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What to watch in Tuesday’s Maryland, New York, South Carolina and Utah primaries We’re doing something a bit different today. Joining me is national politics reporter, Meg Kinnard, who’s been reporting for the AP for over 20 years. Meg is in South Carolina covering the GOP governor runoff tonight, but first, she’s here with us this morning to answer a few questions about today’s elections. What do you think today’s races will tell us about where things are heading in the November midterms? We will see a bit of how much sway President Donald Trump still has; he’s played a large role in South Carolina’s primary, and while he’s made picks in the other states, his influence there may be a bit muted given how deeply red this state is. I’ve talked to voters who like being in line with Trump’s picks — as well as plenty who say his endorsement doesn't matter to them. What’s the race you find most interesting? I’m watching to see how much influence New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has in the contests where he's aggressively endorsed candidates challenging Democrats supported by party leadership. Mamdani made a big splash when he won, but if his chosen picks have success — like Darializa Avila Chevalier, the 32-year-old he’s supporting against Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Adriano Espaillat — that can strengthen his status as a democratic socialist kingmaker. It can also risk deepening fractures in his own party. If you want more from Meg, she also writes our political newsletter Ground Game. Subscribe here.   RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Mamdani tests his political clout in New York’s primary as he looks to reshape the Democratic Party What to watch in Tuesday’s primaries South Carolina voters will choose between two Trump-backed governor candidates in Republican runoff Redrawn US House map in Utah sets up heated Democratic primary in Salt Lake-area district Judge blocks use of federal database to check citizenship, saying it could wrongly purge voters

Pentagon seeks $80 billion from Congress for Iran war The request adds to what is already a sizable military spending boost being sought by the president. The White House has requested $1.5 trillion for the Pentagon — a nearly 50% increase over the current fiscal year’s funding levels. Read more. Why this matters: The White House Office of Management and Budget has yet to make a formal request to Congress. But Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has been making the rounds on Capitol Hill. The funding package will almost certainly run into trouble from lawmakers who refuse to support Trump’s decision to go to war and are reluctant to give the Pentagon more money at a time of high costs of living for Americans.

