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No relief from the heat as many US cities will see record overnight temperatures Another week of blistering heat will bring even more health risks in the coming days, as overnight temperatures won’t provide much relief. https://apnews.com/article/heat-dome-record-temperatures-fb7664f71743f71beca4ce7447562ca2?

12 states challenge Paramount’s takeover of Warner, say merger would ‘extinguish competition’ The states sued to block Paramount’s takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery on Monday, arguing that the $81 billion merger would lead to fewer choices for consumers across the U.S. Read more. Why this matters: A Paramount-Warner combo would bring together two of Hollywood’s last five legacy studios. In Monday’s complaint, the states said such a tie-up would “inflict substantial harm” on movie theatres and basic cable distributors. Paramount said Monday’s lawsuit “distorts settled antitrust law” and maintained that its merger would instead create a “stronger competitor against dominant streaming and technology platforms who have harmed the market for theatrical exhibition and jobs in the entertainment industry.” Questions of political influence have piled up — with criticism falling largely along party lines in Washington. No Republicans signed on to the states’ case on Monday. Several attorneys general joining Monday’s lawsuit took aim at the Justice Department’s decision to not challenge the deal — pointing in particular to President Donald Trump’s close relationship with the billionaire family of Paramount CEO David Ellison. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Subpoenas issued to NY Times reporters seen as ‘unprecedented’ threat to press freedom Hundreds of economists say ‘we must act now’ on AI’s economic impact and job displacement risks

Maine killing is at least the ninth death in US immigration sweeps An Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot and killed a Maine motorist on Monday, marking at least the ninth death since the start of the Trump administration’s mass deportations campaign. Read more. What to know: Immigrant rights groups identified the man who was killed in Biddeford as a 26-year-old native of Colombia. The shooting drew immediate criticism from immigrant rights groups and some Democrats, who called for an independent investigation. The shooting came less than a week after a federal immigration officer fatally shot a Houston man after an altercation with agents while he was driving to work. The Department of Homeland Security, which includes ICE, said in a post on X about the Maine shooting that agents were surveilling an address for a person with a final order of removal from the country. When ICE tried to stop a vehicle driven by someone coming from that address, the “vehicle attempted to flee the scene and, fearing for public safety, an officer discharged his weapon,” the department said. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ ICE officer who fatally shot driver in Maine was ‘fearing for public safety,’ agency says WATCH: Protesters hold walking vigil Feds turn over evidence in Renee Good and Alex Pretti killings to Minnesota after months of delay

Judge says Trump IRS lawsuit was filed for ‘improper purpose,’ refers lawyer for possible discipline U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams accused President Donald Trump and his lawyers in a scathing ruling of having manipulated the court system when he sued a federal agency under his control, bypassing a requirement that parties in a lawsuit must have adverse interests. Read more. Why this matters: The judge stopped short of explicitly voiding the deal shielding Trump from tax scrutiny but said the government cannot claim in official proceedings that the agreement was the result of a legitimate legal process. Though the practical impacts of the ruling may be limited since the lawsuit was voluntarily dismissed months ago and the administration has already abandoned the $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” that came out of it, the order nonetheless amounts to a scathing rebuke and tees up a politically uncomfortable line of questioning for Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche as he faces the Senate Judiciary Committee for his confirmation hearing on Wednesday. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ FACT FOCUS: Sen. Lindsey Graham’s sudden death spurs false claims Sister Darline Graham Nordone will serve remainder of his term Questions linger about aging politicians and health transparency Aortic tear blamed in Graham’s sudden death is a fast-killing emergency What to know about Trump’s order shrinking the size of 2 national monuments in Utah Abortion rights are on the ballot in 4 states. Here’s what to know Supreme Court justices to testify before Congress on increasing security funding in rare appearance

🥃 1 fun thing: Washington's $1,000 whiskey Photo: Mount Vernon The reconstructed distillery at George Washington's Mount Vernon is selling limited-edition whiskeys made with 18th-century methods for America's 250th, Axios D.C.'s Anna Spiegel writes. It costs $1,000 and is available for purchase at Mount Vernon. Keep reading …

💥 U.S. drone boat debut Image: CENTCOM Axios Future of Defense author Colin Demarest writes: The U.S. this week used a trio of drone boats to attack an Iranian pier near the Strait of Hormuz, where at least one small submarine was stationed. Why it matters: It's a first-of-its-kind operation, according to U.S. Central Command, which oversees military action across the greater Middle East. Dramatic footage shared by CENTCOM shows three Saronic-made Corsair boats zipping toward the facilities and exploding at the water's edge, tossing fire and smoke into the sky.

