GRIF MAG

Former models and crew members ofThe Price Is Rightare speaking out about the uncomfortable culture on set during theBob Barkerera of the show.

Though the CBS game show has promised fun for the whole family since it began its run in 1972, several women who worked on the show insist that the work environment was far from family-friendly. In a clip from E!'s new docuseries,Dirty Rotten Scandals, Kathleen Bradley and Holly Hallstrom detail some of the behavior that made life very difficult for them and their fellow models (nicknamed "Bob's Beauties"), back when the show was hosted by Barker.

"When I initially started the show, everybody was pretty cool, really friendly, especially the crew," Bradley began. "But over a course of time, I kind of noticed the guys were kind of talking, looking, gawking at the girls. I found out this is a little more commonplace than I thought."

Barbara Hunter, who came aboard as a producer just a few years into the show's run, said that such bad behavior wasn't just targeted at the models.

"It became common knowledge to stay away from this person or stay away from that person," she said of her own experience. "There was stuff going on where you had to say, 'Hey, stop that.' One time, I was in the elevator and one of the men just stuck their hands right on my boobs. I had to push him away."

She added, "I didn't say anything. It became instinct to know how to handle it."

Bradley recounted a similar experience, sharing that there was "one guy in particular" who was "too friendly" with the women.

"He would rub up against us, joking around. It's totally inappropriate," she explained. "I learned the stagehand had been around on the set for a long time and was probably doing it to all the other girls."

Bradley claimed that when she took the issue to the show's producers, nothing changed. "To my surprise, no action was taken," she stated. "I was really taken aback. This was really sexual harassment. So I took matters into my own hands."

Bradley recounted a day when there were golf clubs on set, prompting her to call over the offender for a demonstration.

"I said, 'Do you know how to play golf?' He said, 'Yeah, I play a little bit. Come here. Let me show you,'" she recalled. "So I let him get behind me. And I backed up and accidentally hit him right in the groin — accidentally on purpose, that was."

She added, "We were so exhausted and tired of the treatment. You just have to do what you have to do."

Advertisement

Hallstrom then criticized Barker, the show's host of 35 years who retired in 2007 anddied at 99 in 2023after battling Alzheimer's. The former model claimed that if anyone complained to Barker, who she said was "in charge of the show," that he would tell her "to get over it or look for a new job."

The women shared that the complaints eventually did make their way up the ladder, but claimed that CBS' solution was to institute a "10-Second-Rule" stating that no one was allowed to "openly stare at a model for more than 10 seconds."

Hallstrom slammed this move as "a joke," explaining, "There was no one monitoring how long the guys were staring at the models… It was an appeasement. They did things that made it look like they were taking action, so you will stop complaining and go away."

She added that the situation grew more complex after Barker allegedly began an affair with model Dian Parkinson, one of the longest-serving models on the show.

"It took a toll," she said of the relationship. "There was fighting on the sets, yelling, and it was massive. And it ultimately, I think, destroyedThe Price is Right."

Entertainment Weeklyhas reached out to representatives at CBS for comment.

Barker hostedThe Price Is Rightfrom its premiere on Sept. 4, 1972 through his June 2007 retirement. Across that period he won 14 Daytime Emmy Awards as the show's host and four more as an executive producer, in addition to a lifetime achievement Emmy in 1999.

Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with ourEW Dispatch newsletter.

Barker did face a few public scandals relating to the show's on-set culture, though they had little impact on his popularity as the face of the beloved game show. In 1994, Barker was sued for sexual harassment by Parkinson, prompting him to publicly confirm their affair, claiming that she initiated the relationship. Parkinsondropped the lawsuita year later, stating that it was hurting her health.

Hallstrom later publicly called out Barker andThe Price Is Right,claiming that she was dismissed from the show because of slight weight gain caused by her prescription medication. Barker denied the allegations, though Hallstromstands by her claimsin the upcoming docuseries.

Dirty Rotten Scandals: The Price Is Rightpremieres on E! with two back-to-back episodes on March 18.

Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly

By Jarrett Renshaw

March 18 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans are betting the oil-price shock sparked by the Iran crisis will be too short-lived to hurt them politically in November, but traders and industry analysts see signs that U.S. pump prices will stay painfully high long after any diplomatic breakthrough.

Oil prices ‌have surged as the conflict disrupted global supply. U.S. crude topped $100 a barrel for the first time since the 2022 Russia-Ukraine shock. U.S. diesel climbed above $5 a ‌gallon, its highest since late 2022. The disruptions stem in large part from Iran's effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, the choke point through which roughly one-fifth of global oil normally flows.

Trump has repeatedly said the higher ​energy costs are a small price to pay for neutralizing Iran. On Tuesday, he again predicted energy prices would "drop like a rock" after the conflict ends.

But oil futures, government forecasts and seasonal summer demand point to elevated crude and gasoline prices persisting even if tensions ease, analysts warned, noting that energy costs tend to fall slower than they rise.

"It's going to take time for those prices to come back down," said Matt Smith, an analyst at energy consultant group Kpler.

If fuel costs stay high through the summer, voters could blame Trump's Republican Party for straining household budgets and punish its ‌candidates in November's midterm elections. Polls show voters are worried about ⁠the cost of living. Affordability is the key issue for Democrats, who are within reach of getting a majority in the House of Representatives and narrowing Republicans' margin of control in the Senate.

Trump has long used social media and the White House megaphone to shape the political narrative, ⁠but gasoline prices are hard to spin, said Chris Borick, a pollster and political science professor at Muhlenberg College in Pennsylvania.

"It's the most in-your-face reminder of affordability concerns, and it's almost impossible to convince voters of some kind of contextual case that outweighs their emotional reaction," Borick said.

White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said Trump has been "right about everything," and oil prices are no different.

"Once the military objectives of Operation ​Epic ​Fury are completed and the Iranian terrorist regime is neutralized, oil and gas prices will drop rapidly—potentially even ​lower this before the strikes began," Rogers said.

Advertisement

SIGNS POINT TO HIGHER ‌FOR LONGER

The U.S. Energy Information Administration this month sharply raised its outlook for crude and fuel prices. It now projects Brent crude will average about $79 a barrel in 2026, up 37% from a prior forecast of $58, while U.S. retail gasoline is expected to average $3.34 a gallon, up nearly 15% from its prior estimate.

For 2027, the revised government forecasts put global crude prices about 22% higher and U.S. gasoline prices roughly 8.4% higher than previous projections, underscoring expectations that tighter supplies and geopolitical risks could keep energy costs elevated for years.

Oil futures markets tell a similar story, with contracts for delivery well into next year trading above levels seen earlier this year.

U.S. crude futures have averaged $68.10 a barrel so far this year but are expected to average $85.25 ‌for the remainder of 2026 and $71.35 in 2027, according to LSEG. That compares with an average of about $64.70 ​a barrel in 2025.

Florence Schmit, an energy strategist at Rabobank, said any normalization would be gradual.

"Even if they ​signed a peace deal tomorrow, it would take months before we see a full ​resumption of traffic and energy flows," she said, adding prices could ease to the mid-to-high $70s by year‑end.

U.S. drivers are feeling the impact. The national average ‌for regular fuel climbed on Tuesday to $3.79 per gallon from $3.54 a week ​ago and $2.92 a month ago, according to industry data. ​Prices are up sharply from $3.08 a year ago, reflecting broader inflationary pressures in energy markets and tighter crude supplies.

Since the conflict began on February 28, Trump has reviewed a range of options to ease price pressure, with Chief of Staff Susie Wiles taking a lead role in the effort, Reuters has reported.

The administration has already taken ​several steps to blunt the supply shock and stabilize global markets, ‌including easing certain sanctions on Russian energy exports to bring additional crude to the market and joining allied nations in a historic, coordinated release of strategic ​petroleum reserves.

The U.S. release of roughly 200 million barrels from its Strategic Petroleum Reserve is expected to occur over several months, limiting its immediate impact on ​prices.

(Reporting By Jarrett Renshaw; additional reporting by Georgina McCartney; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and David Gregorio)

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — When a male bullfinch smashed into Marcin Jarzębski's apartment window, he took it in but realized it needed expert treatment. So the next morning he brought it to Warsaw's new emergency room for wild birds.

