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'Anti-weaponization' fund President Donald Trump's attorney general nominee Todd Blanche said Sunday he is rescinding the president's $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund after Senate Republicans threatened to block his nomination over the controversial agreement. The fund would have offered taxpayer money to people who claimed they were victims of weaponization by the federal government – including those involved with the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Blanche had already said the fund was dead, but by officially rescinding his previous order, he removes one of the biggest obstacles to his confirmation. ps:What? So he can re-bring it after his conformation?????

August 3, 2026 By Evan Gorelick Good morning. President Trump said that new talks with Iran would begin today. And Ariana Grande said she’d take a break from public life after her tour ends next month. There’s more news below. But first, we’re sizing up tomorrow’s primary contest in Michigan — and what it means for the future of the Democratic Party. Dr. Abdul El-Sayed and Representative Haley Stevens. Nick Hagen and Emily Elconin for The New York Times Michigan looks left Democrats are focused on Israel. There are plenty of other big, thorny issues at play this primary season — health care, taxes, immigration. But for many voters, the candidates seem to come in two flavors: Israel supporters and Israel detractors. So far, the supporters are getting crushed. Voters in Colorado, Illinois, New Jersey and New York have rejected them in favor of progressive candidates who have called the Gaza war a genocide and campaigned on stanching U.S. military aid to Israel. Each rebuke seems to deepen the sense that the party is drifting leftward. But these tests have taken place mostly in deep-blue districts. So tomorrow, when Democratic voters in Michigan — a swing state that went for Donald Trump in 2024 — pick their candidate in a do-or-die Senate race, the entire party will be watching. The matchup On the left side of the ring is Representative Haley Stevens, a moderate in a district north of Detroit. On the further-left side of the ring is Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive former public health official and professor. They’re competing for the seat held by Senator Gary Peters, a moderate Democrat. (He’s retiring.) The winner will face the Republican Mike Rogers, a former congressman. Two years ago, Rogers ran for Michigan’s other Senate seat and lost by 0.3 percent, some 19,000 votes, to Elissa Slotkin, a moderate Democrat. Haley Stevens Stevens does not believe there has been a genocide in Gaza — and has received a record $30 million in advertising help from AIPAC, the nation’s leading pro-Israel lobbying group. (She once said at a Hanukkah celebration that “Israel comes to me in my dreams.”) Yet she has sought to shift the debate away from Israel. In an interview with The Times, she made it clear that she’d prefer to talk about rising costs and the struggles of manufacturing industries under Trump. Haley Stevens Emily Elconin for The New York Times Stevens, 43, has worked in and around politics since she graduated college, and she holds relatively few public campaign events. When she does, she speaks with a thick Midwestern accent that has been shared and memed ad nauseam. She has won over many Black voters with help from an old boss, Barack Obama. AIPAC shelled out more than $6 million on an ad showing Obama praising Stevens, who once served on a task force in his administration. (Obama has not endorsed her.) Stevens says she has the broad appeal needed to beat Rogers in the general election, and she’s backed by a parade of establishment Democrats in Michigan — Peters, Slotkin, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer — and beyond, including Senator Chuck Schumer. Read more about Stevens. Abdul El-Sayed El-Sayed is campaigning on a sharply anti-Israel platform that also calls for abolishing ICE, raising taxes on the rich and making Medicare available to all Americans. He’s a charismatic speaker who can draw a crowd. And he’s keenly aware that Democratic voters are in an anti-establishment, Israel-skeptical mood. He has called Israel’s government “evil” and hammered Stevens for her ties to AIPAC, a newly polarizing force in the party. He has refused money from corporate PACs and pulled in nearly $15 million from individual donors. Abdul El-Sayed Nick Hagen for The New York Times A Michigan-born son of Egyptian immigrants, El-Sayed, 41, would be the country’s first Muslim senator. He trained as an epidemiologist, became a professor and then led the Detroit Health Department. He ran for governor in 2018 but lost by more than 20 points. Now buoyed by young, white and college-educated voters, El-Sayed rallies with progressive luminaries like Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Senator Bernie Sanders and the leftist streamer Hasan Piker. While many of his boosters label themselves as democratic socialists, El-Sayed does not identify as one, and he hasn’t been endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America. Read more about El-Sayed. The stakes Democrats need to keep the Michigan seat blue and flip at least four Republican-held seats in other states to win control of the Senate. For progressives pushing the party to rethink its relationship with Israel, this race matters far beyond Michigan. Same goes for establishment Democrats feeling queasy about El-Sayed’s electability — and for some Jews fearing where he could take the party. But El-Sayed may be cruising. Polls released this past week showed him with a 10- to 19-point lead over Stevens. The online prediction markets Kalshi and Polymarket are bullish; as of last night, they put his odds of winning at around 97 percent. Related: In the video below, Shane Goldmacher, our national political correspondent, explains why Democrats must defend the Michigan seat and why Republicans see an opportunity. Click to watch. The