🌉 Stat du jour: AI housing takeover Illustration: Lazaro Gamio/Axios OpenAI and Anthropic employees could theoretically buy nearly a third of the San Francisco metro's homes if both companies go public at expected valuations, Axios San Francisco's Nadia Lopez writes from a new Redfin analysis. San Francisco's AI-driven real estate frenzy has become so intense that some home sellers say they'll consider accepting pre-IPO stock as part of the purchase price. Keep reading.

🌡️ Mapped: Heat wave repeat Data: GFS, NCEI. (Average highs calculated from 1991-2020 data.) Map: Erin Davis/Axios Another heat wave is bringing dangerously high temperatures from the Great Plains to the Northeast early this week, Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick writes. NOAA forecasters expect record-breaking highs of 95° to 105° across the northern Plains, Midwest and Northeast through midweek. Over 128 million Americans are under a heat warning, watch or advisory.

📉 New data: America's trust tanks Data: Gallup. Chart: Danielle Alberti/Axios America's confidence in 14 of its core institutions is at or near all-time lows, Axios' Avery Lotz writes from Gallup polling out this morning. This year, 27% expressed "a great deal" or "quite a lot" of confidence in those institutions. That's just one point higher than the all-time low in 2023. Zoom in: 27% expressed confidence in the presidency — well down from its 2002 high of 58%. Congress, at 9%, is up 2 points from its rock-bottom ratings in 2014 and 2022. Explore the data … Keep reading.

🛢️ The push to bypass Hormuz Data: Global Energy Monitor, Axios research. Map: Danielle Alberti/Axios Oil's top players are building their way around the Strait of Hormuz instead of waiting for the fight to end, Axios' Emily Peck writes. Why it matters: Countries and companies are racing to move oil and gas out of the region without passing through the strait, the world's most important — and vulnerable — energy chokepoint. 🔭 Zoom in: Goldman Sachs analysts identified seven pipeline and infrastructure projects (under construction, planned or deemed feasible) that would allow oil to bypass the strait entirely. The analysts found that new pipelines under construction or in the works could carry enough oil to replace more than 45% of what Gulf producers used to ship through the strait by the end of next year. By the end of 2028, the number rises to more than 60%. Between the lines: These projects could come together fast. Goldman found that similar pipelines have historically taken a median of 2½ years to build — and even quicker when built in response to a supply crisis. ps:Something that should've and could've been done years ago!!!!!

Google DeepMind CEO wants U.S.-led global AI watchdog Demis Hassabis, Google DeepMind co-founder and CEO, is calling on the U.S. to establish an AI watchdog with the power to screen the world's most advanced models — and coordinate an industry-wide slowdown if dangers mount. Hassabis, the Nobel laureate behind Gemini, lays out the plan in a personal manifesto published this morning, "A Framework for Frontier AI and the Dawning of a New Age." Why it matters: Hassabis tells me in an exclusive interview that the time has come for a more "systematic" approach to AI regulation — funded by the industry, staffed by world-class technical experts, and answerable to the U.S. government. Today's AI-driven cyber risks are "warning shots," Hassabis tells me from his London base. Within 18 months, he says, those capabilities — plus far graver biological and nuclear threats — could live inside open-source models beyond any government's control. Hassabis emphasized that risks will come from the major labs' more powerful future proprietary models, not just open-source models. "What we collectively do now," he writes in his manifesto, "will determine how the next phase of civilization unfolds." 🔬 Behind the scenes: Hassabis has spent months quietly building support for the plan, briefing the Trump administration, fellow lab leaders and European officials before going public. "The noises I've been hearing are very positive," he says of his talks with the administration, which had embraced a laissez-faire approach to AI regulation before Mythos. Hassabis, a scientist who commands rare respect across AI's warring camps, says the other major lab leaders agree at a high level: "This is where the industry needs to go." His timeline is aggressive. "Months," Hassabis says, ideally with the new body operational "before year-end." How it works: Hassabis is proposing an AI standards body modeled on FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority), the private, industry-funded watchdog that polices Wall Street under SEC oversight, Axios' Zachary Basu and Madison Mills write. Frontier labs would initially share their models with the body voluntarily, up to 30 days before release, for safety testing that probes dangerous cyber, biological and "deception" capabilities. Once the testing regime proves "effective and robust," Hassabis writes, formalization "could quickly follow." That means frontier models would be required to pass before deploying in the U.S. Hassabis envisions a majority-independent board stacked with Turing Award winners and other credentialed experts, alongside industry, government and open-source representatives. 🤖 The intrigue: The rules would apply to all frontier-class models, "no matter their country of origin or whether they are open or closed" — with the qualifying benchmarks regularly updated as capabilities evolve. Hassabis predicts the "frontier" designation would carry cachet: Being tested means you matter. "I think that's a pretty nice, prestige kind of asset to have," he says. The big picture: The Trump administration's improvised crackdown on Anthropic's Mythos and Fable models last month was "a bit of a wake-up call," Hassabis says — proof Washington needs something sturdier than ad hoc directives. Anthropic saw its most powerful models frozen overnight by an export-control order, then spent 2½ weeks negotiating their release with no established rules, protocols or playbook. OpenAI, hoping to avoid the same fate, agreed to restrict GPT-5.6 to government-vetted partners at launch. It was released publicly last week after negotiations and testing with the Commerce Department. The bottom line: Hassabis believes AGI — a system with all the cognitive powers of the human brain — is "probably only a few short years away," and that we're standing in "the foothills of the singularity." "We've essentially found a way to make sand think," he writes. "It's miraculous." Read the post …

