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I was getting hacked and it seemed every other site I went to was popping up with virus warnings. My hardrives were getting locked up or destroyed and my internet was being slowed down to beyond unusable or blocked or unable to connect. So I kept replacing my systems, but it just kept happening. And then I found a reason for the problems and a solution or I should say solutions... Before I get deeper into it, what has been everyone's experience with these types of issues?

Trump Humiliated as Attendees Rip His ‘Forced’ State Fair “It wasn’t what I thought it was going to be,” one longtime Trump supporter said. President Donald Trump’s Great American State Fair overpromised and underdelivered. Attendees to the two-week-long fair that spans the length of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., were underwhelmed by the event billed as “a world-class exposition and modern-day World’s Fair” by Freedom 250, a group created by the White House to celebrate America’s 250th birthday. The fair promised to “showcase the very best of America through state pavilions, industry displays, family-friendly attractions, movie screenings, musical performances, military ensembles, spectacular flyovers, daily cultural programming, and an iconic Ferris wheel on the National Mall.” Instead, attendees who came from all over the country were met with Trumpy installations, empty booths, melted ice cream, and, for some reason, a cow named after first lady Melania Trump. The event let down even the president’s own supporters. Charles DeJesus, a three-time Trump voter from Pennsylvania, told The New York Times that he had been planning to attend the fair since first hearing about it six months ago. “It wasn’t what I thought it was going to be, but that’s OK,” he said, explaining that he expected more people, a buzzier atmosphere, and more food options. “The fat boy in me was looking for some good food, but that didn’t quite happen.”A New Jersey man who identified himself only as Earl said he found many of the booths lacking substance, adding that if organizers had charged money, he would have asked for a refund.Emily, a teenager from Alaska, was exasperated to find the pavilion for her state empty. She told The Atlantic that she would have liked to see “some representation of the nature, because we’re famous for it, and also maybe just, like, something in there, literally anything.” Alonzo Lewis Jr. and Kelly Domizio, a couple from New York, had differing views on the fair. “This was really pretty cool,” Domizio told The Associated Press, saying it reminded her of the bicentennial in 1976, when “there was a sense of pride” and togetherness. “We are enjoying the day, but it feels forced.” “Was it necessary? I don’t think so,” Lewis added. “It feels forced. There’s so much separation.” When reached for comment, Freedom 250 attempted to dispute complaints of a lackluster event by providing glowing commentary from three families who attended the event, complete with photographic evidence. “The O’Sullivans from Ireland here: said they are here for 7 weeks and think the Great American State Fair is spectacular; they had no idea what to expect, and said our country is so amazing.” The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Swamp, the Daily Beast’s political newsletter, reported from the scene that there wasn’t much to see apart from a 110-foot “Freedom 250” Ferris wheel and a “Triumph Arch” made of plywood, intended to emulate the president’s “Arc de Trump” vanity project. The plan was to have all 50 states represented at the fair, but several opted not to participate for various reasons, including high costs, difficulty securing sponsors, and aversion to politicization. Apart from thin crowds, the event also struggled to book performers and keep ice cream frozen thanks to a power outage. Trump kicked off the show with a Wednesday night rally that he later claimed was “packed to the brim” with 45,000 people—contrary to footage of audience members leaving during a speech in which he recycled his usual MAGA rally talking points. “I wish we were able to have an even larger area, which we will be able to do on July 4th when I’ll be speaking again,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “The airplane flyovers and music were fantastic. Everybody stayed right until the end of my Speech because they loved hearing about a truly successful America. See you again on July 4th!” https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trump-humiliated-as-attendees-rip-his-forced-great-american-state-fair/ ps:And they still won't learn!!!!!

I am studying this subject on the Adventist view of the Nature of Christ, and giving what I am finding, but want everyone's input. Here is what Adventist theologians and leaders as well as members, tend to lean toward, the postlapsarian view affirming that Christ?s human nature was fully human, could be tempted, and yet remained sinless. This allows Him to be both a perfect example and a perfect Redeemer Postlapsarian (Fallen Nature) ? Christ?s human nature was identical to ours after the Fall, inheriting weaknesses and a predisposition to sin. This view emphasizes that His ability to be tempted from without and remain sinless is the basis for His example and atonement Adventists hold to the belief that Christ took on the nature of man after the Fall, in its weakened state. Adventists believe that Christ, the 'last Adam,' possessed on His human side, a nature like that of the 'first man Adam,' a nature free from every defiling taint of sin, but capable of responding to sin, and that nature was handicapped by the debilitating effects of four thousand years of sin's inroads on man's body and nervous system and environment. He took the flesh of sinful man, and overcame where man failed, overthrew sin in the flesh. He accepted the limitations and conditions of our common humanity. Jesus took Adams human nature after the fall. But Jesus did not inherit sinful tendencies from Adam - that is, Jesus did not have a tendency to sin. Christ inherited our physical weaknesses, for example, Christ had to sleep when he got tired. He had to eat when he got hungry and drink when he got thirsty. He inherited our physical limitations but not our sinful inclinations. Physically, Christ was like us - feeling pain, frail, weak, prone to get sick if we dont take care of our bodies, and under the consequences of aging. But morally, Christ could be tested by temptation as scripture shows us but did not have our ungodly desires or sinful inclinations. Here is a explanation by ?ngel Manuel Rodr?guez on the Adventist church view of the nature of Christ : Our Adventist Statement of Fundamental Beliefs summarizes that which the church holds to be biblical truth around the world. It says: "God the eternal Son became incarnate in Jesus Christ [John 1:1-3, 14]. . . . Forever truly God, He became also truly man, Jesus the Christ [Heb. 2:14]. . . . He lived and experienced temptation as a human being, but perfectly exemplified the righteousness and love of God [Heb. 4:15]. In infinite love and mercy "God made Christ who knew no sin, to be sin for us" (2 Cor. 5:21). Those statements attest that, first, Jesus was divine; second, that He became what He was not, truly human; and, third, that He knew no sin, and was without sin even though He faced severe temptations. And here from the SDA Bible Commentary: "In taking upon Himself man's nature in its fallen condition, Christ did not in the least participate in its sin. He was subject to the infirmities and weaknesses by which man is encompassed, "that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses." He was touched with the feeling of our infirmities, and was in all points tempted like as we are. And yet He "knew no sin." He was the Lamb "without blemish and without spot." Could Satan in the least particular have tempted Christ to sin, he would have bruised the Saviour's head. As it was, he could only touch His heel. Had the head of Christ been touched, the hope of the human race would have perished. Divine wrath would have come upon Christ as it came upon Adam. . . . We should have no misgivings in regard to the perfect sinlessness of the human nature of Christ.-- The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 5, p. 1131. {7ABC 447.3}