Poland Bird Hospital

He placed the tiny, plump bird with a black head, gray back and reddish chest feathers into a shoebox and took it as one of the first patients to the new drop-off center for sick and injured birds at the entrance of the Warsaw Zoo.

"The bird stayed with us overnight, but unfortunately it probably has a broken wing so we brought it to the bird hospital," Jarzebski said.

The 24/7 emergency room in the Polish capital is actually a system of automated metal containers – something like a parcel room – where the containers can keep the birds warm in winter. The boxes send an immediate signal to the bird hospital just a few meters away, where veterinarians bring the birds for diagnosing and treatment.

Jarzebski filled out a questionnaire and carefully placed the shoebox and the paper form into one of the containers, assured that the bullfinch would now have its best chance of surviving.

The box system, designed based on ideas of the workers at the bird hospital, locks the birds in to keep them safe until a doctor can collect them. The drop-off center, opened in February, is boosting the efficiency of a bird hospital that has operated at the Warsaw Zoo since 1998 and now treats about 9,000 patients annually.

It's the brainchild of the zoo director, ornithologist Andrzej Kruszewicz, who said that people have a responsibility to care for creatures whose habitat they have altered, such as that of the bullfinch.

"This bird is a child of the forest who, during migration, didn't understand the window," Kruszewicz said.

"Humans often cause problems: car accidents, crashes into windows, electrocutions, tangled strings on storks' legs," he said. "All this is humans' fault and they should feel responsible to give these birds a second chance."

Advertisement

Typical patients at the Warsaw Zoo include common songbirds like tits, sparrows, thrushes and starlings, as well as pigeons. However, in a green city like Warsaw, which has the river Vistula running through it, rarer species also can appear.

Hospital manager Andżelika Gackowska says that warm winters caused by climate change have meant birds that were previously migrating south, including cranes or herons, are choosing to stay in Poland.

"Birds who stopped migrating because of warm winters were caught off guard by such a harsh winter as this year," Gackowska said. Some birds developed anemia during the cold months because of tough conditions and insufficient nutrition, making them more vulnerable to disease.

The emergency room was financed in part with money from Warsaw's citizen budget, a program that chooses projects based on their popularity in online surveys of city residents.

Warsaw Zoo workers say residents have become more conscious about providing help if they see a sick bird, although they also warn against overzealousness, saying that people shouldn't pick up young and healthy birds that they might believe are orphans.

"In spring, we always make an information campaign warning people not to 'kidnap' birds," Gackowska said. "Birds take care of their small ones differently than humans. If we see a baby bird on the grass alone, it is likely just training how to fly independently."

In the bird hospital, veterinarian assistants are constantly on their feet, feeding and giving medicine to the various birds, located across multiple rooms depending on species and degree of illness.

Once birds are stronger, they are placed in large cages outside, to readjust to their natural environment before being released.

Releasing the cured birds back into their habitat is the ultimate goal, veterinarian Ewelina Chudziak said.

"We are fighting for freedom," she said.

By Ted Hesson

WASHINGTON, March 18 (Reuters) - Markwayne Mullin, nominated to replace outgoing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, will testify on Wednesday at a Senate confirmation hearing where immigration enforcement, government spending and national security are expected to be at the forefront.

Mullin, ‌a Republican U.S. senator from Oklahoma, has been a reliable backer of President Donald Trump's hardline immigration policies. He will likely face ‌scrutiny from Democrats, who have blocked federal funding for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security since mid-February as they demand Trump scale back immigration tactics.

Trump, a Republican, launched an aggressive ​campaign to deport immigration offenders after taking office in 2025. While the effort has portrayed immigrants as dangerous criminals, many of those arrested have had no criminal record, including children and families.

Under Noem's leadership, the Trump administration surged federal agents into U.S. cities last year to make immigration arrests, with major operations in Los Angeles and Chicago. Masked agents tackled day laborers in parking lots and tear-gassed neighborhoods as residents tried to document their actions. The officers' militaristic ‌tactics led to legal challenges and public criticism.

