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Standing around burns calories. On average, a 150-pound person burns 114 calories per hour while standing and doing nothing. James

America's best idea Visitors walking around Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone's Midway Geyser Basin in May. Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images America's "best idea" remains one of its most popular — and influential. Stat du jour: The past three years have been among the busiest on record for America's national parks. The National Park Service logged 323 million visits last year — the third-highest total ever, after a record-setting 2024 and 2023. This year could bring another surge as people visit parks for the nation's semiquincentennial. 🏞️ The big picture: America invented the modern national park. Yellowstone, established on March 1, 1872, was the world's first such park, and it inspired other countries to protect their extraordinary landscapes and open them up to everyone — not just royalty or the wealthy. By the numbers: Today, the National Park Service manages 433 sites, including 63 national parks. Every state is home to at least one site, whether it's an expansive park, a monument or an iconic stretch of seashore. California has the most national parks (9), followed by Alaska (8) and Utah (5). 🎥 The intrigue: For many Americans — including several Finish Line readers — visiting all the national parks has become the ultimate bucket list adventure to be completed during a post-college gap year or after retiring. The journey has become a hobby in itself. People choose to mark the accomplishment in all sorts of ways, from decorating water bottles with stickers from each park to blogging and vlogging every stop. 📬 We want to hear from you! Which is your favorite national park and what's the best photo you snapped there? Send 'em to us at finishline@axios.com, and we'll feature them all summer long.

Democrat Graham Platner says he plans to withdraw from Maine Senate race after sexual assault claim Graham Platner said Wednesday that he plans to withdraw from the U.S. Senate race in Maine after facing an allegation of sexual assault, shuttering an insurgent campaign that had withstood months of controversy only to implode and imperil Democrats’ attempt to regain power in Washington. https://apnews.com/article/graham-platner-sexual-assault-maine-senate-campaign-a4c732f54ad999abcb73f1854351187f?

❌ Anti-Jeffries caucus grows Hakeem Jeffries' bid for the speakership faces an early test next month as several House candidates who have declined to commit to backing him compete in primaries in Michigan, Missouri and elsewhere. Why it matters: They're not "Never Jeffries," but they aren't "Only Hakeem," either. Every Democrat elected from a safe seat who doesn't commit to backing Jeffries gives the minority leader one more potential holdout to win over before the new Congress convenes. 🗓️ Next up? The Aug. 4 primaries in Michigan and Missouri, where several House candidates who have withheld support for Jeffries will be on the ballot. Former Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.), who is running for her old seat, declined to commit to backing Jeffries if she wins during an interview last week, despite voting for him on 19 speaker ballots in 2023. William Lawrence, a progressive candidate in Michigan's 7th District, said in an interview he looks forward to "voting for a Democratic speaker," but "will have to see how it all shakes out. I hope to have an alternative to Jeffries to vote for." 🔎 Zoom in: Several other candidates with August or September primaries told Axios last fall they either won't commit to Jeffries or are outright opposed to him: Donavan McKinney of Michigan, Luke Bronin of Connecticut, Heath Howard of New Hampshire and Patrick Roath of Massachusetts. Two California progressives facing runoffs with Democratic incumbents in November, Angela Gonzales-Torres and Mai Vang, are also in the Jeffries-skeptic column. Elijah Manley, running in Florida's 20th District, has changed his tune after previously opposing Jeffries. He told us last week the Democratic leader "will work with progressives to be the type of wartime leader that we need." ✅ Reality check: Jeffries' colleagues — left and center — widely expect him to become speaker if Democrats win the majority, noting that former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) faced similar rancor in 2018 and still secured the gavel. Jeffries himself is sounding confident: "I think I've stood as the Democratic nominee for speaker now a total of 20 times because of dysfunction on the other side of the aisle, and I haven't lost a single Democratic vote yet," he told reporters last week. Yes, but: Even if he secures the gavel, Jeffries is all but certain to face constant headaches from his left flank. 😩 "People are tired of the weakness ... from Democratic party leadership who have lost to [Trump] not once but twice," Lawrence said. If Jeffries wins, "We have to have a pivot point on the question: What are the expectations you have of a Democratic speaker of the House, and how does that correlate to how you ran?" Pennsylvania state Rep. Chris Rabb, the Democratic nominee in a safely blue U.S. House seat in Philadelphia, told us. — Andrew Solender

Obamacare premiums surged this year. A new analysis shows it’s likely to happen again in 2027 NEW YORK (AP) — Middle-income Americans straining to pay for Affordable Care Act health insurance are unlikely to get relief next year, according to a new analysis that shows insurers in the marketplace are proposing a second straight year of double-digit premium hikes. https://apnews.com/article/affordable-care-act-obamacare-health-insurance-premiums-a2b6e95cea6555f12b992346245e2a2c?

Judges deny request to return Trump’s name to Kennedy Center pending an appeal A three-judge panel on Wednesday denied a request from the Kennedy Center’s board to restore President Donald Trump’s name to the institution while the board appeals an earlier ruling that dubbed the name change illegal and had it rescinded. https://apnews.com/article/trump-kennedy-center-name-lawsuit-5ee3073d3df9549fcd27b597df8c1ed4?

