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Democrats urge Trump administration to rethink Endangered Species Act rollback Florida manatees and panthers are suddenly much more vulnerable, environmentalists say, thanks to the Trump administration’s recently announced rollback of Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/07/27/democrats-urge-trump-administration-to-rethink-endangered-species-act-rollback/? Florida judge refuses to boot Fishback from the ballot, won’t ‘decide the race’ A Leon County judge refused Monday to kick Florida gubernatorial candidate James Fishback off the ballot, agreeing that he hadn’t meant to establish residency in D.C. and pointing out that it’s not the court’s job to decide who becomes Florida’s next governor. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/07/27/florida-judge-refuses-to-boot-fishback-from-the-ballot-wont-decide-the-race/? Attorneys for Florida death row inmates seek stays of execution from U.S. Supreme Court Barring a last-hour intervention by the U.S. Supreme Court, two Florida death row inmates will be executed within hours of each other Tuesday at Florida State Prison near Starke. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/07/27/attorneys-for-florida-death-row-inmates-seek-stays-of-execution-from-u-s-supreme-court/?

Wisconsin tornado causes extensive damage and cuts power to thousands of homes MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A tornado struck northeastern Wisconsin on Monday, blackening the midday sky and sending workers sheltering in office basements as fierce winds splintered homes, scattered twisted metal across a highway and knocked out power to more than 30,000 people. https://apnews.com/article/tornado-wisconsin-power-outages-appleton-menasha-854e3fa75280bb316f6081eaf0443798?

This week in court: 6 high-profile cases from the Tate brothers to D4vd A series of high-profile criminal cases are in court this week for hearings that could prove pivotal. Four of the six have celebrity defendants or victims. https://apnews.com/article/tate-brothers-d4vd-tupac-salman-rushdie-trial-3d1661685f9b72235ba716850ab9fdc7?

Days disrupted Across seven countries, seven people woke up to days that no longer looked the way they once did. https://apnews.com/projects/days-disrupted-after-iran-war/?

Americans rewire their grocery shopping routines while digesting the biggest price jump in 50 years Buying food to eat at home has gotten 33% more expensive in U.S. cities since the beginning of 2019, according to government figures. Couponing, comparison shopping and cutting back on favorite foods are new habits for millions of Americans. Read more. Why this matters: The historic increase happened for numerous reasons. The coronavirus pandemic snarled supply chains and raised labor and transportation costs. Droughts, hurricanes and diseases like bird flu drove down production. Tariffs raised prices on foreign products like coffee, tomatoes and chocolate. Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine disrupted oil and fertilizer supplies. The fresh conflict in the Middle East is accelerating food price inflation again this year, and affordability is a central issue in the fall midterm elections. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ WATCH: How Americans cope with biggest food-price spike in decades Gas, groceries and back-to-school items are where shoppers might see higher oil prices surface

Trump administration asks Supreme Court to allow order targeting mail-in voting before midterms The Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to clear the way for an executive order that could dramatically change mail-in voting ahead of November’s midterm elections. Read more. Why this matters: The president ordered the government in March to create a “state citizenship list” of eligible voters and deliver mail ballots only to people on that list. Democratic officials in 23 states and the District of Columbia sued, saying the Constitution gives states and Congress the authority to set election rules, not the president. Using mail ballots has become increasingly popular with voters of both parties, with about 30% of all ballots cast that way during the 2024 presidential election, according to federal data. The process also is secure. A 2025 Brookings Institution study found only about four cases of fraud out of every 10 million mail ballots cast. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Trump demands Senate cancel August break until it passes voting bill Republicans decry a new Democratic Socialists of America platform as Dem primaries split the party US looks to boost anti-China spending worldwide by hundreds of millions, documents say Federal judge dismisses a lawsuit over makeup of Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission Trump defends his sweeping tariffs and watches ‘America First’ drag races during Michigan stop McConnell remains in rehab and says he’ll miss key Kentucky political event Kamala Harris endorses Democrat Troy Jackson, in Maine’s US Senate race after last-minute nomination Ex-Olympian charged with damaging Reflecting Pool sees ‘irregularities’ in grand jury proceedings

330,000 people forced to evacuate as wildfires rage across France and Spain The blaze in France, raging since last week, has been wildly unpredictable, burning through an area four times the size of Paris. Spain entered its fourth heat wave of the summer, with several blazes still out of control, including its largest on record. Read more. What to know: French firefighters have been able to keep the blaze in check, but officials have warned that smoldering vegetation, rising temperatures and falling humidity could trigger fresh outbreaks. Western Europe recorded its hottest June on record, with extreme heat and widespread dryness helping fires spread and intensify in France and Spain, the European Union’s Copernicus climate service said. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Wildfire created a monster cloud, unleashing lightning that ignited more fires Photos of Europe battling wildfires Wildfire survivors share stories of narrow escapes WATCH: Roof camera captures wildfires in Spain WATCH: How wildfires impact your health Wildfire closes major Oregon interstate for 70 miles US wildfire tracker

