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We read that the world was made by him, "and without him was not anything made that was made." If Christ made all things, he existed before all things, its laid out so clear that no one needs to be left in doubt. Christ was God essentially, and in the highest sense and was from all eternity. Now if you look, everywhere where the Bible refers to The Son in the familiar name 'Jesus', it uses the Greek word "Iesous" (#2424). and we see Strong's definition: 2424 Ihsouv Iesous ee-ay-sooce' of Hebrew origin 03091 ewvy; TDNT-3:284,360; n pr m AV-Jesus 972, Jesus (Joshua) 2, Jesus (Justus) 1; 975 Jesus="Jehovah is salvation" 1) Jesus, the Son of God, the Saviour of mankind, God incarnate The name Jesus means Jehovah or self-Existent Eternal One, and scripture tells us... Hosea 13:4 Yet I am the LORD (Jehovah) thy God from the land of Egypt, and thou shalt know no god but me: for there is no saviour beside me. Isaiah 43:11. I, even I, am the LORD (Jehovah); and beside me there is no saviour. If the Son of God were NOT Jehovah the self-Existent, Eternal One he would not be the Saviour of the world. Isaiah 42:8 I am the LORD (Jehovah): that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. Ezekiel 39:7 So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD (Jehovah), the Holy One in Israel. But if Christ is the Lord God Jehovah, it all comes together... John 17:4-5 4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. 5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. Mark 1:24 Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God. Luke 4:34 Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God Acts 2:27 Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Acts 3:14 But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you; Acts 13:35 Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. 1 John 2:20 But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.

Now, in the letter to the Colossians, Paul gives a description of Jesus which explains Christ's relationship to God the Father and to creation. Let's look at the text... Colossians 1:15-21 King James Version (KJV) 15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled Christ's relationship to His Father begins with the phrase "the image of the invisible God." The word 'image,' meaning copy or likeness, expresses Christ's deity. This word involves more than a resemblance, more than a representation. He is God! Although He took on human form, He has the express nature of the Father... Hebrews 1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high: The "Word" of John 1:1 is a divine Person, not a theoretical abstraction. In the incarnation, the invisible God became visible in Christ; deity was clothed with humanity. Matthew 17:2 And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. Mark 9:2 And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them. All that God is, Christ is. The Bible shows us that Jesus is Lord of Creation. The description 'firstborn' speaks of Christ's preexistence. You can see that Jesus is called the first-born, not the first-created. The word "firstborn" (Greek word "prototokos") signifies priority. In the culture of the ancient times, the first-born was not necessarily the oldest child, as it referred not to birth order but to rank. The first-born possessed the inheritance and leadership. Therefore, the phrase ' the firstborn of every creature', expresses Christ's sovereignty over creation. We also see the phrase recognizes Him as the Messiah, we see in these verses.. Psalm 89:27 Also I will make him [Christ] my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth. Romans 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Six times the Lord Jesus is declared to be the first-born of God (see Colossians 1:15, 18; Hebrews 1:6; 12:23; Revelation 1:5). These passages declare the preexistence, the sovereignty, and the redemption that Christ offers.Thus, the phrase "first-born of all creation" proclaims Christ's preeminence. Now lets look at the point made that Jesus is never called the 'Almighty' in the entire bible. Let us now turn to Revelation 1:8: Revelation 1:8 I am the Alpha and the Omega, says Jehovah God, the One who is and who was, and who is coming, the Almighty. Clearly, he who is Alpha and Omega, and who is also 'the Almighty' is 'Jehovah God' himself. Now lets look further in the Chapter: Revelation 1:12-13 King James Version (KJV) 12 And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;13 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. John sees one 'like unto a son of man.' Now notice the context from here on, from verses 14 through 16 he is describing how this 'son of man' looked. Now this same son of man says in verses 17 and 18: Revelation 1:17-18 King James Version (KJV) 17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. We notice, that the 'son of man' is the same person who, according to verse 17 and 18, is the 'First and the Last' and who also 'became dead.' Who else is this but Jesus Christ, who is constantly referred to through scripture as the 'son of man' and who 'became dead.' You have to say that the one speaking in verses 17 and 18 is Jesus, because you do not believe God can die. Now if it is true that this is Jesus, how is it that he is also called the First and the Last, which is the same as the Alpha and the Omega? And since God is the one claiming to be the 'Alpha and Omega' in verse 8, Jesus Christ, who also claims this title in verses 17 and 18, must therefore be the same one who spoke in verse 8. Now this poses a problem because he who spoke in verse 8 said that he is the 'Almighty.' There is another reason to believe that the one speaking in verse 8 is the same person who speaks in verses 17 and 18. Verse 8 says that Jehovah God is the one 'who is coming.' There is another verse which also shows that God is the one coming found in Revelation 22: Revelation 22:6-7 King James Version (KJV) 6 And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done. 7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book. Take note that it is 'Lord [Jehovah] God' who is coming 'quickly.' Now read verse 12 and 13: Revelation 22:12-13 12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be 13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. We see that God says that he is coming quickly, and also that he is Alpha and Omega. Now read the rest of the chapter, and note carefully verse 20, which reads: Revelation 22:20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. We now find, that he who we have seen is coming quickly and claiming to be the 'Alpha and Omega' is none other then Jesus Christ. Revelation 1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