MAGA Self-Owns by Posting Proof of Trump’s State Fair Fiasco Trump’s patriotic mega-fair was supposed to be a grand showcase, but his allies accidentally showed the reality. MAGA lawmakers accidentally posted the receipts for President Donald Trump’s underwhelming Great American State Fair. A string of Republican selfies, reels, and promotional posts from the National Mall show exactly what the White House-backed bash has been accused of becoming: a sparse, strangely empty celebration of America’s 250th birthday. Rep. Blake Moore of Utah posted an Instagram reel from the fairgrounds, urging visitors to check out his state’s booth. But the sales pitch came with the unfortunate visual aid of Moore standing in an almost empty park, with an empty Ferris wheel turning behind him. “Down here at the Great American State Fair—it’s gonna be open for two weeks. So if you’re here traveling in Washington, D.C. at all over the 4th, make sure to come check out the Utah booth,” Moore said. He then seemed to all but beg people to let his office help them get there. “Contact our office if there’s any help that you need to organize things or tours or get more information,” he added. “Please, please reach out. We’d love to help out in that way.” Rep. French Hill of Arkansas posted his own reel from the top of the Ferris wheel, where the view behind him showed the vast, empty National Mall grass stretching toward the Capitol. “I hope if you have any plans to visit Washington for the 4th of July that you let us know,” Hill said from the ride. Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas also shared a montage of himself and his wife walking around the fair, riding the Ferris wheel, inspecting an agriculture display, and visiting the Kansas state booth. But the cheery video appeared to show mostly empty grounds as they moved through the event. Rep. Randy Feenstra of Iowa posted photos of his team volunteering at Iowa’s booth, including one shot from outside the pavilion showing only a small number of people milling around. “I hope those visiting take time to visit Iowa’s booth!” he wrote. Rep. Michael Baumgartner of Washington tried to turn his state’s no-show into a political attack, only to pose in front of the bigger problem. “Unfortunately Governor Bob Ferguson chose NOT to have Washington State officially participate in THE GREAT AMERICAN STATE FAIR, but I couldn’t let this stand, so I came down to man the nearly empty booth,” Baumgartner wrote on X. The accompanying image showed Baumgartner standing on the National Mall lawn in front of the Ferris wheel, with only a handful of people visible behind him. He said he had come to personally stamp visitors’ “passports” after the state declined to send an official delegation. The awkward posts came after reports that the fair had opened with melting ice cream, power problems, sparse crowds, and empty booths for several states and territories that declined to participate. Booths for Connecticut, Oregon, Washington, Maine, Alaska, and the U.S. Virgin Islands were left with little more than backdrops, chairs or carpets, according to USA Today. The fair, organized by Freedom 250 to mark America’s 250th birthday, has been advertised as a “world-class exposition and modern-day World’s Fair.” But on the ground, the fair has looked less like a World’s Fair than a political vanity project with attendance issues. The National Mall event features state pavilions, executive-branch displays, a Ferris wheel, a rodeo, Trump-branded flourishes, replica Trump passports, an Abraham Lincoln hologram, and a model of the president’s proposed triumphal arch. It was supposed to be a grand patriotic showcase. Instead, Republican lawmakers kept posting their own evidence that parts of it looked more like a fairground waiting for the crowds to arrive. https://www.thedailybeast.com/maga-self-owns-by-posting-proof-of-donald-trumps-state-fair-fiasco/? ps:This is getting more pathetic each day!!!!!

Underwater Kingdoms Coral reefs are underwater ecosystems made from the skeletons of hard coral colonies. Each colony is composed of multiple polyps called corals—animals with tentacles around a mouth at one end and sac-like bodies at the other that attach to a surface and secrete calcium carbonate for protection. Over thousands of years, these secretions accumulate to form habitats that support about 25% of marine species, even though they cover less than 1% of the ocean floor. > The first coral reefs formed hundreds of millions of years ago. (More, w/video) > Coral polyps are tiny animals whose mouths both consume food and expel waste. (More) > See how coral reefs get their color. (More) Known as the "rainforest of the seas," coral reefs are found in tropical and subtropical waters of more than 100 countries, with larger reef systems concentrated in the Indo-Pacific, Caribbean, and the Red Sea. > View a collection of images and videos of coral reefs from around the world. (More) > Explore a map of coral reefs around the world and the extent of coral bleaching. (More) In the US, coral reefs provide $3.4B in annual economic value through fisheries, coastal protection against wave damage, and tourism. However, stressors such as rising temperatures, ocean acidification, and pollution have weakened reefs and caused coral bleaching. This phenomenon sees corals expel zooxanthellae, turning corals white, depriving them of their food source, and making them susceptible to disease. > Climate change threatens coral reefs by disrupting the symbiotic relationship between corals and algae due to rising ocean temperatures. (More) > See tips for protecting coral reefs. (More) Discover more: > Watch a time-lapse of staghorn coral polyps—a type of hard coral—over several weeks in an aquarium. (More, w/video) > Explore the history, structure, and species of Australia's Great Barrier Reef with Sir David Attenborough. (More) > During coral bleaching, corals exhibit an immune system-like response to protect themselves. (More, w/video)