June 23, 2026 By Sam Sifton Good morning from LaGuardia Airport in New York. I’m on the road. It’s Election Day in several states. It’s really hot in Europe. And there’s more news below, including an excellent recipe for asparagus and tofu. I’m going to start, though, with mayors. Bernie Sanders and Zohran Mamdani at a rally last week. Angelina Katsanis for The New York Times Bread and roses Socialist mayors were a real thing in the first half of the 20th century, when the Socialist Party of America held political sway. Milwaukee had a roughly 40-year run of them, so-called sewer socialists committed to building out the city’s infrastructure and instituting political reform. They lost power in 1960. Then there was Bernie Sanders in Burlington, Vt., for most of the 1980s. “I’ve stayed away from calling myself a socialist,” he told The Boston Globe after his first win in 1981, “because I did not want to spend half my life explaining that I did not believe in the Soviet Union or in concentration camps.” He soon embraced the label. And now? The mayor of New York City, the nation’s largest city, is a democratic socialist. Another one could become the leader of Los Angeles, the nation’s second biggest city. The mayor of Seattle is a socialist. And next year, a democratic socialist is all but sure to occupy the mayor’s office in Washington, D.C., a 15-minute walk from President Trump’s residence at the White House. No one can say for sure whether their success portends national change. Their victories, or their chances of victory, have mostly come in dark-blue Democratic cities. And not every socialist running for mayor in a largely Democratic city has triumphed. Left-leaning candidates recently lost in San Francisco and Philadelphia. But as my colleagues Campbell Robertson, Jill Cowan and Anna Griffin write, the success of those socialist mayors who did win their races says something about the state of the Democratic Party in the run-up to this fall’s midterm elections. And it gives us a glimpse at what happens when the far left actually takes office. It’s complicated, the reporters say: The act of governing is the big test for a movement propelled by idealism and bold promises, along with a disenchantment with the compromises that its followers believe are too often made by those in power. As an example, they point to Katie Wilson, Seattle’s mayor: Tension between Ms. Wilson and a Seattle City Council that is more moderate has so far led to negotiations rather than conflict, as when she agreed to turn on newly installed security cameras in the city’s stadium district during the World Cup, despite her initial opposition. Zohran Mamdani, New York’s mayor, has done some relenting himself, they report. He retained the city’s moderate police commissioner, Jessica Tisch, and has given her freedom to run that department largely as she sees fit. He’s backed off from his plan to give up unilateral control of the city’s public schools, and from his expensive promise to subsidize more housing. He’s developed a working relationship with Kathy Hochul, New York’s moderate Democratic governor, and one of sorts with Trump, whom he’s called a fascist. These mayors are reflecting political realities, in other words, and perhaps putting down a marker against the future. As the reporters write: “Socialist success indicates an ascendant left — a generational movement as much as a political one — might have considerably more room to run.” Read their whole story. (We’ve made this link free for you, along with several others in the newsletter.) Truck stop Mackenzie Spurlock has installed defeat devices in his repair shop in Alaska. Acacia Johnson for The New York Times I didn’t think I’d be back writing about trucks so soon, but they’re in the news again, as the Trump administration has weighed in on the use of “defeat devices.” These are mechanisms that circumvent hardware and software that limit the tailpipe emissions of diesel engines. The result is trucks with more power and reliability. Also, more pollution. Looking at the issue in 2020, the Environmental Protection Agency estimated that emissions controls had been removed from more than half a million diesel pickup trucks in the previous decade. That allowed the vehicles to discharge harmful nitrogen oxides at up to 300 times the legal limits — the equivalent of adding nine million additional diesel pickups to American roads. Defeat devices are illegal. After Volkswagen was caught using them in its cars in 2015, and paid out upward of $30 billion in fines and fees, the Justice Department used the Clean Air Act to seek criminal felony charges against shop owners who installed the devices on individual vehicles. Or, they were illegal, reports Karen Zraick, who writes about legal affairs for our Climate desk. The Justice Department quietly stopped prosecuting the cases this year, a development that has gone little noticed beyond the world of diesel truck enthusiasts. “We believe that the Trump administration got it right when they eliminated the criminal liability for this conduct,” one lawyer who defended defeat device clients told Karen. “If you want to make tampering with a mobile source a felony, go to Congress.” Read Karen’s story here. THE LATEST NEWS War in the Middle East Pool photo by Nathan Howard After negotiations in Switzerland, Vice President JD Vance claimed that Iran had agreed to invite nuclear inspectors. An Iranian official said his country had made “no new commitments.” The Trump administration lifted oil sanctions against Iran for 60 days, a major policy reversal. Higher gas prices during the war led Americans to drive less and buy more efficient cars, changes that could stick. Iran is setting up registration and insurance systems to help it control the Strait of Hormuz. John Ismay, a Pentagon reporter who served as a Navy explosive ordnance disposal officer, explains why mines in the strait may outlast the war. Click below to watch. The New York Times Politics There are primaries today in New York, Maryland and Utah. One House race to watch, in Manhattan, features a Kennedy scion. A judge ruled that states cannot use a national database created by the Trump administration to screen their voter rolls. Trump said that algae blooms and peeling paint in the Reflecting Pool were not the result of his $16.4 million makeover. European Heat Wave On the Canal Saint-Martin, Paris. Tom Nicholson/Reuters Much of Europe is under extreme heat warnings. Forecasters predict record-breaking June temperatures. What’s been happening is a phenomenon known as a “heat dome.” A heat wave in 2003 caused 70,000 deaths across the continent. Other Big Stories The Supreme Court restored the conviction of a man found guilty in 2017 of murdering Etan Patz, a 6-year-old boy whose abduction in 1979 reshaped American childhoods. Ten years after Britain voted to leave the European Union, analysts say the decision has damaged the country’s economy. THE MAESTRO OF THE FED AFP via Getty Images; Associated Press Alan Greenspan, who led the central bank under four presidents (of both parties) from 1987 to 2006, was the most recognizable economist of his time — arguably of any time. He died at 100. At the peak of his fame in the late 1990s, a mere utterance from Greenspan could send markets on a roller-coaster ride. His face, behind thick glasses, was as familiar as any movie star’s. While he nurtured a long run of economic prosperity and wealth creation, his record nonetheless remains a subject of intense debate. Some say his approach — faithful in the power of markets, averse to regulation — nurtured the conditions that led to the 2008 financial crisis. Read more about Greenspan’s life and legacy. OPINIONS Senators Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat, and Bernie Moreno, a Republican, can agree on one thing: Congress must act now to save Social Security. I thought No Child Left Behind would fix public schools, Ross Wiener writes. I was wrong. 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 Hitmaker: Clive Davis rose from a midlevel legal position at Columbia Records to become one of the music industry’s most powerful and enduring household names. He guided the careers of Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Aerosmith and dozens of others. He died yesterday at 94. His obituary is a doozy. Gray divorce: Older adults are no longer staying in “empty shell” marriages. (This link is free to read.) Your pick: The most clicked link in The Morning yesterday was about a landscaper’s death in the Hamptons. Be prepared: If you’re visiting a national park this summer, expect big crowds and reduced staffing. (This link is free to read.) TODAY’S NUMBER 63 billion — That is how many gallons of water California could save each year by covering its 4,000 miles of irrigation and drinking water canals with solar panels. Those canopies could also generate some 13 gigawatts of solar power, roughly half the new solar capacity needed to meet California’s energy targets. Is that even possible? The tests are promising. WORLD CUP Lionel Messi Paul Ellis/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Lionel Messi broke the record for the most goals scored in World Cups by one player, scoring his 17th and 18th in Argentina’s 2-0 win over Austria. Kylian Mbappé also scored twice in France’s rain-soaked 3-0 victory over Iraq, giving him 16 career World Cup goals. Erling Haaland scored twice yesterday, too, for Norway during the second half of a nail-biting 3-2 win over Senegal. Jordan’s first qualification for the World Cup has also brought a World Cup berth for the millions of Palestinians who live there. RECIPE OF THE DAY Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. This is the time of year when my diet runs to 70 percent asparagus. One of my favorite recipes for it is Melissa Clark’s miso-chile asparagus with tofu and all the adjectives: salty, sweet, spicy, crisp, soft. Make extra sauce and serve with rice or noodles. LIFESAVER Gabby Jones for The New York Times Janet Fash was the first woman to be New York City’s chief lifeguard. She worked on Rockaway Beach in Queens for 40 years. Now she’s written a memoir, “Lifeguard: A Love Story,” that our reviewer calls “a gripping, essential tale.” Elisabeth Egan, a reporter for the Book Review, caught up with Fash on the sand. If you’ll forgive me for saying, it’s a great beach read. More on culture Flight of the Conchords, the musical satirists from New Zealand, have returned to the stage for the first time in almost a decade. Jason Zinoman, our comedy critic, spoke to them about why they came back and what’s next. (This link is free to read.) Michael Barbaro, host of “The Daily,” recently caught up with the writer Tom Junod to talk about the memoir Junod wrote about his playboy father, “In the Days of My Youth I Was Told What It Means to Be a Man.” It’s very good listening. Late night hosts had thoughts about the Reflecting Pool. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS Ricky Jay Todd Heisler/The New York Times Read Mark Singer’s 1993 profile of the magician Ricky Jay, in The New Yorker. Singer died last week at 75. Walk more. It doesn’t have to be 10,000 steps. Just wander around until you’ve seen 20 baseball caps. 🧢 Explore the best Prime Day deals uncovered by the deeply committed bargain hunters at Wirecutter. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was chemical. 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 Correction: Yesterday’s newsletter misstated the name of a Welsh radio host who flexes his ability to find common acquaintances with callers. He’s Elis James, not Elis Jones. 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