Jehovah is the Hebrew name for God in the Old Testament. He is given as the Creator of the universe and everything in it. The name Yahweh comes from the Hebrew word for "I am," which was translated as 'Jehovah.' Whenever the name 'LORD' is printed in small caps in the Bible, it means 'YAHWEH'. For ancient Jews, the name 'YAHWEH' was so sacred that they would not speak it nor would they write it in full, but gave it as 'YHWH'. Now the scriptures is very clear that Jesus Christ is not just our Savior, but is also the Creator of the universe, Jehovah 'YAHWEH' of the Old Testament. Notice carefully: All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that has been made. John 1:3 He [Jesus] was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. John 1:10 God, who created all things by Jesus Christ. Ephesians 3:9 For by Him [Jesus] all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. Colossians 1:16 Thus Jesus Christ is our Creator. The One who created, rested. Thus the Sabbath commandment, when correctly understood in the light of both the Old and New Testaments, points to Jesus Christ Now some may say but God the great Jehovah created the earth in the beginning, but here is were the mystery of the GodHead has to be understood in order to understand who Jesus was. Jesus is the Jehovah of ALL the Bible. He is the LORD Jehovah that walked in the cool of the day in Eden. Jesus was the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Jesus was Jehovah God who gave the Ten Commandments. Jesus was Jehovah God who was in the pillar of fire by night and cloud by day. Jesus was Jehovah God who appeared to Moses in the fiery bush and declared I am that I am. What Jesus claims about Himself - John 8:48-59 48 Then answered the Jews, and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil? 49 Jesus answered, I have not a devil; but I honour my Father, and ye do dishonour me. 50 And I seek not mine own glory: there is one that seeketh and judgeth. 51 Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death. 52 Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death. 53 Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself? 54 Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: 55 Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. 57 Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? 58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. 59 Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by. With solemn dignity Jesus answered, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I AM. Silence fell upon the vast assembly. The name of God, given to Moses to express the idea of the eternal presence, had been claimed as His own by Jesus.

Nathaniel was invited by Philip to come and see. Philip was first introduced in this episode. He was played by Yoshi Barrigas in seasons two and three. The Chosen made his character to be a type of sage and reportedly Yoshi played the role so well that the creators of The Chosen decided to tone it down starting in season 4. Reportedly there was a concern that Philip (TV character) was gaining a following among fans that reviled that of Jesus (TV character played by Johnathan Roumnie). I qualify this by saying "reportedly" because official statements were brief. When we look at how Philip's TV character changed in seasons four and five, it is understandable why Yoshi would not have wanted to stay in that role. The church needs people to be like the seasons two and three Philip. He was a philosophical type of character that connected with the misunderstood and common people. Pastors and church elders should look for these types to lead ministries like Pathfinders, Adventist Youth and teach Sabbath school. These types of people lift others up, avoid division and criticizing others. In many cases they are peacemakers. I try to play this role with my ministry although I have been involved in major controversy on a couple of occasions. I have a greeting card ministry. Using a rolodex, I write letters or send cards to about 100 people on a regular basis. My rule is to never send a negative message in the mail. We need people that feel comfortable in their own skin to lift up others and point them to Jesus as the source of hope. BTW: My middle name is Philip. I went by that name as a child and many of my childhood friends still know my by it. When I first earned my Ph.D. I thought I could go by Dr. Phil but that was already taken. LOL. There is no "sh" sound in Spanish making Shane hard to pronounce. So, I go by the Spanish translation of Philip "Felipe" among my Spanish-speaking friends. I am bi-lingual and my church membership is with a Spanish-speaking church in Texas.