July 28, 2026 By Sam Sifton Good morning. We’ve got the latest on the devastating forest fires in Europe. And the war in Iran is entering its sixth month. That’s below. I’m going to start, though, in Cuba. In Havana. The Cuban way Six months ago, President Trump predicted that Cuba would soon be ruined. He had just taken control of Venezuela’s oil, a lifeline for the island, and blockaded all other fuel sources. “It’s just going to fall,” he told reporters. Jack Nicas, who covers the Caribbean, Central America and Mexico for The Times, recently traveled to Cuba to report on the state of the island. With him were Alex Pena, a video journalist, and Lisette Poole González, a photographer. Jack and Alex were there on the first journalism visas Cuba had granted to The Times in seven years. As our journalists discovered, even amid Cuba’s worst ever energy crisis, with mass blackouts plaguing the electrical grid, the Cuban government — and the Cuban people — are still standing. “After a week on the ground,” they write, “we found that while Cubans are clearly suffering, they are also doing what perhaps they do best: adapting.” Out: those gas-guzzling Chevys they’ve kept running since the Communist revolution. In: electric rickshaws from China. Cubans are importing big lithium batteries to run appliances during blackouts and installing solar panels on roofs to charge them. Amateur mechanics all over the country are jury-rigging generators to run on more accessible natural gas. Lisette Poole González for The New York Times One farmer even devised a tiny backyard refinery to make gasoline out of shredded plastic, fuel for his motorcycle and cook stove. “Cubans thrive amid crisis,” he told Jack. On the ground Yesterday, I reached out to Jack to ask him a couple of questions about his reporting and the team’s experience on the ground. Stories and videos from their trip to Cuba appear on our website today, and tomorrow and Thursday as well. Sam: I want to ask you about that farmer you met, the one making his own gasoline. Did you see a lot of that kind of ingenuity in Cuba? Jack: One of the most important words in the Cuban lexicon is “resolver.” It literally means “to solve,” but in Cuba, after decades of a U.S. trade embargo, it really means “to figure things out by any means necessary.” It explains how Cubans put Soviet engines into 1950s American cars to keep them running or ate breaded grapefruit rinds to imitate meat during their economic crisis following the fall of the Soviet Union. And now they’re resolviendo again. We saw a lot of creativity during our trip across Cuba. People drilled solar panels to the tops of electric rickshaws. They are using lithium batteries to power concerts. There are even stories of people powering their cars with charcoal and cooking oil. As a result, the country is still functioning, despite the hardship. Lisette Poole González for The New York Times Sam: What was your reception in the country like? It’s been a long time since the Cuban government has allowed Times journalists to report there. Jack: Everywhere we turned there were stories, and the Cuban people were eager to tell them. We spoke to dozens of people in Havana and beyond who wanted to express their frustration and exhaustion with the status quo. It was a mixed bag on whom they blamed. Some saw the Cuban government at fault for failed economic policies and political repression, while others believed Trump was making them suffer for his own personal gain. Many blamed both. Sam: How hard was it to get your visa? Did government minders follow you around? Jack: It took a lot of convincing to get. I met with top Cuban diplomats in Mexico City, Havana, Washington and New York over six months, and sent many letters, to persuade them that we would tell this story fairly. Once we got to Havana to report, we met with Cuban officials a few times, but they otherwise didn’t bother us. We traveled around freely, decided our story targets and chose whom we interviewed. Read the team’s first dispatch here. And watch Jack in the field in the video below. Click to play. The New York Times TODAY’S WORD Pyrocumulonimbus — That is a giant, fire-generated thunderstorm that forms above an intense heat source like a wildfire or a volcano. Also known as a fire cloud, it can produce lightning, which can spark more fires, and generate high and unpredictable winds, which fan flames and spread embers. Officials say the clouds have been an “unprecedented” feature of the devastating fires in France this past week. More on the fires A new heat wave this week could make the wildfires even worse. Blazes are advancing toward vineyards and chateaus in the region. The smoke alone could change the flavor of this year’s vintage. Even as hundreds of thousands of people evacuate, some are staying behind to try to save their homes and farmland. See photos and videos. THE LATEST NEWS Politics Doug Mills/The New York Times Trump traveled to Michigan, where he blamed the high cost of living on Joe Biden and painted a dystopian picture of what the United States could look like if Democrats win the midterms. The state’s primary elections are next Tuesday. Last night, the Democrats running for Senate faced off in their last debate. Read the takeaways. Trump asked the Supreme Court to clear the way for an executive order to restrict mail-in voting, setting up a legal showdown ahead of the midterm elections. Congress Senator Rand Paul released more than 1,000 pages of a diary that Dr. Anthony Fauci kept during the Covid pandemic as part of his investigation into whether Fauci lied to Congress about the origins of the virus. Fauci is scheduled to testify before the Senate this week. Senator Mitch McConnell extended his Senate leave, saying he was not “medically cleared” to return after six weeks of hospitalization. Funeral services begin today for Senator Lindsey Graham, who died this month. War in the Middle East Trump said there was “a good chance” that a new round of diplomacy with Iran could yield a breakthrough. Iran denied that it was open to more negotiations. Saudi Arabia said it had destroyed drones launched by Iranian-backed militias. It was the kingdom’s first direct military response to such attacks since the U.S.