After federal ⁠immigration officers shot and killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis in January, the Trump administration shifted its tone and said it would take a more targeted approach. Despite the statements, Democrats have refused to approve funding for DHS ⁠until the Trump administration makes changes to immigration enforcement, leaving the department in a partial shutdown since mid-February.

Amid mounting criticism from Republican lawmakers over the immigration crackdown and Noem's handling of DHS, Trump fired her earlier this month and announced he would nominate Mullin, a businessman who spent a decade in the U.S. House ​of Representatives ​before his election to the Senate for a term beginning in 2023.

BUSINESS BACKGROUND, ​STOCK TRADES

The quickly assembled confirmation hearing before the U.S. Senate ‌Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee could offer Mullin a chance to show how he would approach the job and to address lawmakers' concerns over Noem's management of the department.

Advertisement

In prepared remarks shared with Reuters, Senator Gary Peters of Michigan, the committee's top Democrat, criticized Noem for saying the U.S. citizens killed in Minneapolis had committed acts of domestic terrorism, rather than calling for an investigation.

"It's not the role of the secretary to be a cable news commentator in the wake of a crisis," Peters said.

Mullin, who once ran a family plumbing business, is one of the wealthiest members ‌of the Senate. A 2024 financial disclosure form showed he had between $29 million and $97 ​million in assets. In recent years, he has traded millions of dollars in stocks, according ​to websites tracking trading among lawmakers.

A spokesperson for Mullin said he ​uses an independent firm to manage his stock portfolio in compliance with federal law.

During his 2012 campaign for the ‌U.S. House of Representatives, Mullin faced criticism from a Democratic ​opponent related to hiring a convicted felon ​who had access to firearms at his plumbing business. The opponent also said the business did not use E-Verify, a federal system that verifies an employee's lawful immigration status.

White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said this week that there was "no indication Mullin did anything inappropriate" ​related to the felon and that "none of his businesses ‌ever employed workers without legal status."

As a member of the Cherokee Nation, Mullin was only the fourth Native American to become ​a senator at the time of his election win.

The hearing is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. EDT (1330 GMT) on Wednesday.

(Reporting ​by Ted Hesson; Additional reporting by Richard Cowan; Editing by Edmund Klamann)

Brooklyn Beckhamhad long made it clear via his Instagram Stories that he no longer wants to reconcile with his parents,VictoriaandDavid Beckham, over the ongoing feud. Despite this, his parents posted sweet birthday messages for their oldest son. However, an insider said that their son wants them "to take a step back" for now.

Brooklyn Beckham 'still values family but wants relationships that feel genuine,' per source

The family feud between Brooklyn Beckham and his parents, David and Victoria Beckham, has been going on for months. While the parents are trying their best to patch things up with their oldest son, he has made it loud and clear that he has "no plans to reconcile" with them in a lengthyInstagram Story, much to everyone's surprise.

Brooklyn has even sent a legal notice to his parents, advising them to contact him only through lawyers and not to tag or mention him in their social media posts. Despite this, David and Victoria shared aseries of tributesfor his 27th birthday on Instagram last week. But instead of doing any good, the insider toldCloser, the post apparently left Brooklyn "fuming" as he felt his parents "turned his birthday back into a public spectacle."

Advertisement

And they were not the only ones to wish the birthday boy. Brooklyn's younger brothers, Romeo and Cruz, also shared a picture of their sibling. Even Brooklyn's maternal grandmother, Jackie Adams, reportedly called her grandson and "urged him to bury the hatchet."

Amid all this, the insider said, "What people often overlook is that Brooklyn is hurting too." Thus, he currently "feels that putting space between himself and the family will give everyone the time they need to process what's happened and deal with it properly."

But with his parents "posting about him, it makes that healing much harder." Moreover, Brooklyn wishes "to be left alone," and feels "the best thing his parents could do is simply take a step back." Despite the feud, Brooklyn "still values family, but he wants relationships that feel genuine," said the insider, adding that "Brooklyn's trying to create a life where things are real."

The postBrooklyn Beckham Wants His Parents 'To Take a Step Back' Amid Feud — Sourceappeared first onReality Tea.