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Trump and Putin Spiral in Twin Humiliations The 80-year-old American president has long sought to match Putin’s macho image. Now they’re united by delusions. Donald Trump has finally managed to emulate the one world leader whose perceived toughness he has envied for decades—but it’s desperation the two now share. The primetime speech the 80-year-old U.S. president delivered on Thursday night may have shocked some Americans with its brazen promotion of lies, but it’s a scene Russians have watched play out for years–they are deeply familiar with Vladimir Putin taking over primetime broadcasts to tell them falsehoods as a pretext for the next big power grab. But Trump and Putin aren’t simply feeding their people lies: They are fueled by delusions even as chaos and unrest build up around them, and they are more dangerous and unpredictable than ever. As Trump seeks to amplify election conspiracy theories that have long been debunked in an apparent quest to cling to power, Putin is hellbent on keeping his war alive even if he has no country left afterwards. “No matter how much Trump’s and Putin’s public support fades away, they will continue to live in their bubbles, fed lies by their closest circles,” Russia’s leading economist, professor of the University of Chicago Konstantin Sonin, told the Daily Beast in an exclusive interview. In the early 2000s Sonin was involved in preparing analytical reports for the Russian Center for Strategic Research, and he met with Putin to discuss economic issues and reforms. He understood the inner workings of the Kremlin and is now surprised to see the similarities between Putin’s and Trump’s entourages. “We have seen Putin rule Russia out of a bubble since the early 2000s and surprisingly, they are creating the same bubble for Trump in Washington. Both Putin and Trump don’t care about their cracking facades, ratings—they won’t pay attention until their public support collapses to 5 percent,” he said. Faced with sinking approval ratings over the economic fallout of their respective wars, both Putin and Trump have ignored the writing on the wall—and in some cases advice from their own aides—and instead forged ahead with new legislative changes to cling to power. As the White House works to restrict mail-in voting ahead of November’s midterm elections, the Kremlin’s “strong men” reportedly try to convince Putin to postpone the parliamentary elections scheduled for September. Russians who were eyewitnesses to their country’s descent into dictatorship say the similarity between Putin and Trump should trigger alarm bells in America. Surrounded by sycophants and constantly exposed to flattery, they both ignore the cracks in the facade of their power, so detached from reality that they’re convinced they’re winning when all evidence points to the contrary. Putin, faced with sinking approval ratings and growing outrage over gasoline shortages linked to his war, has doubled down on fulfilling his fantasy of seizing more Ukrainian land even as it becomes increasingly laughable. Trump, too, has ignored calls to prioritize domestic issues and the U.S. economy, choosing instead to barrel ahead with a war against Iran that most Americans didn’t support to begin with, while also amplifying long-debunked election conspiracy theories in an apparent bid to influence the outcome of upcoming midterm elections. Both are obsessed with their legacies, even as it becomes increasingly clear that the damage they leave behind will be devastating. Russian historian Andrey Zubov says about Putin in Ukraine: “The war is lost, that’s clear; when he leaves Ukraine, his regime will fall.” But neither Putin nor Trump listens to the historians, preferring instead to double down on claims that everything is going great. Even as Putin praised Russia’s economic success at a summit in Kazan last month, Ukrainian drones rained on Russia’s capital in one of the biggest attacks on Moscow since 2022, the year Putin started the war. In Russian memes on social media, Putin’s famously long table for official meetings was shown flying over a burning oil refinery. Putin’s former adviser and image maker, Marat Gelman, says the two leaders of the world’s biggest nuclear powers share the same predatory hunger for “hegemony in global affairs.” Kremlin officials tell Putin and Russians: “If there is no Putin, there is no Russia.” Likewise, Trump tells Americans that instead of putting trust in each other, they should put it in him, suggesting: “I alone can fix it.” The two leaders also share friends. The UFC fight at Trump’s White House birthday bash last month was perceived in the Kremlin as something familiar and habitual. It was praised as “the most spectacular show in the history of the White House” by state-controlled media. At the party, the 80-year-old U.S. president chatted with a muscular 37-year-old man whose face is well-known in Moscow. Eight months into Putin’s war in Ukraine, when dozens of U.S. companies were leaving Russia, Justin Gaethje visited Putin’s pocket republic of Chechnya to shoot guns and hang out with Chechen leaders considered war criminals in many Western states. To project a macho image, Putin often surrounds himself with much younger strong men, too. In the past few weeks, Putin met with judo champions and with a Russian 32-year-old boxing star, Murat Gassiev. It was a rare occasion when somebody made Putin laugh and joke about drinking champagne. “Putin turned into a Russian Tsar during his third presidential term that started in 2012—that’s Trump’s dream, the changed constitution, the day he can reign in America, the way Putin does in Russia,” Gelman told the Daily Beast. As a member of the Russian Anti-War Committee, founded by exiled Russians, Gelman recently presented artworks by Russian political prisoners at a conference in Strasbourg. In March, Russia’s Supreme Court designated the Russian Anti-War Committee “a terrorist organization.” Trump has openly expressed a desire to target his own critics in a similar manner, reportedly urging his attorney general to use the threat of treason charges to investigate media leaks that involved criticism of his war in Iran. “Both Trump and Putin are building a new world, where the state and oligarchy are grown together and rule, eliminating the role of the middle class—America is going that way, that’s dangerous,” the former Kremlin insider warned. Despite their tough-guy personas, Trump and Putin have revealed themselves to be remarkably thin-skinned. Trump has famously waged a war against late-night comedy shows where he was often the butt of the joke. Last year, Jimmy Kimmel Live! was suspended for several days after pressure from conservatives and Trump’s administration. Putin banned the political Puppets show in his first presidential term, in 2002. And last month, Poland arrested a suspect in the murder of an exiled Russian satirist who had mocked Putin; investigators are looking into whether Moscow ordered the assassination. Svetlana Gannushkina, a well-known human rights activist based in Moscow, was designated a “foreign agent” after she joked about Putin’s mental health. She said she sees similarities in Putin’s and Trump’s behavior. “They are both sick with megalomania and a mission of making their countries great,” she said, “while citizens’ suffering deepens.” https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-and-putin-spiral-in-twin-humiliations/?

