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June 21, 2026 Good morning. Almost exactly a year ago, we introduced you to our new chief restaurant critics, Tejal Rao and Ligaya Mishan. Today, we’re checking back in with them to see what they’ve been eating. Tejal Rao and Ligaya Mishan. Designed by Janet Kim. Photos by Tony Cenicola/The New York Times. Sweet or salty? David Gardner, The Times’s director of employee storytelling, and Sarah Bahr, an editor who writes about culture and style, recently conducted separate interviews with Tejal and Ligaya. We’ve combined excerpts from the two conversations here. What were the highlights from the year? Tejal: Barbs B Q in Lockhart, and all of the excellent barbecue that I ate in Texas. Every meal at Diane’s in Minneapolis, but especially the chicken soup for breakfast. And the tasting menu at Emeril’s in New Orleans, which totally took me by surprise and reminded me that tasting menus can actually be fun. Ligaya: I just completed the top 100 restaurants in New York City list. I feel like I’ve run a marathon. There were days when I ate at five restaurants in a day, and I was going all over town. Sometimes the subway ride was much longer than the actual meal. Your jobs depend on being able to get reservations at the hottest restaurants — and you don’t cut the line. What are your tips? Tejal: Nobody wants to hear this, but go at terrible times! Very early or very late. Also, if they accept walk-ins, give it a shot and be willing to wait. Ligaya: You just have to devote hours of your life to it. I set multiple alarms for when reservations drop. Sometimes I’m working the apps on both mobile and desktop. I’ve found that if you keep refreshing in the first hour, time slots disappear but then pop back up. A lot of reservations now require full payment up front, and people back out. You read a lot when dining alone. What book has stayed with you? Tejal: I just finished “The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny” by Kiran Desai. The characters are still with me. It was such an immersive experience, I sometimes forgot where I was and what I was supposed to be doing. Ligaya: “Spring Snow” by Yukio Mishima. It’s so full of quiet violence of emotions in a very buttoned-up society. What’s your go-to meal at home at the moment? Ligaya: My husband is the best chef in the city. My happiest meals are just vegetables and rice. The way he roasts carrots and eggplant — it’s so good. Tejal: We do a lot of — in part because it’s easy and something my toddler loves to eat too — a stack of crisp nori, hot rice, a little protein of some kind and everyone’s favorite condiments. But after I’ve been on a trip, I truly crave and appreciate good salads. What’s the most embarrassing thing you’ve eaten in the past year? Tejal: I have a few of those humiliating parent-of-toddler meals just eating things I don’t want my daughter to waste: A dried out quarter of a PB&J, half a squished apricot, a bit of cold chicken that may or may not have been chewed on already, who can say? Ligaya: When I’m stuck at my desk writing, I eat a lot of Yasso bars. Sometimes like four a day, if the writing’s not going well. When you’re just dining out for fun, do you order dessert? Tejal: Yes. Ligaya: 100 percent. Butter or olive oil? Tejal: Butter. Ligaya: Olive oil. Sweet or salty? Tejal: Salty. Ligaya: Both at once. You can read Sarah’s full conversation with the critics here. And sign up to get our restaurants newsletter, “Where to Eat,” delivered to your inbox. THE LATEST NEWS War in the Middle East In Switzerland this morning. Pool photo by Urs Flueeler American and Iranian delegations arrived in Switzerland for a new round of talks. The talks are expected to address the status of Iran’s nuclear program. The U.S. said that 55 commercial ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz yesterday, the largest number to cross in a day since early in the war. Iran later said it was closing the strait again. The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon threatens efforts to reach a broader peace. Politics President Trump said that the newly renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool would likely need to be drained for repairs and that vandalism was responsible for the problems. A Roman Catholic diocese in New Mexico is fighting with the Trump administration over a proposed border wall that could cut off access to a giant statue of Jesus. Around the World In Albania. Valdrin Xhemaj/Reuters Protests in Albania set off by an episode at the site of a development project partly financed by Jared Kushner are actually about local politics, participants say. A court in Pakistan sentenced the father and an uncle of a 14-year-old girl from New York to life imprisonment for her killing. The father told investigators that her clothing choices, lifestyle and social relationships had brought shame to his family. Other Big Stories The Times asked scholars across America to identify historical figures who shaped the country — and whose legacies remain debated. Read about eight. (We’ve made this link free for you.) A TikTok trend promoting the benefits of protein is a factor in a cottage cheese shortage. THE SUNDAY DEBATE A Times investigation revealed how the industry around kratom, a drug sold at convenience stores that is linked to thousands of deaths, has benefited from close ties to the Trump administration. Should the government ban kratom? Yes. Kratom is a dangerous drug and the government has failed to act on it for too long, Kevin Sabet writes for the Washington Examiner: “Between 2020 and 2024, nearly 5,300 people died from overdoses involving kratom. From celebrities to everyday teenagers, our failed approach to kratom impacts Americans of all stripes.” No. The war on drugs proved that bans just lead to black markets and dangerous drug use. Kratom should instead be regulated, Bryan Mauk writes for the Dayton Daily News: “Criminalizing users of kratom derivatives would do little to address addiction. In fact, the trauma of incarceration often worsens substance use and leaves lasting scars on families and communities.” FROM OPINION Hannah Jacobs Zach Ellams worried about the complications of being a trans dad. He learned that his identity wasn’t complicated for his daughter. Breakthroughs in medical research can sometimes take years, but Trump is dismantling the system that funds it, Jeff Coller writes. Here’s a column from Jamelle Bouie on why Trump talks so much about voter fraud. (We’ve made this link free for you.) Subscribers always win. Here’s why. You can now save 75% on your first year of a New York Times Games subscription. Discover all of our word and logic games (and play past puzzles), earn badges for your achievements, plus more. Time is running out though, so subscribe today. MORNING READS Congo’s national soccer team arriving in Houston. Troy Taormina/Imagn Images, via Reuters Leopard print: You can spot the Congolese World Cup team’s style a mile away. Ask the therapist: A couple wonders why their family doesn’t support their estrangement from their toxic daughter. (We’ve made this link free for you.) Metropolitan Diary: A special anniversary column, with some notable contributors. Master of the sitcom: James Burrows helped create “Cheers” and directed more than 1,000 episodes of hit shows like “Taxi,” “Friends” and “The Big Bang Theory.” He died at 85. WORLD CUP Deniz Undav of Germany is making a pretty good case that he can be a true scorer. After bagging a goal as a sub in the team’s opening match, he added two more against Ivory Coast. Curaçao got its first-ever World Cup point with a draw against Ecuador, thanks to the goalkeeper Eloy Room’s 15 saves. He may have tied the record held by the U.S. legend Tim Howard. The Netherlands’ 5-1 defeat of Sweden made for tactically interesting viewing despite the final score. Japan scored four goals — the most by an Asian team in a World Cup game — in an impressive 4-0 win over Tunisia. A tiny private school in New Jersey has played host to World Cup teams for decades. Why? (We’ve made this link free for you.) A NEW SHOW FROM ‘SERIAL’ Pablo Delcan True crime podcasts are ubiquitous, thanks in large part to “Serial,” which defined the medium when it came out in 2014. A new show from the “Serial” team twists a convention of the genre: the re-investigation of cases in which men on death row claim innocence. “The Last 12 Weeks” focuses on the “habeas” lawyers who spend years fighting to spare clients from execution. One is a profanity-spewing cowboy. Another is austere, eating plain turkey and cheese sandwiches in a motel as he awaits word from the court. You really cannot predict the fate of the convicted serial killer they’re working to clear — a man known as the Desert Killer — until the very end. You can listen to the whole five-episode series here. Or hear the show in the podcast app of your choice: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon THE INTERVIEW Philip Montgomery for The New York Times By David Marchese This week’s subject for The Interview is Danny McBride, who is known for his wounded, vulgar and beloved male characters in shows like “The Righteous Gemstones” and “Eastbound & Down.” McBride is now publishing his first collection of short stories, “Thrilling Tales of Modern Men.” A lot of the characters in the book are struggling to find purpose in their life, or they’re looking for meaning. Maybe because they feel emasculated or feel anxiety about their status. Where do you think people find meaning and purpose? I grew up going to church. My mom was a puppet minister. My parents were really involved. After they got divorced when I was in sixth grade, we just stopped going. So now I have kids, and church isn’t really a part of our life either. And I started thinking, there are all these basic things I learned from going to church, basic morals and values, and I’m taking for granted that my kids are going to pick all that stuff up from the world around them, but they’re not. You do have to think about that. Can you tell me about your mom’s puppet ministry? Maybe I’m betraying my own ignorance here, but I wasn’t really aware that was a thing. You seem like you’d be really into puppet ministry. I actually like puppet ministry, but I mean puppets of the band Ministry. [Laughs] When I was a kid, we went to this little Baptist church in Spotsylvania, Va. My mom bought these puppets, and she would write these plays and do the children’s sermons during church. On Sunday mornings, we would load the stage and the puppets into the car and go to church early to help her get set up. I kept those puppets for a long time. I didn’t know what to do with them. You have these puppets that your mom had when you were a kid. The idea of them sitting in a dumpster somewhere is heartbreaking. Read more of the interview here. (We’ve made this link free for you.) THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE Photo illustration by Alex Merto Read this week’s magazine. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Ask your dad these questions today. You’ll get to know him better. Host a ’90s-style hangout. That means no smartphones. Let a robot clean your windows. It leaves some streaks, but otherwise it’s pretty good! Snag an early Prime Day deal. (The real thing starts on Tuesday.) MEAL PLAN Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini. The perfect pancakes have crisp edges, fluffy centers and are easy to cook even if you’re not fully caffeinated. Melissa Clark’s recipe hits all the right notes. It uses buttermilk for tang, a combination of baking soda and powder for lightness and a touch of honey or sugar for gentle sweetness. NOW TIME TO PLAY Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangrams were drowning, wording and wrongdoing. Can you put eight historical events — including Shakespeare’s death, the original Pied Piper and the invention of the Super Soaker — in chronological order? Take this week’s Flashback quiz. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Crossplay, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your weekend with The Times. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Host: Sam Sifton Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Brent Lewis, Lara McCoy, Karl Russell Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Editorial Director, Newsletters: Jodi Rudoren

