Ian Wright has weighed in on Arsenal’s defeat to West Ham, expressing his disappointment as the Gunners lost further ground in the Premier League title race. The result was a major setback for Mikel Arteta’s side, who had the opportunity to put pressure on Liverpool before the Reds play their match tomorrow.

Liverpool have not been flawless this season, but they remain at the top of the table largely because Arsenal have also dropped crucial points at key moments. If the Gunners are serious about winning silverware, they must produce more consistent performances, something they failed to do against West Ham.

Arsenal will have more opportunities to pick up points in upcoming fixtures, but their inability to capitalise even when their rivals struggle is a worrying trend. Against West Ham, they lacked creativity and struggled to break down a well-organised defensive unit, failing to convert possession into clear chances. Wright, who watched the match closely, was left frustrated by their lack of attacking threat.

Speaking on Premier League Productions, the former Arsenal striker analysed the game and credited West Ham for their defensive efforts while highlighting Arsenal’s struggles.

“It was always going to be a tough one with the forwards missing. You need something to happen with set-pieces, or someone like Ethan Nwaneri. Not enough creativity, you have to give West Ham credit for the defending they did,” Wright said.

Martin Odegaard has admitted that Arsenal were simply not good enough in their 1-0 defeat to West Ham in the Premier League this afternoon. The Gunners struggled to break down a well-organised West Ham side, who executed their game plan effectively to frustrate Mikel Arteta’s team.

Just a week ago, Arsenal were celebrating a dramatic late win against Leicester City, courtesy of two late goals from Mikel Merino. However, the Spaniard was in the starting lineup today but was unable to make the same impact against a stronger opponent.

Arsenal’s lack of an out-and-out striker has been a talking point throughout the season, and their attacking struggles were evident once again against the Hammers. Despite dominating possession, they failed to make the most of their opportunities in front of goal.

Speaking after the match, Odegaard acknowledged that the team’s performance was below the required standard. In an interview with Premier League Productions, he expressed his disappointment at the result and admitted they must improve.

“Performance today wasn’t good enough, and yeah, really disappointed. We let them run too easily on the counter, we weren’t sharp enough on the counter or our final third efficiency. We are missing players, but we have to focus on the players that are available, and we have more than enough quality to do more than what we did today.

On Friday, a federal judge partly blocked President Donald Trump’s attempt to root out programs related to diversity, equity, and inclusion, or DEI, within the government.

That includes at least one far-reaching executive order titled, “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity,” in which the president claimed DEI programs are illegal. As my colleague Alex Nguyen reported at the time:

[The order] argues that DEI programs violate civil rights laws by illegally enforcing “dangerous, demeaning, and immoral race- and sex-based preferences” that “deny, discredit, and undermine the traditional American values of hard work, excellence, and individual achievement.” The White House also claimed that these policies are discriminatory because they select based on “how people were born instead of what they were capable of doing.”  

As the New York Times has reported in detail, Maryland District Judge Adam B. Abelson barred the Trump administration from any effort to “pause, freeze, impede, block, cancel, or terminate any awards, contracts or obligations” related to diversity and inclusion, noting that such programs have been seen as “uncontroversially legal for decades.”

Arsenal was beaten 1-0 by West Ham at the Emirates this afternoon in what can only be described as a very disappointing performance.. Here is our player ratings.

David Raya – 6.0
He did not have much to do in the game and had no chance of stopping Bowen’s goal.

Jurrien Timber – 5.0
Despite Arsenal’s possession, he did not offer productive attacking support.

William Saliba – 6.0
He was as reliable as ever but did not have much work to do for much of the game as West Ham attacked other defenders.

Gabriel Magalhães – 5.0
He had a bad day at the office and struggled with the relentlessness of Bowen and the other West Ham attackers.

On Tuesday, leaders at the National Science Foundation reportedly laid off about 170 employees, many via Zoom—an estimated 10 percent of the agency’s workers. One of those workers spoke to Mother Jones, requesting anonymity, about the chaotic and emotional meeting, and what the job losses mean for the $9 billion agency, which is tasked with funding and supporting the country’s academic research. Here’s their account in their own words.