🖊 Barak behind the scenes This behind-the-scenes story, about how a shared fear of Iran led to the Israel-Lebanon deal signed Friday, is based on conversations by Axios' Barak Ravid with six U.S., Israeli and Lebanese sources with direct knowledge of the negotiations: Four days of nonstop negotiations in Washington this week between the Israeli and Lebanese governments were propelled by one clear shared interest: weakening the influence of Hezbollah and Iran in Lebanon. Why it matters: The framework brokered by the Trump administration is the most significant political agreement between Israel and Lebanon in four decades. But all parties involved know the vision of peace it lays out may never materialize. Mixed with the skepticism is deep concern that the deal could lead to a violent response from Hezbollah that could throw the country back into civil war. The agreement seems to contradict some of the understandings reached between the U.S. and Iran in Switzerland and could thus complicate that fragile truce. The backdrop: Iran managed to wrap the situation in Lebanon into its negotiations with the U.S. in recent weeks. That resulted in a memorandum of understanding that calls on the parties to observe a ceasefire in Lebanon and ensure the country's territorial integrity, which is actively undermined by Israel's ongoing occupation of southern Lebanon. During talks in Switzerland last Sunday, the U.S. and Iran agreed to create a new "deconfliction cell," together with Lebanon and the Pakistani and Qatari mediators, to ensure the ceasefire in Lebanon holds. That shocked both Israeli and Lebanese officials, who saw it as bolstering Hezbollah and legitimizing Iran's influence in the country. Inside the room: Rubio had emphasized to Netanyahu that President Trump wanted a deal wrapped up by the end of the week. On Friday morning, Rubio joined the talks to try to close the final gaps. Also involved in the final push were U.S. chief negotiator Dan Holler, U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa, CENTCOM Marines commander Lt. Gen. Joseph Clearfield, and Pentagon officials Daniel Zimmerman and Michael Dimino. Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter pressed Netanyahu and other senior Israeli officials to agree. The call became heated when Netanyahu resisted the changes. What's next: Trump spoke yesterday with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and congratulated him on the deal. Trump told Aoun he looked forward to meeting him soon at the White House. The visit is expected in mid-July. Read the full story.

🇮🇱 How Bibi lost the GOP Photo illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photos via Getty Images Benjamin Netanyahu lost the Democrats. Now a growing number of Republicans are souring on the Israeli prime minister and his country, too. More Republicans, especially younger ones, turned on Israel as its military leveled Gaza — and then Netanyahu alienated President Trump and his team as they sought to end the Iran war, Axios' Mike Zapler writes. Why it matters: For 15 years, Netanyahu offset collapsing Democratic support by cultivating Republicans. If Republican support is no longer guaranteed, he has a serious problem — and so does Israel. 🏛️ The big picture: That problem starts at the top of the Republican Party. Last September, as President Trump was pressing Netanyahu to accept a Gaza peace deal, he told the Israeli prime minister that "all the Jews are sick of you" and there would be a "divorce" between the two countries if he refused to go along, according to Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan's new book, "Regime Change." Axios reported that Trump called Netanyahu "fucking crazy" and warned his actions risked isolating Israel further. Trump later told Axios in an interview that his relationship with Netanyahu is good, "but we have to keep him a little bit sane." 🎙️ The strains over the war came as high-profile "America First" anti-interventionists — led by Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly and Marjorie Taylor Greene — stoked the backlash against Israel. Carlson, who left the Republican Party last week, said Netanyahu manipulated Trump into joining the war. He called the president a "slave" to the Israeli prime minister. Ben Shapiro, the Daily Wire co-founder and staunch Israel defender, has seen his ratings fall as right-wing listeners opposed to U.S. support for Israel turn elsewhere. By the numbers: Four in 10 Republicans have an unfavorable view of Israel, according to an April Pew Research Center poll. 57% of Republicans ages 18-49 felt that way. One in four aged 50+ had a negative view. 💡 Reality check: The GOP still broadly backs Israel. A February Gallup poll showed 70% of Republicans sympathize more with Israelis than Palestinians — down 10 points from 2024. Zachary Basu contributed reporting.

Ceasefire could go up in flames This is more fire than cease: Over the past few days, tension between the U.S. and Iran has been escalating with another exchange of strikes on Saturday. President Trump threatened on Truth Social to resume the war and "complete the job," Axios' Barak Ravid writes. Why it matters: The U.S. and Iran are bombing each other again, putting the tenuous ceasefire in doubt again. Between the lines: One reason for the renewed fighting seems to be different interpretations of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) to end the war that was signed 10 days ago — especially when it comes to the Strait of Hormuz. With the situation escalating by the day, it isn't clear if the next round of negotiations between the U.S. and Iranian technical teams planned for Tuesday in Switzerland will actually take place. 🚢 Catch up quick: As part of the MOU, Iran committed to make its best efforts to allow safe passage of commercial vessels through the strait. In return, the U.S. lifted its blockade on Iranian ports. During negotiations in Switzerland last week, the U.S. delegation — headed by Vice President Vance — agreed with Iran to establish a "hotline" between the U.S. military and the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps), Iran's military command, to coordinate traffic in the strait. As of yesterday, the "hotline" still wasn't operational, even as Iran started claiming, again, that ships need to coordinate passage. Last evening, the U.S. military struck Iranian targets in retaliation for an attack Saturday morning on a commercial tanker. It was the second wave of U.S. strikes in Iran in 24 hours. Screenshot: Truth Social The latest: Iran responded to the U.S. strikes with drone and missile attacks on U.S. bases in Kuwait and Bahrain, according to the IRGC. Iranian state media quoted the IRGC as threatening more forceful attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz, raising the prospect of the peace process coming to a halt. 🛢️ Earlier Saturday, the IRGC launched an attack drone at the Panama-flagged M/T Kiku tanker, which was passing through the strait with more than two million barrels of crude oil, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said. The incident happened several hours after the U.S. struck Iranian targets, in retaliation for another attack on a commercial ship on Thursday.