THIS DAY IN HISTORY July 19 1848 Seneca Falls Convention begins At the Wesleyan Chapel in Seneca Falls, New York, a woman’s rights convention—the first ever held in the United States—convenes with almost 200 women in attendance. The convention was organized by Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, two abolitionists who met at the 1840 World Anti-Slavery Convention in London. As women, Mott and Stanton were […] read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT Ancient Rome 64 Nero’s Rome burns Cold War 1956 United States withdraws offer of aid for Aswan Dam Crime 1879 Doc Holliday kills for the first time European History 1553 Lady Jane Grey deposed as Queen of England Inventions & Science 1942 George Washington Carver begins experimental project with Henry Ford World War II 1943 America bombs Rome

Social media influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate arrested in Miami, US Marshals Service tells AP Influencer brothers Andrew and Tristan Tate, whose social media empire promoting wealth, male dominance and misogyny has made them among the world’s most polarizing internet personalities, were arrested Saturday in Miami as British authorities sought their extradition on rape and sex trafficking charges. https://apnews.com/article/tate-brothers-social-influencers-arrest-82b6638219839dcf653c09309da66f16?

Mexico's president to attend World Cup final at Trump's invitation Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said she will attend Sunday's World Cup final after an invitation from her U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump, their first meeting since December after months of verbal sparring. Read More.

Takeaways from the AP-NORC poll of more than 1,000 Jewish Americans The Associated Press surveyed more than 1,000 Jewish adults in the U.S. to better understand their views on Israel's military actions in Gaza, their opinions of the political parties and their experiences with prejudice in the United States. Read More.

David Crowley reenters battleground Wisconsin’s Democratic governor primary with Gov. Evers’ backing Two weeks after shuttering his bid for Wisconsin governor, David Crowley reentered the state's Democratic primary on Saturday, with the Milwaukee County executive boasting a last-minute backing from outgoing Gov. Tony Evers in a seeming move to best position the party for success in November. Read More.

The Animals Went in Two by Two, According to Babylonian Ark Tablet We all know the story of Noah’s Ark. Ever since George Smith’s 1872 translation of Babylonian texts similar to the Biblical Deluge (see “George Smith’s Other Find” below), we’ve also known about echoes of the Genesis narrative in pre-Biblical Mesopotamian texts. A recently translated Old Babylonian (c. 1900–1700 B.C.E.) tablet has literally reshaped our vision of the Babylonian vessel used to weather the storm and builds bridges across the floodwaters dividing the Biblical and Mesopotamian accounts of the flood. https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/news/the-animals-went-in-two-by-two-according-to-babylonian-ark-tablet/?