At 9 a.m., we got an email from HR calling us for a meeting at 10 am. There was no agenda offered. But many of us suspected what it was.

Initially, the Zoom invitation listed all of the people who were going to be fired as co-hosts of the meeting, so they sent a second invite. Because of the confusion about which invitation was the correct one, a lot of people joined late. And so, at first, people who came late didn’t hear what the meeting was about.

They told us we were being terminated. People were angry. People were crying. It was just confusing, too. We were told, you could resign or you could be terminated. How do I know what to do? Some people had thought, I had finished my one-year probation. I am not a probationary employee. We were told the agency had made a mistake—it should have been two years, and they’d corrected that.

President Donald Trump is taking aim at the US Postal Service. 

According to a Thursday report from the Washington Post‘s Jacob Bogage, the president plans to fire the members of USPS’ board and hand the keys to the agency over to the Department of Commerce.

Trump plans to make the move through executive order as early as this week, the Post reports. The board reportedly intends to take the administration to court if Trump carries out the firings or tries to take control, with postal experts telling the Washington Post that absorbing the independent agency would likely violate federal law. A White House spokesperson later denied the report.

After his re-election, Trump discussed privatizing the Postal Service with Howard Lutnick—later confirmed as Commerce Secretary—at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, according to a separate Post article from December.

Arsenal took a massive hit to their title aspirations losing to West Ham United 1-0 at the Emirates this afternoon.

The Gunners began the game in top form as they looked to build on their last win, with Martin Odegaard, Leandro Trossard and Mikel Merino looking to make things happen early on.

However, West Ham were also in good shape and prepared to make a statement on this visit to the Emirates.

Both teams continued to get some chances as the match went on, but none were exactly big chances, and neither side looked like scoring.

As the half continued, Arsenal laboured to get close to opening the scoring, only for things to go from bad to worse.

Arsenal hosts West Ham today, and nothing but a win will suffice. There is simply no room to drop points regardless of how Liverpool does against Manchester City tomorrow.

Please make no mistake West Ham are tricky opponents, history has taught us that, any drop off in performance and the Hammers are more than capable of springing a surprise, especially under their new manager Graham Potter, who has got them more organised.

We are now coming to the business end of the season and every game carries massive implications and if there was ever a time for certain Arsenal players to stand up and be counted, it is now.

There is no point in naming names, we all know which players need to improve their output and we also know we cannot just rely on our youngsters to get us over the finish line, the more experienced players need to be stepping up and taking control.

The win over Leicester City was very welcomed but it was hardly an inspiring performance and if we play like that against Potter’s men today we really could come unstuck, he has got them playing a lot better even if the results have not reflected that. Anyone watching West Ham recently cannot fail to see they are an improved outfit under Potter.

This story was originally published by Grist and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.

Lee Zeldin, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, announced last week that he had uncovered evidence of a massive fraud perpetrated by the Biden administration. In a video posted to social media, the former Republican congressman from New York said that Biden’s EPA had “parked” roughly $20 billion at a private bank, “rushing to get billions of your tax dollars out the door before Inauguration Day.” 

The Biden administration’s plan, Zeldin said, was for the bank to distribute the money to a handful of nonprofits, which would then send it out to “NGOs and others” for climate-related spending. But he vowed to stop that plan. “The days of irresponsibly shoveling boatloads of cash to far-left activist groups in the name of environmental justice and climate equity are over,” he said. 

But the scheme Zeldin described is not novel or a secret. The $20 billion he is trying to recover is money that Congress passed in 2022 for a program known as the “Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund,” also known as the “green bank” initiative. This kind of program once enjoyed bipartisan support in states like Nevada, which opened a clean energy fund under a Republican governor in 2017, and Connecticut, where green bank legislation passed in 2011 with unanimous support from both parties. At least two centrist Republicans, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Don Young of Alaska, endorsed a national green bank bill in 2021. 

Arsenal made a serious push to sign Joan Garcia towards the end of the summer transfer window after agreeing to sell Aaron Ramsdale to Southampton. The Gunners had reached personal terms with the Espanyol goalkeeper and were keen to bring him in as a replacement. However, when Arsenal looked to finalise the deal, Espanyol demanded that they pay Garcia’s release clause, citing the lateness of the window and the difficulty of replacing him on such short notice. This demand frustrated Arsenal, leading them to abandon their pursuit of Garcia and pivot to signing Neto on loan from Bournemouth instead.