New York Times More races to watch tomorrow: Michigan’s Seventh congressional district, one of the most competitive in the country, will choose between Trump’s former ambassador to Ukraine (who resigned last year, protesting the president’s coziness with Russia); a retired Navy SEAL; and a progressive organizer backed by Bernie Sanders. The winner will face the incumbent, Tom Barrett, one of a handful of Republicans who have voted in favor of checking Trump’s authority to wage war in Iran. Missouri’s First congressional district will be a rematch between former Representative Cori Bush, a democratic socialist “squad” member, and Wesley Bell, a more moderate prosecutor who ousted Bush from her seat two years ago with heavy support from AIPAC. The pro-Israel lobbying group is once again spending millions to block Bush. THE LATEST NEWS Politics Todd Blanche Kenny Holston/The New York Times Todd Blanche confirmed in writing that the Justice Department would abandon elements of the deal it struck with Trump to resolve his I.R.S. lawsuit. Two Republican senators had threatened to block Blanche’s confirmation for attorney general otherwise. U.S. officials confirmed that the Treasury Department intervened last week to prop up the Japanese yen, which had been trading near four-decade lows. The Pentagon is relying on closed-door hearings to kick out transgender service members. Here's how they work. Around the World In Venezuela. Fabiola Ferrero for The New York Times More than a month after twin earthquakes, Venezuela’s coastal region of La Guaira — once a lively beachside escape — is completely disfigured. Record heat waves have given postal workers in France an additional role: checking in on older people. Two people died in Greece when helicopters collided while fighting wildfires. Morocco has been considered a North African success story. But the rush on the Spanish territory of Ceuta raises questions about the Moroccan economy. Other Big Stories The gunman who opened fire at an In-N-Out Burger in Twin Falls, Idaho, was slowed by returned fire from an off-duty state trooper and a private citizen, the authorities said. Residents of rural Florida say that a major marijuana producer with ties to Trump is polluting water and spreading smells. OPINIONS The New York Times Ezra Klein says “The Odyssey” is the political movie of the decade. He explains in the video above. Baseball should remain imperfect. Enough with the robot umpires, J.R. Moehringer writes. Daniela J. Lamas, a pulmonary and critical care physician, once delivered dire news to a patient only for the patient to improve. Doctors shouldn’t be afraid to tolerate uncertainty, she writes. Deeply reported journalism needs your support. The Times relies on subscribers to help fund our mission. Become a subscriber today. MORNING READS We’ve made these links free for you. Kerry Tasker for The New York Times Promise and peril: A unique tidal bore in Alaska can carry a surfer for six miles. It can also kill. Scheming bots: A.I. is being trained to copy almost everything people do. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the machines have started lying and cheating. Your pick: The most clicked link in The Morning yesterday was about a hike planned with Google Maps that took far longer than expected. Metropolitan Diary: A beautiful baritone. Horse whisperer: Monty Roberts rejected 4,200 years of conventional wisdom to embrace humane, nonviolent methods of training untamed horses. That won enthusiastic approval from Queen Elizabeth II, who became a friend. He died at 91. TODAY’S NUMBER OpenAI $70 — That is the price, not including tax and shipping, of an official ChatGPT tie-dyed basketball. Tech companies, once known for nerdy, low-key hoodies and sneakers, are getting fancy with their merch, often creating it in collaboration with hip brands and designers. Fashion critics aren’t impressed. SPORTS M.L.B.: The trade deadline is hours away and teams are making their moves. Yesterday, the Yankees acquired the Nationals infielder Luis García Jr., the Mets dealt the starter Freddy Peralta to the Rays and the Blue Jays sent the longtime starter Kevin Gausman to the Cubs. Soccer: Europe’s governing body for soccer has threatened legal action over FIFA’s failed private investment plan. RECIPE OF THE DAY Armando Rafael for The New York Times For a summertime update on a beloved Chinese dish, Hetty Lui McKinnon freshens up cold sesame noodles with crisp cucumbers, raw corn and aromatic basil. Her minimalist dressing brings together three flavor-dense condiments: chile crisp, sesame oil and sesame paste. No sesame paste? Tahini works, too. Toss with your favorite noodles. THE VOICE OF GOD As a U.S. secretary of state in “Lioness.” Lauren Smith/Paramount+ Morgan Freeman has voiced deities and presidents, and he is the go-to narrator for your favorite documentarian. At almost 90 years old, he still can’t understand the fuss over his voice. More on culture Here’s your recap of the latest episode of “House of the Dragon.” There still be dragons! “Awake Awake,” Fiona Mozley’s confident and unsettling third novel, suggests that childhood friendships may have a greater impact on our adult life than family relationships, our reviewer writes. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS The Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness Area in New Mexico. Bob Wick/Planet Pix, via ZUMA Wire See natural wonders without the crowds of a national park. Our Travel desk’s picks include ice caves, rugged gorges and something called the Alien Egg Hatchery. Read one of these 22 new books that the editors on the Book Review are looking forward to this month. Spend some time with Seurat. “A Sunday on La Grande Jatte” is this week’s 10-minute challenge. Take our news quiz. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangrams were channeled and dancehall. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Crossplay and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. 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