-Iran cease-fire collapsed. Around the World A vigil for people who died in a ferry sinking this month in Georgetown, Guyana. Cesar Rodriguez for The New York Times About 100 people died in Guyana when a state-run ferry capsized this month. The police in Europe said that Binance, the world’s biggest crypto exchange, had quietly made it more difficult to track down scammers and fight money laundering. A police officer who spent nine years enforcing China’s repression campaign against Uyghurs is seeking asylum in Germany, claiming that he is also a victim of the state policy. Crime The television anchor Savannah Guthrie made a desperate new plea for help nearly six months into the search for her 84-year-old mother. The man charged with murdering four University of Idaho students is seeking to rescind his guilty plea and take his case to trial, claiming that he is innocent and was misled into confessing. Other Big Stories Congress is considering an end to America’s spring-forward, fall-back clock changes. But making daylight saving time permanent would have serious consequences for your health and the economy, scientists say. Apple regained its title as the world’s most valuable publicly traded company from Nvidia, about two years after it lost the crown. Mia Bieniemy, the wife of the Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, was shot at their home in Virginia on Sunday. The couple’s son was arrested in connection with the shooting. OPINIONS Did Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” modernize Odysseus for our times? Yes — and that’s disappointing, Maureen Dowd writes. Yes — and it’s what we deserve, B.D. McClay writes. Consider adopting the life of a tradwife, at least a little bit, JoAnna Novak writes. Deeply reported journalism needs your support. The Times relies on subscribers to help fund our mission. Become a subscriber today. MORNING READS Tatsiana Chypsanava for The New York Times We’ve made these links free for you. Reclaiming a ritual: New Zealand’s British colonial rulers outlawed traditional Maori tattoos. Now, young people are embracing the art form. In Montana: A nurse on a hike trekked 10 miles to safety after impaling himself on a hiking pole. You won’t believe this photo. “Why Isn’t Dad at Home?” In Ukraine, new children’s books are helping families cope with the trauma of war. See the illustrations. Your pick: The most clicked link in The Morning yesterday was about a Secret Service agent who took part in a fraternity hazing. Animal rescue: Thirty beluga whales are being relocated to new aquariums. See them hoisted in the air. RECIPE OF THE DAY David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Prop Stylist: Paige Hicks. Weeknight dinners don’t have to take up all of the weeknight. Sometimes I’ll grab a rotisserie chicken on my way home from work, rinse some rice, get it into the rice cooker and let time do its thing. I add some chopped nuts and dried fruit to the grains when they’re finished and carve the chicken — dinner is served. That’s what we call a no-recipe recipe. Try it! CALL IT A COMEBACK Johnny Depp in “Ebenezer.” Sandy Huffaker for The New York Times A decade after Johnny Depp’s Hollywood career went south — dragged down by a long and public legal fight with his ex-wife Amber Heard, in which each accused the other of abuse — Paramount Pictures believes audiences are ready to re-embrace him. The studio has made Depp the star of its forthcoming Thanksgiving film, “Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol.” “The master of misfits returns,” the film’s teaser trailer declares, then cuts to Depp, made up and costumed as Ebenezer Scrooge. He rasps: “It’s good to be back.” More on culture Lindsay Zoladz, a Times pop music critic, has a banger of a review for the new Charli XCX album, “Music, Fashion, Film.” She calls it “proudly prickly,” “satisfyingly scuzzy” and “brief, barbed and unrepentantly personal.” The whole thing’s just a delight to read. Most ballet slippers are manufactured in a pale pink. But New York City Ballet’s repertoire requires a rainbow of colors. Meet the Picasso of pointe shoes. Late night hosts mocked Trump’s speech at the White House correspondents’ dinner. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS Photo illustration by Mark Harris Read Ismail Muhammad’s essay in The Times Magazine about how Colson Whitehead’s Harlem trilogy has turned away from the pessimism of his earlier novels to offer a more hopeful vision for Black history. Get a facial, the Well team says. Get one regularly. Among other things, it’s a good way to get rid of stress. Stop using nonstick pans. One fanatical Wirecutter writer tested roughly one gajillion of them to discover that, eventually, they all start to fail. Embrace stainless steel or cast iron instead. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was inactivity. 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 Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Host: Sam Sifton Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Brent Lewis, Lara McCoy, Karl Russell Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Editorial Director, Newsletters: Jodi Rudoren