While Neto has struggled for playing time this season, Arsenal may return for Garcia in the summer. The 23-year-old goalkeeper has continued to develop at Espanyol, earning praise for his performances. Recently, he was asked about his future, and in an interview with Estadio Deportivo, Garcia expressed that he was not focused on leaving the club at the moment, although he remained open to the possibility:

“At the moment I’m not thinking about that [future], but you never know. If it happens, let it happen in the best way. If in the end it turns out that I have to leave, how can I not say goodbye well? Espanyol are the club that has given me everything. If I go through the back door, it wouldn’t go well.”

Garcia’s comments suggest he is grateful to Espanyol but remains open to the possibility of a future move, especially if it benefits his career. Given the Gunners’ interest in him last summer, there is a good chance they will return for him in the next transfer window. With Espanyol in a less advantageous financial position now, Arsenal might be able to secure Garcia for a more reasonable price, potentially making him a valuable addition to their squad.

Albert Sambi Lokonga left Arsenal in the summer to join Sevilla on loan after struggling to settle in England. The Belgian midfielder had previous loan spells at other Premier League clubs but was unable to make a significant impact at either. With little progress made, Arsenal was happy to let him leave, hoping a fresh start in Spain would allow him to rediscover his form.

Since arriving at Sevilla, Lokonga has had more opportunities to feature in the first team and is beginning to rebuild his career. The midfielder seems to have found a new lease of life in La Liga, where he is receiving more consistent game time and feels appreciated by the club. This newfound sense of belonging and value has made him eager to stay at Sevilla beyond his loan spell.

Lokonga’s agent, Stijn Francis, has been closely involved with the player’s situation and recently visited Sevilla, as reported by El Desmarque. The agent reportedly discussed the possibility of a permanent move for Lokonga with the Spanish club, with the hope that the midfielder could remain at Sevilla beyond this season. This is a move that could benefit both Lokonga and the club, as it appears he is thriving in his current environment.

For Arsenal, Lokonga’s departure seems like the right decision, especially given his inability to establish himself in the Premier League. He has shown promise at times but has not been able to make the impact that was expected. With other players in Arsenal’s squad stepping up, Lokonga has fallen down the pecking order. Therefore, it may be in both parties’ best interest to allow him to pursue a permanent move to Sevilla and continue his career in Spain.

At the Conservative Political Action Conference, a new group pushed for President Donald Trump to serve an unconstitutional third term.  

The effort, called the Third Term Project, is being led by Shane Trejo, who once co-hosted a neo-Nazi adjacent podcast called “Blood Soil and Liberty.” An episode of the now-deleted show was titled “Tanner Flake for Fuhrer,” an homage to a senator’s son who’d posted racist and anti-gay comments under the screen name “n1–erkiller.”

The imagery and language being used by the Third Term Project is transparently authoritarian. The group’s poster at CPAC features Trump in the style of Julius Caesar. Trejo told the independent journalist Ford Fischer on Thursday that the group did so because “Trump is the Caesar figure that America has needed.” 

“We’re putting that out there, Trump as Caesar,” Trejo continued. “We think it’s great optics. We love the idea of Trump as our Julius Caesar-type figure.” He also argued that Trump is the “Napoleonic figure that has emerged to lead our country out of perdition and into greatness.”

It’s hard to imagine a better opportunity to oust an incumbent than the one currently before the Democratic primary candidates challenging New York City Mayor Eric Adams. In the last few weeks, Adams has been engulfed in a growing scandal surrounding the Trump Justice Department’s decision to dismiss his federal corruption charges and the mayor’s corresponding willingness to cooperate with the administration’s mass deportation agenda. Though Adams has denied any quid pro quo, the administration’s border czar Tom Homan did threaten—on national television—to be “up [Adams’] butt” if the mayor doesn’t allow immigration enforcement officers on Rikers Island.  