> Engineers develop paint-on electrodes that could one day power heart monitors, robotic prosthetics, and more wearable health technology—while letting users create designs ranging from sharks to foxes (More, w/photos) > Children's brain responses to seeing emotional faces may predict future social life quality; girls with greater amygdala activity were more socially engaged, while the opposite was observed for boys (More) | Amygdala 101 (More, w/video) > Distant exoplanets may harbor water in deep sinks that lie beyond the James Webb Space Telescope's reach, based on new readings of atmospheric data (More) How dreams work: Tomorrow's 1440 Health & Medicine explores what's happening in our brains while we snooze.

The purpose of gospel preaching is to bring people to Jesus Christ as Saviour. The Holy Spirit works every day of the week. Billy Graham crusades were attended by the convicting/convincing power of the HS. The sermons of John MacArthur were as well. The power of God resides in His Word, wherever and whenever it is proclaimed. I might even mention Kip McKean in this context. As Abraham travelled about, the KJV says he built altars and "called on the name of the Lord" Gen. 13:4. Young's Literal Translation says "And there doth Abraham preach in the name of Jehovah"

Gus Goes to Auction One of the largest, most complete Tyrannosaurus rex fossils ever found—known as "Gus"—goes up for auction this morning with a $19M starting bid. Some experts expect the hammer price to more than double, making Gus one of the most expensive dinosaurs ever sold. See images. Commercial paleontologists began excavating Gus in 2021 on a private ranch within South Dakota's Hell Creek Formation, where over 95% of T. rex museum specimens have been discovered. Measuring about 12.5 feet tall and 38 feet long, the skeleton suggests Gus was a very large creature that lived roughly 67 million years ago. The paleontologists spent two years hand-digging roughly 7,000 square feet to recover about 61% of Gus' bones—an exceptional amount, since even a 50% recovery rate is considered rare. The current record for a dinosaur auction belongs to Apex, a stegosaurus sold to billionaire investor Ken Griffin for $44.6M. The specimen is on loan to New York's American Natural History Museum through late 2028.

Cosmic Sugar Rush Scientists have discovered a sugar molecule common in raspberries and self-tanning products inside clouds of dust and gas near the Milky Way's center. The finding suggests some of life's raw ingredients may have formed in space. Astronomers previously found simpler sugar-like molecules, but erythrulose is the most complex and the first to meet the chemical definition of a true sugar—a molecule with at least three carbon atoms. Scientists identified erythrulose, which has four carbon atoms, by matching its unique radio-wave signature to lab measurements, much like a fingerprint. The technique lets astronomers catalog chemicals without collecting samples. See how scientists identify the composition of celestial matter here (w/video). Sugars are essential to life, serving as an energy source and building blocks for DNA and RNA. Erythrulose isn't used by living organisms but can be converted into important sugars. Researchers estimate millions of tons of erythrulose may have rained onto Earth during the Late Heavy Bombardment roughly 4 billion years ago.