Montreal shooting A gunman opened fire in Montreal on Monday, killing at least two people in what appears to be a targeted attack on police. The brazen daylight shooting happened in the city's most populous borough, Côte-des-Neiges, and ended after a shootout with the suspect, who was also killed. Police are examining a so-called manifesto that runs over 100 pages, which they believe may have been written by the gunman. Read more.

UK political turmoil Today marks 10 years since a slim majority of British voters chose to leave the European Union. Since then, Brexit has transformed Britain's political and economic landscape. The country is now on the verge of appointing its sixth prime minister in just seven years, amid political upheaval and a stubbornly weak economy that has left many voters frustrated. Read more.

Nuclear weapons Vice President JD Vance said Tehran has agreed to admit nuclear monitors into the country, calling it "the first step toward permanently denuclearizing" Iran. But Iranian officials denied making any such pledge. This comes as President Donald Trump said preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon outweighs the potential economic consequences of prolonged military action, including the risk of a global depression. Read more. LATEST: Rubio heads to Middle East to discuss Iran with allies

Primaries New York's primaries today will offer an early test of Mayor Zohran Mamdani's political influence six months into his tenure, and a glimpse of the ideological battles shaping the Democratic Party ahead of 2028. Beyond several closely watched contests in New York, voters will also head to the polls for primaries in Maryland and Utah, and runoffs in South Carolina. Here's what to watch. WATCH: Crowded NY-12 race includes former president JFK's grandson

AI warning For years, the biggest fear about artificial intelligence was that it might take your job. Now, US officials and their intelligence partners have a more urgent concern: that some AI models are just months away from being capable of launching cyberattacks powerful enough to overwhelm governments and major companies. A group of international spy agencies issued a joint statement on Monday urging leaders to "act now" to strengthen their defenses, days after the Trump administration ordered AI giant Anthropic to suspend foreign nationals' access to its most advanced models. Read more.