THIS DAY IN HISTORY June 28 1969 The Stonewall Riots begin in NYC’s Greenwich Village In what is now regarded as history’s first major protest on behalf of equal rights for LGBTQ people, a police raid of the Stonewall Inn—a popular gay club located on New York City's Christopher Street—turns violent as patrons and local sympathizers begin rioting against the police. read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT Early 20th Century U.S. 1904 Helen Keller graduates from Radcliffe, first DeafBlind person to earn a B.A. 21st Century 2007 Bald Eagle removed from list of threatened species European History 1519 Charles I of Spain crowned Holy Roman Emperor, becomes Charles V Inventions & Science 2006 DaimlerChrysler announces Smart Car’s arrival in United States Natural Disasters & Environment 1992 Two big quakes rock California Sports 1997 Boxer Mike Tyson bites off part of an opponent’s ear U.S. Presidents 1836 Former President James Madison dies Vietnam War 1965 U.S. forces launch first military offensive in Vietnam 1972 Nixon announces draftees will not go to Vietnam World War I 1914 Austria’s Archduke Ferdinand assassinated World War II 1940 Hitler takes a tour of Paris 1940 Britain recognizes General Charles de Gaulle as leader of the Free French

June 28, 2026 Abiding Words “If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel.” (Colossians 1:23) In our text, “the faith” insists on a particular body of doctrine that defines the Christian life. For instance, as Paul and Barnabas were returning from their initial missionary effort, they went back to each area “confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith” (Acts 14:22). There are nearly 50 occurrences in the New Testament where “the faith” is used in this way. These references always speak of obedience to specific teachings that embrace the core of the godly lifestyle that represents holiness and the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). Thus, one who is “grounded and settled” in the faith will be both knowledgeable and stable in his Christian testimony and ministry. It is necessary, of course, to build on the foundation of the Lord Jesus (1 Corinthians 3:11), but only the “gold, silver, precious stones” have any lasting value (1 Corinthians 3:12-15) —hence the requirement in Jude: “It was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 1:3). Furthermore, those who continue in the faith will not be “moved away from the hope of the gospel.” That hope acts as “an anchor of the soul” (Hebrews 6:19) and is the drive that motivates us to maintain a pure lifestyle (1 John 3:3). “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58). HMM III

US Rep. Julia Letlow, endorsed by Trump, wins the GOP primary for Senate in Louisiana BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow won the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Louisiana on Saturday, giving President Donald Trump a win after he backed her to replace GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy. https://apnews.com/article/louisiana-senate-election-letlow-fleming-96d33228504ee6bde5c38b208fecfdc3?

Ukraine's drone blitz Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky. Photo illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios. Photos: Viktor Kovalchuk and Serhii Mykhalchuk/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images Ukraine's sustained and sophisticated drone warfare has knocked out refineries, tilted the battlefield balance and brought the war home to some Russians for the first time in four years of fighting. Why it matters: Ukrainian confidence is running high, and Russia is struggling to provide fuel to its cities and supplies to its troops, Axios' Dave Lawler reports. President Volodymyr Zelensky says he's launching a "40-day influence operation" to force Moscow to sign a peace deal. Hours after Zelensky's announcement on Thursday came one of the largest drone attacks of the war, targeting 12 regions of Russia as well as occupied Crimea. 💡 Reality check: The U.S.-led diplomacy on Ukraine is largely on hold due to a combination of the war in Iran and frustrations after the failure of several previous rounds.

⛽ Sticky gas prices Data: U.S. Energy Information Administration. Chart: Erin Davis/Axios Visuals Even with the makings of a deal to end the Iran war, gas and airfare will take longer to return to pre-war levels — if they ever do, Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick and Erin Davis report. Why it matters: Oil prices can rise quickly and dramatically when headline-grabbing events like war or hurricanes threaten global supplies. It usually takes longer for them to settle back down. 📉 Reality check: U.S. gas prices have been dropping, but they're still way above prewar levels. This morning's nationwide average price per gallon of regular is $3.88. It was $3.22 a year ago. ⚖️ On Truth Social this week, President Trump ordered the Justice Department to look into customers being "gouged."

Some of the best sermons I ever heard came from Sunday keeping preachers: John MacArthur, Billy Graham, Kip McKean. I consider them among the best because I still remember them. I don't remember exactly what Billy Graham said but I do remember sensing the presence of the Holy Spirit and reaffirming my commitment to Christ. I hand wrote a letter to Billy Graham asking about the Sabbath. I received a very professional, typed response from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. I accepted Christ at a crusade he held at Chavez Ravine in either 1958 or 1963.. God does not dwell in temples made with men's hands.

🗳️ Trump's "communist" midterm message President Trump needs a potent message to reverse his party's bleak midterm outlook — and he's found it in the rise of democratic socialists in New York and beyond, Axios' Mike Zapler writes. Why it matters: In a blistering speech to religious conservatives yesterday, Trump warned that "communists" are taking over the Democratic Party and "they want to completely destroy the traditional American way of life." Afterward, Faith & Freedom Coalition chairman Ralph Reed, a close ally of the president, told reporters that Trump's words were intentional and had the makings of a Republican message for the midterms. 🛰️ The big picture: Trump spent much of his speech to the coalition's annual "Road to Majority" conference railing against the far-left victories. He joked that he'd be the "greatest communist in history" — by giving everyone free rent, free food, free everything. "The problem is, after two or three years, the country is a disaster area," Trump said. "The Democrat Party is in big trouble, because this isn't stopping with New York," he went on. "This is the most serious threat to our country in its existence, in my opinion." 🥊 Reality check: Reed, a seasoned political operator going back to the 1990s, was blunt about the GOP's prospects in the election even as he praised Trump's performance. The enthusiasm gap between Democrats and Republicans, Reed said, is 11 to 14 points. "Anything above 10 points is a three-alarm fire," he said. But "if [voters] understand there's a contrast between common sense and crazy, it will definitely change these numbers."