💰 Data du jour: Earnings bonanza Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios America's biggest companies are on a hot streak this earnings season: They're reporting double-digit profit growth in spite of high interest rates, higher energy prices and cautious consumer spending, the Financial Times reports ($). Stunning stat: S&P 500 companies are on track to report profits that are 47.4% higher than a year ago, according to FactSet. If that holds, it would mark the strongest quarter for corporate profit growth in five years — since the pandemic rebound. Nearly 90% of S&P 500 companies have reported profits that beat Wall Street's expectations.

🇻🇪 Venezuela oil logjam Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Stock: Getty Images Nearly eight months after President Trump predicted U.S. companies would "rapidly rebuild Venezuela's dilapidated oil industry" to boost production, no new petroleum deals have been finalized with American firms. The U.S. Department of Energy is largely to blame, a dozen oil industry professionals, senior U.S. officials and Venezuela insiders tell Axios' Marc Caputo. 📈 Why it matters: The price of oil is climbing as the Iran war squeezes global supplies, spotlighting the absence of finalized deals in Venezuela — a nation with the highest estimated petroleum reserves on the planet. "We have no new concessions. No new deals. It is absolutely a problem," a senior U.S. official told Axios. "The Energy Department is in charge of this and they have some explaining to do." The Energy Department and its defenders call the criticisms misleading and unfair. Between the lines: Trump's plan was complicated by two divides — one in his own government, the other in the oil industry. 🥊 Trump's administration is split between MAGA types and regulatory professionals: MAGA loyalists want Washington to heed Trump's Jan. 9 comments and force Venezuela's state-run oil company, called PDVSA, to quickly adopt common international industry contracting standards. The more cautious bureaucrats in the Energy Department, who have relatively little international oil-industry experience, advocated for a slower process, working more collaboratively with Caracas. 🛢️ The oil industry is split between major global firms that move relatively slowly and deliberatively, and smaller independent firms — nicknamed "wildcatters" — known for their speed and higher risk tolerance. The "majors," like Exxon and ConocoPhillips, publicly made clear they were cool to the idea of going back to Venezuela because of all the uncertainty. But several wildcatters were eager to get in. Keep reading.

Headless Dems Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Stock: Getty Images A special look for AM readers at Axios CEO Jim VandeHei's political briefing, published first in his weekly Axios C-Suite newsletter: You're probably 582 days from Democrats having a true leader who can show and shape the party's direction. Why it matters: Until Super Tuesday — that's March 7, 2028 — or well beyond, Democrats will be leaderless, and likely split between rising socialist energy and more traditional, establishment liberalism. 🔎 Zoom in: DNC Chair Ken Martin will likely get ousted and leave behind a hot financial mess and cashless dumpster fire, top Dems tell us. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.) has a legit shot at rising to speaker. But he'd likely lack a big enough majority, as well as the instincts and ambition, to lead beyond the House. The future of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) is fragile. If he doesn't win the majority, he'll likely be challenged for the top job. Then, he'll be preoccupied with AOC running for his Senate seat and ending his career. Even if she goes for the White House instead, his future at home and as party leader is in doubt. Barack Obama is the only Dem with true national sway — and he's made plain he wants to work things mostly behind the scenes (although he's headlining a redistricting fundraiser on Martha's Vineyard on Aug. 31). 👑 That leaves Bernie Sanders as the most powerful kingmaker for '28 given his network and sustained popularity. Advantage: AOC.