⚽ 1 fun thing: Messi makes history Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring against Austria yesterday in Arlington, Texas. Photo: Maja Hitij/FIFA via Getty Images Argentina's Lionel Messi needed to score only once yesterday to break the record for most career goals in World Cup history. He scored twice against Austria to reach 18 total goals, Axios Dallas' Naheed Rajwani-Dharsi writes from the stadium. 🇫🇷 🇳🇴 Two other superstars scored twice yesterday: France's Kylian Mbappé and Norway's Erling Haaland. Mbappé is tied for second all-time with 16 career World Cup goals. ⚽ Today's schedule: Portugal vs. Uzbekistan (1 p.m. ET) ... England vs. Ghana (4 p.m. ET) ... Panama vs. Croatia (7 p.m. ET) ... Colombia vs. DRC (10 p.m. ET).

Nvidia's robot referee Humanoid robots on display at the Nvidia booth during the Supply Chain Expo in China yesterday. Photo: Johannes Neudecker/picture alliance via Getty Images Nvidia rolled out what it calls a "comprehensive safety system" — called Halos for Robotics — for humanoid robots designed to ensure that they can be deployed alongside humans, Axios' Nathan Bomey writes. The system incorporates software, processing power, sensors and inspection capability drawn from the company's work on autonomous vehicles. Read the announcement ...

🚀 SpaceX levels off Data: FactSet. (The shares priced at $135 a share on June 11 and began trading on June 12, closing at $160.95 a share.) Chart: Matt Phillips/Axios Investors are tempering their enthusiasm for SpaceX shares, which tumbled over 16% yesterday, vaporizing roughly $400 billion in market value, Axios' Matt Phillips writes. The stock has now declined more than 20% in the last three trading sessions. The slump came even as SpaceX announced a deal to provide computing power to AI startup Reflection that could generate $6.3 billion in sales. 🖼️ The big picture: Even after the record $86 billion IPO earlier this month, SpaceX announced plans yesterday to raise at least $20 billion more by selling bonds — a sign that giant tech companies are leaning heavily on the corporate bond market, not just stocks, to fund the AI buildout. Keep reading ...

⚛️ Trump pushes quantum Via White House/X President Trump signed a pair of executive orders yesterday to accelerate domestic quantum computing research and mitigate the cybersecurity threat the technology could unleash. The first order launches a national effort to build a quantum computer "capable of performing important scientific calculations and to develop quantum-enabled sensors and networks in the next five years," Trump said. The second order pushes federal agencies to adopt algorithms that can withstand quantum-powered cyberattacks. It requires agencies to migrate high-value assets to these standards — known as post-quantum cryptography — by 2031. Tech leaders flanked Trump at the Oval Office signing, including Alphabet president Ruth Porat and IBM CEO Arvind Krishna. Go deeper (Bloomberg gift link) ... White House fact sheet.

📈 New data! Dem turnout surge Illustration: Rebecca Zisser/Axios Americans are voting in Democratic primaries and special elections this year in far greater numbers than in previous contests, a Washington Post analysis finds. Why it matters: The lopsided turnout is an early sign "that voters are unusually motivated heading into November." So far this year, 12.6 million ballots have been cast in Democratic House primaries — versus 8.6 million in GOP ones. In over 90% of Democratic House primaries this year, more ballots were cast than in 2022, when Republicans flipped the House, according to the Post's review of 990 races across 25 states and three cycles. Turnout is climbing even in races that aren't hotly contested and where the nominee has little shot in November. The other side: Republicans argue their financial edge and a favorable map will matter more than crowded Democratic primaries. Keep reading (gift link). 🗳️ Driving the day: Primaries in New York ... Maryland ... South Carolina ... Utah.