Trump's shadow AI policy Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios. Stock: Getty Images The Trump administration's intervention this week in the release of OpenAI's next model is the latest example of its retreat from its hands-off approach to AI — a change that's creating major uncertainty for the industry, Axios' Ashley Gold and Mackenzie Weinger report. Why it matters: The Trump administration entered office promising to get government out of the AI industry's way. It hasn't worked out that way. The administration has what amounts to a shadow AI policy that shapes AI deployment without spelling out rules. Industry watchers argue two factors are kneecapping the U.S. government's desire to export American AI: An erratic export controls strategy, with decisions about access to advanced models made on the fly. Not paying sufficient attention to China's efforts to spread its open-source AI models abroad. Go deeper.

Scoop: Anthropic's Fable 5 on track to return Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios The Trump administration is close to allowing Anthropic to restore access to its powerful Fable 5 model, which has been offline for 15 days because of security fears by the government. Insiders expect the administration's limits on Fable 5 could be lifted as soon as this coming week, a source familiar with the situation tells me. A second source tells Axios' Sam Sabin that conversations are expected to continue over the weekend, and Anthropic expects to restore Fable access soon. 🦾 Why it matters: For developers and even non-technical early adopters, Fable 5's blackout was unprecedented and deeply jarring — a top-tier model, already in users' hands, pulled offline due to government intervention, Axios' Zachary Basu writes. 🏛️ The big picture: The progress toward liberating Fable 5 marks a thaw in a bitter four-month, bicoastal standoff between the administration and Anthropic, based in San Francisco. In another sign of de-escalation, the Commerce Department yesterday allowed Anthropic to restore access to Mythos 5, the company's strongest cybersecurity model, for a limited number of trusted users. Mythos 5 has guardrails to deter its use in cyberattacks or biological terror, and has never been freely available. 💻 Fable 5's return is eagerly awaited by users, who quickly fell in love with the model's deep thinking and quick, sophisticated coding. Developers were wowed by the leap in capability. Every new model, especially open-source ones, is being measured against Fable 5. The Pentagon and National Security Agency still have to give Fable 5 the green light, so the outcome remains unpredictable. But other government agencies have determined Fable 5 can safely return to the wild. 🔎 Behind the scenes: I'm told that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent have helped defuse the fight between the administration and Anthropic. Anthropic "has worked positively with the government," one administration source told Axios. That's quite a change from the furious statement by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth designating Anthropic a "Supply-Chain Risk to National Security," after he and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei couldn't agree on how the Pentagon can use Claude. 🔭 Zoom in: Anthropic had billed it as the most capable model ever released to the public. The "Vibe Check" newsletter from Every, a media and software company, called it "the best coding model in the world" before it was pulled, just three days after launch. In early testing highlighted by Anthropic, the payments company Stripe used Fable 5 to overhaul a 50-million-line codebase in a single day — a job that would have taken engineers more than two months by hand. When access vanished June 12, developers found automated work frozen mid-task. Companies raced to swap in rivals, including cheaper Chinese models. Go deeper: Commerce Department greenlights limited return of Anthropic's Mythos.