I think we are on solid ground, and we shall soon get all the answers..

August 9, 2026 Good morning. The Senate adjourned for its summer recess without passing President Trump’s voting bill. We have more news below. But first, a dispatch from Major League Baseball’s most blessed team. A mural depicting Pope Leo XIV at Rate Field in Chicago. Jamie Kelter Davis for The New York Times Religious devotion By Tania Ganguli In 2024, the White Sox set a record for the most losses in modern Major League Baseball history, with 121. More than a month into the 2025 season, things weren’t looking much better. The Sox were firmly in control of last place in the A.L. Central. Their average home attendance was the fourth worst in baseball. Then, a miracle happened. Or something like it. The papal conclave at the Vatican selected Robert Prevost to be the new pope. He was an American, a first for the Roman Catholic Church. And Pope Leo XIV, as he’s now known, was also a White Sox fan. Since then, the White Sox have made a dramatic turnaround. They are now in first place in their division, and while there are real, baseball-related reasons the team is better (they added some talented players during their down years and are better managed), it’s more fun to wonder if this is all because their most famous fan is the Holy Father. After all, some funny things have happened around the ballpark since then. During a game against the Kansas City Royals on June 26, pitcher Mike Vasil wore a microphone for the TV broadcast. Catcher Drew Romo, who is Catholic, approached him in the dugout. “Pope Leo, if you’re watching this game right now, say a quick prayer for a Jacob Gonzalez homer right now,” Romo said so the mic could catch it. Seconds later, Gonzalez hit his first home run at Rate Field. Vasil bellowed, “It’s working, Leo!” A novelty White Sox hat. Jamie Kelter Davis for The New York Times I went to Chicago last month to get a sense of the excitement and speak to people in the organization. I attended the no-frills Mass that the team hosts before every Sunday home game, where stadium workers sit next to players, coaches and executives at gray picnic tables. I visited the seat where the pope sat for Game 1 of the 2005 World Series (an incredible view, especially for a World Series game) and, for likely the only time in my life, saw the world as the pope might have seen it. Mike Downey, the team’s senior director of promotions and marketing, tried so hard to make a pope bobblehead happen. He was planning his daughter’s baptism when I reached out Thursday night with some fact-checking. The bobblehead idea, he told me, was the third thought he had when he found out the pope was a White Sox fan — after “Oh my god,” and “Can we get him to throw out the first pitch one day?” The church was less excited by the bobblehead idea, though I do wonder if the pope secretly finds it fun; most of the American Catholics I spoke with did. Alas, a Vatican press official did not respond to my email requesting an interview. Downey ultimately went with a pope hat promotion: At this Tuesday’s game, about 40,000 people will get White Sox-themed papal miters as a gift with their tickets. I had wondered if some of this pope-mania might border on offensive, but the White Sox were very careful to be respectful. They consulted clergy members as they made their plans. And there’s a strong Catholic identity that permeates the organization. For Brooks Boyer, an observant Catholic who is the team’s chief marketing officer, having any kind of association with the pope was heady stuff. “We’ve had sitting mayors of Chicago, we’ve had governors of Illinois that have been avid White Sox fans, we had a president of the United States in Barack Obama,” he said. “I didn’t expect anything bigger than the mayor when I started this job, but we’ve kind of climbed the ladder. What’s next? I mean, I feel like we’re one step away from God.” Read the full story. THE LATEST NEWS Near the Strait of Hormuz. Reuters Iran War Iran issued a list of demands that it said the United States must meet before the Strait of Hormuz can fully reopen. The list includes the withdrawal of the U.S. military from around Iran and the payment of war reparations. The war has depleted U.S. weapons stockpiles to troubling levels and delayed weapons deliveries to European and Asian customers, senior officials say. Politics World Liberty Financial, the Trump family’s crypto business, took $100 million from a businessman under investigation for money laundering. Representative Ed Case, a moderate Democrat in Hawaii, defeated a younger progressive challenger in yesterday’s primary, according to The A.P. As the campaign of Representative Max Miller, an Ohio Republican, unravels amid accusations that he abused his wife and daughter, Democrats see a chance for their candidate. 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THIS DAY IN HISTORY August 9 1974 Gerald Ford becomes president after Richard Nixon resigns Richard M. Nixon officially ends his term as the 37th president of the United States and former Vice President Gerald R. Ford is sworn in. read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 21st Century 2010 JetBlue flight attendant quits job via escape slide 2014 Michael Brown is killed by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri Ancient Rome 378 Romans routed at Adrianople Arts & Entertainment 1854 Henry David Thoreau’s “Walden” is published 1995 Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia dies Crime 1969 Charles Manson cult kills five, including actor Sharon Tate Native American History 1877 Nez Perce fight Battle of the Big Hole Sports 1936 Jesse Owens wins 4th gold medal 1988 Hockey’s “Great One” gets traded World War II 1945 Atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki

This word tartarus is used just 4 times in the entire Bible, including the Greek OT. One Hebrew equivalent, evinced by Proverbs 30:16 is Sheol. Get it? The Hebrew word sheol is used in place of tartarus in Proverbs 30:16; therefore, Sheol is a Greek equivalent of tartarus. Sheol is used more than 60 times in the OT. Sheol is usually translated as hades in the NT. Jesus has the keys to hades (Rev. 1:18). The Online Bible numerical equivalents of these words are these tartarus 5020: Sheol 07585 hades 86 Thayer's lexicon has this to say about hades: 1) name Hades or Pluto, the god of the lower regions 2) Orcus, the nether world, the realm of the dead 3) later use of this word: the grave, death, hell In Biblical Greek it is associated with Orcus, the infernal regions, a dark and dismal place in the very depths of the earth, the common receptacle of disembodied spirits. Usually Hades is just the abode of the wicked, Lu 16:23; Re 20:13,14; a very uncomfortable place. TDNT.

This is one of the exceptions to the way Jesus and the disciples normally dealt with demons. We need to ask why is this an exception and not try to use it to explain what normally happened. Jesus was dealing with a pagan gentile. Whether it was actual demon possession or mental illness, or a combination of both (although I believe that with people suffering from mental illness, that God has special angels to keep demons away knowing that they are dealing with enough). Normally, when Jesus and disciples met demon possession, they simply cast the demon out. Here for some reason Jesus needed to find out how this Biblically ignorant, non-Jew, heathen, gentile, pagan understood his situation and to work according to his need. We need to keep this in mind and, sorry hobie and Asia Joe, might mean that the question of "Now a question that poses itself is whether this is place the evil angels feared to be sent to this place of darkness to such a degree that they thus asked to be sent into the swine on the hill.." was just how this one or two Biblically ignorant, non-Jew, heathen, gentile pagan person, individually or as friends, understood reality.

This is one of the exceptions to the way Jesus and the disciples normally dealt with demons. We need to ask why is this an exception and not try to use it to explain what normally happened. Jesus was dealing with a pagan gentile. Whether it was actual demon possession or mental illness, or a combination of both (although I believe that with people suffering from mental illness, that God has special angels to keep demons away knowing that they are dealing with enough). Normally, when Jesus and disciples met demon possession, they simply cast the demon out. Here for some reason Jesus needed to find out how this Biblically ignorant, non-Jew, heathen, gentile, pagan understood his situation and to work according to his need. We need to keep this in mind and, sorry hobie and Asia Joe, might mean that the question of "Now a question that poses itself is whether this is place the evil angels feared to be sent to this place of darkness to such a degree that they thus asked to be sent into the swine on the hill.." was just how this one or two Biblically ignorant, non-Jew, heathen, gentile pagan person, individually or as friends, understood reality.

Turkey says defense pact with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan is not aimed at Iran or any other country A defense agreement between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey is not aimed against Iran or any other country, Turkey’s foreign minister said Saturday, describing the pact as an important step toward regional stability. Read More.

Iran makes new strait demands, the UAE says a ship was targeted and other Middle East news Iran issued dramatic new demands around the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and the United Arab Emirates said one of its ships was targeted by an Iranian missile. Yemen’s military attacked the country's Iranian-backed Houthi rebels. And Turkey’s Kurdish peace bill won approval in parliament. Read More.

There is no dilemma here because Christ was fully God and fully man, this is the mystery of godliness which is Christ. This is not something alien to Protestantism, it's only offensive to Arian (Adventist) groups. Luther would have violently disagreed with you, as would Calvin and any other Reformation Christian. Only Restorationist groups would agree with you in this.