Japanese Spy Revival Japan is building its first centralized intelligence agency since World War II as it struggles to combat espionage attempts by China, Russia, and North Korea, a report revealed yesterday. The effort is being supported by agencies in Germany, Australia, and the US. The country’s intelligence program dates back to the late 1800s, when a loose network of spies decoded cables in the 1904-05 war with Russia (see history). In the 1920s and ‘30s, the country’s internal police force—the Tokko—rounded up tens of thousands of political dissidents. After Japan’s postwar defeat, the country adopted a pacifist constitution and dismantled its defense and intelligence infrastructure, relying on the US for both. Japan set aside $407M for the new agency, which plans to be up and running by December and will be led by Japan’s prime minister. Japanese leaders have also begun rebuilding the country's defense infrastructure, allocating a record $58B this year for defense.

I have no doubt there love of the Torah and the Tehillim! Mr. Goldberg, my teacher, also loved to study the book of Esther. Daniel was new to him. He was enthralled by the story of the fiery furnace. When the Hebrews said "~ Whether God saves us or not, there is no way we are going to bow to your image," Mr. Goldberg was deeply moved by that statement, as we all should be.

💰 Thune's $238M war chest Thune's Senate super PAC has $238 million in the bank — more than double what it had at this point in the last election cycle under then-GOP Leader Mitch McConnell, we have learned. Why it matters: The GOP's most powerful Senate super PAC is setting new fundraising records as Republicans fight political headwinds to protect their Senate majority. "I know there were some questions about who the next majority leader would be and can they fundraise at the level of Mitch McConnell," Senate Leadership Fund executive director Alex Latcham told us. 🥊 "And I think those questions have certainly been put to rest." 🚗 Driving the news: As of the end of June, SLF had $238 million in cash on hand, according to figures first provided to us. That's up from $117 million at the same point in 2024 and $104 million in 2022. In the second quarter, SLF, along with its nonprofit affiliate One Nation, raised $140 million — topping the $115 million raised in Q1. The groups collectively raised $76.6 million in Q2 of 2024 and $76 million in 2022. The other side: Senate Majority PAC, the main Democratic Senate super PAC and its nonprofit affiliate, aligned with Schumer, slightly outraised Republicans for the quarter — bringing in $147 million, the New York Times reports. But the Democratic super PAC has just $126 million in cash on hand. And SMP alone — not counting its nonprofit affiliate, Majority Forward — raised $58 million in the second quarter, compared to the $78.2 million that SLF raised on its own (without One Nation). 💬 What they're saying: Latcham credited the haul to Thune's work ethic and a push to bring in new donors. Roughly one-third of the group's donors are giving to SLF for the first time, he said. 👀 What to watch: The group is doubling down on protecting GOP seats, including in red states like Iowa and Ohio, as we first reported. — Stef W. Kight

⚡️ Graham's sanctions legacy Senators from both parties are rallying around a revised Russia sanctions package to honor the legacy of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). Why it matters: Bipartisanship is in short supply in the Senate. Graham's sudden death may briefly revive it. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said passing the updated sanctions bill — which has 85 cosponsors — "would be a great tribute to the legacy of Lindsey." "I urge Senator Thune, in honor of Lindsey, to put the Russia sanctions bill on the floor immediately," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said. "It will pass overwhelmingly and help our allies in Ukraine." "This would be a good way to show us in a bipartisan way coming together on something that he was literally using some of his last breaths to fight for," Booker said. Driving the news: The mechanics of replacing Graham are moving quickly. At President Trump's urging, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Graham's sister, Darline Graham Nordone, to serve out the remainder of his term. Nordone will be sworn in at 2:30pm tomorrow. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) is expected to take over as chair of the Budget Committee after Graham's death. Meanwhile, potential candidates are already jockeying to run for a full six-year term in the 2026 election. Zoom out: The Senate, on several occasions, has been close to advancing foreign policy legislation drafted by Graham and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.). But then Trump would urge Republicans to hold off, giving his administration room to pursue its own pressure campaign against Russian President Vladimir Putin. In a meeting in Ankara, Turkey, late last week with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Graham and other senators emerged convinced they had resolved the administration's concerns. Graham briefed Trump on their progress in a Saturday night phone call. "We are proud to announce that we have reached an agreement with the Trump Administration to move our updated Russia sanctions legislation forward," Graham, Blumenthal, and Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) said in a joint statement. 🔎 Zoom in: The spirit of the updated bill remains the same, but the substance differs. The initial bill would have imposed tariffs of up to 500% on countries, including China, that continue purchasing Russian oil and gas. The updated version narrows the scope of those penalties. Between the lines: Senators continued to grapple today with Graham's unexpected death. Thune fought back tears during remarks on the Senate floor as colleagues reflected on Graham's influence. "There are no words to describe his impact on the foreign and domestic policy of the United States," Wicker said. Blumenthal recalled his final extended conversation with Graham over the weekend. "He exulted at reaching an agreement on our Russian sanctions bill and said, 'This is a big effing deal.'" The bottom line: The original sanctions bill has already cleared the House, but it also wants to change it. "It would be very appropriate to name this the 'Lindsey Graham Sanctions Act,'" said Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.). "The way to restrain Putin is indeed to bankrupt the oligarchs." — Hans Nichols