The Real Fireworks Marking America’s 250th Birthday Will Come on Election Day A terrified Trump is pulling out all the stops to rig the upcoming midterms. As we approach July 4th, the President of the United States has just one thing on his mind: Ending free and fair elections in the United States. Donald Trump seeks to commemorate the 250th Anniversary of the birth of our country by effectively ending the democracy that was the entire reason our founders fought to establish a new nation in the first place. It is an obsession that, for Trump, influences and impacts virtually every action he is taking and statement he is making. Earlier this week, Trump had a rare opportunity. A bipartisan majority in both houses of Congress presented him with a bill to take important, concrete steps to address the housing crisis that is among the biggest problems average Americans face. In a time of partisan division in America and of gridlock in Washington, it represented an opportunity for Trump to have a big win. It could have been a big plus for his party in the upcoming midterm elections, too. But, you see, Trump does not believe he can win the elections fairly and squarely. That is why, rather than taking the win and celebrating it as virtually any other politician in this country would have done, Trump canceled the bill’s signing ceremony at the last minute. He then asserted he would not sign the legislation until after the so-called SAVE Act, a Trump-conceived scheme to help him and his party cheat to win in November, was passed. The SAVE Act is so odious that many of the president’s Republican supporters refused to back it. Despite his energetic efforts, Trump could not get it passed. He coerced. He cajoled. But none of his old tricks were working. So instead, he decided to throw a tantrum and hold a good bill hostage until he got his way. It is not clear that even the SAVE Act can save the GOP majorities in the House and Senate. That is why pushing for it is hardly the extent of Trump’s efforts to help rig the fall elections. Just this week, Trump’s Postmaster General went before Congress and defended a proposed regulation that would have the postal service deny service for mail-in ballots in states that refused to provide them with voter rolls. Why do they need voter rolls? Because they want to be able to challenge potential Democratic voters’ ability to participate in the elections? The process of seeking such voter rolls has been going on for a while and via multiple channels. Trump continues to lose in the courts in support of such efforts, but that has not stopped him and his team from continuing their pursuit. And, again, other avenues are also being pursued. Trump has installed as his new acting Director of the Office of National Intelligence (ODNI) Bill Pulte, a man with zero qualifications for the job. Pulte is being tasked with a ‘deep clean’ of the intelligence community. Why? Well, Trump clearly believes the ODNI can help him fiddle with election results. How do we know? Well, among her last visible acts as ODNI, Tulsi Gabbard made a widely publicized visit to Atlanta as part of the administration’s efforts to seize voter records there. What does the ODNI have to do with voter records? In a sane world, nothing at all. But it is believed that Trump wants to use widely and repeatedly debunked conspiracy theories about foreign interference in the 2020 elections to assert further foreign interference today—and thus allow him to question or challenge election results, seize voting machines, and take other actions that could conceivably tip the balance of the vote in favor of enough Republicans to maintain Trump-protecting majorities in the Senate and House. (We have heard Trump riffing on “rigged election” schemes during recent press gaggles, whether or not it is appropriate—and given that there is zero evidence of rigged elections or even significant instances of election fraud in the U.S., one could argue it is seldom, if ever, appropriate. He also called U.S. elections rigged during his appearance at the G7 Summit in France, and has argued that fellow reality show veteran Spencer Pratt could not have possibly lost his bid to become Mayor of Los Angeles, despite Pratt’s complete lack of qualifications for the job.) We have seen other tactics the administration appears to intend to employ. In New York State, ICE agents this week confronted a poll worker at a voting location in Syracuse. They apparently “came to warn her to remove a social media account they claimed broke federal law by threatening federal law enforcement officials.” Given the increased scrutiny social media accounts are getting from the Trump administration, and their hair-trigger criteria for identifying offenses (remember they are trying to prosecute James Comey for a picture of sea shells he briefly posted online), many saw the Syracuse incident as ominous—particularly coming as it does with Trump supporters calling for him to use ICE and troops to intimidate voters and given the blind loyalty to Trump and obliviousness to personal rights and freedoms displayed by members of his Cabinet including DHS Director Markwayne Mullen. Why is Trump so obsessed? Because he fears that if he loses control of one or both houses of Congress, his effectiveness as a president will be severely compromised. He will be able to advance little or no legislation. Worse still, Democrats might take their oversight responsibilities seriously and begin to hold Trump and his Cabinet accountable for their corruption, malfeasance, and incompetence. House Speaker Mike Johnson captured Trump’s concerns and those of the rest of his party well when, during a statement to fellow Republicans on Friday, he said, “If we lose the midterms, these Democrats will turn every committee of Congress into an investigative body, and they’ll go after the president’s family, the Cabinet, his donors, friends. Half of you in this room will be targeted. I run the protection program. We’ll take care of you.” Even with the immunity the Supreme Court granted him, Trump knows that impeachment is a real possibility and that the investigations that come with it could be ugly. He knows that dirt on corruption scandals could get very messy. And of course, he knows that there is much further digging to do into the “Epstein files” that could come back to haunt him and those close to him. He not only knows all this, but he appears to be obsessed by it—terrified even, fearing nothing so much as precisely the kind of free and fair elections that the signatories of the Declaration of Independence felt were worth taking on the world’s most powerful empire for. It may not be the best way to commemorate Independence Day. Indeed, it may mean we have to wait several months to see this year’s real fireworks. But if those fireworks come as Trump tries to steal the election and the rest of us rise up to fight back and preserve democracy in America, it may truly be a semiquincentennial that is truly worth celebrating. https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-real-fireworks-marking-americas-250th-birthday-will-come-on-election-day/?

Bill Maher Corners JD Vance on Election Denial Rhetoric The vice president refused to break from Trump’s election denial, instead recasting 2020 as a tech censorship conspiracy. Bill Maher tried to corner JD Vance on election denial—but the vice president wriggled straight out. Maher pressed Vance on Friday’s episode of Real Time over the MAGAworld habit of crying fraud every time a Republican loses an election. “Under Trump, you guys have two outcomes that an election can be: Either we win or they cheated,” Maher said. “That s--t has to stop.” Maher raised the issue after admitting his own vote could be “in play” in 2028 if Democrats continue moving toward what he described as Democratic socialism, anti-capitalism, hostility toward Israel, and “Jew-hating.” “If this is where the Democratic Party is going… my vote is in play, OK?” Maher told Vance. But the comedian said Republicans had their own deal-breaker. “Trump can’t run again... so it’s either gonna be you or Rubio,” he said. “And that means the person who has to stop it would be you or Marco. Can you tell me you will do that? Will you bring us back to the middle, at least on that, where we concede elections?” Vance could not. “OK, Bill, so this is where I’m probably gonna lose you here,” Vance replied. Rather than give Maher a clean answer, Vance wrapped Trump’s repeated claims of election denial in a more respectable-sounding conspiracy theory. “I don’t think that we should not concede elections, but I don’t think that’s what’s going on,” Vance said. Vance said Trump’s “core argument” was about “problems that exist in 2020,” before trying to move the discussion away from vote counts in Georgia, Pennsylvania, and other battleground states. “The biggest criticism I had of the 2020 election is that you had technology companies that were quite literally censoring negative information about the left and promoting negative information about the right,” he added. Maher tried to drag Vance back to earth. “That was litigated,” Maher said, referencing Dominion Voting Systems’ defamation lawsuit against Fox News over false 2020 election claims. Fox settled the case in 2023 for $787.5 million. But Vance kept moving. “No, I’m actually trying to make the more middle-ground argument here,” he said. The vice president claimed the 2020 election was “rigged” in a “fundamental sense” because tech companies had “put their thumb on the scale in a way that completely obliterated the real open exchange of ideas.” “Now, by the way, it didn’t happen in 2024, but it happened in 2020, and it was a problem,” Vance added. Maher appeared to clock Vance’s real audience immediately. “Well, you’re gonna get a big pat on the back when you go back to the White House,” he said. https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/bill-maher-corners-jd-vance-on-election-denial-rhetoric/?