🎒 Mapped: Back-to-school madness Data: MDR Education. (Includes public schools. Doesn't include year-round schools.) Map: Brad Jennings/Axios Gone are the days of a shared "back-to-school" moment, Axios' Brad Jennings writes. District calendars show nearly half of all U.S. schools will open before Aug. 16, according to dates compiled by MDR Education, a data company. Four in five will open before Sept. 1. Nearly all public schools in the Deep South open before Aug. 16. Almost none in New England do. One reason for later starts in the Northeast: protecting summer tourism by maintaining a seasonal youth workforce at beaches, camps and other vacation hot spots. Explore the data ...

👋 Buh-bye, artificial food dye HHS Secretary RFK Jr. at a press conference last month with ice cream makers pledging to eliminate artificial food dyes. Photo: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images Artificial food dyes are being increasingly stripped out of supermarket staples, driven by the MAHA movement's push against additives, USA Today reports. The new colorants "come from plants, algae or insects, making their supply more variable and geographically concentrated than synthetic dyes." And the change "can involve agricultural production, global sourcing, manufacturing capacity, packaging, storage, shipping and shelf-life testing." 🥣 Remember this: A product can be free of synthetic dyes but still high in sugar, salt or calories. Keep reading.

📺 Fox straight talk Image: Fox News Mediaite founding editor Colby Hall writes on Substack that Fox News is conservative, yes, but more politically independent in the second Trump era than its critics would have you believe. A prime example: "Fox & Friends" co-host Lawrence Jones said democratic socialists are finding electoral success by reaching "people that are desperate right now." Hall's take: "It makes the network more useful than the caricature of it suggests, because the people inside it are increasingly willing to describe the world as it is even when that description doesn't flatter the people they would prefer to see win." The full post.

✡️ Synagogues turn members into guards Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios. Stock: Getty Images Synagogues across the U.S. are having congregants train to be volunteer security teams as antisemitic assaults hit record levels and Jewish gathering places face increasing threats, Axios' Russell Contreras reports. Why it matters: The front doorways of many synagogues are becoming both a place of welcome and a security checkpoint — a sign of how antisemitism is reshaping Jewish life in America. Antisemitic attacks in the U.S. hit a 46-year high last year — the most since the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) began tracking such incidents in 1979. How it works: Jewish security groups are layering cameras, hardened doors, tighter access rules, trained volunteers and coordination with law enforcement around synagogues. 7,100+ volunteers have been trained by the Community Security Service (CSS), which now protects more than 500 synagogues and events across the U.S. each week, the nonprofit's CEO, Richard Priem, tells Axios. Yes, but: Hardening these spaces takes a psychological toll. Rabbi Nolan Lebovitz, senior rabbi at Valley Beth Shalom in L.A. — one of the largest synagogues in North America — tells Axios that clergy are fighting to balance safety with spiritual optimism. "Jews, Jewish parents especially, want to feel safe," said Lebovitz, the grandson of four Holocaust survivors.

✏️ Midterm cheat sheet Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Stock: Getty Images Axios CEO Jim VandeHei asked for midterm previews by two top handicappers: Josh Kraushaar, editor-in-chief of Jewish Insider and former Axios campaign expert, and David Wasserman of The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter. Senate Where it stands: 53 Republicans, 45 Democrats, 2 independents caucusing with Dems (making 47 total). Democrats need: 4 flips to get to 51. Fifty isn't enough — the tiebreak is Republican. The call: Kraushaar: Dem +2. Wasserman: Dem +3. Why it matters: This mirrors what we're hearing from top Ds and Rs alike. Democrats will get close, but likely fall short of a majority. The big reason: They need to flip too many seats in too many GOP-friendly states like Alaska, Maine, Ohio and Texas. House Where it stands: 218 Republicans, 212 Democrats, 1 independent, 4 vacancies. Democrats need: net gain of 3 (against November's 435 seats, with the vacancies washed out) to reach 218, the majority. The call: Kraushaar: Dem +15-20. Wasserman: Dem +15. Why it matters: Republicans enjoy (and muscled through) a favorable map with way more Ds running in Trump-won districts than Rs in Harris-won districts. They then jammed through late redistricting changes that should hand them six to nine seats. Yet most top Republicans tell us there's an 80%+ chance they're toast, regardless.