⚡ Bibi's Lebanon squeeze Photo illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios. Photos: Alessandra Benedetti/Corbis and Win McNamee/Getty Images Israel's government is concerned the U.S. is effectively legitimizing Iran's influence in Lebanon and eroding Israel's freedom of operation there, two Israeli sources tell Axios' Barak Ravid. Why it matters: Iran has wrapped Lebanon into its U.S. talks to support its proxy, Hezbollah. The Trump administration accepts that it must now contain Israel's actions in Lebanon to advance its diplomacy with Iran. Israeli officials worry negotiations in Switzerland will undermine months of U.S. and Israeli efforts to weaken Hezbollah and curb Iran's influence in Lebanon. More immediately, they're also worried about pushback from D.C. each time they want to strike inside Lebanon, or pressure from Trump to withdraw from southern Lebanon. 🔭 Zoom in: The U.S.–Iran memorandum of understanding signed Wednesday stipulates that both countries and their allies will end all hostilities, including in Lebanon, and ensure Lebanese sovereignty and territorial integrity. Several rounds of fighting broke out in the days that followed, though the latest ceasefire renewal has held since Saturday. Iran threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz and skip the Switzerland talks if Israel continued its attacks. Keep reading.

Britain's lost decade Photo illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photos via Getty Images Ten years ago today — on June 23, 2016 — the Brexit referendum unleashed a populist tide that rewrote the rules of Western politics. A decade later, a diminished and fractured United Kingdom is preparing for its seventh prime minister — still haunted by the future it was promised, Axios' Zachary Basu writes. Why it matters: Keir Starmer was elected as a competent, level-headed antidote to 14 years of Conservative rule — a period consumed by austerity, ideological warfare and the chaos of leaving the European Union. His resignation yesterday, less than two years after a historic Labour landslide, reveals Britain's chronic instability has outgrown partisan explanation. State of play: For many Western leaders, the U.K. is the ultimate cautionary tale — a live experiment in modern populism, unfolding inside one of the world's oldest and wealthiest democracies. Brexit began with utopian promises of an unshackled "Global Britain" that could curb immigration, slash red tape and take back control of its borders and budget. Instead, a succession of Conservative prime ministers plunged the country into deeper dysfunction: Theresa May was broken by the Brexit negotiations, Boris Johnson by scandal, Liz Truss by market panic, and Rishi Sunak by electoral humiliation. Today, Britain remains marooned in a low-growth cycle — saddled with trade friction, high prices, strained public services and a hyper-sensitive electorate that tolerates virtually no political failure. Chart: Danielle Alberti/Axios 🔎 Zoom in: Starmer's tenure was consumed by migration and cost-of-living crises, providing ideal conditions for Nigel Farage's right-wing Reform UK to peel away Labour's traditional working-class support. Enter Andy Burnham: The former Greater Manchester mayor and charismatic "King of the North" is widely seen as the lone Labour heavyweight with the authentic populist appeal needed to blunt Farage's momentum. In a special election engineered to return him to Parliament, Burnham beat Reform decisively, likely clearing the way for him to take over the Labour Party and become Britain's next prime minister. Zoom out: If and when he enters Downing Street, Burnham's greatest challenge will be incumbency — a proven liability across the democratic world in the years since COVID. In France, Emmanuel Macron's approval rating has at times fallen as low as 11%, while the far-right National Rally is polling as the favorite to win next year's presidential election. In Germany, the far-right AfD has made unprecedented gains and continues to widen its lead over Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservatives. In Hungary, voters ended Viktor Orbán's 16-year rule this April, toppling the most entrenched nationalist government in the EU. 👓 Between the lines: Even President Trump, who faces a treacherous midterm test in November, is proving vulnerable to the same toxic anti-incumbent forces. His 2016 victory was intertwined with Brexit's geopolitical shock — a warning that voters across the West were willing to torch the establishment to express disgust with migration, globalization and elites' failures. But now Trump is the establishment. High prices and the Iran war have dragged his approval into the high 30s. The world's most successful anti-system politician is suddenly struggling to run against a system he controls.