The Sabbath changed in ancient Israel, a day started out in the morning and would last until the following morning when a new day would start - over time this changed into an observation of the pending sabbath (Friday night being part of the sabbath). I think other things were going on with the celebration of the Sabbath as well.

THIS DAY IN HISTORY July 28 1868 14th Amendment adopted Following its ratification by the necessary three-quarters of U.S. states, the 14th Amendment, granting citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States—including formerly enslaved people—is officially adopted into the U.S. Constitution. read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 1970s 1975 Grizzly bear is classified as a “threatened” species Arts & Entertainment 1978 “Animal House” released in theaters Great Depression 1932 Bonus Marchers evicted by U.S. Army Native American History 1968 American Indian Movement (AIM) is founded Natural Disasters & Environment 1945 Plane crashes into Empire State Building 1976 One of the worst earthquakes in modern history destroys Chinese city U.S. Presidents 1929 Future first lady Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy is born Vietnam War 1965 President Johnson announces more troops to Vietnam Women’s History 2016 Hillary Clinton accepts Democratic nomination for president World War I 1914 Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia World War II 1942 Stalin issues Order No. 227—outlawing cowards

🚆 1 for the rail: Big NYC comeback Data: Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Chart: Noah Bressner/Axios Monthly ridership on the Long Island Rail Road surpassed pre-pandemic levels — the first time any of New York's transit or rail lines has exceeded pre-COVID numbers for an entire month, Bloomberg reports. About 7.9 million riders used the LIRR in June, up from 7.7 million the same month in 2019. The surge coincided with two big events: the Knicks' championship parade through lower Manhattan and the U.S. Open in the Hamptons, where the LIRR added a temporary station. Go deeper (gift link).

🌐 World's 10 biggest companies Cover: Spencer Lowell for Fortune Out this morning: Amazon toppled Walmart to take the No. 1 spot in the Fortune Global 500 ranking of the biggest companies in the world by revenue. Walmart held the top spot for 12 straight years. The top 10: Amazon (U.S.) Walmart (U.S.) State Grid (China) UnitedHealth Group (U.S.) Saudi Aramco (Saudi Arabia) Apple (U.S.) McKesson (U.S.) Alphabet (U.S.) CVS Health (U.S.) China National Petroleum (China) 🇺🇸 Between the lines: The U.S. has the most companies on the list — 141 — since 2008. China is in second with 122 companies, its lowest since 2018. Explore the list.

💰 U.S. officials: Sanctions could hurt Iran more than bombs Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz yesterday near a beach in Bandar Abbas, Iran. Photo: Razieh Poudat/ISNA via Reuters President Trump's economic assault on Iran has drawn a fraction of the attention devoted to his bombing campaign, even as senior U.S. officials believe it may ultimately do more damage to the regime in Tehran, Axios' Marc Caputo writes. Why it matters: U.S. intelligence and open-source media reports point to a deepening economic crisis inside Iran, including gasoline shortages in one of the world's most oil-rich countries. A senior administration official told us: "The Iranians want to stop being bombed and they want money. But that's almost in reverse order. They really want the money first." "Intelligence is picking up that the Iranians are complaining they can't pay their fighters," that official said. "Why? Because of the financial pressures. Because of Treasury." A second U.S. official acknowledged that sanctions and the U.S. naval blockade will take longer to force Tehran to the table than a full-scale bombing campaign, which Trump has so far declined to authorize. Keep reading.

🚘 Trump's GM tour President Trump visited GM's sprawling Milford Proving Ground in Michigan yesterday to promote his tariffs and their impact on auto manufacturing. The visit included a tour and a trio of drag races with muscle cars and luxury vehicles, including the Corvette Z06, Cadillac Escalade V and EV Hummer. Go deeper. ⚖️ "Self-deportation" push ramps up President Trump's controversial "self-deportation" program, which pays unauthorized immigrants to leave the U.S., is on pace to account for more than 200,000 departures, according to internal data shared with Axios' Brittany Gibson. Why it matters: Launched last year alongside a multimillion-dollar ad campaign, the initiative is virtually the only carrot in an aggressive immigration crackdown that has been long on sticks. Through July 16, the nearly $600 million program — dubbed Project Homecoming by the Department of Homeland Security — has helped about 132,000 people exit the U.S. Roughly 70,000 more have signed up and are on track to leave, according to the data. 🖼️ The big picture: The self-deportation program is a key part of the administration's push to remove 1 million unauthorized immigrants from the U.S. each year. The idea was to offer unauthorized immigrants free travel and $1,000 to leave voluntarily rather than risk arrest and detention. The stipend has increased to $2,600. Keep reading.

🤖 AI revenue explosion Data: Company reports, Funda via "Key Context." Chart: Ben Berkowitz/Axios AI revenue is accelerating so fast that it's starting to dwarf some of the world's most recognizable brands, Axios' Ben Berkowitz writes. Why it matters: AI infrastructure spending forecasts that run into the trillions of dollars start to make at least a little more sense when investors see how they're paying off. 🧮 By the numbers: OpenAI and Anthropic, combined, are on track for an annual revenue rate of about $120 billion, "Key Context" Substack author Tae Kim noted yesterday. Both would make the Fortune 500's top 100 companies by revenue, according to data from AI investment research platform Funda. Keep reading. Data: FactSet. Chart: Matt Phillips/Axios 📈 Charted above: Apple reclaims the title of the world's most valuable public company, Axios' Matt Phillips writes. It's a sign that investors are keeping some distance from companies making giant bets on AI infrastructure — even longtime favorites like Nvidia. Apple got flak last year for its seeming lack of an ambitious AI strategy.