A U-Turn on Peace View in browser If Donald Trump ever had any control over the war he started with Iran, he’s lost it. The Iranians are now setting the terms of this conflict and are routinely humiliating the American president. The “cease-fire” Trump declared last month—a move probably meant to both soothe international markets and avert legislative action from the United States Congress—never really existed, because neither side ever ceased firing. The situation is now back to a kind of slow-motion punch-up: In the past few days, the Iranians struck three tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, the Americans attacked some 80 targets in Iran, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps now claims it hit some 85 U.S.-affiliated targets in Bahrain and Kuwait. This morning, Trump was asked whether the memorandum of understanding with Iran, the document that was supposed to provide the foundation for negotiations, was dead. Trump hesitated a bit and said: “That’s a very interesting question. To me, I think it’s over. I don’t wanna deal with them anymore. They’re scum, you know what scum is? They’re scum. They’re sick people. They’re led by sick people. And they’re vicious, violent people.” Last month, of course, Trump had nothing but nice things to say about the Iranian leaders. “We’re dealing with people that I think are very rational people. And they were nice to deal with.” He described them as “strong people, smart people,” who were not “radicalized.” They were just loyal Iranians, “and they’re, you know, looking to help their country.” The MOU was practically an instrument of American capitulation that the Iranians could have drafted themselves, but Trump wanted to get out of the war, and so he signed it—appropriately enough, at Versailles. The Iranians have made clear that they don’t care about the MOU or, for that matter, what Trump thinks or wants. They are willing to inflict more damage on the Gulf states, and they’re willing to accept damage in return. These are signs of a state directing a war rather than reacting to one. Iran is measuring costs and risks. It is pursuing the achievable goals of regime survival, control of the Strait, and preservation of its nuclear program. The Trump administration, for its part, bumbled into this war without a strategy. Instead, it relied on bad assumptions, outdated information, and the president’s gut feelings. It assumed—because the president wished very hard—that the Iranian regime would collapse quickly. Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (who encouraged Trump to go to war) ignored years of analysis and war-gaming from the military and the intelligence community, and then were caught flat-footed when the Iranians closed the strait and choked the international economy, the one thing everyone else in the world knew they would do. The administration has since tried to bomb its way out of this war, but without the ability to hold territory, the United States is now merely depleting its stocks of expensive ordnance to little strategic effect. Even by his usual standards, Trump has been incoherent in Ankara, Turkey, where he’s attending a NATO summit. Over the course of 24 hours, he has renewed his demands for the United States to own Greenland; confused Iran with Japan; and confused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He also noted that his videos are popular on “Tic Tac.” He meant “TikTok.” Little wonder, then, that he seems unable to give sensible answers to questions about the renewed hostilities. When asked today about more attacks on Iran, Trump said: “You know, normally I wouldn’t tell you. I wouldn’t tell you, but you know what, there’s not a thing they can do about it. So, the answer is probably.” Not exactly an answer full of fire and fury. “I’ll give them a little warning,” Trump said. “We’re going to hit them hard tonight, but we’ll see how it all works out.” In other words: I don’t know what else to do, so we’ll do some more strikes and then see what Iran does. This is not the approach of a president who’s running a war; this is the flailing of a man who’s in over his head and is reacting to events, rather than guiding them. Lest this kind of equivocation lead the Iranians to doubt Trump’s resolve, the president has added that he’s still considering two other terrible ideas: an invasion of Iranian territory, and a campaign of probable war crimes. First, he has returned to talking about seizing Kharg Island, an operation that would require a considerable commitment of ground forces and inevitably lead to U.S. casualties. Second, he has again raised the possibility of striking Iran’s infrastructure, including bridges and desalination plants. Such installations, if they are significantly contributing to Iran’s military effort, might be considered legitimate targets. Trump, however, seems to have in mind immiserating the civilian population as a means of driving the regime to the table—which would be a serious violation of the laws of war. Fortunately, Trump is unlikely to do any of this. Hours after his various responses, he was asked if the war was back on in full force. His answer was revealing about his limited ability to control the circumstances of the conflict, and a clear signal to the Iranians not to worry about anything he says, because he’ll always change his mind. I think anything that happens is going to be over very quickly, and we’ll only make it safer, including for oil. Oil is going to be very free, very easy, and it’s going to happen very fast. We have the Hormuz Strait; the boats have pulled out. I mean there’s a gusher of oil right now, we have a lot of oil. The United States does not, in fact, “have the strait” at this moment. At any rate, Trump capped these remarks by assuring his audience, and perhaps even those listening in Tehran: “We’re not looking for long term.” I taught strategy at the Naval War College to military officers and senior civilians for a long time. The subject does not have a lot of hard-and-fast rules; wars share common characteristics but each conflict has its own peculiarities and exigent circumstances. One good guideline, however, is to avoid threatening your enemy and then immediately announcing that you really have no stomach for a fight. Strong leaders keep their own counsel and let their actions speak for them; weak leaders make threats and then broadcast how much they don’t want to carry them out. Trump is now going through something like the stages of wartime grief: Denial that America failed; anger, which has led to renewed attacks; and then bargaining, as if the Iranians could somehow be bought off like a gang of recalcitrant construction workers in New York. None of it has worked. Depression and acceptance await. Related: The whiplash of Trump’s Iran capitulation Brynn Tannehill: America’s big mistake in Iran

US launches new airstrikes on Iran, with Tehran firing back at 3 Gulf Arab states DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United States launched new airstrikes against Iran early Thursday, and Tehran responded by hitting Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar in crossfire that again threatened an interim deal intended to help end the war in the Persian Gulf. https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-israel-war-oil-july-8-2026-fee04dcea661c08de12c04914ff2751b? ps:I wonder how much longer the other Arab states are going to keep taking the pounding from Iran before they start telling the U.S. they've had enough and tell them to stop this ignorant war?????

Former Wisconsin judge spared prison for obstructing ICE arrest of Mexican immigrant MILWAUKEE (AP) — Former Wisconsin Judge Hannah Dugan was spared from prison Wednesday for ushering a Mexican defendant through her jury room door as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents sought to arrest him in a courthouse hallway. https://apnews.com/article/hannah-dugan-judge-arrested-ice-trump-milwaukee-fb6f19ec5ccde54dfad3fd03bc58e39d? Judge orders E. Jean Carroll be paid $5.8M in Trump sex abuse and defamation case; Trump appeals NEW YORK (AP) — The writer E. Jean Carroll can collect $5.8 million held in escrow since a jury found that President Donald Trump sexually abused and defamed her, a federal judge ruled Wednesday. Trump’s lawyers immediately appealed but were denied an emergency order to block the payment from being made. https://apnews.com/article/trump-e-jean-carroll-sexual-abuse-defamation-fe911fa64d58b03b4d96a628a5cdccb0