The Tehran Children The story of the Jewish orphans of Poland who found refuge in Iran. https://aish.com/the-tehran-children/?

Trump’s Strait Deal Collapses While He Obsesses Over How to Spell ‘Dumb’ “Which do you prefer, Dumocrat or Dumbocrat?” the commander in chief asked. President Donald Trump’s priorities are being called into question after he made a bizarre post on Saturday morning. Just as Iran announced it was closing the Strait of Hormuz and accused the U.S. of violating the ceasefire agreement, Trump took to Truth Social to seek feedback on his derogatory new nickname for Democrats. Trump posted a poll asking his followers, “Which do you prefer, Dumocrat or Dumbocrat?” The 80-year-old president then offered a truly bizarre explanation of each spelling. “In one case, you simply exchange the ‘e’ for ‘u,’ so simple and precise (Many people don’t know, or assume, that DUMB ends in ‘b’),” Trump wrote. He continued, “In the other case, you spell out DUMB, but it seems to lose some of the identity to Democrats when done this way. Which is better?” He ended the post with his now-familiar sign-off: “Thank you for your attention to this very important matter! President DJT.”The president has been repeatedly musing on the word “dumb” in recent months, claiming multiple times that “a lot of people don’t know dumb has a ‘b.’” An hour into the poll, Trump’s followers preferred the president’s spelling of “Dumocrat,” which received 63 percent of the vote. It was the same spelling Trump used earlier in the day during a posting spree in which he wrote that “Dumocrats realize how well we have done in our War against Iran.” Trump signed a memorandum of understanding with Iran on Wednesday, but it is already showing signs of falling apart, with Iran shutting down the Strait of Hormuz to maritime traffic. Critics and supporters alike have noted it falls far short of his earlier call for “unconditional surrender.” The agreement ends military operations, lifts U.S. sanctions on Iran, and establishes a $300 billion reconstruction fund, while Iran commits not to pursue nuclear weapons. It also sets out a phased U.S. withdrawal from its naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz within 30 days. Iran said Saturday it was closing the Strait of Hormuz in response to continued Israeli strikes in Lebanon. Negotiations between the U.S. and Iran to implement a peace deal were due to take place in Switzerland on Friday but were postponed. Vice President JD Vance, who was set to lead the talks, did not travel to Switzerland. Instead, he said that Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and special envoy Steve Witkoff were on the ground and “dealing with some of the technical elements of this negotiation.” Trump has joked that he will blame the vice president if the deal falls through. “If it works out, I’m going to take the credit,” Trump said. “If it doesn’t work out, I’m blaming JD.” https://www.thedailybeast.com/trumps-strait-deal-collapses-while-he-obsesses-over-how-to-spell-dumb/? ps:So predictably pathetic!!!!!!!!!!