🇮🇱 Diminished Bibi arrives in D.C. Photo illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios. Photo: Ilia Yefimovich/AFP via Getty Images Benjamin Netanyahu will meet President Trump in the Oval Office today for the eighth time since Trump returned to office. Bibi arrives weaker and less influential than the previous seven times, Axios' Barak Ravid writes. Why it matters: On Feb. 28, when Trump and Netanyahu went to war together, it looked like there was no daylight between them. Exactly five months later, their interests have diverged. Bad blood and frustration have deepened as they've grown suspicious of each other's intentions. 🔎 Behind the scenes: In the first few months of the war, Trump and Netanyahu spoke almost every day to coordinate and exchange views. In recent weeks, their phone calls have become increasingly infrequent. Netanyahu started leaning more on Secretary of State Marco Rubio for updates on Trump's thinking, sources say. Netanyahu even struggled to get on Trump's schedule for today's sit-down. Bibi wanted to come to the White House last week but couldn't get an appointment. 👓 Between the lines: Netanyahu is deeply unpopular in Washington these days — among Democrats, Trump's close circle and the MAGA base. In public, Trump says his relationship with Netanyahu is still very good. In private, though, Trump has expressed frustration with the Israeli leader. Many senior officials in Trump's inner circle have come to view Netanyahu with disdain, arguing he was consistently wrong about the war. Numerous U.S. officials, including Vance, have accused Netanyahu of making rosy predictions that didn't pan out. ps:I agree that he made those rosy predictions that didn't pan out, but who were the fools listening and doing his bidding?????

The 6 stages of political surrender Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Stock: Getty Images 👉 Watch a video version of this column. Republicans didn't decide to become President Trump's party. They surrendered to him, one stage at a time, over a decade, in plain sight, Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen write in a "Behind the Curtain" column. Democrats swear that socialism's growing grip on their party is different and can be contained. The early signals suggest otherwise. Why it matters: Party transformations follow a predictable six-stage evolution — recoil, squint, rationalize, submit, amplify and purge. Each stage has a language you can hear long before you see it in the votes. Republicans just finished the full cycle. Democrats might be starting it. Watch how the language shifts, stage by stage, for signs of whether recent socialist wins are an anomaly, or the start of something bigger and broader. Stage 1: Recoil. Denounce, by name. Lindsey Graham called Trump a "kook" who was unfit for office. Ted Cruz called him a "pathological liar." That was 2016. Both later defended him against the exact words they coined. Stage 2: Squint. Support without looking. "I haven't seen the tweet" became the go-to response of House and Senate Republicans in Trump's first term when they were asked about the latest storm. Some did the binary dodge: "The other side is worse." Stage 3: Rationalize. This is the "yes, but" stage: "I don't love the style, but the judges ... the tax cuts ... the border ... He's a fighter." This is where accommodation becomes the norm, and the need to win trumps style or tactics. Stage 4: Submit. Dissent becomes career-ending. House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy said on the floor that Trump "bears responsibility" for Jan. 6. Two weeks later, McCarthy flew to Mar-a-Lago to make peace. In less than three years, he'd been ousted as speaker. Silence becomes political survival. Stage 5: Amplify. Fully adopt the vocabulary, the style, the maximal claims. Try to out-Trump Trump. After privately calling Trump "America's Hitler" in 2016, JD Vance is now vice president. And routinely seeks to show his Trumpiness. That's almost every Republican now. Stage 6: Purge. Actively work to oust anyone who disagrees. You either fully accept and amplify, or get exiled. Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) — gone. This year alone, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) was beaten in a Trump-backed primary, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) chose retirement over humiliation, and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) drew a primary challenger (and lost to him) after voting with Trump 99% of the time. 🔭 Zoom out and in: With socialism, the Democratic base moved first, as the base always does. Gallup found last year that Democrats viewed socialism more positively than capitalism by 24 points — the widest gap on record, and sharpest among younger voters. All three candidates New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani endorsed won their June 23 House primaries, defeating two incumbents: Brad Lander over Rep. Dan Goldman, Claire Valdez over Brooklyn's borough president, and Darializa Avila Chevalier over Rep. Adriano Espaillat — the Congressional Hispanic Caucus chair, backed by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Sit with that: A Jeffries-endorsed incumbent lost to a democratic socialist. That's Stage 4 machinery switching on, with the primary electorate punishing the establishment side of the fight. It's not just New York. In Colorado, 29-year-old democratic socialist Melat Kiros toppled 15-term Rep. Diana DeGette, who leans progressive. Now listen to the language: "It's not socialism, it's affordability" is the left's "It's not the tweets, it's the judges." Textbook early sign of Stage 3. Bill Daley — former Commerce Secretary and White House chief of staff — told us Democrats can't rationalize a candidate saying: "Oh, I didn't mean it when I said or agreed with a crazy idea a while ago." Instead, Daley said, they need to aggressively denounce "out-of-mainstream ideas and plans," and go after actual socialists by "shoving that platform up their noses." In an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal warning Dems of the "Tea-Party Trap" that befell the GOP, Daley wrote: "Democrats are fooling themselves if they think a similar hijacking can't happen to their party." The counterpoint: Socialism is widely seen by most elected Democrats as political poison. So this moment could prove fleeting. Four reasons for this: Socialism has no enforcer yet. Trump ended careers personally. An idea can't, unless someone becomes the idea. Mamdani endorsing, campaigning and toppling incumbents is what an enforcer looks like in beta. But it's hard to see Bernie Sanders or AOC taking this national. The far left has no Fox News synchronizing base and elites. In fact, it's safe to assume The New York Times, The Atlantic and MS NOW will resist socialism, at least initially. But watch for the formation of a media ecosystem to counter them. Politics is downstream from information flow and currents. Transmission is slower. Democratic voters, broadly speaking, are institutionalists. Republican voters wanted demolition. Submission to an insurgency may have a lower ceiling on the left. Socialists need to clear general-election hurdles, as Trump did. If socialist nominees cost Democrats swing seats in November, expect the Iraq-style reversal and recoil to come roaring back. 👀 What to watch: The language: Do swing-district Democrats start saying "democratic socialist" without flinching or keep laundering it as "affordability"? Laundering means Stage 3. The endorsement lag: How long do Jeffries and Chuck Schumer stall on Mamdani-wing nominees this fall? Jeffries' slow-walk on Mamdani himself last year was textbook squint. The Liz Cheney test: Does a Democrat lose a primary specifically for attacking the socialist wing? That's the Stage 4 gateway. Copycat: Do 2028 hopefuls adopt the rent freezes and public groceries they mocked in 2019? Stage 5: Language + policies. Retirements: Do moderate Democrats retire rather than adapt? That's Stage 6 starting. 📱 Watch our video ... Subscribe to our YouTube channel ...