Trump, 80, Unravels With String of Mental Slips on World Stage The gaffes were reminiscent of the flubs Trump once used to highlight the cognitive decline of his predecessor, Joe Biden. Donald Trump’s cognitive health is once again under scrutiny after a series of jaw-dropping gaffes on the world stage. During a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Turkey, Trump repeatedly referred to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky as “President Putin”; mixed up the Islamic Republic of Iran with the “Islamic Republic of Japan”; and confused the name of Obama’s “JCPOA” nuclear deal with another acronym, the “JCPOC.” The 80-year-old even bragged about his popularity on a social media app that doesn’t quite exist. “Do you know who’s number one on Tic Tac? I am,” he said before correcting himself. “I’m number one on TikTok—and all I talk about is how bad communism is.” The gaffes were reminiscent of the kind of flubs Trump previously used to highlight his predecessor Joe Biden’s cognitive decline. owever, Trump, who is now the oldest president to ever occupy the Oval Office, repeatedly insists he is in great shape, and often brags about “acing” cognitive tests, not realizing that they are in fact screening tests for dementia. The president’s latest medical report from his White House physician also says he remains in “excellent health” and is fully fit to carry out his duties as Commander-in-Chief. But political observers are not convinced—and Wednesday’s blunders did not help. The president was speaking on the second day of the NATO summit in Turkey, which began with Trump restating his “need” to control Greenland. He also slammed European allies as “hopeless” and threatened countries that did not support his war in Iran, which escalated overnight. But things took an eyebrow-raising turn during Trump’s bilateral meeting with Zelensky, when he told reporters about the latest strikes on Iran. “We had 111 missiles shot by the Islamic Republic of Japan,” he said. At several points in the meeting, Trump also referred to Zelensky by the name of his greatest enemy. “Do you have a question for President Putin, please,” he asked reporters, pointing to the Ukrainian leader. Then, in another wild scene, Trump began fielding questions for the Russian president, telling the press: “Give us a question—not for Zelensky, give us a question for Putin.” “When will he end this war?” a reporter asked Trump, as Zelensky watched on. “That’s a good question,” Trump said. “I don’t think I’ve ever answered that question... He’s going to tell you he wants it ended.” The meeting came with welcome news for the NATO alliance, with the president announcing he would allow Ukraine to manufacture Patriot air defense systems to protect itself from Russian missiles. But in taking questions from reporters, Trump also referred to Obama’s Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran - otherwise known as the “JCPOA” - as the “JCPOC”. And he occasionally struggled to hear questions, requiring Secretary of State Marco Rubio to step in. “As part of security guarantees, are you ready to close the skies in case Russia attacks again?” a reporter asked Trump. “Close what?” he replied. “Close the skies over Ukraine,” the reporter repeated. Rubio interjected: “Close the skies,” he said. The jaw-dropping press conference left observers once again questioning Trump’s cognitive health - and the hypocrisy of Republicans. “More than a decade later, I still see some people attacking Obama for accidentally saying 57 instead of 47 one time,” said Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a senior fellow at the American Immigration Council. “They made political capital out of every Biden stumble just handed critics a clip they’ll be talking about for a long time,” mused another social media observer. Biden also accidentally referred to Zelensky at a NATO summit two years ago, introducing him with: “Ladies and gentlemen, President Putin.” He quickly corrected himself, and Zelensky took it with good humor, declaring: “I’m better” - but that didn’t stop Republicans from attacking the then president for the blunder. Asked about the president’s health, White House spokesman Davis Ingle, 32, said in a statement: “The Daily Beast is [a] mentally challenged, lightweight operation. Hopefully the idiots who work there will eventually be able to get themselves a real job.” https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-80-unravels-with-string-of-mental-slips-on-world-stage/? ps:So pathetic!!

EPI comment on Postal Service’s proposed rule regarding “Ballot Mail for Federal Elections” The Economic Policy Institute (EPI) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank that for 40 years has centered working families in economic policy discussions. EPI is submitting these comments in response to the Postal Service’s proposed rule on Ballot Mail for Federal Elections,1 which would have a disparate impact on Americans who face barriers to voting in person, including workers with disabilities, working parents, and workers with long and unpredictable work shifts. For this and other reasons outlined below, we believe that the proposed rule should be abandoned permanently and in its entirety. https://www.epi.org/publication/epi-comment-on-postal-services-proposed-rule-regarding-ballot-mail-for-federal-elections/?

“Canceled” Standing Stone Discovered in Judah Long before photos, journals, or smartphones, people preserved life’s defining moments in stone. In the Bible, the Israelite erected massebot—standing stones—to commemorate encounters with God, seal covenants, mark boundaries, and memorialize significant events (e.g., Genesis 35:14; Exodus 24:4; Joshua 24:26–27). To the Israelites, these stones functioned much like monuments and memorials do today: They struck awe and gave physical form to memories people wanted future generations to remember. https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-israel/canceled-standing-stone-discovered-in-judah/? Judah’s Pledge to Tamar Genesis 38 recounts the saga of Judah and Tamar. Er, Judah’s oldest son, marries Tamar, but he dies, leaving her a childless widow. Er’s brother Onan then marries Tamar, according to levirate marriage (Deuteronomy 25:5–10), but he also dies without giving her any children. She then returns to her father’s household to wait to be married to Judah’s youngest son, Shelah. However, when Shelah comes of age, Judah does not rush to arrange the marriage. https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/judahs-pledge-to-tamar/?

‘The Pitt’ leads with 25 Emmy nominations and ‘Hacks’ breaks record for comedies with 24 LOS ANGELES (AP) — “The Pitt” led all nominees with 25 in a dominant sophomore season, while “Hacks” got a graduation party with a record-setting 24 to lead all comedies in its final season as Emmy nominations were announced Wednesday. https://apnews.com/article/emmy-nominations-pluribus-beef-hacks-pitt-7d21700a43d7d5da1a662898e3646d46?