Vance Boast Blows Up in His Face While Live on Air The Strait of Hormuz was closed by Iran just as the vice president touted its opening on Fox News. JD Vance was boasting about the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz on Fox News just as news broke that Iran had actually closed the all-important waterway. Asked by the Fox & Friends panel if the strait was open, Vance said that it was. “We got 16 million barrels [of oil] out of the Strait of Hormuz in just the last 24 hours, that is basically to where it was before the war started, and so that suggests that the straits really are open,” he said. He put forward a theory that a ship may have been prevented from entering dangerous waters, but was adamant that the waterway was open to commercial traffic. “Now what I would believe is that if a ship is going near a minefield, either our navy or another country’s navy—there are a lot of countries other than Iran who are in the region—might say, ‘No, don’t go there because there are mines there,’” he said. He then doubled down. “No, we’re not seeing any evidence that the Iranians are still closing down the Strait of Hormuz,” he said. “It is going to take some time to clear those mines, though.” Around the same time, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy declared the strait closed in a statement, saying the waterway was off limits because the United States failed to prevent the Israeli military from operating in Lebanon. “In light of the United States’ clear bad faith and breach of its commitment to implement the first clause of the memorandum of understanding for ending the war, and in response to the continuous and ongoing violations of the ceasefire by the Zionist regime in southern Lebanon, it is hereby announced that the Strait of Hormuz will be closed to maritime traffic,” the IRGC said in a statement. The vice president and the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Israeli strikes on Saturday in southern Lebanon reportedly killed at least 16 people, including two children, according to Lebanese state media. U.S. Central Command released a statement at 10.28 a.m. Saturday that said ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz had increased. “Safe passage through the international waterway remained intact today as 55 merchant ships transited, moving large amounts of cargo and more than 17 million barrels of oil to global markets,” they wrote. President Donald Trump, 80, boasted this week that he is the “reason Israel exists” and that he tells the nation what to do. But it appears he has been unable to dictate how Israel handles its conflict with Lebanon, with Israel allegedly breaking a ceasefire that was insisted on by Iran as part of the Memorandum of Understanding the president signed this week. The Israeli strikes on Lebanon were reportedly retaliation for a Hezbollah attack. An Israeli military official said Hezbollah had fired more than 50 projectiles at Israeli forces in southern Lebanon overnight. Hezbollah issued a statement Saturday that accused Israel of deliberately sabotaging the ceasefire. Israeli media reported Saturday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz had ordered a ceasefire in southern Lebanon, but would not be withdrawing from the occupied areas. The decision was reportedly made in coordination with the United States. Vance is planning to join U.S. negotiators Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff in Switzerland on Sunday or Monday for talks with Iran over its nuclear program. https://www.thedailybeast.com/vice-president-jd-vances-boast-blows-up-in-his-face-while-live-on-air/?

Trump, 80, Spirals as Reflecting Pool Fiasco Takes Another Mortifying Turn The president’s promises to improve a national monument have ended with algae, arrests, accusations of sabotage—and a likely draining. President Donald Trump has found someone new to blame for his Reflecting Pool disaster. In a Truth Social post on Saturday, the president claimed several alleged vandals had been arrested after damage was discovered at the newly refurbished Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. “The United States Park Police have arrested multiple individuals for vandalizing our Nations [sic] magnificent Reflecting Pool,” Trump wrote. “Who would do such a thing?” Hours later, Trump claimed that “many additional people” had been arrested and alleged that vandals used a knife or blade to carve a 250-foot gash into the pool’s new lining. He also accused unidentified individuals of pouring “corrosive and destructive chemicals” into the water. Trump also acknowledged that the problems at the Reflecting Pool have become so severe that much of the water may need to be drained again for repairs. “We met with contractors today, will probably be forced to release and drain much of the water in order to do the necessary repairs,” he wrote. The admission marks another setback for a renovation that was originally expected to take a week but stretched into nearly two months before being overtaken by algae days after reopening. “The Reflecting Pool was never so beautiful as it was just one week ago,” Trump wrote. “We are very proud of what we have done with this magnificent structure.” Trump’s vandalism claims quickly became fodder for critics online. “They’ve arrested more people for touching the peeling paint at the Reflecting Pool than they’ve arrested from the Epstein files,” one person wrote. “Keeping his promise to drain the swamp,” another wrote. Others accused Trump of looking for a scapegoat rather than accepting responsibility for the troubled project. “Why admit it when you can blame your own citizens?” one person commented. One of the people caught up in the crackdown insists he was doing little more than satisfying his curiosity. David Hearn, a 67-year-old former Olympic canoe racer from Bethesda, Maryland, told the Associated Press he was detained Friday after reaching down and touching part of the new coating. “I’m a curious citizen,” Hearn said. “I reached down to see what it felt like. It was very rubbery.” According to Hearn, he immediately stopped when a worker instructed him to leave it alone, but was nevertheless detained by National Guard troops and Park Police officers for roughly five hours. The Washington Post reported that Hearn has been ordered to appear in court next month and is seeking legal assistance. The arrests come as the Reflecting Pool makeover threatens to overshadow Trump’s broader campaign to spruce up Washington, D.C. Trump had earlier on Saturday been celebrating what he described as his administration’s efforts to make Washington “SAFE & BEAUTIFUL.” In a graphic posted to Truth Social, the president boasted that workers had fixed 1,695 lights, rehabilitated or installed 1,143 benches, cleaned 500 instances of graffiti, removed 152 homeless encampments, repaired 22 fountains, and cleaned dozens of monuments and statues. The Reflecting Pool makeover was prominently featured among the administration’s accomplishments. Minutes later, Trump was blaming alleged vandals for damaging the project. “These are very serious crimes having to do with the destruction of National Monuments,” Trump wrote. “Years in jail! Work will begin immediately on its repair.” The Daily Beast reached out to the White House and National Park Service for comment. The project’s troubles are particularly awkward for the White House as Trump personally championed a plan to repaint the basin in what he called “American flag blue.” Originally expected to cost about $1.8 million and take a week to complete, the renovation dragged on for nearly two months and ultimately cost taxpayers an estimated $14 million. The problems began almost immediately after the pool reopened earlier this month. Within days, a major algae bloom turned much of the water green, undermining Trump’s promise of a more picturesque landmark. Workers have spent days trying to rescue the troubled renovation, including removing algae from the water and pouring hydrogen peroxide into the pool to control the bloom. Trump claimed Friday that the algae was already “75% gone” and would soon be completely eliminated. Yet pictures of the Reflecting Pool continue to show a landmark struggling to shake its green tint. https://www.thedailybeast.com/president-donald-trump-80-spirals-as-his-dc-makeover-turns-into-slimy-fiasco/?

