph can become the subject of a question to the White House press ­secretary, triggering rumours of marital unhappiness that circle the globe, the Palace has no time to waste.

By Madison Burgess

Published: 04:42 EDT, March 13, 2024 | Updated: 04:49 EDT, March 13, 2024

STRATOLAUNCH has just completed a successful test run of its hypersonic Talon-A vehicle.

Founded in 2011, Stratolaunch is a private aerospace company based in the Mojave Desert north of Los Angeles.

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Earlier this week, the company announced that it has successfully launched its Talon-A aircraft, also known as TA-1.

The jet was launched from the world’s largest operational aircraft, the Roc, a huge twin-fuselage aircraft.

In a new videothe TA-1 can be seen alone for the first time after being launched from the 100 meter wide kite.

According to reports, the plane reached speeds close to Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound.

Mach 5 is equivalent to about 6,000 kilometers per hour – at speeds of Mach 5, a plane could get from London to New York in just one hour.

However, specific details about the flight’s altitude and speed cannot be made public due to confidentiality agreements with Stratolaunch’s customers.

The successful test represents a major step forward in the development of hypersonic technology, the company said in a press release.

“Today was a great day for the Stratolaunch team,” said Dr. Zachary Krevor, president and CEO of Stratolaunch. “I am extremely proud of their perseverance to get to this point.”

“The successful outcome of the test is a direct result of the technical competence and professionalism of the team,” he added.

Dr. Krevor noted that the primary objectives of the test included the safe aerial release of the TA-1 vehicle, engine ignition, acceleration, sustained altitude gain and a controlled water landing.

“Our goal with this flight was to continue our risk reduction approach for the first reusable flight of TA-2 and remain steadfast in our commitment to delivering maximum value to our customers,” said Dr. Krevor.

“We are excited to review the data from today’s test and use it as we plan our next steps toward TA-2’s first flight later this year,” he added.

In addition to the TA-1, the company is developing the TA-3, the second fully reusable vehicle in the Talon-A product line.

The company is also beginning modifications to one of its launch pads called the Spirit of Mojave, a modified Boeing 747-400.

By Louise Allingham for Daily Mail Australia

Published: 8:11 PM EDT, March 10, 2024 | Updated: 8:25 PM EDT, March 10, 2024

ESSEX boy Oliver Bearman has become Britain’s newest (and youngest) F1 star after making his debut for Ferrari.

The 18-year-old, who only passed his driving test in May, was called up as an eleventh-hour replacement for Carlos Sainz, who had appendicitis.

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The Spaniard was taken to hospital, where he underwent surgery and is said to be recovering well.

Bearman had just an hour of practice to get up to speed with the Ferrari before qualifying for Saturday’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

And he defied all expectations with a brilliant performance to finish 11th on the grid, just 0.036 seconds after knocking Lewis Hamilton out of qualifying.

Bearman made the smallest mistake in turns 22 and 23, otherwise he would have thrown Hamilton out from the second qualifying session.

He was cheered on by his father, David, who watched in the Ferrari garage and winced as his son brushed the walls at high speed and bounced off the curb.

And he revealed he was in the dark about his incredible call until the eleventh hour.

Bearman said: “I woke up this morning fully prepared for my F2 race and got the call late in the day, just a few hours before FP3, that I was going to do it.

“This is not the circumstance in which I would want to make my F1 debut. I wish Carlos the best and I hope he recovers well, but this is a great opportunity.

“I honestly didn’t have time to get nervous because I didn’t have time and it was so late that I had to get ready to go on track and make up for lost time.

“That made my life a little bit harder and I was all over it with the engineers trying to figure out everything to get up to speed as quickly as possible.

Bearman drove for the Haas F1 team during training in Mexico City and Abu Dhabi last season.

Raised in Chelmsford and educated at King Edward VI Grammar, he joined the Ferrari driver academy at just 16.

He dropped out of school – against his mother’s request – and moved to Modena, near Ferrari’s headquarters in northern Italy.

He previously won the Italian Formula 4 and German Formula 4 titles, both in 2021.

Last year he finished sixth in the Formula 2 championship and on Thursday he qualified on pole for the F2 race here in Saudi Arabia.

However, he will now leave his F2 commitments for this weekend after being promoted to replace Sainz.

Bearman is the first Briton to drive for F1’s most famous team since Nigel Mansell in 1990.

He added: “I honestly haven’t spoken to anyone since the announcement, my phone isn’t working but I will try to speak to my mum tonight.

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“I think my father was in the garage, but I didn’t see him at all. I was in the car and then in the garage and back in the car.

“It’s such a rapid progression in my career. Two years ago I was still in F4 and I only did my first F1 test three or four months ago.

“So it’s been rapid progress. And to make my F1 debut in red, hopefully this is a sign of things to come.”

Meanwhile, Max Verstappen took a routine pole as no one could match his pace on the street circuit in Jeddah.

He put aside the internal conflict between his father Jos and team boss Christian Horner.

And in the latest development in the ongoing saga, Red Bull’s motorsport advisor Helmut Marko could now face disciplinary action.

The 80-year-old is believed to be under investigation for his role in the internal investigation.

He was also given strict instructions not to speak to the media, but in an interview with Austrian broadcaster ORF he said he could now miss the next race in Australia.

It is yet another sensational development and should he be found guilty of disclosing confidential information, he could face disciplinary action.

Should he be fired, there is suspicion in the paddock that this could lead to a clause in the Dutchman’s contract, clearing the way for him to break his contract with Red Bull and join Mercedes to close.

A MAN who kept his £10-an-hour job after a £1,000,000 Lotto jackpot win said he hasn’t touched the money.

Indie music fan Alex Best earned £1million shortly after graduating from the University of Bolton.

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The lucky lad from Leeds worked at Flamingo Land theme park for £10 an hour to gain experience in the events industry.

After his 2019 win, he said: “I have a strong work ethic, I didn’t want that to go to waste.”

Alex, 23, was going about his daily routine when he bought a single EuroMillions Lucky Dip ticket, hours before the draw was due to close.

He said: “I was just in the shop buying some last minute stuff for dinner when I saw the draw being advertised for that evening.”

It wasn’t until later the next day that Alex checked his ticket and was surprised to discover he was a big winner.

He added: “I just stared at the screen and read every letter and number over and over to make sure it was true. I was shaking like a leaf.”

Alex then asked his mother and stepfather to double-check the winning ticket to make sure it was real.

Still not convinced, Alex visited a local store where they checked and confirmed he was a winner.

He said: “The machine made a jingle, which was enough to convince me that I had actually won. It was the best feeling ever knowing that I am now officially a millionaire.”

A Lotto jackpot winner vowed she would never play again after an ex-detective questioned her as “some kind of criminal” in her own home.

Gran Amelia Barnham won £800 on a £1 HotPicks ticket, but has won a whopping £23,600 in small prizes in total.

The 69-year-old, who lives with husband Tony in Hammersmith, west London, spends as much as £60 a week on lotto games.

So she was stunned when Allwyn launched their investigation into a loyal customer.

Amelia said: “This has stressed me out so much and I am furious.

“I was treated like some kind of criminal, and it was intimidating when someone came to my house.”

She has now promised to stop playing the game after the investigation.