👋 Good morning! After 27 consecutive days of World Cup action, the tournament has reached its first off day. Just eight teams, and eight games, remain. In today's edition: Argentina's historic comeback, why the USMNT isn't a contender yet, Djokovic and Ohtani do Djokovic and Ohtani things, jock stocks, the Yahoo Sports Lacrosse Hub, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports...   🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES 🏀 Mitchell gets the max: The Cavaliers are signing Donovan Mitchell to a four-year, $273 million maximum contract extension that includes a player option for the 2030-31 season, keeping the seven-time All-Star in Cleveland through his mid-30's. ⚽️ Historic viewership: 30 million people tuned in on Fox for the USMNT's loss to Belgium on Monday, making it the most-watched soccer telecast in American history. ⚾️ Rice joins the Derby: Yankees 1B Ben Rice has joined Rays 3B Junior Caminero as the second player to commit to next week's Home Run Derby. Rice is in the midst of a breakout season, with his 26 HR and .941 OPS both ranking second in the AL. 🏈 Kneeland had CTE: Former Cowboys DE Marshawn Kneeland, who died by suicide last fall at the age of 24, has been diagnosed with CTE by researchers at the Boston University CTE Center. "Unfortunately, I was not surprised to find CTE in [his brain]," said the director of the CTE Center. "We have found this progressive brain disease in nearly half of the athletes we've studied who have died before the age of 30." 🇷🇺 Russia ban lifted: The IOC has provisionally lifted its three-year-old ban on the Russian Olympic Committee, paving the way for Russian athletes to compete at the 2028 Games under their own flag.   ⚽️ SURVIVE AND ADVANCE THE INEVITABILITY OF LEO MESSI (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images) Facing a 2-0 deficit to Egypt in the waning minutes on Tuesday in Atlanta, Lionel Messi's World Cup career looked as though it might come to a stunning, sudden end. But Messi had other plans, engineering a historic comeback to remind the entire footballing world that he isn't going anywhere just yet. Argentina 3, Egypt 2: The defending champions rattled off three goals in the span of 14 frenzied minutes, becoming the first team in World Cup history to win in regular time despite trailing by at least two goals in the 75th minute or later. First came a Cristian Romero header in the 79th minute, served on a platter by a perfect cross from Messi, whose ninth career World Cup assist broke a tie with Diego Maradona for the most ever. Naturally. Four minutes later Messi scored the equalizer himself on a venomous volley, giving him a record-extending nine consecutive World Cup games with a goal and vaulting him back to the top of the Golden Boot race with eight in this tournament. Safe to say this one made up for his missed penalty in the first half. And finally the game-winner, a 92nd-minute Enzo Fernández header that broke the short-lived deadlock and completed a comeback that even Tom Brady conceded might've been better than the Patriots' 28-3 Super Bowl reversal. Hey, he said it, not us. United under Leo: National pride is typically enough to unite a World Cup squad, but at this stage, that pride is table stakes. Argentina is fueled by an additional source of motivation. "I told [Messi] on the pitch to enjoy it because he deserved it," Lautaro Martínez said in Spanish after the match. "I told him we would keep giving everything, for ourselves, but above all for him, because this is his last World Cup and he has given us so much." Bottom line: Argentina had never won a World Cup match when trailing at half or by two goals. But what was close to becoming a tearful goodbye instead became an emotional celebration for Messi, whose dreams of leading an Argentine repeat live on thanks to what would surely be dubbed "The Miracle at Mercedes"... if not for FIFA's clean venue policies. (Luke Hales/Getty Images) Meanwhile, in Vancouver: Switzerland and Colombia played to a 0-0 stalemate over 120 minutes before the Swiss emerged victorious in penalties, punching their ticket to the quarterfinals for the first time since 1954. They'll join Argentina, Norway, England, Spain, Belgium, France and Morocco in the last eight, which kicks off tomorrow.   🇺🇸 ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT WHY THE U.S. STILL ISN'T A WORLD CUP CONTENDER (Taylor Wilhelm/Yahoo Sports) The USMNT's magical start to the World Cup came crashing down in Monday's ugly loss to Belgium, and while the old argument that "our best athletes play other sports" is fun on the surface, it belies the fundamental issue holding the U.S. back from being true contenders on the sport's biggest stage. What they're saying: "Our youth soccer in this country is a disaster," former U.S. star Landon Donovan told 'The Rich Eisen Show' last month. "All these youth clubs charge you crazy fees. It's all about winning. The kids get left behind because the clubs want to make money, the coaches want to make money. They want to win and the kids don't develop." Indeed, the annual cost to play elite youth soccer in the United States can reach upwards of $15,000, pricing out plenty of talented youngsters who might otherwise thrive in the beautiful game, if only they could afford to pursue it. Compare that to how it works in most other countries — namely the ones who routinely dominate the tournament the Americans just stumbled out of — where top clubs foot the bill themselves, and it's not hard to connect the dots on where the competitive gap is born. Jeff Eisenberg, Yahoo Sports: There's little doubt that the U.S. soccer talent pool would be deeper if LeBron James grew up dreaming to become a center back or if Tyreek Hill was using his speed and acceleration to run onto through balls or stretch the field in counter-attacks. The majority of elite NBA, NFL and MLB players never played high-level soccer as kids. Even those who did, like Odell Beckham Jr. or Nolan Arenado, eventually quit to specialize in other sports. And yet ask those in soccer circles if siphoning talent away from other sports would transform the USMNT into a global power, and the question will inspire plenty of eye rolls. They are quick to point out that skill is the most important quality in soccer, that many global superstars rely on ball control and technical ability rather than speed and strength. At 5-foot-7 and less than 150 pounds, Lionel Messi has been known since childhood as "La Pulga," which in Spanish means "the flea." Croatian playmaker Luka Modrić is only an inch taller than Messi. Spanish phenom Lamine Yamal is 5-10. So are French superstars Ousmane Dembélé and Kylian Mbappé. For every 6-foot-5 Erling Haaland who dominates by overpowering opposing defenders and winning balls in the air, there are many others who use their decision making and mastery with the ball at their feet to help their teams win. "I just don’t think it's as simple as if we had 10 LeBrons playing soccer, we'd automatically be a better soccer country," former U.S. men's national team defender and current Portland Thorns general manager Jeff Agoos told Yahoo Sports prior to the World Cup. "Soccer is such a skilled sport. It's really hard to control a soccer ball, and it takes a lot of time to learn that skill. I don't think it's always about being bigger, faster, stronger." To Agoos and many others, U.S. Soccer's biggest issue isn't insufficient athleticism. It's how the athletes who do want to pursue soccer have been developed.   