THIS DAY IN HISTORY June 21 1788 U.S. Constitution ratified New Hampshire becomes the ninth and last necessary state to ratify the Constitution of the United States, thereby making the document the law of the land. read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 19th Century 1876 General Santa Anna dies in Mexico City 1813 France pushed out of Spain in the decisive battle of the Peninsular War 1980s 1982 John Hinckley Jr., who attempted to assassinate Ronald Reagan, found not guilty American Revolution 1779 Spain declares war against Great Britain Arts & Entertainment 1965 “Mr. Tambourine Man” is released, and the folk-rock revolution is on 1956 Arthur Miller refuses to name communists 1920 Hollywood stars Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks mobbed by crowds Crime 1975 A teenage girl’s boyfriend murders her parents 1964 The KKK kills three civil rights activists Latin American & Caribbean History 1916 U.S. General John J. Pershing’s force attacked by Mexican troops Natural Disasters & Environment 1990 Earthquake devastates Iran Space Exploration 2004 First privately owned spacecraft, SS1, travels beyond the earth’s atmosphere U.S. Presidents 1810 Zachary Taylor and Richard Nixon marry their future first ladies World War II 1942 Allies surrender at Tobruk, Libya

One of the world’s most famous prehistoric monuments, Stonehenge is located about 90 miles west of London on England’s Salisbury Plain. Built roughly 5,000 years ago—around the same time as Egypt’s Great Pyramid—the site has captivated observers for centuries. > One of the most popular theories about Stonehenge is that the monument is a solar calendar. (More, w/video) > Take a virtual tour inside Stonehenge. (More) Its massive standing stones, some weighing up to 30 tons, were arranged with remarkable precision, indicating sophisticated planning and deep cultural significance among their builders. Archaeologists believe the stones were moved over generations using wooden rollers, sleds, and rafts, along with coordinated human labor, and then raised into place with levers and ramps. > See how Stonehenge was built using ancient technologies. (More, w/video) > New scientific tools have transformed what we know about who built Stonehenge. (More) The site’s purpose remains debated. Burials, ritual gatherings, and alignments with the midsummer sunrise and midwinter sunset suggest Stonehenge functioned as both a ceremonial center and an astronomical marker. Today, Stonehenge is visited by over 1 million people each year, from tourists and researchers to modern-day druids who gather to mark the solstices. > The connection between druids and Stonehenge stems from a historical misconception. (More) > The solstice has been celebrated globally for millennia. (More) Discover more: > Hear the story of the police crackdown on a Stonehenge festival in 1985. (More, w/video) > Stonehenge may have functioned as an echo chamber designed to keep ceremonies secret from outsiders. (More) > A 4,000-year-old timber circle discovered on a remote UK beach is nicknamed Seahenge, despite technically not being a henge. (More)

1 ⚽ thing: USA in knockout round U.S. player Alex Freeman celebrates scoring his team's second goal against Australia in Seattle yesterday. Photo: Jared C. Tilton/FIFA via Getty Images The U.S. national soccer team found a way to advance to the knockout Round of 32 without Christian Pulisic — their superstar injured forward — on the field, beating Australia 2-0 yesterday. With Paraguay's Friday night victory over Turkey, the U.S. has also secured first place in Group D, winning its group for the first time since the 2010 Cup. Stat du jour: The Americans have scored six goals in this tournament so far, one off their record for most in a single World Cup. Go deeper.

🎨 Pic du jour: Reflecting flop Reflecting Pool renovations as photographed on May 2, May 28, June 7, June 12, June 16 and June 18. Photos: Reuters The new "American flag blue" paint at the bottom of D.C.'s freshly renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool appeared to be peeling away this week — less than two weeks after the $14.7 million project was completed, Reuters reports. Frantic work to kill the algae bloom that has tinted the water green post-renovation is ongoing. Watch a video: ABC's Jonathan Karl reports from the Reflecting Pool.

🏳️‍🌈 Migration myth Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios The "red-state exodus" narrative misses a quieter reality: Affordability and work are drawing LGBTQ+ residents to places that may be politically complicated but economically viable, Axios' Russell Contreras reports. 💰 By the numbers: Homebuyers need to earn $150,364 annually to afford the median-priced home in states with LGBTQ+ housing protections, per an Axios analysis of real estate company Redfin data. That's 46.8% more than in states without such protections. Zoom in: There's evidence of strong LGBTQ+ populations in the Southern metros — including Atlanta, Raleigh and Charlotte — that complicates the old "blue enclave" frame. Cities with stronger protections like San Francisco and Boston often come with significantly higher housing costs. Read on.

🏆 Tourists discover America Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios. Stock: Getty Images The World Cup is generating an army of modern-day Alexis de Tocquevilles discovering America — a huge moment for U.S. soft power as the country nears its 250th birthday with a mixed global reputation at best, Alex Fitzpatrick writes. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Boston welcoming Scottish fans is the off-the-pitch story of the tournament so far. The Scots seem enamored with Beantown, and vice versa. They drank the Sam Adams brewery dry. They brought soccer superfan energy to Fenway (one lad took home a souvenir). They're cleaning up after themselves, too. 🇩🇪 Then there's "Freddy," the Germany fan whose low-budget odyssey across America has gone viral. His awe-inspired takes on U.S. arenas, food and even gas stations (Buc-ee's and Waffle House got rave reviews) have captured the hearts of millions of Americans, helping us see ourselves only the way an open-minded tourist with fresh eyes can. Scotland soccer fans cheer on the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park last Sunday. Photo: Natalie Reid/MLB Photos via Getty Images 🇯🇵 A Japan supporter has racked up over 16 million views on their downright poetic missive about free chips and salsa at a Mexican restaurant. "In my land, hospitality is a debt. Every gift creates an obligation, weighed carefully, returned in the proper season with interest of feeling." "Here, the gift arrives before you have even proven you can pay for dinner. This is not an appetizer. This is a declaration: We trust you. Eat." ♻️ Like the Scots, Japanese fans are also winning over hearts and minds with their tradition of cleaning up arenas after games.

🇨🇳 Trump's ode to Xi President Trump had glowing praise for Chinese President Xi Jinping in his interview for "The Axios Show," calling him one of the world's greatest leaders, Axios' Josephine Walker writes. Trump told Axios' Marc Caputo that all great leaders share one trait: intelligence. He singled out Xi as especially sharp. "They're all smart," Trump said. "You can't get to that level without being smart. You know who is very smart ... President Xi of China. He's a very smart man. You don't get to those levels where you are running a country, even if it was a small country, you have something special." 💪 Trump praised Xi for being a "strong man. He's no games. He won't sit down and say: 'Oh, what a beautiful day. ... Look how beautiful. Look at the sunshine.' There's none of that stuff. It's like all business, which I like. I think it's great." "[H]e's got a great look. Looks don't matter, right? ... They say: Don't talk about looks. But he's tall. He's 6-foot-2. He's got a great stature. He's got great confidence, and he is smart." Reality check: Xi is usually described as being around 5-foot-11. 🎬 Watch the episode.