THIS DAY IN HISTORY June 23 1992 Mafia boss John Gotti, aka “Teflon Don,” sentenced to life Mafia boss John Gotti, who was nicknamed the “Teflon Don” after escaping unscathed from several trials during the 1980s, is sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty on 14 accounts of conspiracy to commit murder and racketeering. read more Reconstruction: The Unfinished Promise In this new podcast, Host Malcolm Gladwell explores why America has yet to make good on the promise of Reconstruction. Listen Here 21st Century 2013 Wallenda crosses Little Grand Canyon on high wire 2018 Thai soccer team becomes trapped in cave African History 1956 Gamal Abdel Nasser elected president of Egypt Arts & Entertainment 1989 Tim Burton’s “Batman” released Crime 1993 Lorena Bobbitt maims her husband with a kitchen knife Sports 1972 Title IX enacted U.S. Presidents 1972 Haldeman encourages Nixon, on tape, to thwart FBI inquiry into Watergate

What kinds of jobs do young people have? Over half of young people ages 16 to 24 have jobs in the leisure and hospitality, retail, or education and health services industries. https://usafacts.org/articles/what-kinds-of-jobs-do-young-people-have/? How many same-sex married households are in the US? In 2024, 835,900 US households were led by couples in a same-sex marriage — 1.3% of all households headed by a married couple. https://usafacts.org/answers/how-many-same-sex-married-households-are-in-the-us/? One last fact About 39% of 4th graders were considered proficient (or better) in math in 2024, down from a high of 42% in 2013. In 2024, Massachusetts had the highest rate of 4th grade math proficiency (51%), while New Mexico had the lowest (23%). The rates for 8th and 12th graders were even lower.

Parting shot: Welcome, summer Photo: Katharine Anderson Reader Katharine Anderson of Denver sends us this view of Washington Park (known as "Wash Park" to locals).

Treat your home like a hobby Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Stock: Getty Images My algorithm serves me IKEA hacks. I keep a robust saved-Instagram file of interior-design inspiration, and I've furnished my one-bedroom condo almost entirely with secondhand finds, Axios' Natalie Daher writes. 🧰 The big picture: I'm no expert DIYer, but I know the satisfaction of reshaping a home through projects big and small — the best parts being creativity and learning. With YouTube tutorials and design influencers, homeowners and renters alike are learning to make their spaces their own without hiring a pro, Vox's "Today, Explained" podcast recently reported. By the numbers: Americans are increasingly remodeling instead of moving. 43% renovated in the last year, and another 33% plan to renovate in the next year, a survey of 4,000 U.S. residents commissioned by Redfin found. 65% of recent renovators said they upgraded their current home instead of moving. Gen Z and millennial respondents were most likely to make this choice. Case in point: D.C. renter Imani Keal has reworked nearly every inch of her rental by hand — paint, peel-and-stick floors, and light fixtures. She advocated for a full kitchen redo after mice moved in behind the wall. She's documented it all on Instagram and TikTok, where she has six-figure followings. Keal has invested tens of thousands in a place she doesn't own. And she's at peace with it: She lives there now, and she isn't fixated on preserving resale value for some future buyer. You can do it! Here are a few places to start, from the Vox episode hosted by Jonquilyn Hill — plus some of my own tips: 🪛 Get the essentials: a decent screwdriver, pliers, a drill and a 5-in-1 tool, which can scrape walls, open paint cans and help clean rollers. 👯 Make it social. Invite your friends over to help paint, assemble furniture or hang art. 📺 Don't fear mounting. Once you can hang a TV, curtains will feel easy. 🧰 Ask the experts. I could dedicate a separate essay to my local Ace Hardware. Find the helpers in your community, and look for free workshops to build specific skills. 🚰 Know your shutoffs. Test your water valve and circuit breaker before you need them. 📥 Sign up for inspiration. Substacks like A Tiny Apartment curate home tours, design ideas and one-of-a-kind finds. ⚠️ Between the lines: There's a difference between adding a pegboard to free up pantry space and diving into the guts of your home. Structural modifications, plumbing and some electrical work are often best left to the pros. 💫 The bottom line: Your homemaking tendencies can reflect your approach to life. As Keal puts it: "I'm going to do everything that I want, everything that is within my means and is possible for me to have a good life." If that means spending "a couple of days after five years of enjoying the same apartment taking the wallpaper down," so be it. Full Vox episode.