💯 STAT SHEET BIG NUMBERS (Matthias Hangst/Getty Images) 🎾 8 straight semifinals Novak Djokovic outlasted third-seeded Félix Auger-Aliassime in a five-set thriller on Tuesday to reach his eighth straight Wimbledon semifinal, breaking a tie with Roger Federer for the longest such streak ever. It's also his record-extending 55th major semifinal (Federer is next, with 46). The 39-year-old will face top-ranked Jannik Sinner on Friday for a spot in the final. More from the All England Club: Coco Gauff defeated fellow American Jessica Pegula to reach her first Wimbledon semifinal, becoming the youngest woman (22) to reach the last four at every Grand Slam since Maria Sharapova in 2007. No. 10 Karolína Muchová (over No. 14 Naomi Osaka) also reached her first Wimbledon semifinal, while No. 2 Alexander Zverev (over No. 13 Jiri Lehecka) reached his first Wimbledon quarterfinal. ⚾️ 300 home runs Shohei Ohtani blasted his 300th career home run on Tuesday in his 1,101st game (with at least one plate appearance), becoming the fifth-fastest player in MLB history to reach the milestone. Only Aaron Judge (955 games), Ralph Kiner (1,087), Ryan Howard (1,093) and Juan González (1,096) got there faster. Becoming legendary: "There is a minor but critical distinction between being the greatest of all time and being the best to ever do it," writes Yahoo Sports' Jake Mintz. "Ohtani is, undeniably, the latter. … [But] home run No. 300 is a reminder that he is crossing over into legend status before our eyes, [providing] an opportunity to appreciate not just what he's doing but also what he has already done." Tolbert is doused after the Royals' victory on Monday. (Amy Kontras/Getty Images) ⚾️ 21st team The Royals pulled off one of the rarest feats in baseball in Monday's 15-1 rout of the Phillies, becoming the 21st team in MLB history to score a run in every single inning. Among the sport's standard rarities, only 20-strikeout games (5) and unassisted triple plays (15) have happened less often, while four-homer games are equally rare (21) and perfect games (24) are slightly more common. And, for their encore… Kansas City followed that up with another slugfest on Tuesday, beating the Mets 16-12 behind, among other things, Tyler Tolbert's second straight 5-for-5 performance. The second baseman, who also went 2-for-2 in the Royals' previous game, has now gotten a hit in an MLB record-tying 12 consecutive plate appearances. 🏀 19 in a row UConn grads Breanna Stewart (Liberty), Paige Bueckers (Wings) and Gabby Williams (Valkyries) were all named starters for this year's WNBA All-Star Game, marking the 19th consecutive edition of the exhibition to feature a former Husky in the starting lineup. The other starters: Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell (Fever), Natasha Howard and Olivia Miles (Lynx), A'ja Wilson (Aces) and Jessica Shepard (Wings). Reserves: The 12 reserves for the July 25 game in Chicago were announced on Tuesday: Angel Reese, Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray (Dream), Nneka Ogwumike and Kelsey Plum (Sparks), Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen (Mystics), Marina Mabrey (Tempo), Courtney Williams (Lynx), Jackie Young (Aces), Jonquel Jones (Liberty) and Dominique Malonga (Storm).   📈 TICKER TALK JOCK STOCKS: WINNERS AND LOSERS These publicly-traded teams are all significantly outperforming the S&P 500. (Yahoo Finance Alphaspace) The sports and sports-adjacent universe of publicly traded equities is a diverse set of businesses experiencing the present economic moment in very different ways. In this edition of Jock Stocks, we unpack the performance from the first half of 2026, revealing the year's winners and losers at the midway point. 🏟️ Winner: Sports Franchises The institutional interest in sports team ownership has extended into the equity market, as three of the premier publicly traded teams are off to red-hot starts: Madison Square Garden Sports (MSGS: +55.4%), Manchester United (MANU: +44.0%), and the Atlanta Braves (BATRA: +32.5%) have all substantially outperformed the broader market. The Knicks and United both enjoyed successful and commercially lucrative seasons, further bolstering their equity performance. ⛳️ Winner: Golf Two of the first half's biggest gainers were Callaway Golf (CALY: +61.0%) and Acushnet Holdings (GOLF: +48.5%). Callaway has solidified its balance sheet and pure-play business following the TopGolf sale, while Titleist has launched successful new products and capably defended and reinforced its premium brand status. On a macro level, rounds played in the U.S. were up over 5% in Q1, and golf remains well suited to a K-shaped economy, in which affluent consumers continue to spend. Sports gambling stocks have not had a good year. (Yahoo Finance Alphaspace) 🎰 Loser: Sports Gambling From sportsbooks like DraftKings (DKNG: -26.7%) and Flutter (FLUT: -52.5%) to data companies like Genius (GENI: -45.0%) and Sportradar (SRAD: -37.0%), 2026 has been unkind to stocks with sports gambling exposure. The emergence and growth of the prediction markets industry, anchored by Kalshi and Polymarket, have weighed on shares, as have unfavorable outcomes and concerns about plateauing domestic growth. 📺 Loser: Media Many sports-involved media companies have endured a turbulent start to 2026, though their increasingly expensive sports-rights portfolios are not principally to blame. Some of the negative price action is event-driven, as in the case of Paramount Skydance (PSKY: -26.4%) and Fox (FOX: -27.9%), while persistent structural headwinds such as cord-cutting and streaming profitability have weighed on the category broadly. Disney (DIS: -15.4%) and Comcast (CMCSA: -12.3%) have also fared poorly, as has the recently spun-off Versant (VSNT: -20.0%). This story originally appeared in Monday's edition of Yahoo Sports Biz. Subscribe here to receive today's edition of our new newsletter when it hits inboxes a little later this morning.   📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: WEDNESDAY, JULY 8 Fery celebrates his fourth-round victory. (James Fearn/Getty Images) 🎾 Wimbledon, Quarterfinals On Court 1, it's No. 9 Linda Nosková vs. No. 25 Elise Mertens (8am ET, ESPN2) followed by No. 2 Alexander Zverev vs. No. 6 Taylor Fritz. And on Centre Court, it's No. 12 Marta Kostyuk vs. No. 13 Jasmine Paolini (8:30am, ESPN) followed by No. 9 Flavio Cobolli vs. Arthur Fery. Last Brit standing: The Brits' home championship started very poorly when only four of 19 Britons made it out of the first round, with three of those four promptly losing their next match. Leave it to Fery — the 23-year-old wildcard who grew up in Wimbledon and had never before made it past the second round of a major — to be the last one standing. More to watch: ⚾️ MLB: Yankees at Rays (6:40pm, Prime); Phillies at Reds (7pm, ESPN); Diamondbacks at Padres (10pm, ESPN) … Cincinnati right-hander Chase Burns (10-1, 2.40 ERA) is part of a loaded NL Cy Young race. 🏀 WNBA: Lynx at Sun (7:30pm, USA); Fever at Sparks (10pm, USA) … Minnesota (15-6) is tied for the league's best record, while Connecticut (5-16) has the worst. 🚴 Tour de France: Stage 5 (8am, NBCSN/Peacock) … The first flat stage, spanning 98 miles from Lannemezan to Pau, will give the sprinters an opportunity to shine. Got plans tonight? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events in your city.   🏀 RAPTOR FOR LIFE NBA TRIVIA Lowry during the 2019 playoffs. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) Kyle Lowry signed a one-day contract with the Raptors to officially end his 20-year career with the team where he became a star. Toronto also plans to retire his No. 7 jersey, making him the second player in franchise history to earn that honor. Question: Can you name the only other Raptor whose jersey was retired? Hint: No. 15 Answer at the bottom.   🥍 JUST LAUNCHED INTRODUCING THE YAHOO SPORTS LACROSSE HUB Lacrosse is one of the fastest-growing sports in the U.S, and through a new partnership with Inside Lacrosse, Yahoo Sports will be able to cover it more thoroughly than ever before. Just launched: The Yahoo Sports website features a new hub dedicated to lacrosse, with in-depth coverage spanning the sport. Readers can expect: Content from Inside Lacrosse, the Premier Lacrosse League, the Women's Lacrosse League, The Lacrosse Network, and USA Lacrosse Magazine. Comprehensive coverage of high school, collegiate, and professional lacrosse, including breaking news, in-depth written stories, video analysis, game highlights, and more. And news from USA Lacrosse — the sport's official national governing body — to help fans get ready for lacrosse's long-awaited return to the Olympic Games in 2028.   Trivia answer: Vince Carter