Tech moguls as heads of nation-states Photo: Ludovic Marin/AFP via Getty Images It was a historic, even jarring, scene that captures a once-unimaginable geopolitical ordering. The world's most powerful heads of state gathered in the French Alps this week for the annual G7 summit, with the CEOs of America's dominant AI companies seated and treated like heads of nation-states themselves. Why it matters: This is the future many leaders and AI CEOs envision — heads of state and the masters of tech in constant discussion, and sometimes conflict, over who controls AI, its rules, and its application to governing and world security. Think of Anthropic vs. Trump as merely a small test run of this dynamic, with governments battling private companies over their products' threat to U.S. or global security. AI CEOs sat around the table with leaders of the world's democracies, treated as peers. The companies, creating the world's future economy and security infrastructure, are now the equivalent of nation-states. 📷 In the photo above, you see President Trump (upper left above) flanked by OpenAI CEO Altman at his right and Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis, a Nobel laureate, on his left. The G7 host, French President Emmanuel Macron (upper right above), is flanked by Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff. 🕶️ Altman was swarmed on Wednesday as he entered the summit room in Évian-les-Bains for a working lunch with the heads of actual states, with ministers and cabinet members from around the world straining for a look. Altman held bilateral meetings — bilats, in diplomatic shorthand — with many of the heads of state. He heard again and again that the countries want the AI companies as dependable partners. "Do not cede your responsibilities to AI labs like mine," Altman said in closed-door remarks. He later added: "No single lab should be making the decisions." Amodei, Altman and Meta chief AI officer Alexandr Wang each posed with Macron for bilat photos with the French flag behind them, in the chair typically occupied by a president, prime minister or chancellor. 🎤 The working lunch was closed to the press. But I've confirmed remarks by the three AI titans. Each urged Western powers to work together to be sure democracies continue to dominate AI. Keep reading for a quote from each. 📱 Go deeper: Watch Marc Caputo's post-G-7 interview with President Trump.

A snag in UF presidential approval process The University of Florida may get another interim president before it finally gets someone in the role full time — although he’s the same guy they approved last week for the job. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/06/18/a-snag-in-uf-presidential-approval-process/? To veto or not? All eyes are on DeSantis, sovereign immunity bill Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who recently pushed for a major overhaul of property taxes paid to cities and counties, will soon decide whether to increase the amount of money local governments and the state must pay out in negligence lawsuits. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/06/16/to-veto-or-not-all-eyes-are-desantis-sovereign-immunity-bill/?

Several years ago, Spectrum recommended following the lead of GLAAD in relating to homosexuality. GLAAD is a pro-gay public relations firm, among other things. GLAAD "envisions a world with 100% LGBTQ acceptance." https://glaad.org/advocacy-and-accountability/ GLAAD is/was quarreling with, among others, the New York Times, J.K. Rowling, whoever who does not support their agenda: Fact Check: The New York Times’ Response to Mom of Trans Teen in Shareholder Meeting: “What Steps Are You Taking to Be Accountable?” | GLAAD J.K. Rowling | GLAAD

Trump-Friendly Studio Abruptly Drops Movie About Tech Giant Amazon ditched a film portraying Sam Altman as a schemer after striking major deals with his company. Amazon MGM has ditched its nearly finished film about controversial OpenAI founder and CEO Sam Altman after becoming entangled in Altman’s company. In February, Amazon committed to investing an eye-popping $50 billion in a partnership deal that would vastly expand OpenAI’s use of Amazon Web Services and develop custom AI models for Amazon. The companies also signed a $38 billion cloud computing deal just last year. Amazon is now hunting for a “new home” for Oscar-nominated director Luca Guadagnino’s celeb-studded movie Artificial, starring Andrew Garfield, that focuses on the time Altman was briefly fired and rehired as head of OpenAI in 2023. The film had been slated for release later this year or in early 2027, and is expected to be in contention for awards season. “We have the utmost respect and admiration for Luca Guadagnino as an award-winning filmmaker—not to mention a longstanding relationship that we hope to continue,” an Amazon spokesperson told Variety. “We believe that Artificial will be better served if it were released by a different studio.” The Daily Beast has reached out to Guadagnino for comment. The director was handed the bad news by Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios chief Mike Hopkins, who decided to dump the movie. Hopkins reportedly pulled the plug after viewing a cut of the film, as Puck first reported. A draft of the script portrays Altman as a schemer intent on turning OpenAI from a nonprofit to a money-making machine, with one computer scientist describing the CEO as “one of the most manipulative people on the planet,” according to Puck. The film, written by Saturday Night Live alum Simon Rich, also stars Anora actor Yura Borisov as Israeli engineer Ilya Sutskever, who co-founded OpenAI as a nonprofit. Jason Schwartzman, Mark Rylance, Zosia Mamet, and Ike Barinholtz (as Elon Musk) co-star. Artificial would have been Amazon MGM’s third collaboration with Guadagnino, following After the Hunt and Challengers. Amazon isn’t saying why it’s dumping the film, although the company would clearly have a conflict of interest in how it portrays a major new industry partner. The apparently dark view of Altman would also be awkward for Amazon, especially as both Altman and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos have been cozying up to 80-year-old Donald Trump. Altman and Bezos are friends, and Altman attended Bezos’ Venetian wedding last year. They’re both busy cultivating a positive relationship with Trump and his administration. Altman was one of a number of U.S. tech leaders who appeared with Trump at the G7 summit earlier this week, urging world leaders to embrace AI. Amazon’s Hopkins was at the red carpet premiere of Melania, the gushing documentary on the first lady, which took place at the temporarily Trumpified Kennedy Center earlier this year. The film cost Amazon some $75 million to release—and flopped big time. https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/trump-friendly-studio-abruptly-drops-movie-about-tech-giant-sam-altman/? ps:How pathetic!!