The world’s first motel, built in 1925, is in San Luis Obispo, California. When opened, it cost $1.25 for a two-room bungalow with a kitchen and a private adjoining garage. James

In the days of Jesus and the disciples the Saturday sabbath was practiced. In the Babylon exile, the feasts of the land, such as the new moon was connected to when the feast arrived in the land. There was a series of places for smoke signals to let those who were left inside the land to notify those outside of the land know when the feast arrived. (Sometimes people who lived between, knowing that the Hebrews were looking for the signal would send signals to get them to celebrate a day or two early. However, the 7th day Sabbath did not need the smoke signals. They greeted the Sabbath when the sun set were they were located. Those in Babylon (or otherwise east of Jerusalem) would welcome the Sabbath as the sun set there every 7 days. Those in Jerusalem welcomed the Sabbath when the sun set there every 7 days. Those in Egypt, and farther west would celebrate when the sun set there every seven days. The feasts of the land were very much the feasts of the land, very connected to the agricultural cycle of the land. They were kept by the Canaanites long before Abraham was born. But the Sabbath was seen as universal and the Hebrews greeted the Sabbath when the sun set where they were, a little earlier as they were further east and a little later as they went west. (The international date line is placed pretty good based on the practice we have seen in Judaism the ancient world.) We find the 7 day week going back as far as records can be found. Now, they were connected to the sun, moon, and the 5 planets that they saw moving. Some say that the 7th day Sabbath was taken by the Hebrews from the Babylonians as they took a day of rest every 7 days on the same day that the Hebrews kept. However, they did not see it as the blessed Sabbath, but as a day where it was bad luck to work and not rest.

What are the biggest drivers of inflation in the past year? Housing was the main driver of inflation from June 2025 to June 2026. As of June 2026, overall prices increased 3.5% over the previous year. Of this, 1.5 percentage points came from price increases in housing, or about two-fifths of it. https://usafacts.org/answers/what-are-the-biggest-drivers-of-inflation-in-the-past-year/country/united-states/? What is the average price of beef in the US? As of May 2026, the average price of ground beef nationwide was $6.75 per pound. This figure comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' (BLS) Average Price data, which tracks the cost of specific items commonly purchased by US households. https://usafacts.org/answers/what-is-the-price-of-beef/? One last fact Did you know the Energy Information Administration tracks how many households have a fridge in their garage? In 2024, 20 million households — 15% of households nationwide — had a secondary fridge in their garage. Learn about the “second fridge belt” on YouTube, Instagram, or TikTok!