As Trump buyouts shake offshore wind industry, states hope developers stay in the game President Donald Trump has shown the immense power of the executive branch to stymie offshore wind development, as nearly all projects are in waters where federal agencies operate as the landlord. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/07/08/repub/as-trump-buyouts-shake-offshore-wind-industry-states-hope-developers-stay-in-the-game/? ps:What's he afraid of? That people will see that we can use clean energy??

11th Circuit crushes Florida’s ‘Stop WOKE Act’ at state universities Instead of the state determining what will be taught in university classrooms, students must be free to hear and consider even officially disfavored ideas presented to them by professors, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/07/07/eleventh-circuit-crushes-floridas-stop-woke-act-at-state-universities/? Another Amendment 3 challenge filed by bipartisan pair of former legislators Florida’s bid to dramatically change its property tax system is being hit with another legal challenge, this one from a bipartisan duo of former elected officials who maintain a proposed constitutional amendment is full of “political platitudes” and not factual statements informing the public what it would do. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/07/07/another-amendment-3-challenge-filed-by-bipartisan-pair-of-former-legislators/?

Trump’s Jaw-Dropping Secret Threat to U.S. Ally Is Leaked The president suggested he would nix a 118-year-old agreement. President Donald Trump threatened to drop a diplomatic bomb on Canada at the height of his crazed “51st state” ramblings, according to insiders. Trump began publicly flirting with the idea of absorbing Canada into the U.S. in late 2024, and it soon became a hallmark of his second term. He would refer to then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as the “governor” and said he would use “economic force” to achieve his imperialist fever dream. Towards the end of his tenure, Trudeau, who was replaced as PM by Mark Carney in March last year, faced sinister threats from Trump in private phone calls, according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke to the Wall Street Journal. In one call, Trump reportedly straight-up threatened to nix a 118-year-old agreement that helped pin down and officially mark parts of the U.S.-Canada border on maps and on the ground. In April 1908, the Boundary Convention was signed by the United States and the United Kingdom, which at the time handled Canada’s foreign affairs because Canada was a self-governing British Dominion. Trump didn’t care for its history, reportedly telling Trudeau, “I tear that up, and your whole country unravels.” It is unclear whether Trump understands the convention, however, as it didn’t create the U.S.-Canada border—it simply clarified and marked parts of it. Even if the U.S. tried to withdraw from it, the border would still exist because it is primarily established by earlier treaties, including the 1818 and 1846 agreements.However, the act would have triggered a diplomatic crisis with tension already high because of Trump’s economic warfare and endless rambling about taking over Canada. Trudeau’s envoys were tasked with dissuading Trump from enacting this approach in any tangible way. At one Mar-a-Lago dinner, it was pointed out to him that Canada, as a mega-state of the U.S., would lean Democrat. Trump reportedly replied that it could be split into two states, one red and one blue. When Carney replaced Trudeau, he set about strengthening ties with European partners and China in a bid to reduce reliance on the U.S. The White House has been contacted for comment. https://www.thedailybeast.com/trumps-jaw-dropping-secret-threat-to-us-ally-is-leaked/? ps:Pathetic!!!!!

New poll reveals sharp divides among US Jews over Israel and Gaza As Israel’s actions continue to divide America’s Jewish communities nearly three years into the latest war in Gaza, a new AP-NORC poll reveals that some of the biggest gaps are between religious and secular Jews. Read more. What to know: About 7 in 10 Jewish adults overall identify as Jewish when asked about their religious affiliation. The rest, about 3 in 10 Jewish adults, say they are atheists, agnostics, or have no particular religious affiliation, but still identify as Jewish in other ways. Among Jews with a religious affiliation, views on Israel’s recent military actions are far from uniform or uncritical. Only about half say Israel’s ongoing military operations in Gaza are justified. About one-quarter believe Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, an accusation that’s been leveled by some human rights organizations and vehemently denied by Israel and the U.S. government. But Jews with a religious affiliation are more supportive of Israel's actions than secular American Jews. About 4 in 10 religiously unaffiliated Jews say Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians, and only about 2 in 10 see Israel’s current operations in Gaza as justified. The vast majority, 74%, say they are “not too” or “not at all” emotionally attached to Israel, a sharp contrast from other Jewish adults.