I have no doubt there love of the Torah and the Tehillim!

The following may be the link to the articile that I referenced above? https://spectrummagazine.org/views/catholic-or-adventist-ongoing-struggle-over-authority-95-theses/

Inflation cools more than expected in June as gas costs fall, underlying prices ease WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. inflation cooled last month as the cost of gas, clothes, and used cars fell, providing some relief to consumers, while underlying price pressures also slowed more than expected. https://apnews.com/article/inflation-trump-food-prices-gas-53d221aa918c466172af494ba7debc00? ps:Really? Well lets see, the price of gas about a week ago was on its way down!! First the price was $3.59, one day later 3.69 and than 3.89 now it is 3.99!! Going down?? I think not!!!!!

July 14, 2026 By Sam Sifton Good morning. There were tit-for-tat attacks across the Gulf region overnight, as the cease-fire in the war with Iran continues to collapse. That has narrowed President Trump’s options, our Peter Baker reports. And Pat Oliphant, the dean of American political cartoonists, has died at 90. There’s more news below. I’m going to start today, though, by looking at an escalation in the pressure that the Trump administration is putting on The Times. Doug Mills/The New York Times Air Force Ones Here’s a letter I got from a reader yesterday morning, reprinted in full: “You people need to cooperate with our administration because national security is a higher priority than a free unbridled press that thinks they can do whatever they want. Your reporters are shameful.” They are not, and that’s not how journalism works in the United States. But I don’t want to get ahead of myself. You may have already heard the basics of the reporting that led to that letter. But the story is still worth exploring, in part because of what it tells us about the challenges facing independent journalism in 2026. The Times reported last week that while President Trump flew to Turkey on July 7 for a NATO summit aboard his new Air Force One, he flew back the following day aboard the old Air Force One. The Times reported that the new Air Force One, a Qatari-donated Boeing 747-8, lacked some of the advanced security features of the older aircraft, including antimissile capabilities. The Times cited sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive security issues. For a U.S. president, it’s risky to fly internationally in a plane not hardened against attacks. The Trump administration, angered by the story and eager to flush out those who spoke to The Times, issued subpoenas on Friday night for journalists who reported it, seeking their testimony before a federal grand jury “in regard to an alleged violation of federal criminal law.” Those reporters are colleagues whose names you have seen often in this space: Julian Barnes, Adam Goldman, Eric Lipton, Tyler Pager and Eric Schmitt. The subpoenas were an escalation of Trump’s attempts to threaten and intimidate independent news organizations. “The appearance of federal law enforcement agents on the doorstep of news reporters should shock the conscience of any American who believes in the Constitution and the press freedom it protects,” David McCraw, our top newsroom lawyer, wrote in a statement that night. In a statement on Saturday, a Justice Department spokeswoman said that “reporters are not the targets, those leaking classified information are.” She continued, “We value and appreciate the important role that the press plays in this country, but D.O.J. also plays an important role to make sure that the people entrusted with our nation’s secrets do what they’re supposed to do with that information.” Yesterday, I talked about that with Dick Stevenson, The Times’s Washington bureau chief. Dick’s been in D.C., running coverage of the federal government, for the better part of 30 years. He knows well the tension that exists — that should exist — between journalists and administrations, whichever party is in office. And he was straightforward about where he and his team are right now. “Facing an administration and a president willing to go to great lengths to seek to impede what we do,” he told me, “only hardens our resolve to stick with our mission.” Public interest The new Air Force One, a gift from the Qatari royal family. Doug Mills/The New York Times Reporters tell readers things that powerful people don’t want you to know. They report what is in the public interest, a term of art that refers to information essential for an informed, safe and healthy society. Like, to share one example, whether the civilian airplane a foreign government donated to the United States a year ago is safe to fly under fire. Joe Kahn, our executive editor, put it more eloquently in a note he sent to the newsroom on Saturday: “The security of the jets used as Air Force One, which transport not only the president but also hundreds of government officials and staff, members of Congress, journalists and invited guests, is manifestly in the public interest.” The subpoenaed reporters, he continued, would keep doing their jobs, even as they defend themselves. And he urged an empathy for them that I’d urge readers of The Morning to practice as well. “However unjustified and unlawful these intimidation tactics are, the five of them will have to endure a period of scrutiny and legal uncertainty,” Joe wrote. “They should know that all of us as their colleagues, and the full resources of The Times, are behind them and that we will fight this legal abuse together.” Read the article that enraged the president, along with a few other terrific pieces that caught my eye today. We’ve made them all free links. College isn’t for everyone. Some members of Gen Z are headed to trade school instead. Here are their stories. J.D. Salinger’s “The Catcher in the Rye” turns 75 this week. Alexandra Jacobs checked in on “this spry codger of a novel that’s stayed on the dance floor long past when might be expected, leaping over book bans from the right and dodging cancellation from the left.” It’s a lovely read. Backyard Baseball, a video game beloved by ’90s kids, was off the market for years. Then a second-grade teacher brought it back to life. The business of hunting hurricanes in a turboprop airplane is deadly serious. So why is there a stuffed Muppet dangling from the windscreen? THE LATEST NEWS Immigration An ICE agent shot and killed a man in a vehicle in Biddeford, Maine. The state’s governor demanded a full investigation into the killing. The man an ICE agent killed in Houston last week, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, spent 35 years in the United States working in construction, raising a family and hoping to earn legal status, his family said. War in Iran Near the Strait of Hormuz yesterday. Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Trump said he would reimpose the U.S. blockade on the Strait of Hormuz and charge a 20 percent fee on goods passing through it. That could more than double the cost of shipping oil through the strait. Trump’s threat to impose fees contradicts statements from his top aides, who have said for weeks that no country can do so. In the Courts A judge ruled that Trump’s lawsuit against the I.R.S. was an improper exercise in self-dealing and barred him from claiming sweeping tax protections were part of a legitimate settlement. An appeals court revived hundreds of lawsuits against the makers of Tylenol, filed by families who claim children developed autism or A.D.H.D. after their mothers took the painkiller during pregnancy. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the United States was planning to “systematically disable” the International Criminal Court. Politics Darline Graham Nordone Grant Baldwin/Getty Images South Carolina’s governor appointed Lindsey Graham’s sister to temporarily fill his Senate seat after his death over the weekend. (Related: Read how Graham’s path from Trump critic to ally kept him a Washington heavyweight.) The Trump administration has rescinded its $10 billion freeze on child care subsidies and social services funding for five Democratic states after repeated setbacks in court. Other Big Stories Southern chains like Bojangles and Buc-ee’s have a new strategy to increase sales: install electric vehicle chargers. An agitated bison attacked a tourist at Yellowstone National Park, tossing him about eight feet into the air. The man broke several bones. Scientists have detected sugar deep in outer space for the first time. That could help explain the origins of life. Do you have a question about the news? We have answers. Ask us here, and we may feature your question in an upcoming newsletter. OPINIONS America’s housing crisis has a retirement crisis hidden inside it, Kyla Scanlon writes. The world must wake up to the horror in Sudan, the editorial board writes. Deeply reported journalism needs your support. The Times relies on subscribers to help fund our mission. Become a subscriber today. TODAY’S NUMBER Scott McIntyre for The New York Times 507 pounds — That is the dry weight of one of those giant flags a crew unveils before World Cup matches. Each flag measures about 174 feet by 125 feet. WORLD CUP France and Spain meet this afternoon in a semifinal that many will call the actual World Cup final. France’s coach said that Kylian Mbappé was “100 percent” fit after a quarterfinal injury scare. Despite the magnitude of this matchup, tomorrow’s semifinal between England and Argentina is a much hotter ticket. RECIPE OF THE DAY Julia Gartland for The New York Times I made Eric Kim’s recipe for cold noodles with tomatoes, but I replaced the noodles with matchstick cucumbers and added a hit of the green plum syrup known in Korea as maesil cheong because I read in one of his cookbooks that his mom uses the stuff all the time. I put the soup in the freezer for 30 minutes, then served it alongside a bowl of rice dressed in fried egg, butter and soy sauce and alternated bites of hot and slurps of cold. HIS NAME IS HOVA At Yankee Stadium on Friday. Lexi Parra/The New York Times Jon Caramanica, one of our pop music critics, went to all three Jay-Z concerts at Yankee Stadium this past weekend. Sunday night’s was deeply delayed, and the performance stretched toward 3 a.m. on Monday. Jon found it transcendent and dizzying to experience — “a deeply memorable entry in a long catalog of memorable events.” More on culture For centuries, the standard wood in bows for string instruments like violins and cellos has come from the pernambuco tree in Brazil. Its future is now uncertain. Michael Diamond, better known as Mike D, is back on the mic with a new album, 14 years after the death of Adam Yauch, his Beastie Boys bandmate. As The Times discovered, the return to performance took a nudge, and tour backing, from Diamond’s two sons. “It’s like the whole record’s therapy rap,” one of them said. “It’s really deep therapy concepts. We were just like, ‘That’s a sick vibe.’” Late night hosts were skeptical of Mitch McConnell’s recovery photo. The most clicked link in The Morning yesterday was a tour of the author Elin Hilderbrand’s Nantucket home. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS Read mystery novels from the Golden Age of crime. Sadie Stein, an editor at our Book Review, offers a starter pack. Ditch these myths about menopause that experts can’t stand. Cool your home more effectively than with an ancient, wheezing air-conditioner duct-taped into your living-room window. (That’s my setup, anyway.) The HVAC-curious investigators at Wirecutter found the best replacements. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was committal. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Crossplay and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times and me. See you tomorrow. — Sam 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