The word "atonement" appears in the KJV New Testament just one time: Ro 5:11 And not only [so], but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. The Greek word for atonement is καταλλαγή [SN/OLB# 2643] OLB refers to the Online Bible computer program. 2643 is used 4 times in the NT. Except for Romans 5:11, it is translated as reconcile/d or reconciliation: Ro 11:15 For if the casting away of them [be] the reconciling <2643> of the world, what [shall] the receiving [of them be], but life from the dead? 2Co 5:18 And all things [are] of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation <2643>; 2Co 5:19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation <2643> A closely related word is καταλλάσσω [2644]: Ro 5:10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled <2644> to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled <2644>, we shall be saved by his life. 1Co 7:11 But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled <2644> to [her] husband: and let not the husband put away [his] wife. 2Co 5:18 And all things [are] of God, who hath reconciled <2644> us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; 2Co 5:19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling <2644> the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 2Co 5:20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech [you] by us: we pray [you] in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled <2644> to God. Sometimes the Greek words numbered 2643, a verb, and 2644, a noun, appear in the same verse The translation term, "atonement", used in Romans 5:11 is an outlier in the KJV. The Day of Atonement service in Leviticus 16 is explained in Hebrews 10. The word "atonement" is not mentioned 1 Corinthians 7:11 uses the word translated as "atonement" in Romans 5.11. It refers to the reconciling of a couple in a troubled marriage.

MAGA Bootlicker’s Jaw-Dropping Luxury Splurge Exposed He was previously the subject of a House investigation into alleged abuse of campaign funds. A MAGA congressman has been splurging thousands of donor dollars on ski trips and fine dining like someone who didn’t just spend half a decade under investigation for alleged abuse of campaign funds. Michigan Republican Rep. Bill Huizenga’s campaign spent more than $3,000 on Montana snowmobile rentals and about $440 at fancy Puerto Rico restaurant Marmalade in February and March of this year alone, according to a new investigation by the Daily Beast’s sister Substack PunchUp. Marmalade serves only a five-course tasting menu at $155 a head, plus a $105 wine pairing. Federal Election Commission filings also show that in April 2024, the campaign spent more than $2,500 at a high-end hotel and ski resort in Aspen, Colorado, including $1,986.15 in “travel expenses” at the Little Nell, Aspen’s only five-star, ski-in/ski-out hotel, where rooms start at $799 a night. It also dropped roughly $600 on golf, dining, and cigars in Florida the previous Christmas. At the time those earlier costs were racked up, Huizenga, 57, was still under investigation by the House Ethics Committee over donor money spent at holiday spots including Disney World, Utah’s Deer Valley ski resort, and Michigan’s Mackinac Island. That probe ran from 2019 to 2024, when the committee closed it without action, citing a lack of evidence that he had “engaged in clear personal use of campaign funds.” It nevertheless found sloppy bookkeeping had breached conduct rules and that some spending strayed into murky regulatory territory, and told him to take more care to avoid looking like he was living large on donors’ dime. Huizenga has defended Trump’s debunked claims that the 2020 election was rigged and backed his tariff agenda. He first entered politics in the mid-1990s as a protege of former Michigan Rep. Pete Hoekstra, now Trump’s ambassador to Canada, whose old seat Huizenga has held since 2010. Calvin Moore, a spokesperson for Huizenga’s campaign, told PunchUp that “the House Ethics Committee already reviewed and cleared Congressman Huizenga of any wrongdoing, and we’re not going to waste time rehashing it.” Moore added that the expenditures unearthed by PunchUp “were part of regular donor events, are thoroughly documented, transparently reported, and fully compliant with all requirements.” https://www.thedailybeast.com/maga-rep-splurges-donor-cash-on-snowmobiles-cigars-and-fine-dining/? ps:Just the kind of people trump loves!! How pathetic!!!!