Winning the future Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Stock: Getty Images America has been napping or distracted by trivialities while China is racing toward the future, in part by taking advantage of President Trump's trade, immigration and budget policies. That's the eye-opening reality that Evan Osnos unfurls in a 12-page piece for The New Yorker, "The Future, Made in China." Why it matters: China could beat the U.S. to the future on a host of fronts, including engineering a cure for cancer. 🇨🇳 "For China, America's retreat comes just as decades of state investment, industrial policy, and diplomatic planning are paying off," Osnos writes. An American executive told him: "People in Washington are worried that biotech is the next E.V.s ... We've scared all of this f*cking talent back to China. If you look at the guys who are doing this, they used to work for Western pharma giants, or they were running a top university department somewhere." In a flex, China now welcomes Western influencers, investors and commentators on "tech tours" that yield "infrastructure porn" and "Chinamaxxing." 🛂 Being there: Osnos, who lived in Beijing for eight years as a foreign correspondent, returned for 10 days as part of four months of reporting. He says the capital is noticeably quieter than when he left in 2013 — "an awkward serenity to life in the capital of a high-tech, one-party state." "The vehicles, many of which are electric now, move silently through the streets, and in any case the residents have fewer reasons to go out; China has the world's busiest e-commerce market, and there isn't much that can't be delivered on the back of a scooter," he writes. "All day long, people scan each other's QR codes to swap cash on such digital-payment systems as WeChat and Alipay, feeding the algorithms an ever more intricate portrait of their movements and preferences." 👁️ The surveillance future is here: Osnos felt constantly watched — because he was, including psychologically. At an AI expo in Beijing, Osnos stood in front of a kiosk that took an emotional X-ray by measuring "micro-gestures" in his face. The results: He possesses 76.67% positive emotion and 23.33% negative emotion, split between fear and rage. The state can use such readings to zero in on potential disruptors. The same manufacturer makes a scan for schools that assigns pupils an alert level of red, yellow or blue. By the numbers: China produces 70% of the world's drones, electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries and solar cells, the magazine says, and "deploys more industrial robots than the rest of the world combined, and, in medicine, it has surpassed the United States in the number of registered clinical trials." China's shipbuilding capacity is 200 times that of the U.S. 💡 Between the lines: China's rulers avoid "overtly antagonizing America, because they believe that, even in decline, it remains uniquely dangerous." But Rush Doshi, China specialist at Georgetown and CFR, says that if the U.S. loses the next wave of industries — AI, biotech and robotics — as it lost on solar panels, batteries and electric vehicles, "it would irreversibly change the balance of power." A think tank at Renmin University of China, in Beijing, published a report called "Thank Trump," which argues that his tariffs, attacks on allies and immigration policies have hastened the "twilight of an empire." The bottom line: A European diplomat who has attended meetings with Xi Jinping and his advisers told Osnos they're "feeling like the champions of the world." Keep reading.

THIS DAY IN HISTORY August 3 1958 Nautilus submarine travels under North Pole The U.S. nuclear submarine Nautilus accomplishes the first undersea voyage to the geographic North Pole read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 1970s 1975 Boeing 707 crashes into a mountain near Agadir, Morocco Arts & Entertainment 1996 “The Macarena” begins its reign atop the U.S. pop charts 1977 “The Spy Who Loved Me” released in U.S. theaters 2008 Multimillion-dollar baby photos published Cold War 1948 Chambers accuses Hiss of being a communist spy Crime 1982 Sodomy arrest sparks controversy European History 1916 Sir Roger Casement hanged Exploration 1492 Columbus sets sail from Spain Sports 1949 NBA is born 1984 Gymnast Mary Lou Retton scores two perfect '10s' to win Olympic All-Around Gold U.S. Government and Politics 1795 Treaty of Greenville signed, ending the Northwest Indian War U.S. Presidents 1923 Calvin Coolidge takes oath of office after Warren G. Harding’s death World War I 1914 Germany declares war on France

A bolt of lightning can reach 53,540 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s 5 times hotter than the surface of the sun, which is 10,340 degrees Fahrenheit. James

GOP holdouts say they will back Blanche’s attorney general nomination after striking deal over fund WASHINGTON (AP) — Two Republican senators who threatened to block acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s confirmation to lead the Justice Department said Monday that they will support his nomination, ending an impasse over plans to create a fund to compensate allies of President Donald Trump. https://apnews.com/article/senate-blanche-trump-justice-fund-a38decfc7f20e4f73a181914d53111da?