Adams—who is battling a crowded field of challengers in June’s mayoral primary—now faces escalating calls to resign or be removed from office. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has decided against removing the mayor for now, but he could also be ousted by an “inability committee” made up of top city officials. Comptroller Brad Lander, who is running for mayor, has floated convening it. Adams, meanwhile, shows no sign of retreat, writing on X over the weekend, “I’m not stepping down, I’m stepping UP.”

If Adams does leave office before his term is up—voluntarily or not—he’d be replaced by New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams. According to the city charter, if that happens before March 27 (90 days before the primary), the city would hold a nonpartisan special election to replace Adams. If it happens afterward, Williams would remain acting mayor until the general election in November. Either way, both the primary and general election would proceed as normal. But the process is untested, and it’s not clear if Adams could run again if removed. 

So where does that leave New York City’s sizeable but scattered progressive wing? They’re hoping to capitalize on Adams’ increasing vulnerability and what they see as a resurgence in anti-Trump momentum to elect one of several left-leaning candidates for mayor. But no definite frontrunner has appeared in the pack of progressive challengers. Instead, New Yorkers could see a familiar name atop the ballot in November: Andrew Cuomo. 

As many of us have witnessed this season, it’s been a little up and down performance wise.

Taking apart teams one week with some of the best football we’ve seen at the Emirates in years, and looking sluggish and moribund as an attacking force the next.

Frustrating? Certainly. Such is the journey we are on as Arsenal slowly but surely climb their way to the Premier League summit.

Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon. Trust in the process and all that.

For all of the media narratives that get peddled about this beloved club, the fact remains that it’s still on an upward trajectory.

The Ollie Watkins deal is dead in the water and the sooner that everyone moves on the better.

Of course the disappointment at missing out on another target will rankle, particularly when you consider Watkins’ well-known support of our great club, however, it’s not meant to be.

Mikel Arteta and the board can’t be blamed for Aston Villa’s failure to sell their talisman and, in fact, it speaks well of Arsenal that they are working hard right up until the deadline in order to strengthen the squad for the final push.

Had Villa not sold Jhon Duran to Al Nassr earlier in the week, there’s an outside chance that Watkins could’ve been the striker to make way in order for the Midlanders to remain on the right side of the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules.

Former Gunners ace and team-mate of Arteta’s, Kieran Gibbs has actually praised Villa for their actions, something that’s bound to get the blood boiling in N5.

With no transfers in so far in January, it’s obvious why most Arsenal fans will be sat at home with their heads in their hands and feeling a little downcast.

Especially when title rivals are spending money like it’s going out of fashion.

However, sometimes it’s worth taking a step back and looking at the bigger picture.

Ask yourselves… would you really want the club to be conducting their business in the same way that the likes of Chelsea and Man City, for example, are doing?

You can’t just buy a player for the sake of it.

With only a couple of days to go until the transfer window shuts for business, the need for a striker who is a virtual guarantee of goals has become more and more acute for Arsenal.

The likes of Viktor Gyokeres, Benjamin Sesko, Alexander Isak and Ollie Watkins are all names that have come up in dispatches, and they all share one characteristic apart from their on-pitch excellence; the Gunners haven’t been able to land them.

It can’t be overlooked that the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules will play a huge part in every club’s willingness to part with north of £100m in some cases.

Whether or not the fan base believe that’s a convenient excuse doesn’t escape the fact that signing players in the top bracket is becoming more and more expensive, and therefore more difficult.

That said, Arsenal have evidently working in the background to try and lay the foundations for a reliable hit-man to arrive.

Arsenal’s need for a striker is well known, but perhaps what has gone under the radar this month is that the Gunners have almost certainly made a bid for a long-term target.

Supporters will no doubt be mindful that losing out on Ollie Watkins is yet another tick in the ‘almost but not quite’ box.

The Watkins failure is particularly disappointing given his Gunners allegiance, but there’s still time to move on to other targets before the window closes.

Will they be a first or even second choice? Unlikely, but such are the difficulties of landing big names in this particular window.

It seems pretty clear that RB Leipzig’s £55m-rated (BBC) Benjamin Sesko remains a player of interest, and it appears that a cheeky attempt has been made by the club in January to finally acquire him.