👀 Trump wants to give more prime-time talks President Trump's prime-time Thursday speech from the White House is slated to include election integrity, an update on Iran and whatever else he deems important, a senior adviser tells Axios' Marc Caputo. "It will be a potpourri," the adviser says. Why it matters: Though ever-available to reporters, Trump hasn't given many prime-time, direct-to-camera speeches from the White House. He wants to do more of them, the adviser says. 🔎 Zoom in: Trump announced on Truth Social yesterday that he plans to give a "Speech to the Nation" on Thursday at 9 p.m. ET. The specifics beyond that — where in the White House and the exact topics — are less certain. But two issues are top of mind for Trump: Resumed hostilities with Iran. "It's changing by the minute, but it's something he wants to address," the adviser says. Election integrity. The president wants to pass the SAVE America Act, a strict voter ID law that's stalled in Congress. And he may present his intelligence officials' findings about the 2020 election, which Trump won't admit he lost. Trump's adviser denied online reports that the president plans to discuss Georgia's 2020 Senate elections that were won by two Democrats. 🥊 Reality check: You never know what Trump's going to talk about. He just wants to talk. And he wants to do more of it. "We want to get into the rhythm of doing this," the adviser says. "It's powerful when you give prime-time speeches that give a sense of importance to what he's saying."

THIS DAY IN HISTORY July 14 1789 French revolutionaries storm the Bastille Parisian revolutionaries and mutinous troops storm and dismantle the Bastille, a royal fortress and prison that had come to symbolize the tyranny of the Bourbon monarchs, kicking off the French Revolution. read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 19th Century 1882 Gunfighter John Ringo found dead Arts & Entertainment 1946 Dr. Spock publishes “The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care” Cold War 1963 Rupture between USSR and China grows worse Crime 1881 Billy the Kid is shot to death 2016 Terrorist drives truck through a Bastille Day celebration Hispanic History 1970 Young Lords occupy Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx Natural Disasters & Environment 1931 South Dakota governor begs for federal assistance over grasshopper plague Sports 1968 Hank Aaron hits 500th homer U.S. Government and Politics 1798 Sedition Act becomes federal law U.S. Presidents 1913 Future president Gerald R. Ford is born World War I 1918 Quentin Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt’s youngest son, is killed