Abdul El-Sayed on The Intercept Briefing On Tuesday, Abdul El-Sayed and Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., will face off in the Michigan Democratic Senate primary. The race is the next biggest test of whether progressives can win statewide, particularly in purple territory. https://theintercept.com/2026/07/31/democrats-michigan-el-sayed-stevens-left-moderate/? Corporations, Not Immigrants, Are Responsible for Vast Majority of Healthcare Fraud, OIG Report Shows For more than a year, the Trump administration has sought to blame immigrants for widespread health care fraud. Immigrant communities, the Trump administration’s bunk theory goes, are draining resources and raising costs by defrauding the federal government. https://theintercept.com/2026/07/31/immigrants-healthcare-medicare-fraud-scam/? Free Speech Crackdown: Germany Deports Bob Vylan Frontman for Anti-Israel Chants The frontman of British punk rap band Bob Vylan was denied entry to Germany, detained at the Berlin airport, and ultimately deported to the United Kingdom last month due to his pro-Palestine statements. https://theintercept.com/2026/07/30/bob-vylan-germany-deport-palestine-israel/? Cori Bush Has No Regrets The internet had a field day last summer when a picture surfaced of Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., with his arm around a former Democratic member of Congress. https://theintercept.com/2026/08/01/missouri-cori-bush-wesley-bell-primary-aipac/? Trump’s Truth Social API Is a Blatantly Corrupt Favor to Wall Street For the low, low price of $100,000 a month, the ever-oxymoronic Truth Social is now selling direct access to its most important posts — or, in the firm’s preferred parlance, “truths” — to Wall Street. That’s an expedited lane to access statements and data from the president of the United States and other government officials, which have significant potential to move financial markets, ahead of us suckers in the general public. https://theintercept.com/2026/08/01/truth-social-api-trump-wall-street/?

Normally, in the Bible, Jesus, as well as the disciples, simply cast the demon out. If we find an exception to the norm, it is wise to ask "Why the exception?" instead of turning to the exception and see how we can make this the rule. If I recall correctly, there are two exceptions to the norm. The boy with the seizures and the one or two men where the pigs ran into the sea. Fundamentalists may not be happy with my comments here, but please take for your consideration. With the boy having the seizures; Jesus says that this kind does not come out except for fasting and prayer. While I am not an expert in language, from what I've read and heard in lectures from those who understand the language, the idea of fasting and prayer can be understood as say a doctor or scientist who is prayerfully studying and experimenting and so focused on their research that they often forget to eat and sleep. So could this boy simply have had a physical condition that gave seizures, and while Jesus could do the physical healing, that he was telling his disciples that this is not simply demons, but something that they really need to study to discover the cause and develop a cure? The second exception is the one or two men where the pigs ran into the sea. Ok, I confess that their breaking the chains is something that may indicate traditional demons. However, a couple of things to keep in mind, with another suggestion if you bear with me. This man/These men were pagans. He/They were gentiles. They lived in a Greek City State set up from the conquests of Greece to show people in the rest of the world how wonderful Greek life is to encourage the people living in the area to not only be Greek subjects by conquest, but to change their lives and embrace Greece life and thought in total. (The idea of a city set on a hill, but instead of a Christian faith, these cities were to draw everyone to Greece.) There were 10 of these cities just east of the Jordan in the hills. It would have been to one of these 10 cities that would have been the "far country" for the Prodigal Son went. This man/These men would have known little of the Jews who lived in small Jewish communities across the lake. So first of all, Jesus needed to work with the man/men, and their pagan/gentile/Greek background. This man/These men living in the Greek City State probably were raised from childhood in how special it was to be Greek and how they were to be examples for all the non-Greeks living around them of how wonderful Greek life and thought are. Yet, for some reason, this missionary mindset made them uncomfortable. Also, may I also wonder if he/they may have also suffered from what we call mental illness. Jesus did what he did to work with these people who were ignorant of the Bible and ignorant of Judaism. Even if they had traditional demons Jesus still needed to work with how this man/these men are. And if it is just the suffering in them suppose to be showing how wonderful Greek life is, and they just are uncomfortable with this idea, and/or mental illness; Jesus can heal the mind, but they might from time to time start thinking things that could lead back to problems. Seeing the pigs run into the sea and drown is always a reminder that if they start thinking the wrong way that they remember the pigs and they choose against the bad thought they were about to think. Jesus also needed to learn where these men were coming from, remembering they were getting views about the demonic not from the Bible and/or Judaism, but from a pagan background. Jesus could not make the same assumptions about the cause of this/these men's sufferings as he could in the Jewish communities. Jesus needed to do what was appropriate for their pagan/Greek background. And this personal care was important as this/these people born and raised to be missionaries of Greek life and thought, ended up becoming the first Christian missionaries to the gentiles.