Trump Floats Bonkers New Theory for Reflecting Pool Disaster A video highlighting fresh problems at the algae-filled Reflecting Pool sparked an extraordinary accusation from the president. President Donald Trump has found a new suspect in the mystery of the National Mall’s struggling Reflecting Pool: ABC News reporter Jonathan Karl. The president delivered a Truth Social tirade on Friday night, accusing Karl of trying to damage the landmark after a video of the correspondent inspecting the pool circulated on social media earlier this week. “Lightweight ABC Reporter, Jonathan Karl, was seen sticking his hand into the Pool, and trying to rip the rubber off of the surface,” Trump wrote. The bizarre accusation appeared to be a response to video posted on Thursday showing Karl at the Reflecting Pool while reporting on its ongoing algae and maintenance problems. In the video, Karl can be seen reaching into the water to examine the condition of the newly renovated attraction. “The $14 million job to redo the bottom of this reflecting pool is falling apart before our eyes,” Karl said in the video. “The algae is still here, but the paint appears to be going away.” Trump responded by accusing unnamed vandals of damaging the site and pouring chemicals into the water, while also suggesting Karl himself had attempted to pull up the lining. The president offered no evidence for the claim but said law enforcement was investigating. He also insisted the algae problem was “75% gone” and would soon be fully resolved. The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment. The Reflecting Pool has become an unexpected headache for the White House after Trump personally championed a plan to repaint the basin in what he called “American flag blue.” The project was originally expected to cost about $1.8 million and take a week to complete. Instead, it stretched for nearly two months and ultimately cost taxpayers an estimated $14 million. The problems began almost immediately after the pool reopened earlier this month. Within days, a major algae bloom turned much of the water green, undermining Trump’s promise of a more picturesque landmark. Researchers who analyzed satellite imagery later found higher algal levels in the pool than at any point in June over the previous five years. Federal workers have since spent days vacuuming algae from the 6.5-million-gallon pool and treating the water with hydrogen peroxide. The project has also drawn scrutiny over the awarding of a $1.7 million water-purification contract to a company linked to longtime Trump donor, and convicted felon, John J. Cafaro, according to a New York Times report. Department of the Interior spokeswoman Katie Martin said the agency had no idea about Cafaro’s political ties and chose Greenwater because it “had the expertise, workforce and materials” to finish on time, she told the Times. https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trump-floats-bonkers-new-theory-for-reflecting-pool-disaster/?

Felon Trump Pal Behind Green Slime Fiasco Exposed Questions are swirling about the process behind the award of a $1.7 million contract to a longtime Trump donor. The man whose subsidiary company was awarded a no-bid contract to remodel the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool has been unmasked as a two-time felon and deep-pocketed MAGA donor. A company owned by John J. Cafaro, whom President Donald Trump has called a “fantastic man” despite a pair of politics-related felonies, installed a water-purification system to prevent algae bloom in the pool—an installation that so far appears to be failing miserably. Daily Beast Editor-in-Chief Hugh Dougherty and Chief Content Officer Joanna Coles broke down all the questions surrounding Cafaro and his relationship to Trump on The Daily Beast Podcast. “How could he possibly get into this?” Dougherty asked. “We don’t really know, because it is a no-bid contract that is shrouded in secrecy.” Dougherty, who notes that some are comparing a photo of a cigar-smoking Cafaro to “Fat Tony” from The Simpsons, rattled off what we do know about the businessman’s relationship with Trump. Cafaro is a longtime Trump donor with a mansion in Palm Beach, near the president’s Mar-a-Lago estate. He has been praised by Trump (he called him a “fantastic man” in 2016) despite spending time in jail for making an undisclosed $10,000 “loan” to his daughter, Capri Cafaro, during her unsuccessful run for Congress in Ohio. Cafaro spent five days in the hoosegow in 2010 over a judge’s dissatisfaction with his financial disclosures. He was ultimately released and sentenced to probation and a $250,000 fine. Dougherty’s comments follow revelations in The New York Times that Cafaro, who also once pleaded guilty to a felony charge of conspiring to bribe a congressman, has donated $350,000 to PACs supporting Trump since 2016. Cafaro’s company, Greenwater Services, was awarded a $1.7 million contract for the reflecting pool gig by the Interior Department, which oversees the National Park Service. The contract did not have to go through a typical government bidding process because the Trump administration deemed it a priority, allowing the president to have his “American flag blue” reflecting pool installed in time for the America 250 celebrations. Reached for comment, the White House claimed there was no favoritism in the administration’s selection of a company that has ties to a longtime donor. “This contract was awarded by the Department of [the] Interior; the White House did not play any role in the selection process,” spokeswoman Taylor Rogers told the Daily Beast. “The failing New York Times’ continued attempts to fabricate conflicts of interest are irresponsible and further reinforce the public’s distrust in the news media, which is already at an all-time low.” Beyond questions about the nature of the contract are criticisms that Trump may have blown through $14 million in taxpayer dollars—more than seven times the amount initially proposed—to repaint the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, only for it to fill with green sludge two weeks before America’s 250th birthday. The pool holds about 6.5 million gallons of water, and has a surface area of more than 300,000 square feet. On Thursday, around half of the surface water remained green. Now, Park Service employees are resorting to pouring hydrogen peroxide into the pool in an attempt to kill off the algae. Coles asked Dougherty if there was any chance the pool would be glistening blue in time for the July 4 celebrations. “Anything’s possible,” he said, before noting that things still appear to be moving in the wrong direction, as The Washington Post reported that satellite imagery shows there is more algae in the pool this month than in any of the last five Junes. “So can it be fixed? Maybe,” Dougherty said. “I’m not sure that the individual gallon bottles of unbranded bleach are the way. And as you see, the clock is ticking to July 4... It doesn’t look like it. [The algae] seems to be going up, not down.” https://www.thedailybeast.com/john-j-cafaro-felon-trump-pal-behind-green-slime-fiasco-exposed/? ps:What a pathetic group of geniuses this administration is!!