⚖️ AI's scarlet letter Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios. Stock: Getty Images The slightest hint of generative AI usage is fast becoming a kiss of death in creative circles, Axios' Shane Savitsky writes. Why it matters: It's turning into a purity test that has the potential to blow up careers and derail massive deals — and there's no desire for nuance or ability to clear your name. Driving the news: Creator Hank Green, who has over 3 million YouTube subscribers, used the phrase "I appreciate the pushback" in a recent video. That caused some viewers to suspect that his script was AI-generated, given the phrase's resemblance to LLM response patterns. Green said the phrase was a non-scripted ad-lib. But he apologized in an emotional Reddit post for using AI as a research aid "to locate papers and other resources for learning about topics." He added his LLM use was "not healthy for me or good for the world" and said he'd take a step back from making videos.

Trump’s slapdash Reflecting Pool renovations stand in stark contrast to ingenuity of its creation In the latest twist in one of the strangest ongoing scandals in Washington, D.C., U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro announced that the government would be dropping charges against the four people accused of vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, the 2,000-foot long water basin that connects the Lincoln Memorial to the Washington Monument. Pirro said faulty construction — not vandalism, as President Donald Trump had claimed — caused the pool’s liner to peel off in June 2026. https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/trumps-slapdash-reflecting-pool-renovations-stand-stark-contrast-ingenuity-its-creation?

My disabled son has civil rights, just like all of us My disabled son Rob and I are often in Annapolis to advocate for health care and disability rights. If the weather’s nice, we sit on Lawyer’s Mall in front of the State House and reflect on the legacy of Thurgood Marshall, whose statue stands there. Maryland has a proud history of protecting the civil rights of marginalized people — except our state struggles to protect those same rights for disabled people. https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/my-disabled-son-has-civil-rights-just-all-us?

As an American Jew, my first political loyalty is to American democracy I’m an American Jew, and my political loyalty is not to Democrats or to Republicans. https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/american-jew-my-first-political-loyalty-american-democracy?

Trump, 80, Sets Sights on New Government Office He Plans to Loot The president would love to get his hands on the State Department’s chandeliers, Corinthian columns, and a painting or two. President Donald Trump appears to have decided that the federal government’s most prized possessions are his for the taking. Speaking to roughly 200 mining executives at the State Department on Friday, Trump said being president means he can remove things from government buildings—and even “grab a painting” for the Oval Office should the mood strike him. “It’s a beautiful building,” Trump remarked as he looked around from his seat at the State Department desk. “I’m liking the chandeliers. I like those Corinthian columns, but cutting them out would be not good.” He emphasized: “I’m allowed to do it,” as he appeared to claim broad authority to take government property. “Every once in a while I’ll come in here and grab a painting and put it into the Oval Office,” he said. Trump also ran his fingers over a small, solid-gold replica of a deep-sea nodule sitting on the desk, a gift presented Friday by the CEO of American Ocean Minerals ahead of the mining-industry roundtable. After the roundtable, the White House announced more than $2 billion in funding to revitalize the industry, along with more than $180 million for mining-school investments aimed at boosting the workforce. Trump came under heavy fire in his first administration for failing to account for some 100 gifts valued at $250,000 given by foreign leaders to the presidential office. Expensive foreign gifts belong to the U.S. government, not the individual president, who is allowed to keep only lower-value items. Trump also has a history of treating government records as personal property. He took home several boxes of classified documents, mixing reports with personal effects, including his wife’s clothing. He stored stacked boxes of secret documents on a stage and close to a toilet at Mar-a-Lago.Posters on X went wild over the Fox News video about Trump eyeing State Department treasures he’d like to grab, with one user posting a photo of boxes of classified files in Trump’s Mar-a-Lago bathroom.“I love stealing things,” said a mocking clip featuring character Creed from The Office. Many observers couldn’t help but notice that Trump used the word “grab” when he said he could take whatever he wanted. The word echoed one of his most infamous uses of it: the hot-mic capture of Trump boasting on Access Hollywood before he was elected president the first time that he could kiss any woman he wanted without asking, and “grab [women] by the p---y.” He later dismissed it as “locker room banter.” https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trump-sets-sights-on-new-government-office-he-plans-to-loot/?