Danish PM says her country is ‘ready to defend’ Greenland as Trump demands control Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Wednesday her country is “ready to defend every inch of NATO, including our own territory” after President Donald Trump again insisted that the United States should control Greenland, a semiautonomous Danish territory. Read more. Why this matters: World leaders are at a NATO summit in Turkey meant to be a show of strength and unity. Trump’s renewed interest in Greenland could put at risk the entire future of NATO. The organization is not designed to deal with threats from within. It normally focuses on outside threats such as that posed by Russia. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ WATCH: Trump says again that US should control Greenland Photos of Trump at NATO summit in Turkey Why Trump wants control of Greenland Live updates: Trump meets world leaders Succession fight is already underway as calls mount for Platner to drop out of Maine Senate race WATCH: Mamdani says Platner should drop out McConnell speaks to Republican leaders as speculation swirls about his health, remains hospitalized Democratic-led states face backlash over National Guard deployments in Washington ABC fights back against FCC regulators in dispute over ‘The View’

July 8, 2026 By Sam Sifton Good morning. At the NATO summit in Turkey today, President Trump put the cease-fire with Iran into doubt. “To me, I think it’s over,” he said. We’ll start with that. Then we’ll look at the mess in Maine, with the implosion of Graham Platner’s campaign for the Senate. Some of the links in this newsletter are free to read. You just have to log in to our website or app (which is also free). Mark Rutte, the NATO secretary general, and President Trump. Doug Mills/The New York Times A threatened cease-fire The United States and Iran traded strikes last night, about a month after leaders of both countries signed a preliminary cease-fire deal. The American military said it had hit 80 targets across Iran after Iran attacked ships in the Strait of Hormuz, the vital oil and gas shipping route. In response, Iran said it had targeted U.S. military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait. The preliminary truce was intended to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and allow longer negotiations toward permanently ending the war. Both goals are in question now. The price of oil spiked after the attacks — and jumped again after Trump’s remarks. Read the latest news. Inside Iran Arash Khamooshi/Polaris for The New York Times Millions of people have come out to bid farewell to Iran’s late supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The photograph above, by Arash Khamooshi, shows a crowd on Monday in Tehran, where supporters so packed the route that the truck carrying Khamenei’s coffin could only inch forward. The Times has annotated details on the photo to help explain the remarkable scene. Click the image above to see. Graham Platner Sophie Park for The New York Times The mess in Maine The Senate campaign of Graham Platner, a Maine Democrat, oyster farmer and former Marine combat infantryman who has been running to flip a Republican-held seat, appears close to its end after a series of scandals culminated this week in an accusation of rape. Democrats high and low — in Maine and across the country — have called for the political neophyte to end his campaign and make room for a different candidate before the Monday deadline for him to withdraw from the ballot. Even Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, one of Platner’s earliest and most stalwart supporters, backed away from the candidate yesterday afternoon, saying, “In light of these very serious allegations, I have recommended that he step aside.” The main super PAC for Democrats running for the Senate said it would redirect $24 million in advertising to other states if he remained. Who could replace him in this critical race to determine control of Congress? Platner, who has denied the allegation that he sexually assaulted a former girlfriend, hasn’t yet stepped aside. But Democrats in Maine are starting to clash over the question as progressive and moderates gear up to pick his successor. It’s unclear how the state party might go about doing so, but options include a pop-up convention or a statewide caucus in late July. My colleagues who are covering the race in Maine say that several candidates are being discussed, many of them losers in previous races. They include Troy Jackson, a Republican turned progressive who was president of the Maine Senate; Nirav Shah, a moderate who ran Maine’s public health agency; and Shenna Bellows, a former director of the A.C.L.U. of Maine who is now Maine’s secretary of state. You can read about them here. (One polling firm even floated one of Maine’s most famous sons, the actor Patrick Dempsey. Some 52 percent of voters in its survey regarded McDreamy favorably.) Progressives, including Platner, want to continue with a progressive candidate. Platner, after all, won the primary over Gov. Janet Mills, a moderate two-term Democrat who withdrew more than a month before the election. “To the Democratic establishment: This is not your opening,” one said. According to other Democrats, though, the next nominee should not have anything to do with Platner. As a state senator put it on social media on Monday afternoon, “Any connections to Platner will doom that person’s campaign from the very beginning.” An official with the Maine Democratic Party said last night that Platner would have “no role” in the selection process. Read more about the clashes here. To the polls Voters casting ballots in Portland, Maine, last month. John Tully for The New York Times Just over a week ago, The Times published the results of a poll of likely Maine voters that we conducted with The Portland Press Herald and Siena College. The results showed Platner with a narrow two-point lead over Susan Collins, the Republican incumbent, in a head-to-head challenge for the Senate. But for the Platner campaign, the poll also suggested that his past — his death’s head tattoo, his history with women — could be suppressing his chances of electoral success. When those surveyed were asked which party they wanted to control the Senate, 54 percent said Democrats, compared with 42 percent who preferred Republicans. That’s a difference of 12 points, not two. Yesterday I talked to Michael Cooper, our politics editor, about that. Did voters in our poll want a regular-degular Democrat as their Senate candidate, and not someone weighed down by so much baggage? “That’s a premise that’s going to be tested here,” Coop told me. “As we’re learning in real time, there’s no such thing as a generic Democrat.” More on Platner’s fall Whoever replaces Platner will probably enter the race as a modest favorite over Collins, writes Nate Cohn, our chief political analyst. “We’re sad and disheartened, because we had so much believed in his message”: Among Platner’s supporters in Maine, disappointment was the mood of the day. THE LATEST NEWS Politics Senator Mitch McConnell being escorted onto the Senate floor last month. Michael A. McCoy for The New York Times Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky has been hospitalized since mid-June. His office has not offered details about his condition, but two Republican leaders said yesterday that they had spoken with him recently. The Trump administration is demanding that states transition to paper ballots and verify citizenship of voters or risk losing tens of millions in federal terrorism-prevention funds. Faculty members at Yale Law School are trying to stop a settlement between the university and the Trump administration over admissions, according to people familiar with the deliberations. Around the World Marine Le Pen Dimitar Dilkoff/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Marine Le Pen, the far-right leader in France, said she would run for president next year, after a court upheld an embezzlement conviction but let her seek public office. Prince Harry lost a lawsuit against the publisher of a tabloid in Britain that he accused of unlawfully invading his privacy. People in Venezuela are risking imprisonment by expressing public rage over their government’s response to the recent earthquakes. Other Big Stories An ICE agent shot and killed a man from Mexico during a traffic stop in Houston, the agency’s acting director said. Last year, a mother in Idaho said she had found her twin toddlers dead in their bed and blamed vaccines. An anti-vaccine group co-founded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. quickly embraced her. But prosecutors now tell a different, darker story: The mother has been charged with murder. OPINIONS The New York Times Dozens of Americans spoke with Times Opinion about one of the hardest jobs they’ve ever taken on: caring for an aging parent. Click the video above to learn their stories. What lesson is there from the Graham Platner disaster? Heed the warnings you might not wish to hear, Michelle Goldberg writes. Deeply reported journalism needs your support. The Times relies on subscribers to help fund our mission. Become a subscriber today. MORNING READS A snow room. TechnoAlpin We’ve made the stories in this section free for you, once you log in. Enjoy! Beat the heat: The next big thing for the ultrawealthy? Snow rooms. They can even put one on a yacht. Uphill battle: Estonia won the war against fentanyl. But the drugs that came next were even worse. This Bud’s for you: Budweiser really wants to make it in Germany, as “Anheuser-Busch Bud.” But Germans aren’t interested. Your pick: The most clicked story in The Morning yesterday was late night hosts joking about Trump’s 250th celebration. SPORTS World Cup Argentina advanced via a late comeback over Egypt, scoring three goals in the match’s final 15 minutes to win 3-2. Lionel Messi and company will play Switzerland, which survived a nervy 0-0 tie against Colombia and won in a penalty shootout. Wimbledon Novak Djokovic, a champion at Wimbledon seven times, survived a five-set, five-hour epic match against Félix Auger-Aliassime to advance to this year’s semifinals. Coco Gauff won her first Wimbledon quarterfinal in three sets against a fellow American, Jessica Pegula. RECIPE OF THE DAY David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist. Simon Andrews. Prop Stylist: Paige Hicks. Furikake, the Japanese seasoning of dried seaweed and fish mixed with sesame seeds, salt and sugar, is known in my family as “shake.” It’s excellent sprinkled over rice, but it’s also a brilliant partner in this egg salad sandwich. Big flavors and loads of umami: soft-cooked eggs folded with mayo, Dijon mustard, pickle juice, minced red onion, chopped dill and a load of shake, with everything nestled into soft, white milk bread, oh my. That’s dinner! TODAY’S NUMBER $1 billion — That is how much damage a single hour of hail over a midsize city can cause, shattering car windshields, denting hoods, cracking shingles and punching holes in the side of homes. “Insurers now flag hail, not tornadoes, as the primary catalyst for the rising cost of living in the American heartland,” writes Judson Jones, who covers weather for us. ALL YOU CAN EAT In Las Vegas. Roger Kisby for The New York Times There were around 70 buffets along the Las Vegas Strip back in 2019, when The Las Vegas Sun called them the city’s “regional cuisine.” Now there are only half a dozen. Tejal Rao, one of our restaurant critics, took their measure, sending us some beautiful sentences from the dining room at Bacchanal, in Caesars Palace: If GLP-1s really are reshaping the national appetite — shrinking it, quieting it — the excesses of the ultimate all-you-can-eat Vegas buffet might seem like an anachronism. But it doesn’t look like the twilight of the buffet when you’re sitting in Bacchanal, feeling the gravity of the 25,000-square-foot dining room shift as a cook refills the crab station with hot Norwegian snow crab legs. More on culture The New Museum, the contemporary art center that reopened with twice the gallery space in Lower Manhattan this year, announced a new leader: Massimiliano Gioni, its longtime artistic director. William T. Vollmann’s new novel about the C.I.A. seeks to explain what led to 9/11. It runs 3,000 pages. Tom LeClair, reviewing the book for The Times, calls it a “monsterpiece.” Late night hosts called a foul on Trump after his World Cup intervention. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS Indio Solari at his last public concert, in 2017. Luis Abdala/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Discover the music of Indio Solari, the Argentine rock star who died this summer at 77. Read his obituary and then jam out to his biggest hit, “Ji, Ji, Ji.” Clip on this ace pocketknife tested by the apple-peeling box openers at Wirecutter and join me in the culture of “everyday carry.” (Remove before going to the airport, please!) GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was lapboard. 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