Israel says it has serious concerns with Hamas disarmament deal Israel has shared “serious security concerns” with the White House regarding the proposed disarmament deal with Hamas, an Israeli official said as Israeli strikes overnight and into Sunday evening killed at least 17 people, including children, in Gaza. Read More.

Ken Martin hunkers down at the Democratic National Committee as a storm gathers around party leader Ken Martin is in survival mode. Read More.

Ukrainian drones kill 5 in Russia and set fire to Wildberries warehouse Ukrainian drone strikes killed at least five people across Russia, also hitting industrial sites and a further warehouse belonging to Russia’s e-commerce giant Wildberries, local officials said. Read More.

Ukrainian drones kill 5 in Russia and set fire to Wildberries warehouse Ukrainian drone strikes killed at least five people across Russia, also hitting industrial sites and a further warehouse belonging to Russia’s e-commerce giant Wildberries, local officials said. Read More. 🇮🇷 Negotiation day Iranian-made Zolfaghar missiles on display at Azadi Square in Tehran yesterday. Photo: Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images President Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One yesterday that negotiations with Iran will begin this afternoon after he canceled attack plans Saturday night. "I was asked to by Saudi Arabia, by UAE, by Qatar, and by Iran," he said, confirming reporting by Axios' Barak Ravid. "[T]he reason they asked is they think there's a deal. There's a deal on Hormuz, and then there will be a deal on the ... denuclearization of Iran." 👀 Oil fell on signs of a diplomatic breakthrough. (Bloomberg)

Ok lets take a look. I go to Wednesday night service and worship and praise with the brethren. Is it the Sabbath, no. I have elders meeting on Tuesday and do worship and praise with the elders. Is it the Sabbath, no. I have church board meeting on or near the first of the month on a weekday and do worship and praise with the board. Is it the Sabbath, no. And then get this, I have mens ministry meeting on Sunday morning and do worship and praise with the men. Is it the Sabbath.. are you seeing the direction I am going with this...

Idaho fast food restaurant shooting leaves 3 dead and 7 injured, city spokesman says BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Three people were killed and seven more were injured, some critically, in a shooting at an In-N-Out Burger restaurant in southern Idaho on Saturday afternoon, a Twin Falls city spokesman said. https://apnews.com/article/shooting-idaho-twin-falls-15be31e5c532e7dfe4b7108d83dd47be? Suspect in shooting at Idaho fast-food restaurant died from self-inflicted gunshot wound, police say TWIN FALLS, Idaho (AP) — The suspect in a fatal shooting at a fast-food restaurant in Idaho died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said Sunday, crediting an off-duty officer and a citizen with firing shots that diverted him. https://apnews.com/article/twin-falls-idaho-shooting-fast-food-restaurant-2b1104d872124c2733faec0ddb89ffc4?

FACT FOCUS: Migrant crossing in Spain’s Ceuta breeds unsubstantiated claims BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — A crisis at the border in Ceuta, a tiny Spanish territory in North Africa, has resulted in unsubstantiated claims about Spain’s migration policies and the causes of the border surge at the territory’s frontier with Morocco. https://apnews.com/article/spain-migration-ceuta-morocco-facts-50baa964ecfb07a2d19223d7ec375b91?

🐶 1 for the road: Surfing pups A dog catches a wave during the World Dog Surfing Championships yesterday in Pacifica, Calif. Photo: Haven Daley/AP Top dogs were riding waves yesterday at the 10th annual World Dog Surfing Championships in Pacifica, Calif., about 14 miles south of San Francisco. Watch a video.

🚰 Iran suspected in Midwest water attacks Water tower in Plymouth, Minn., which was hit with a cyberattack. Photo: Ellen Schmidt/AP At least 40 municipal water systems in Minnesota and Michigan have been hit with cyberattacks, with Iran as the leading suspect. "Officials cautioned that they had not definitively determined that Iran was responsible for the attack and that the investigation was still preliminary," The New York Times reports. "But they said Iran had stepped up cyberattacks since the U.S. and Israel launched a war against the country five months ago, and had previously targeted similar water systems and other critical infrastructure in the U.S." Get the latest.