Trump’s Kennedy Center Humiliation Fuels Fresh Conspiracy Theories A week after a judge ordered Trump’s name removed from the building, massive tarps still block the public from seeing the result. President Donald Trump’s name may be gone from the Kennedy Center, but a week later, nobody outside the building can prove it. That simple fact has fueled a fresh round of conspiracy theories and accusations surrounding the president’s controversial takeover of America’s premier performing arts venue. Enormous tarps have been draped across the front of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts since June 13, when workers moved in overnight to comply with a federal court order requiring that Trump’s name be removed from the building’s facade. But Kennedy Center officials insist there is nothing mysterious about the cover-up. “The scaffolding and tarp will remain up as crews address maintenance needs of the marble and soffit panels,” spokeswoman Roma Daravi told The New York Times. The explanation has done little to satisfy Trump’s critics. Ohio Democrat Joyce Beatty, who helped challenge Trump’s Kennedy Center overhaul in court, accused the president of trying to hide an embarrassing defeat. “Donald Trump is embarrassed,” Beatty said in a statement to the Times. “He lost in court, his name came down, and now he is trying to hide the result from the public.” Maryland Democrat Jamie Raskin went further, calling the situation “a literal cover-up.” “Trump and his team got caught vandalizing federal property by posting graffiti with his name on the Kennedy Center and a judge shut them down,” he said. Actor Tommy Gedrich, who is appearing in Moulin Rouge! The Musical at the center, also questioned the explanation. “I think it doesn’t take that long to preserve marble, but also what do I know about preserving marble?” he told the Times. Trump’s relationship with the Kennedy Center has been turbulent since he seized control of its board in February 2025 and installed loyalists who later voted to rename the institution in his honor. The move sparked boycotts from performers, donors, and audience members, while several high-profile artists publicly distanced themselves from the center. In May, a U.S. District Judge ordered Trump’s name removed from the building and all official branding, ruling that the change violated the center’s congressional charter. The ruling triggered a furious response from Trump, who accused “Radical Left Democrats” of caring more about opposing him than preserving the arts center. His allies unsuccessfully attempted to block the removal of the name before the deadline expired. By the evening of June 12, hundreds of spectators had gathered outside the Kennedy Center waiting to witness the sign come down. Instead, workers arrived in the early hours of the morning and covered the facade with giant tarps. Beatty has since asked the court to force Kennedy Center officials to explain under oath why the tarps are still in place and when they will finally come down. For now, the giant coverings have become a spectacle themselves, keeping the fight over Trump’s name alive long after the sign itself has disappeared from view. The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House and Kennedy Center for comment. https://www.thedailybeast.com/president-donald-trumps-bizarre-kennedy-center-coverup-fuels-conspiracies/? ps:Absolutely Pathetic!!!!!

June 20, 2026 Good morning. New York City’s temporary transformation by the Knicks’ resurgence offers a glimpse of a kinder, more connected world. María Jesús Contreras Game change By Melissa Kirsch Everyone in New York City is talking about the Knicks, but perhaps as notable as the team’s winning the N.B.A. championship after a 53-year drought is the fact that people here are talking to one another at all. The city’s famous indifference, the anonymity-preserving armor that most inhabitants wear every day, has been disintegrating since the N.B.A. finals began, and seemed to disappear entirely after the Knicks won the chip. In this transformed city, previously forbidding strangers are transformed into fellow fans. A blue-and-orange hat is a symbol of fellowship, license to start a conversation in line at the deli. You could stand in silence while waiting for the elevator, or you could ask the person next to you if he saw the game. You could let the old man in the Knicks Forever tee with matching neon sneakers shamble on by, or you could nod and give him a thumbs-up, which, miraculously, is returned. The feeling is one of temporary wonder: Can you believe Brunson and Co. came through? Can you believe you and I are talking to each other right now? New Yorkers mythologize their tendency to mind their own business as a form of self-sufficiency and sophistication. Unflappable, unconcerned with others, a perfect performance of what the sociologist Erving Goffman called “civil inattention,” acknowledging strangers with a respectful glance that never engages. Elsewhere this behavior would be seen as cold, antisocial, but in New York it’s become a modus vivendi. But regardless of where you live, you’ve likely experienced that feeling of separateness from the people around you. People are going about their lives, busy with their families and jobs, often too preoccupied to acknowledge others. It’s only when that invisible armor falls — when someone ventures a “How are you?” at the gym, when the cashier asks if the probiotic soda you’re buying is any good — that you realize you’ve been keeping yourself separate. New York in the thrall of the Knicks presents this shift in the extreme. It’s a crucible, a laboratory of connection made all the more notable for the trademark dispassion it’s replaced. I want to bottle this connection, this communal experience that’s so precious because it is, as my colleague Matt Flegenheimer put it, “good, gleeful, uncomplicated.” Knicks fever has given people an entrée to communicate with people they wouldn’t otherwise, a rare pathway to intimacy. Now that we’ve experienced it, now that we’ve admitted we want to connect with one another — that it feels good to chat and high-five and smile at people we don’t know — how do we perpetuate it? The British anthropologist Victor Turner called it “communitas,” that feeling of ecstatic kinship when our usual scripts are dispensed with, when we replace society’s regular structure with this warm “humankindness.” I’m already grieving the return to normalcy that will follow communitas, the inevitable retreat back into our eyes-down, you-talking-to-me bubbles of self-regard. But Turner cautioned against trying to institutionalize the good feeling. He saw resumption of normal life, with its clear boundaries and customs, as essential for a functioning society. People, he said, “return to structure revitalized by their experience of communitas.” If we can remember what it felt like to be this uninhibited, if we can remember that the guy we’d never in a million years think to talk to was once the guy in the OG Anunoby jersey we spent 10 delightful minutes dissecting plays with at a street-corner watch party, who knows what else is possible? The new season tips off in October. THE LATEST NEWS Iran Peace Deal Aftermath of a blast in Tyre, Lebanon. Hassan Ammar/Associated Press Negotiations between the U.S. and Iran were delayed amid fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. Israel later committed to an immediate cease-fire, an ambassador said. But the U.S. believes Israel is likely to continue military action in Lebanon, according to an intelligence report. The shaky peace deal and tenuous negotiations have added to the chaos and confusion for ships in the Strait of Hormuz. In his first public comments on the deal, Iran’s supreme leader said he disliked signing it “as a matter of principle.” Few nations have more to gain from the preliminary deal than India, which has been running dangerously low on fuel. Politics A National Park Service crew cleaning the Reflecting Pool on Friday. Alex Kent/The New York Times Washington’s Reflecting Pool seems to be rejecting its makeover: The water remains murky, and pieces of its new “American flag blue” coating are peeling off. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has blocked the promotions of around 20 female and minority officers, and possibly more. That isn’t a coincidence, The Times has found. Inside Hegseth’s war on diversity. The Trump administration plans to begin phasing out AIDS funding for South Africa, according to a State Department statement. Other Big Stories The dramatic explosion of a fuel storage facility in Moscow this week, which sent its lid soaring, seemed to symbolize Ukraine’s resilient strength. But the blast may have been caused by an errant Russian defense missile. A Knicks superfan in Los Angeles cheered so loudly that neighbors reported a possible emergency. A responding police officer killed her dog. Tropical Storm Arthur, the first named storm of the season, has drenched a swath of the Southeast from Texas to the Carolinas. At least three people have died. THE WEEK IN CULTURE Film and TV Ariel Fisher for The New York Times Matt Smith, the former “Doctor Who” star, plays a murderous prince in the upcoming season of HBO’s “House of the Dragon.” Blood spatter looks great on him. “Toy Story 5” finally puts Jessie, the cowgirl doll voiced by Joan Cusack, in charge. The character was originally envisioned as a talking succulent called Señorita Cactus. Robin Hood is usually seen as a noble outlaw who confronts tyranny. But what if he was actually a marauding killer? Michael Sarnoski’s “The Death of Robin Hood” takes that idea seriously. James Burrows, a master of the TV sitcom who helped create “Cheers” and directed more than 1,000 episodes of other shows including “Taxi,” “Frasier” and “Friends,” died at 85. Music Popcast’s semiannual mailbag episode is back. Is Geese the Joe Biden of rock? Was Maroon 5 a pop-rap gateway drug? Do people think Adele is lazy? Listen here. Laufey, the Grammy-winning Icelandic vocalist, keeps dissonance at the center of her creative process. Read her essay about it. A judge ordered a man to stay away from the pop star Sabrina Carpenter for five years after he tried to get into her home more than a dozen times. More Culture Mathias Eis The American artist James Turrell invites viewers to gaze up through an opening inside a huge dome in his latest “skyspace” installation. Restorers have fixed a gap on the side of the Parthenon, the grand temple in Athens, that had been empty for more than 220 years. Subscribers always win. Here’s why. You can now save 75% on your first year of a New York Times Games subscription. Discover all of our word and logic games (and play past puzzles), earn badges for your achievements, plus more. Time is running out though, so subscribe today. REAL ESTATE Kare and Scott Beckett Kendrick Brinson for The New York Times The Hunt: With about $600,000 to spend, a couple and their two young kids searched for a three-bedroom home in Atlanta. What did they pick? Play our game. What you get for $1.875 million: a converted firehouse in Milwaukee; a 19th-century house in Salem, Mass.; or a house with water and mountain views on Bainbridge Island, Wash. For sale: One seven-story basket. Used to be a company headquarters. Asking price: $8.5 million. LIVING Karsten Moran for The New York Times Hugo spritz: Has the Aperol spritz met its match? Black market: People are buying what they believe to be a weight-loss drug from WhatsApp groups and Chinese labs. What is it, really? Male mental health: Dads get postpartum depression, too. Researchers say men are at highest risk three to six months after their babies are born. ADVICE FROM WIRECUTTER How to pick the perfect vacuum There are countless vacuums on the market. Selecting the right one comes down to the kind of home you live in and your priorities. If you despise lugging out an unwieldy machine, get a cordless stick vacuum. If you live in a larger home, have wall-to-wall carpeting or deal with shedding pets, a plug-in upright or canister vacuum can give you the deepest clean, removing fur and dust and filtering allergens. Finally, for anyone in a smaller, pet-free apartment with only a couple of rugs, a robot vacuum may just do the trick. — Evan Dent WORLD CUP Alex Freeman of the U.S. scores against Australia. Lindsey Wasson/Associated Press The United States beat Australia, 2-0, in a feisty and physical game before a rowdy Seattle crowd. It’s the first time since 1930 that the U.S. has started a World Cup with two wins, and the Americans are now assured a spot in the knockout rounds. They have looked so good that U.S. fans are starting to wonder: Could this team actually, you know, do it? Other results from yesterday: Morocco all but sealed its place in the knockout rounds with a 1-0 win over Scotland. Brazil earned its first win of the World Cup with a 3-0 trouncing of Haiti. Week 1 breakdown There’s lots of soccer to be played still, but we now have seen every team take the pitch at least once. The Athletic’s soccer experts reflected on the first round of group play. Here are a few of their takes: Most impressive team Simon Hughes: France. They weren’t great against a very powerful opponent in Senegal and still won, 3-1. Most disappointing team Charlie Scott: Ghana. The only way they could score against Panama was from three yards out, in front of an open goal. Best player Carl Anka: It’s still Messi. His remarkable hat trick against Algeria reminded us that he is (probably) the greatest player to ever do it. After one round, who do you think is going to win it? Jack Lang: On the basis that you shouldn’t let one result overturn an opinion you have held for months, I’ll stick with Spain. Matt Slater: Is it really being left to me to say it? Do I have to? Cowards! It’s coming home. (England.) NOW TIME TO PLAY Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was immediacy. Take the news quiz to see how well you followed this week’s headlines. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Crossplay, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your weekend with The Times. — Melissa Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Host: Sam Sifton Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Brent Lewis, Lara McCoy, Karl Russell Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Editorial Director, Newsletters: Jodi Rudoren