🇻🇪 State Department's Venezuela blowup The Trump administration's official position about Venezuela's exiled opposition leader is simple: Don't help María Corina Machado gain entry to her home country. But Deputy Secretary of State Chris Landau didn't appear to get the memo, Axios' Marc Caputo writes. Landau is suspected of twice miscommunicating U.S. policy to two countries about Machado, according to seven senior administration officials. Why it matters: Landau's alleged freelancing roiled the State Department for two days and led to internal arguments, international confusion and increased tensions with Machado supporters. 🥊 "There's a widespread belief that Landau went rogue," one of the sources told Axios. "And the evidence supports that belief." Said another: "Marco isn't happy" with Landau, who's second only to Marco Rubio at the State Department. 🔭 Zoom in: The controversy erupted after the June 24 earthquakes that rocked Venezuela and killed more than 3,500 people. Machado, living in exile in the U.S. without a valid Venezuelan passport, wanted to return to Venezuela to help with relief efforts. But administration officials interfered with her travel plans, telling Axios last week that they amounted to "gross political opportunism" that would hamper recovery and relief efforts. The intrigue: Landau, 62, is a former U.S. ambassador to Mexico and the son of a former U.S. ambassador to Venezuela. He's suspected by senior administration officials of opposing U.S. policy toward Caracas and being too close to Machado's inner circle. Keep reading.

📉 Chip stocks slide Chart: Matt Phillips/Axios Chip stocks were hammered yesterday despite reassuring news from a major player — extending their recent slide into a second week, Axios' Pete Gannon writes. Samsung, the world's largest memory-chip maker, reported explosive revenue growth, but its shares immediately fell. Investors are worried the AI boom that's been driving up chip prices can't keep growing this fast forever. The sell-off continued in the U.S., where memory stocks like Micron (-4.7%) and SanDisk (-7.3%) were slammed. Get Axios Business Suite: 3 daily newsletters.

Republicans juice "red wall" spending Republicans are dramatically boosting campaign spending on Senate races in red states that, until recently, looked safely out of Democrats' reach in the November midterms, Axios' Alex Isenstadt writes. Why it matters: The GOP — alarmed by recent polls and voting trends — is juicing its efforts in Ohio and Iowa to reinforce a Senate "red wall" they believe can block Democrats' path to a majority in the chamber. The clearest evidence yet: One Nation, the conservative nonprofit aligned with Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), is reserving $28 million in TV advertising in Ohio and $11 million in Iowa, according to plans obtained by Axios. Republican candidates are locked in tough races in those states less than two years after President Trump won both by double digits. 🔬 Zoom in: Republicans are especially worried about Ohio Sen. Jon Husted's unexpectedly competitive race against former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, who has outraised Husted by more than 2 to 1. Keep reading.