Trump’s Surrender Humiliation Deepens With Brutal Poll Most Americans do not think the Iran war was worth it. Donald Trump has been dealt a humiliating blow by a new poll about his Iran peace deal. Trump announced the long-awaited peace deal during his trip to the G7 conference in France last week. The 14-point memorandum of understanding, which halts the fighting for 60 days, follows months of negotiations, with Washington and Tehran struggling to reach agreement on such key issues as the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the future of Iran’s nuclear program. But his opponents have blasted the arrangement for containing significant concessions to the Iranian regime while deferring U.S. demands to later negotiations. New polling shows that most Americans do not believe the deal has accomplished its primary objective. According to a CBS News/YouGov survey conducted June 17-19, 2026, among 2,519 U.S. adults, 69 percent of Americans believe Iran’s nuclear program has not been stopped, undermining one of the central justifications for the military campaign. Meanwhile, 59 percent say Iran will continue to threaten its neighbors, while just 29 percent of Americans say the war has successfully advanced U.S. strategic interests, and only 28 percent believe it has advanced U.S. economic interests.Despite these doubts, the poll also shows that Americans are keen for the war to end, with 78 percent of Americans saying the conflict should stop now. That includes a majority (60 percent) of Republicans, as well as 56 percent of MAGA Republicans. Meanwhile, the more respondents reported struggling with higher gas prices, the more likely they were to favor ending the conflict immediately. Since the conflict began, energy prices have spiked. In seven states, the average price of gasoline has topped $5 per gallon. Oil prices have also surged by about 35 percent. Overall, energy prices are up 3.8 percent. In total, the war in Iran has cost U.S. households $100 billion so far, according to Moody Analytics. That amounts to nearly $750 a household. And the poll shows that many Americans think Trump, who has repeatedly downplayed concerns about rising prices, underestimated the impact the conflict would have on the economy. Nearly two-thirds of respondents, 64 percent, said the conflict has had a greater impact on the economy than Trump expected. Even worse for the president, the poll shows that 69 percent of Americans do not think the war was worthwhile. Trump’s handling of the Iran conflict is also rated negatively, with just 36 percent approving and 64 percent disapproving. Meanwhile, 57 percent of Americans say the war has created more problems than it has solved. The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment. https://www.thedailybeast.com/trumps-surrender-humiliation-deepens-with-brutal-poll/?

“A Huge Grab of Power”: Trump Is Defying Congress on Foreign Aid After the Trump administration upended the world’s largest foreign aid provider last year, terminating thousands of programs and firing nearly all of its staff, its plan for the agency was clear: Eliminate it entirely. https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-defying-congress-foreign-aid-usaid-vought-rubio-constitutional-crisis? Trump Officials Celebrated With Cake After Slashing Aid. Then People Died of Cholera. On the one-month anniversary of President Donald Trump’s inauguration earlier this year, a group of his appointed aides gathered to celebrate. https://www.propublica.org/article/usaid-cholera-deaths-trump-humanitarian-aid-cuts-south-sudan Inside the Trump Administration’s Man-Made Hunger Crisis On July 18, a mild, overcast night in Nairobi, Kenya, a team of President Donald Trump’s top foreign aid advisers ducked into a meeting room at the Tribe Hotel, their luxury accommodations in the city’s diplomatic quarter, for a private dinner. https://www.propublica.org/article/kenya-trump-usaid-world-food-program-starvation-children-deaths The Summer of Starvation: Amid Trump’s Foreign Aid Cuts, a Mother Struggles to Keep Her Sons Alive After the Trump administration cut off food from the third-largest refugee camp in the world, thousands of families faced impossible choices as their children starved. https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-usaid-kenya-humanitarian-aid-starvation-families-children Before SpaceX IPO, Investors in China Secretly Acquired Stakes A businessman with ties to Chinese military contractors was among the overseas investors who acquired stakes in SpaceX while it was still a private company. An entity linked to the Qatari royal family also took a stake. https://www.propublica.org/article/spacex-elon-musk-ipo-foreign-investors-china?

Uthmeier’s positions on gun rights praised by some, but misfires with others Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier’s aggressive intervention in support of Second Amendment rights has won him the hearts and endorsements of fellow gun rights advocates since being appointed to his position last year. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/06/18/uthmeiers-positions-on-gun-rights-praised-by-some-but-misfires-with-others/? Ro Khanna endorses Elijah Manley in CD 20 Democratic primary Elijah Manley, one of the four Democrats opposing Debbie Wasserman Schultz in Broward County’s newly reconfigured Congressional District 20, announced Thursday that he has been endorsed by California Democratic U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna. https://floridaphoenix.com/briefs/ro-khanna-endorses-elijah-manley-in-cd-20-democratic-primary/? If you want to celebrate Florida history, you ought to know what it is Our democratic republic has survived (more or less) for 250 years. Despite the best efforts of the existing regime, we still (mostly) cherish the rule of law, free speech (pretty much), and the right to vote. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/06/22/if-you-want-to-celebrate-florida-history-you-ought-to-know-what-it-is/?

Nursing a Hangover in the Biblical World “Hair of the dog” is a saying that originally related to the remedy for a rabid dog bite, which involved putting some of that dog’s fur in the wound. The underlying idea—that you can remedy an issue with more of the thing that caused it—is quite old. For example, Pliny the Elder mentions remedies involving dog hair for dog bites in his Natural History. The idea reflects a broader principle of sympathetic medicine that “like cures like,” found in ancient Greek, Roman, and Near Eastern sources. https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/nursing-hangover-in-biblical-world/?