📝 AI's manifesto war Silicon Valley's AI moguls are flooding Washington with competing blueprints for superintelligence, clashing over a defining question: Does safety come from spreading powerful AI or containing it? Why it matters: Their fight will shape who gets access to the best models, how America competes with China, and whether the government can slow the race in an emergency, Axios' Andrew Kay and Zachary Basu write. 🫨 Alarming developments, seemingly by the day, have turned the manifestos from thought exercises into an urgent policy battle. OpenAI and Anthropic both disclosed that their advanced models went rogue and broke into external systems during cybersecurity evaluations. Kimi K3 delivered a double shock: The Chinese model not only reached frontier-level performance but did so with open weights that anyone can download, modify and deploy. The manifesto map: Each mogul's post offers a different theory of the danger — and a different prescription for containing it. 🏛️ July 14 — Set the standards: Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis proposed an industry-funded, federally overseen "Frontier AI Standards Body" to test models before release. Voluntary reviews could eventually harden into binding rules governing access to the most powerful systems. 🔑 July 24 — Open the defense: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang argued that open models give American developers and cybersecurity defenders more tools, and he rallied Meta, Microsoft, Google and OpenAI to sign a letter, "Open Weights and American AI Leadership," supporting the open AI ecosystem. 🚧 July 27 — Gate the danger: Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei called for "mandatory safety testing" and tighter controls on the chips and distillation techniques helping China develop powerful open-weight models. He stopped short of supporting a blanket ban. 🌐 July 28 — Spread access: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg cast broadly available "personal superintelligence" as a safeguard against a future controlled by a handful of companies and governments. 🛑 July 28 — Build the brake: More than 1,200 frontier-lab employees signed "Pacing the Frontier," a petition asking Washington to create international tools for deliberately slowing development if AI begins advancing beyond human control. 🏛️ Behind the scenes: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's No. 1 topic in Hill, administration and White House meetings this past week was previewing the capabilities of the company's most powerful AI yet: Astra, the next major ChatGPT model family, as yet unreleased. OpenAI said yesterday that an internal version of Astra was behind research leaps in 10 major open mathematical problems in "high-dimensional geometry, coding theory, arithmetic circuit complexity, group theory, operator algebras, quantum complexity, lattice cryptography and extremal combinatorics."

🐘 Pre-Trump GOP is coming for Vance Photo illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios. Photo: Roy Rochlin/Getty Images The Wall Street Journal opinion page tried to stop Donald Trump a decade ago and again in 2024. Now, the standard-bearer of traditional conservatism is making an early case against his presumed heir. Why it matters: Vice President JD Vance has the inside track for Trump's endorsement. But a GOP faction that never embraced Trump's overhaul of the party is already arguing against handing the reins to Vance, Axios' Mike Zapler writes. 🔎 The main arguments in the WSJ opinion pages: Vance is putting ambition ahead of governing. As congressional Republicans try to pass an agenda that might avoid a November wipeout, Kimberly Strassel wrote, "Mr. Vance is promoting a book." She was referring to Vance's media tour to promote his just-published bestseller, "Communion." According to Vance's office, he's been on Capitol Hill over two dozen times since he became VP. His personality rankles. Strassel wrote a follow-up after Vance's fans came after her for her earlier column. "One answer [for the aggressive response] is simply that Mr. Vance is a sensitive bunny," she wrote. He's naive. An unsigned WSJ editorial zeroed in on Vance's defense of the memorandum of understanding with Iran that quickly unraveled, as well as his claims that the Iranian regime had turned over a new leaf. "We promise that wasn't Mr. Obama or John Kerry speaking," the editorial board wrote dismissively. He cozies up to Carlson. "Mr. Vance has spent the Trump presidency trying to curry favor with Mr. Carlson as part of laying the ground for a 2028 presidential run," Allysia Finley wrote. 🥊 The other side: Allies say the Journal is fighting the last war — clinging to a vision of conservatism the Republican Party has left behind. If anything, his supporters say, the paper's criticism helps Vance politically — showing he's in tune with the grassroots and not heeding the old guard. "No one in Vance's orbit is concerned or surprised about being attacked by the literal beating heart of the pre-Trump GOP establishment," a top Vance ally told Axios. "When the Wall Street Journal ed board hits him, it only sends the exact signal to our base that we want. … These guys are doing our work for us." Keep reading.