Who Were the Sea Peoples? In Nolan’s new adaptation of the Odyssey, Homer’s epic poem about Odysseus’s struggle to return to his kingdom in Ithaca after the Trojan War, the “People of the Sea” hang over the plot like a dark cloud—a rumor of coming destroyers and harbingers of a dark age mentioned by multiple characters along the way. But who are these “People of the Sea”? Well, they’re not just a plot device or a way of adding dramatic tension. The “Sea Peoples” were a very real phenomenon of the Mediterranean world in the tumultuous days at end of the Late Bronze Age. https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-near-eastern-world/who-were-sea-peoples/?

Trump Hit by Brutal Verdict on His Signature Project Many Americans are unaware of what is in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. President Donald Trump’s signature legislative achievement is facing a brutal new reality check, with a new poll showing many Americans are either unaware of what is in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act or believe it benefits the wealthy more than working families.Signed into law on July 4, the sweeping package extends key parts of Trump’s 2017 tax cuts while adding new breaks, including temporary deductions for tips and overtime pay, an expanded child tax credit, senior tax deductions, auto loan interest relief, and government-backed “Trump Accounts” for children. Republicans have promoted the bill as a major tax victory for working Americans. “Putting more money in Americans’ pockets. Helping them seize opportunities to get ahead, and creating new pathways to success,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune said during remarks on the Senate floor Wednesday. “That is the Working Families Tax Cuts at work.” But Democrats and outside analysts argue it will disproportionately benefit higher earners and add to the national deficit. The Congressional Budget Office has projected the law will significantly increase deficits over the next decade. A new Politico poll of 2,061 U.S. adults conducted July 12-15 found the law has yet to win over a majority of Americans. Nearly half of voters said they either cannot explain the bill or know little about what it contains. Just 11 percent said they could explain the law in detail, while 39 percent said they had heard of it but could not explain its features. The confusion cuts across party lines, with Trump voters and Kamala Harris voters equally likely to say they know of the bill but cannot explain it, at 40 percent each. And for many Americans, the bill has not translated into a noticeable financial boost. One in five voters said they did not know whether the law had helped their personal finances, while another quarter said it had made no difference. Instead, many Americans believe the benefits are tilted toward the wealthy. Just 14 percent said the bill provides substantial tax relief for working-class Americans. Another 34 percent said it offers some relief but hides larger tax cuts for the wealthy, including 35 percent of Republicans. Twenty-one percent said it does not provide working-class Americans with tax breaks at all. The poll also found wealthier Americans are more likely to say they have benefited. More than 40 percent of voters earning over $100,000 said the law had helped them financially—more than double the share among those earning less. Overall, one-third of Americans said the massive tax and spending package had hurt their bottom line, a warning sign for Republicans heading into the midterm elections, where the cost of living is expected to be a defining issue. White House spokesman Davis Ingle told the Daily Beast: “No other President in history has accomplished more for the American people than President Trump, who is working tirelessly to create jobs, cool inflation, increase housing affordability, and more. The President has already made historic progress not only in America but around the world, and this is just the beginning as his agenda continues taking effect.” The challenge comes as voters continue to feel squeezed by rising prices amid Trump’s war in Iran, which has seen gas prices rise above $5 a gallon. The Politico poll showed that more than half of Americans say Trump’s war in Iran has made things more expensive. Meanwhile, wage growth has not been keeping up with inflation, which soared after Trump decided to go to war with Iran In June, wages rose 3.5 percent from a year earlier—the same rate as inflation—leaving workers with virtually no gain in purchasing power, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-hit-by-brutal-verdict-on-the-one-big-beautiful-bill-act/?

