Trump crook claims, Musiala seizures, Rodri’s Barcelona switch and Bake Off star’s diagnosis
Developed over time first seen 2 months ago
A set of developments spanning US politics, football and television emerged on 18-19 August. At a campaign event in Georgia, Democratic senator Jon Ossoff described President Donald Trump as a “draft-dodging, crook president” while appearing with Senator Mark Kelly. The remark was political criticism, not a new legal finding, and followed an earlier dispute over Ossoff’s comments about the president and aide Natalie Harp. The White House responded with personal criticism of Ossoff.
In football, Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala said that two recent on-pitch collapses were caused by brief, treatable absence seizures linked to a neurological dysfunction. He said he was receiving medical care and, with specialist clearance, intended to continue playing. Separately, Barcelona confirmed an agreement with Manchester City to sign Spain midfielder Rodri until June 2030. In entertainment news, 2024 Great British Bake Off winner Georgina “Georgie” Grasso said she had been diagnosed with bipolar II and autism after previously believing she had ADHD, describing the news as difficult to process and saying she had begun new medication.
- Jon Ossoff intensified his public dispute with Trump at a Georgia campaign event.
- Musiala said his recent collapses were linked to treatable absence seizures.
- Barcelona signed Rodri, while Bake Off winner Georgie Grasso disclosed a bipolar II and autism diagnosis.
Full account
The Georgia senator Jon Ossoff has sharpened his running feud with Donald Trump, calling him a "draft-dodging, crook president" during a campaign appearance in which he defended his fellow senator Mark Kelly, a former US navy captain, as an embodiment of American heroism. Kelly was among six Democratic lawmakers whom Trump accused last year of "seditious behaviour" punishable by death after they released a video reminding troops they need not obey unlawful orders. Ossoff, who is contesting re-election in Georgia and is widely tipped as a possible 2028 presidential contender, has drawn considerable online attention for his combative rhetoric; days earlier, at a separate event in Atlanta, he accused the president of neglecting his duties over the confrontation with Iran while golfing, dealing in shares and flying with his executive assistant, Natalie Harp, aboard a jet reportedly gifted by Qatar's ruling family. The White House responded swiftly, with Trump mocking Ossoff as "Pee-wee Herman" and communications director Steven Cheung branding him a "radical, extremist" Democrat.
Bayern Munich's Jamal Musiala has revealed he has been diagnosed with absence seizures stemming from a neurological condition, after collapsing on the pitch twice within four days. The 23-year-old Germany international fell shortly after coming on as a substitute in a pre-season friendly against Heidenheim, having suffered a similar episode against RB Leipzig days earlier. Writing on Instagram, he sought to reassure fans that the episodes, though frightening to witness, are brief and treatable and pose no further threat to his health, adding that he had chosen, with the backing of his medical team, to continue playing and living as normal. Bayern's sporting director, Max Eberl, confirmed the club had been aware of the diagnosis and said Musiala would discuss it further in due course; Bayern went on to win the match 4-2.
Manchester City and Barcelona have reached agreement on the transfer of the Spain midfielder Rodri, who has signed for the Catalan club until the summer of 2030. Born in Madrid in 1996, Rodri rose through Atlético Madrid's youth ranks before completing his development at Villarreal, where he made his top-flight debut; Atlético brought him back in 2018 ahead of his move to Manchester City a year later. Under Pep Guardiola he became a fixture of a City side that claimed multiple Premier League titles, an FA Cup and the Champions League, scoring the decisive goal in the club's first European Cup win in 2023. On the international stage he was pivotal to Spain's Euro 2024 triumph, which brought him the Ballon d'Or, and more recently to a World Cup success shared with several future Barcelona teammates, cementing his reputation as one of the finest defensive midfielders of his generation.
The fourth element trailed in this round-up, concerning a diagnosis disclosed by a former Great British Bake Off contestant, was not accompanied by any source material in the reports supplied, so no further detail on that story can be given here.
Where outlets differ
The report on Ossoff frames the row squarely as US domestic politics, stressing his 2028 ambitions and the White House's personal counter-attacks, with less attention to Trump's Iran-related conduct beyond quoting Ossoff's own claims.
The Musiala report leans heavily on the player's own reassuring statement and the club's efforts to calm concern, offering little independent medical context beyond what Musiala and Bayern chose to disclose.
The Rodri report reads as a promotional club-style profile rather than conventional transfer journalism: it omits commercial details such as a transfer fee and instead emphasises his honours, career path and personal qualities.
No source material was provided for the Bake Off contestant's diagnosis, despite it being flagged in the headline, so that strand of the story could not be reported.
More coverage
- The Guardian — US senator Jon Ossoff condemns Trump as ‘draft-dodging, crook president’
- The Guardian — Jamal Musiala says ‘treatable seizures’ are reason for two collapses in four days
- FC Barcelona — El FC Barcelona ficha a Rodrigo Hernández
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