THIS DAY IN HISTORY June 27 1950 President Truman orders U.S. forces to Korea President Harry S. Truman announces that he is ordering U.S. air and naval forces to South Korea to aid the democratic nation in repulsing an invasion by communist North Korea. read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 19th Century 1829 James Smithson, founding donor of the Smithsonian Institution, dies 1844 Religious founder Joseph Smith killed by mob African History 1976 Ebola breaks out in Sudan Arts & Entertainment 1922 First Newbery Medal for children’s literature awarded to Hendrik Willem van Loon Black History 2015 Activist Bree Newsome removes Confederate flag from South Carolina State House Inventions & Science 1985 Route 66 decertified Native American History 1864 Colorado governor orders ‘friendly Indians’ to report to Army forts for sanctuary World War II 1941 British intelligence breaks German “Enigma” key used on the Eastern Front

June 27, 2026 Good morning. Sometimes, our preference for certitude, our need to define things with conviction, closes us off from possibility. María Jesús Contreras Natural selection By Melissa Kirsch When Serena Williams retired from tennis in 2022, she was 40 years old, had won 23 Grand Slam singles tournaments, 14 more in doubles, and had spent 319 weeks as the No. 1 player in the world. She had “never liked the word retirement,” she said in an essay in Vogue, offering a reframing of her departure from the sport that she’d dominated for so many years: “Maybe the best word to describe what I’m up to is evolution. I’m here to tell you that I’m evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me.” “Evolving away”! At the time, this phrasing seemed to offer a distinction without a difference — a “conscious uncoupling” from tennis. This week, though, when Wimbledon announced that Williams would play singles at the tournament for the first time in four years, the language seemed less poetic and more deliberate. She evolved away from tennis; now, it seems, at least for the moment, she has evolved back. We get to decide how we narrate our lives, and sometimes our preference for certitude, our need to define things with conviction, closes us off from possibility. I’m not asserting that Williams scripted her return to tennis four years ago. But I’m intrigued, now, by the way she framed her decision to leave the sport — for her fans, and, one imagines, for herself — not as a rejection of tennis, but as an embrace of her family, her business ventures, the other things in her life that matter to her. I’ve written about how much I value the practice of making “Away/Toward” lists, where you itemize the things in your life you want to move away from, the things you want to move toward. My “Away” lists are always a series of negatives I need to rid myself of — bad habits, soured relationships, unproductive ways of thinking. But I love the idea of looking at one’s life more objectively, without so much judgment: I’m evolving away from this person, this job, this particular chapter, and who’s to say I won’t evolve back? This openness with language seems particularly useful when you’re making a decision or change that’s difficult. Leaving tennis was painful for Williams. “I don’t want it to be over,” she said in her farewell essay, “but at the same time I’m ready for what’s next.” For most of us, this is the ideal “away” scenario: We love what we’re doing, but we’re leaving it, on our own terms, and we’re looking forward to the next chapter. Moving away from one thing without rancor, moving toward something else with enthusiasm. As Williams evolves back onto the court at the All England Club this coming week, I’m wondering about my own evolutions. Where can I narrate my own experience with more spaciousness? Celebrities’ purposely ambiguous public statements don’t often offer much in the way of wisdom, but in this case, I think there’s something to be heeded. What elements of our own lives could benefit from some less definitive framing? What are we leaving behind that, who knows, we might want to one day revisit? THE LATEST NEWS Venezuela Earthquakes The ruins of a residential building in La Guaira. Adriana Loureiro Fernandez for The New York Times Officials say the earthquakes in Venezuela this week killed at least 920 people and injured at least 3,300 others. The toll could still rise, as many people remained missing or trapped. These satellite photos show the trail of destruction down the northern coast. Search-and-rescue teams from around the world have arrived to help recover people from the rubble. The U.S. State Department has earmarked $150 million for relief efforts. The quakes exposed the fragility of Venezuela’s infrastructure. There are only three functioning ambulances serving greater Caracas, one doctor said. Firefighters are relying on cellphone lights. A hospital in the disaster zone is operating without running water. War in Iran The U.S. military said it had struck missile and drone storage locations in Iran, as well as coastal radar sites, in retaliation for Iran’s attack on a ship in the Strait of Hormuz. President Trump called Iran’s ship attack a “foolish violation” of the cease-fire. A U.S. defense official told The Times that yesterday’s attacks were not intended to revive the war. Around the World Vantor, via Reuters Crimea: Weeks of Ukrainian airstrikes have rattled the Russian-controlled peninsula. The authorities there declared a state of emergency after Russia said it had intercepted 660 drones overnight. China: A small aircraft flew into the tallest building in Beijing, sending debris and plane parts onto the street. Politics John Bolton, who was national security adviser during Trump’s first term, pleaded guilty to mishandling classified information. He faces up to five years in prison. Vice President JD Vance downplayed the Watergate scandal, saying that if it happened today it would be “like a 12-hour news story.” Times Exclusive: The administration is investigating whether Yale’s admissions practices hurt white and Asian applicants. The university has hired a high-powered law firm to try to reach a settlement. Other Big Stories Texas approved a common set of books that millions of public school students across the state must read. It includes Bible excerpts. The District of Columbia agreed to pay a settlement to a man who was arrested last year after he played the “Imperial March” from “Star Wars” to protest the National Guard. Two weeks after breaking free from a game ranch in Texas’ Hill Country, an escaped giraffe named Gracie was found “fat and happy” a few miles away. THE WEEK IN CULTURE Film and TV Milly Alcock as Supergirl. Warner Bros.Entertainment “Supergirl” is a watchable (if derivative) bit of summer superhero