THIS DAY IN HISTORY June 20 1975 “Jaws” released in theaters "Jaws," a film directed by Steven Spielberg that made countless viewers afraid to go into the water, opens in theaters. read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 19th Century 1875 Mountain man Joe Meek dies American Revolution 1782 Congress adopts the Great Seal of the United States Arts & Entertainment 1981 Stars on 45 single reaches the top of the pop charts Asian History 1900 Boxer Rebellion reaches Peking’s diplomatic quarter Civil War 1863 West Virginia enters the Union Cold War 1963 United States and Soviet Union agree to establish a nuclear “hot line” Crime 1947 Bugsy Siegel, organized crime leader, is killed European History 1789 Third Estate makes Tennis Court Oath Inventions & Science 1941 Ford signs first contract with autoworkers’ union World War I 1919 German cabinet resigns over Versailles deadlock

Communities across China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan celebrated the Dragon Boat Festival yesterday as competing teams paddled colorful, long dragon-shaped boats through rivers and harbors before crowds of spectators. See photos here. The holiday dates back more than 2,000 years; it's traditionally linked to a poet and government official named Qu Yuan, who, according to legend, drowned himself in China's Miluo River after his kingdom of Chu fell to the rival state of Qin. Villagers raced out in boats to search for him and tossed rice into the river to protect his body from fish, inspiring today's races and the festival food zongzi, a sticky rice dumpling wrapped in leaves. Dragon boats can stretch more than 40 feet long and require crews of up to 20 people paddling in sync to the beat of a drum. The dragon symbolizes power and good fortune in Chinese culture. Watch how the boats are built here.

‘A kind of massive rave’: Paris braces for 2m revellers as Fête de la Musique returns amid heatwave warnings Officials expand safety measures as French capital prepares for huge annual street celebration https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/20/paris-braces-tourist-influx-street-festival-fete-de-la-musique?

Cabinet loyalists tell Starmer he has the weekend to set out timetable for exit Ministers say PM faces being forced out by party if he does not act, with one calling his departure inevitable https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jun/19/keir-starmer-pressure-andy-burnham-wes-streeting-allies-not-fight-leadership-challenge?