August 8, 2026 Good morning. My colleagues at the Book Review published their list of the 50 best thrillers of the 21st century this past week. I’ve asked Tina Jordan, the editor of the Book Review, to tell us about it. I’ll be back next Saturday. — Melissa Naila Ruechel Edge of your seat By Tina Jordan I’m more or less addicted to thrillers. And I’ve always been this way. I was one of those kids who lived for Encyclopedia Brown books (and firmly believed it was cheating to skip ahead to the last page for the solution). I plowed through all the yellow-spined Nancy Drews I could find. Then, when I was in sixth grade, my teacher began reading Agatha Christie’s “Cat Among the Pigeons” to the class every day after lunch. Was it appropriate for a bunch of 12-year-olds, given the number of people in the novel who are coshed, bludgeoned and shot? Possibly not! But I was hooked: I asked my mother to drive me to the Emily Fowler Public Library and promptly checked out as many Christies as I could carry. From there I moved on to Sherlock Holmes, “The Turn of the Screw” and Margaret Millar’s novels. Now, as a grown-up who works at The New York Times Book Review, I’m immersed in exciting projects all the time. But none was as much fun for me as the list we published this week of the 50 best thrillers of the 21st century. They’re still the books I turn to when I want to relax and escape. Sometimes I want to play a mental chess game by picking up a good mystery or police procedural, trying to match wits with a detective. One of my all-time favorites made our list: Tana French’s “Broken Harbor” (No. 20), which is not just the story of a murder investigation, but also a devastating day-by-day portrait of a man’s descent into mental illness after Ireland’s 2008 financial crisis. (If someone tells me they “don’t read thrillers,” I hand them a French novel.) When I’m not in the mood for anything so cerebral, I like to lose myself in the twists and turns of a fast-moving crime novel — the kind that I can finish in one gulp, like S.A. Cosby’s “Razorblade Tears” (No. 😎 or Oyinkan Braithwaite’s bracing “My Sister, the Serial Killer” (No. 6), which might be the only comic serial-killer thriller I’ve ever read. I’m also a sucker for deeply unnerving “bad seed” thrillers — you know, the ones where the kids were born evil. There are three of them here, all excellent: Lionel Shriver’s “We Need to Talk About Kevin” (No. 14), Ashley Audrain’s “The Push” (No. 47), and my single favorite book on the list, “Defending Jacob” (No. 30), William Landay’s nerve-racking tale of murder told, in part, through courtroom testimony. The main character, Andy, is certain that his son didn’t stab a classmate to death; his wife, remembering the way other children always seemed to get badly hurt around Jacob, isn’t so sure. Naila Ruechel for The New York Times We put the 50 thrillers list together by polling hundreds of writers, booksellers, editors, Bookstagrammers and librarians. When we sent them their ballots, we said, Hey! Let us know if we can publish yours. A surprising number said yes. Those ballots, it turns out, are a rich source of recommendations. I love Jane Harper’s atmospheric thrillers, where the settings — desolate, parched stretches of rural Australia — are as important as the characters. When I saw a book on her ballot that I hadn’t heard of, Val McDermid’s “A Place of Execution,” I snapped it up. It might be the creepiest police procedural I’ve ever read, set in a remote English village “so cut off from the rest of the world, they might still be worshiping the corn goddess,” as the detective says. Now I’ve ordered William Boyle’s “Saint of the Narrows Street,” since Jordan Harper, whose ice-cold noir novels I particularly enjoy, had it on his ballot. If I pace myself, I can mine these ballots for months. THE LATEST NEWS Politics Kenny Holston/The New York Times A bitterly divided Senate narrowly confirmed Todd Blanche as attorney general, after a bruising battle that centered on concerns about his ability and willingness to rein in President Trump. The Senate passed a stopgap spending bill to avert a government shutdown, in a bipartisan effort to head off a major spending skirmish before the midterms. President Trump cannot keep building his East Wing ballroom without explicit approval from Congress, an appeals court panel ruled. Trump plans to take the case to the Supreme Court. The White House sent Lisa Cook a letter saying it was “considering” removing the Federal Reserve governor from her job. The Supreme Court rebuffed Trump’s first attempt to fire her. A former federal prosecutor in Miami, fired after an influencer surfaced his old blog posts criticizing Trump, is suing the Justice Department to get his job back. Business The U.S. economy unexpectedly lost 23,000 jobs in July, and hiring in previous months was revised down sharply. The weak jobs report has reduced some of the Federal Reserve’s urgency around raising interest rates. But it has not eliminated the possibility. Around the World The New York Times In the video above, Julian E. Barnes, who covers U.S. intelligence agencies, explains how the Trump administration has been looking for a current or former Cuban official to take over the island’s government. Click to play. More than 20 activists who tried to sail to Gaza said Israeli security forces beat, shocked and abused them after they were captured. Israel denied the accusations. Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed a mutual defense pact. Iran’s nuclear program has been slowed by the war, but not destroyed. Experts believe Tehran has enough weapons-grade fuel to quickly develop as many as 10 nuclear bombs. Other Big Stories With more than half of the island under drought conditions, Puerto Rico has begun rationing water. This weekend’s U.S. forecast: Extreme heat in the Southwest, wildfire smoke in the Northwest and sauna-like conditions in the Northeast. THE WEEK IN CULTURE “Ted Lasso” Apple TV The beloved series returned for its fourth season this week. Read a recap of the premiere (but beware of spoilers). One place to experience the show’s warm, fuzzy vibes? The picturesque London suburb of Richmond-upon-Thames, where influencers and tourists flock to take pictures with a particular park bench. The show has also driven interest in women’s soccer, the fastest-growing sector of the world’s most popular sport. More on TV Canadian Tire A Canadian hardware store chain reported a surge in sales of its reusable shopping bags after the “Heated Rivalry” star Hudson Williams was spotted carrying one in Toronto. “The Shards” and “Sterling Point,” two new teen dramas, offer fresh perspectives on class and status, our critic James Poniewozik writes. For the younger set, a PBS Kids special follows four kids from different backgrounds on their first day of kindergarten. Film Spider-Man defied the superhero slump. “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” raked in nearly $1 billion in its opening weekend. It’s also one of the five new movies our critics are talking about this week. The box office has Tomdaya to thank for a strong summer. Music Ahead of the release of a documentary about his life, Travis Barker spoke to “Popcast” about surviving a plane crash, his famous family and how drumming has anchored him through it all. John Carpenter, known for his slasher films, lost interest in directing, but not in horror. His new project, “Cathedral,” is both a graphic novel and a hard-rock album. Deeply reported journalism needs your support. The Times relies on subscribers to help fund our mission. Become a subscriber today. RECIPE OF THE WEEK Con Poulos for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. By Melissa Clark Lemon and Thyme Grilled Chicken Breasts My favorite way to grill chicken breasts is to pound them into cutlets and cook them quickly, so the edges char but the interior stays juicy. And marinating them first with plenty of garlic and other aromatics adds enough flavor to forgo a sauce. I do both these things in my recipe for lemon and thyme grilled chicken breasts, which also work beautifully cooked under the broiler. Either way, serve the cutlets on a bed of sliced tomatoes, cucumbers or arugula to soak up all the garlicky drippings. REAL ESTATE Charity Rachelle for The New York Times The Hunt: When their son and daughter-in-law left Washington, D.C., for Huntsville, Ala., a couple followed suit, hoping for a family gathering spot. What did they find? Play our game. What you get for $1 million in Italy: A compound with a pool in Ostuni, a partially renovated 16th-century farmhouse near Francavilla Fontana, and a crenelated mini fortress in Presicce-Acquarica. Pick your favorite: A cottage in Lake Arrowhead, Calif.; a Colonial Revival in Stonington, Conn.; and a two-story house in New Orleans are all on the market for $845,000. Which would you choose? Skinny house: A careful renovation helped a couple in Vancouver make the most of their very narrow property. LIVING The New York Times We’ve made these links free for you. Shop like the cool kids: Even if you don’t live in New York, our list of the best clothing stores in the city is a window into the front lines of fashion. Style everywhere: Readers wrote in to nominate the best clothing stores not in New York. Here are 25 across the country. Time for s’mores: Transform your outdoor space with fire pits, lanterns and torches to make the most of summer evenings. Mix and match: Selecting the right tones to go with hardwood floors can be challenging. These tips can help. ADVICE FROM WIRECUTTER Michael Murtaugh/NYT Wirecutter A surprising back-to-school shopping hack If you find yourself on an IKEA trip this month (in search of some college dorm essentials, perhaps?), don’t skip the freezer aisle. Despite its reputation as a destination for affordable furniture, IKEA can also be a great place to stock up on packaged foods. We taste-tested our way through an assortment of the store’s offerings and found 18 delicious and easy-to-prepare items worth having on hand, including instant mashed potatoes that don’t taste frozen at all. One more idea to make mealtime easier amid the chaos of back-to-school season: We swear by these excellent kitchen tools that make cooking less annoying. — Lesley Stockton NOW TIME TO PLAY Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was expending. 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. 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 News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Brent Lewis, Lara McCoy, Karl Russell Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Editorial Director, Newsletters: Jodi Rudoren Deputy Editorial Director: Lauren Jackson