entertainment, our critic writes, held up by a strong central performance from Milly Alcock. In “The Invite,” Seth Rogen and Olivia Wilde star as a millennial couple whose tense marriage gets a wild jolt from their neighbors. It’s a critic’s pick. “Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness,” a seven-episode historical sketch show starring Larry David and produced by Barack and Michelle Obama, premieres on HBO this weekend. Fine Arts A record Sotheby’s auction in London brought in £393.4 million with fees — about $521 million — across 25 works. The top earner: Amedeo Modigliani’s 1917 “Seated Nude With Necklace,” which sold for £48.2 million. As Europe broiled in a heat wave this week, some museums billed themselves as refuges. London’s Imperial War Museum called itself a space of “salvation” from the heat. A new National Geographic museum opened in Washington, D.C., this week. Here are five standout photographs from its collection. More Culture Eisa Davis and Lin-Manuel Miranda. Daniel Weiss for The New York Times Lin-Manuel Miranda is returning to Broadway: “Warriors,” his first musical since “Hamilton,” is set to open next spring. It’s based on the cult classic 1979 film about a street gang that has to fight its way from the Bronx to Coney Island. Major networks are taking a new look at microdramas, the vertically shot, mobile-first soap operas delivered in dozens of rapid-fire episodes. Will Canada be the next country to join the Eurovision Song Contest? Its broadcaster has joined the European Broadcasting Union, the requirement for entry in the competition. Subscribers always win. Here’s why. You can now save 75% on your first year of a New York Times Games subscription. Discover all of our word and logic games (and play past puzzles), earn badges for your achievements, plus more. Time is running out though, so subscribe today. RECIPE OF THE WEEK Dane Tashima for The New York Times By Melissa Clark Apricot Snack Cake Apricots and other stone fruits are coming into season in much of the country right now, and Kay Chun’s moist and rich apricot snack cake is a perfect use for the ones that have gone a bit soft. She calls for fresh apricots, but peaches, plums and nectarines work well, too. And while this is a delightful afternoon snack, it’s also lovely for dessert, preferably with some vanilla or butterscotch ice cream scooped on top. REAL ESTATE Gabriela Hasbun for The New York Times The Hunt: Three women wanted to start a family in the Bay Area. Could they find a house to do it in? Play our game. What you get for $900,000: An Italianate house in St. Louis. A stone house in Round Mountain, Texas. A farmhouse with outbuildings in Bovina, N.Y. Pick your favorite: In Mexico City, a colonial-style house, a house clad in terrazzo and a 1945 Art Deco-style home are all on the market for $1.3 million. LIVING The New York Times La Dolce Vita: Dreaming of an Italian getaway but not sure where to go? This quiz will help you find your ideal vacation spot. Move abroad: Countries are curtailing or even canceling their residency-by-investment programs, but there are still some appealing options available. Spread out the blanket: It’s picnic season! Be the ultimate host with these recipes and tips. ADVICE FROM WIRECUTTER How to stop your Brita from growing gunk Where you store your Brita pitcher matters. Mold can grow in humid environments where water is stagnant, and algae can grow when the pitcher is left out in the sun. Instead, store it somewhere cool and dim: in the fridge, in a cabinet or on a counter away from a window. Make sure to disassemble and hand-wash the pitcher with soap and water monthly, and dry it thoroughly before putting it back together — otherwise you might find mold in the spots where water is trapped. Lastly, don’t forget to replace the filter when it expires, especially if your current one seems clogged or your water is starting to taste funny. — Annemarie Conte and Tim Heffernan WORLD CUP The knockout rounds are about to get underway. No more settling for a draw or monitoring point differentials. It’s the phase of the tournament where one moment, action or mistake can define a team’s legacy, The Athletic’s Paul Tenorio writes. And that idea of legacy will be looming large on Wednesday, when the United States plays Bosnia and Herzegovina. It will be the lowest-rated team the U.S. has ever played in a knockout match, Paul notes. But the Americans can’t dwell on that. “Just one U.S. team, in 2002, has ever won a World Cup knockout game,” he writes. “This is a chance to change another narrative around the program. But to do that, you have to win.” More World Cup Cape Verde — the third-smallest country in tournament history, playing in its first World Cup — has advanced to the knockouts. It will play Argentina next. France crushed Norway, 4-1, behind a first-half hat trick by Ousmane Dembele. Brazil is home to the world’s largest Lebanese diaspora. That explains why fans in Lebanon, whose own team didn’t qualify, are all in on the Brazilians. Our correspondent Abdi Latif Dahir attended a watch party in Tripoli. See his video below. The New York Times NOW TIME TO PLAY Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangrams were magically and myalgic. Take the news quiz to see how well you followed this week’s headlines. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Crossplay, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your weekend with The Times. — Melissa Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Host: Sam Sifton Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Brent Lewis, Lara McCoy, Karl Russell Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Editorial Director, Newsletters: Jodi Rudoren

Exclusive: Researchers call for urgent investigation of risks to babies of tablets, smartphones and other digital devices https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/jun/27/screen-time-damage-under-twos-development-study?

To stop and confuse the reformation movement, omissions and changes were made in the English bible.

Venezuela quake death toll reaches 920 as interim president vows to save ‘as many as possible’ Delcy Rodríguez says foreign rescue teams are arriving as anger grows at official response and limited resources https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/26/delcy-rodriguez-interim-president-venezuela-earthquake-death-toll? Frustration grows in Venezuela as earthquake death toll reaches 1,430 LA GUAIRA, Venezuela (AP) — Tensions flared Saturday as desperation grew in Venezuela’s state of La Guaira as rescuers and civilians searched for earthquake survivors and the death toll rose sharply to 1,430. https://apnews.com/article/earthquakes-venezuela-rescues-survivors-92a3d6c13c0f9af9c1bfb4ff6d041254?