Furious Trump Melts Down Over Republicans Going Back on Vacation Trump is unhappy with the Senate majority leader for failing to get his bill through Congress. Donald Trump erupted at Senate Majority Leader John Thune for failing to get his signature bill through Congress as the Senate scrambles to wrap up its priorities before the August recess. Tensions between the two men have been simmering for weeks but could take an explosive turn as the Senate struggles to move forward with Trump’s agenda because it does not have the votes. “John Thune should not allow the United States Senate to ‘leave town’ until it passes The Save America Act or, far better still, TERMINATES THE FILIBUSTER, where Republicans can then quickly pass everything they ever dreamed of, including a full and deep throated SAVE AMERICA ACT, the Budget, and the ever looming Debt Ceiling disaster, 1929!” Trump ranted on Truth Social. Trump, 80, repeated his claim that “Dumocrats will do it on day one,” despite that not having happened when Democrats were in power less than two years ago. He took aim at top Senate Republicans, claiming Democrats “can’t believe how lucky they got with this Senate leadership” and declared, “Remember, stupidity always brings LOSING & DEATH!” The Senate is in this week and next week before heading out for a summer recess through mid-September. The House headed out for five weeks of August recess last week, and will only return for one week at the end of next month before skipping out again until after Labor Day. House Republicans recently included provisions of the SAVE America Act in a larger legislative package before leaving town, but the effort has no path forward in the Senate. Republicans do not have the votes to even pass the SAVE America Act with a simple majority, never mind the necessary 60 votes to pass legislation without being blocked by the filibuster through regular order. Trump’s post on Monday came after he also demanded Senate Republicans terminate the filibuster in an unhinged posting spree over the weekend. Some Senate Republicans are threatening civil war as senators head back to Washington, D.C. on Monday over the president’s voting legislation. On Sunday, Sen. Mike Lee said he would object to any effort for the Senate to recess in August until the Senate passes the SAVE America Act. A single senator has the power to object to the Senate adjourning for a longer recess and can force a roll-call vote on it, slowing the Senate’s ability to head out. “Do not assume you have my consent,” he wrote, tagging Thune on X. “You do not.” He was joined by Sen. Rick Scott, who said that he stood with Lee and would vote to keep the Senate in session until the passage of MAGA voting legislation. “The American people expect us to deliver,” Scott wrote on X. “They deserve secure elections.” It comes after Thune fired back at White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Thursday for venting frustration over Trump’s stalled agenda. Leavitt, 28, complained that the Senate needed to do its job and warned that patience is running out with Senate Republicans at her press briefing, which led to a rare direct rebuke from Thune on Capitol Hill. “Maybe she or somebody else ought to get on the phone and get the votes. Right? It’s 50 around here,” the Senate majority leader fired back while speaking to a group of reporters. Republicans have 53 seats in the Senate while Democrats hold 47 seats, but Senator Mitch McConnell has been out for more than five weeks since being hospitalized on June 14. Other Republicans, including Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Thom Tillis, have been critical of the SAVE America Act and efforts to rush it through before the midterms. https://www.thedailybeast.com/furious-trump-melts-down-over-republicans-going-back-on-vacation/? ps:Good for Thune!!

🦦 Parting shot: View from Otter Cliff Photo: Matthew Kalinowski Acadia National Park in Maine is reader and New Yorker Matthew Kalinowski's favorite national park because of the beauty it offers in a compact area. Last summer, Kalinowski's kids treated it like "the giant natural playground that it is," he writes, "splashing at the edge of peaceful ponds that housed frogs and ducks," and taking in views of tree-lined mountains meeting the deep blue Atlantic. 💎 Below: Jordan Pond, a glacier-carved lake in the park — often called the "crown jewel" of the park's many ponds for its clarity and depth. Photo: Matthew Kalinowski

⚡️Thune's force field Senate Majority Leader John Thune is pulling off something today's Republicans rarely attempt: telling President Trump "no." Why it matters: Pressure from Trump and the MAGA base is piling up on Thune, especially over a voter ID bill, but he has an important insurance policy: GOP senators have his back. 💪 "I think he's got strong support. I read all the stories, but I think mostly that's made up by reporters," Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) told us. "Leaders absorb some of the punishment, but I think he's doing great. No one could do a better job than he is right now," Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) told us. "His cred in the conference has never been stronger," Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) told us. 🔥 Catch up quick: Trump's frustration with Thune over the inability to pass the SAVE America Act or nuke the filibuster is, again, bubbling over. "Thune should not allow the United States Senate to 'leave town' until it passes The Save America Act or, far better still, TERMINATES THE FILIBUSTER," Trump demanded on Truth Social this morning. 🧮 Thune has snapped back, reiterating that it is a matter of math. There are not enough votes to pass SAVE, end the filibuster or justify canceling the August recess. "Give me a rationale or a path to getting success, staying here through the month of August," Thune told reporters today about the calls from Trump and a few GOP senators to cancel recess to pass SAVE. "You could stay here til Christmas." 👀 What to watch: Trump has not called for Thune's ouster. He even told reporters today that their relationship is "fine." But the building anger has fueled widespread speculation in D.C. that the president could eventually go there. Even if he does, it would not carry the same weight as a threat to Speaker Mike Johnson's leadership in the House. For one, Senate leadership elections are conducted by private ballot, giving more cover to senators who may not want to publicly cross Trump. 👂 What we're hearing: Many Republican senators are quick to share their support for Thune behind closed doors, even if not all are willing to publicly do so right now. Thune "is not in jeopardy," a GOP senator told us, requesting anonymity to speak candidly. "He is not the problem." "We have a bunch of people across Capitol Hill that are obsessed with social media fame," another senator told us, referring to those questioning Thune's leadership. Senior GOP aides for other senators also tell us the problem is really "squeaky wheels" getting more attention and that the situation could ultimately benefit Thune within the conference. The other side: A conservative corner of the conference is certainly growing frustrated with Thune. ⛱️ Seven senators are now calling to delay the August recess until SAVE is passed: Mike Lee (R-Utah), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Ashley Moody (R-Fla), Jim Banks (R-Ind.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) and Darline Graham (R-S.C.) But even some of them admit Thune's leadership is not at stake. "I wouldn't say that, because his job lies with us," Tuberville said when asked about any risk to Thune's position as leader. "But a lot of people are getting a little bit frustrated." The bottom line: "I've been somewhat disappointed more Republican senators haven't been bold enough to speak out," Cramer said. — Stef W. Kight