Florida death row inmate wants DeSantis to attend his pending execution Dennis Michael Sochor, convicted of strangling an 18-year-old woman he met at a New Year’s celebration in a Broward County bar 44 years ago, is scheduled to die by lethal injection Tuesday at Florida State Prison. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/07/10/florida-death-row-inmate-wants-desantis-to-attend-his-pending-execution/? Environmental group drops ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ pollution suit after site shuts down An environmental group seeking to punish state operators of the “Alligator Alcatraz” immigration lockup for alleged pollution of the Florida Everglades has withdrawn its case, the Center for Biological Diversity announced Monday. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/07/14/environmental-group-drops-alligator-alcatraz-pollution-suit-after-site-shuts-down/? AG James Uthmeier launches investigation into bread additive Attorney General James Uthmeier announced Monday he is launching a probe into commercial baking products containing potassium bromate with an eye on sales of products to Florida schools. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/07/13/ag-james-uthmeier-launches-investigation-into-bread-additive/?

Farage’s furious clash with Times editor stuns figures close to him ‘Strong confrontation’ comes at fragile moment for Reform’s relations with rightwing media as coverage turns negative https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jul/18/nigel-farage-clash-times-editor-reform?

Indian activist linked to Cockroach party moved to hospital after 20-day hunger strike Sonam Wangchuk has been fasting to demand the resignation of India’s education minister because of alleged irregularities in medical exams https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/18/indian-activist-linked-to-cockroach-party-moved-to-hospital-after-20-day-hunger-strike?

Trump speech lays groundwork for him to tamper with midterm results, critics warn Democrats and advocates sound alarm at Trump rehashing false claims about 2020 election in his primetime address https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/17/trump-speech-midterm-election-voting? ps:Shouldn't just be democrats, but all people that know how pathetic these lies are getting!!

US launches seventh night of Iran strikes as Hormuz conflict escalates Central Command says attacks were designed to ‘continue degrading Iranian military capabilities’ https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/17/us-launches-seventh-night-of-iran-strikes-as-hormuz-conflict-escalates?

Israeli ministers announce plans for new illegal settlements in Gaza and West Bank Defence minister seeks three ‘Nahal’ outposts in Gaza as top commander says Israel now controls 65% of the strip, violating Trump ceasefire deal https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/18/israel-plan-new-illegal-settlements-gaza-west-bank-occupied-palestine? ps:Notice the operative word here "illegal" and are people ok with what they are doing in the West Bank and Gaza??

For more than 60 years, Adventist Aviation Services has served as a vital lifeline for isolated communities where road access is limited or non-existent. https://adventist.news/news/australian-government-partners-with-adventist-aviation

Outreach program at a Medellín school reaches Deaf and hearing students through visual storytelling and sign language. https://adventist.news/news/in-colombia-sign-language-ministry-builds-bridges-with-deaf-community

The workshop is one of the Infusion Hope Center's several initiatives to reach the local community. https://adventist.news/news/in-chile-a-crochet-and-knitting-workshop-strengthens-community-ties

Yes. The sin was transferred through the laying on of hands and confession, not by the blood. The blood cleansed/ atoned for sin. It did not transfer it. Almost all things are cleansed by blood. That's one way of looking at it.

But then the lamb had to be sacrificed, the shedding of blood to pay for wages the sin. Matthew 26:28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Bible tells us... 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 21 Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; 22 Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts. Once you are sealed, the adversary cannot temp or lead you into sin. see what it says in Revelation 7. 3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. 4 And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.

The spirit of the dragon's hallmark teaching is a denial of the Gospel in AFFIRMING that something other than what was "according to the Scriptures" could have happened to Christ.

Trump shifts his tone on Jimmy Carter while grappling with Iran, inflation and his own legacy Jimmy Carter used to be one of President Donald Trump ’s favorite political targets, a catchall foil for feckless Democrats that he could jeer at to make himself look strong and decisive. Read More.

Safety fears limit Ebola response in Congo, with more than 12 attacks recorded At least a dozen attacks on health facilities and workers have been recorded during Congo's Ebola outbreak as safety fears restrict the response in the worst-affected region, authorities said Saturday. Read More.

Venezuela earthquakes death toll surpasses 5,000 The death toll from the two powerful earthquakes that shook Venezuela last month rose to 5,069 late on Friday, local authorities said. Read More.

US military launches new airstrikes to ‘swiftly punish’ Iran for deaths of US troops DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The U.S. military said that it carried out new airstrikes against Iran on Sunday to “swiftly punish” the country’s Revolutionary Guard after an attack on a base in Jordan killed two American service members, left one missing and four requiring hospitalization. https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-hormuz-strait-war-july-18-2026-5adfef67554652580963684d9a663af2?

Trump repeated election integrity claims in primetime address. Here are 16 we've fact-checked In his July 16 address, Trump revisited long-running claims about mail ballots, voting machines, noncitizen voters and the 2020 election. https://www.snopes.com/collections/trump-election-integrity-claims/?