2028: Trump's final act Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images A special look for AM readers at Axios CEO Jim VandeHei's political briefing, published first in his weekly Axios C-Suite newsletter: President Trump doesn't much care if Republicans lose the House and/or the Senate in November. Yes, he'd prefer a big win. But he seems indifferent to the election and the possibility of endless Democratic investigations of his family, wealth and policies, close advisers tell us. A big reason: Trump knows he'll emerge just as strong, or even stronger, heading into his final two years, at least among Republicans. The big picture: Trump is not a share-the-stage, pass-the-torch, groom-your-successor kind of guy. Instead, he'll exploit his leverage: 🏛️ A more MAGA Senate. Almost all of his critics will be gone through defeat or retirement. The incoming class is very Trumpy. If they keep the Senate, Trump loyalists like Mike Lee (Utah), Ron Johnson (Wis.) and Rick Scott (Fla.) will chair committees. 🗳️ A more MAGA House. Trump already serves as de facto speaker, but his few outspoken GOP critics — Rep. Thomas Massie (Ky.) and former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.) — will be gone, replaced by members who won because of him. 👑 A '28 kingmaker. Trump's firm hold on the base means he will dictate the GOP's nominee and shape their message. He wants a Vance-Rubio ticket and will likely get it if his mind doesn't change. Imagine any '28 hopeful, especially Marco Rubio or JD Vance, trying to break with the boss while working for the boss. 💰 Cashing in. Trump will use levers of power to keep raising money to expand his clout beyond the presidency. "He likes the fact that when he tells someone, 'Give me money,' they give him money," an adviser told us. 👓 3 dramas to watch post-November: Trump will flirt with running again in '28 until the bitter end, but it's all about PR and keeping Vance and Rubio in their place. As potential outside-the-walls competition in '28, the White House is watching Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas) and Sen. Josh Hawley (Mo.). A constitutional clash over congressional oversight, among the last and most vital powers lawmakers hold dear. What happens if Trump orders his entire administration, family and friends to just ignore Congress?

Trump, 80, Self-Soothes With Disturbing AI Slop Spree The president made dozens of bizarre posts on Saturday afternoon as he melted down over his Reflecting Pool humiliation. President Donald Trump spent his Saturday afternoon winding down in one of the few ways he seems to know how: by posting bizarre, AI-generated images of himself on Truth Social.Trump, 80, went on yet another disturbing posting blitz in which he imagined himself as Elvis Presley, mocked his political foes, daydreamed over his “Arc de Trump,” and laid claim to both Venezuela and Greenland.The president posted 43 times from Saturday morning to afternoon, in a session that included a mix of reposts and his usual AI slop.His standout post of the day was one in which he pictured himself in an Elvis Presley-inspired jumpsuit, complete with a bedazzled eagle next to his exposed chest. The image was posted with no caption or context. Trump also spent several posts self-soothing over his advanced age. One image of himself was captioned, “President Trump ages in reverse!” Another post sat current Trump and young Trump next to each other, accompanied by the caption, “Same Guy. Even more energy now!” The president bizarrely referred to himself in the third person in one post, writing, “President Trump is fixing our wonderful White House, just like he is fixing our Country!” Another image of him, taken in May 2024 as he arrived at a Manhattan courthouse for the Stormy Daniels hush money trial where he was found guilty of 34 felony counts, was captioned, “Only Trump.” A separate AI-generated post depicted Trump as a Revolutionary War general leading soldiers into battle, with a battered American flag waving behind him. In real life, Trump avoided the military draft five times. In another post, Trump shared a mock-up of this much-hyped triumphal arch project in Washington, D.C. He captioned the image, “The Triumphal Arch, prior to affixing the magnificent Statues and Artwork!” In two other posts, Trump attacked his perceived foes Bruce Springsteen and rising Democratic star James Talarico by mocking their appearances. The president also made clear that he’s still thinking about claiming Venezuela and Greenland, despite strong international opposition to the bonkers idea. In one image, captioned the “51st state,” Venezuela was overlaid with the American flag. In an even more bizarre photo, a gigantic Trump peeked over the mountains of Greenland with the caption, “Hello, Greenland!” Trump made a string of other posts without an apparent overarching theme, including two dedicated to Abraham Lincoln, a split-face composite of him and George Washington, an AI-generated photo of him kissing a golden Jesus Christ on the cross, and a Trump 2028 poster. The president also dedicated a throwback to an AI-generated photo he first posted in May that depicted him walking next to a shackled alien. The White House did not immediately return the Daily Beast’s request for comment. The confounding Truth Social posting sprees have become part of the aging president’s routine. He appears to delight in sharing these often nonsensical creations online. Trump’s flurry of posts also included one that lashed out at Jeanine Pirro, his pick for U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, over the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool fiasco. Trump raged at his own appointee for dropping a felony vandalism charge against a suspect in the damage to the pool, which prosecutors attributed to a poor job by the contractor and not to thugs. “I disagree 100% with Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, on the Reflecting Pool. I don’t know what she was thinking?” he wrote. “There may have been some contractor difficulty, but the major damage was caused by VANDALS!” https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trump-80-self-soothes-with-disturbing-ai-slop-spree/?