All Activity

Recently a secular fashion magazine decided to do an article on the health benefits of being a Seventh-day Adventist. They invited me to weigh in as an “expert witness”. I share below the question the reporter asked and my answer. I thought you might find it worth your time to read: (Reporter’s Question)What are ten […] The post Adventist Principles and Health appeared first on Jon Paulien's Blog. View the full article

Very interesting. Mrs white never addressed this. However, she might have been too early for it. I can tell you, in this side of the world it is forbidden. However, it is slowly working its way into social gatherings. I find this funny : https://www.ldsdaily.com/entertainment/church-publishes-updated-guidelines-on-beverage-consumption/

China executes 3 convicted of sex crimes against minors China executes 3 convicted of sex crimes against minors - People's Daily Online Although most were young girls, one boy was a victim. Likely in the future, more homosexual pedophiles will have the opportunity to experience a bullet to the back of the head. There won't be any "pride" protests over this, either. Some years ago a gay man murdered his mother because she would not give him money. She disapproved of his homosexual lover. He was arrested. Prior to his execution, he was interviewed for a television program. As he was being led to the place of execution, his last words to the interviewer were ~ 我会去天堂吗 [Will I go to heaven?].

For an interesting history of Mormon views on caffeinated drinks, including coffee, see this: Dialogue_V14N03_80.pdf Search "coffee" in the document.

🇮🇹 Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Italy's conservative leader, sharply rejected President Trump's reported claim to Italian broadcaster La7 that she "begged" for a photo with him at the G7 summit. "Neither I nor Italy ever beg," she said, per a translation of her video statement. Go deeper.

Israel and Hezbollah agree to halt fighting, officials say, as US-Iran talks hang in the balance JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group agreed Friday to halt the heavy fighting in southern Lebanon that had threatened to unravel an interim agreement between the United States and Iran to end their war, officials said. Neither Israel nor Hezbollah immediately confirmed the truce. https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-israel-lebanon-oil-june-19-2026-635ad6f41610df8355d24cc301a75fc4?

Juneteenth reminds us of Black Americans’ long struggle for education following end of slavery The abolitionist and writer Frederick Douglass is known for many things, but perhaps among the most significant is his views on education’s relationship to slavery. Douglass himself was born into slavery in Maryland in 1818. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/06/19/repub/juneteenth-reminds-us-of-black-americans-long-struggle-for-education-following-end-of-slavery/?

Jaw-Dropping Cost of Trump’s War With Iran Revealed The financial impact of the president’s conflict just got worse. The Pentagon has calculated it needs $80 billion in taxpayer funds to cover the costs of Trump’s four-month war with Iran. The war, which began on Feb. 28, resulted in the deaths of 13 U.S. service members, as well as more than 3,300 Iranians, pushing up oil prices around the world and spiking inflation and mortgage rates in the U.S. An estimate from Moody’s Analytics said the war has already cost U.S. consumers and taxpayers around $132 billion. Last month, the Pentagon estimated the cost of the war in Iran was roughly $29 billion. Now, a new report says the Pentagon told lawmakers this week that it needs an additional $80 billion to cover the costs of the Iran conflict and other non-war-related bills, according to The Wall Street Journal. The publication cites people familiar with the discussions, which have been led by 66-year-old billionaire Stephen Feinberg, who has served as the deputy secretary of defense since March last year. The figure comes as lawmakers try to put a precise price tag on the war. There are fears that the U.S. military has used munitions in the Iran conflict that could be required for security threats elsewhere. Last month, the Pentagon flagged that it needs Congress to pass a new wartime spending bill in time to fund future operations, such as training exercises. The Department of Defense has funded Trump’s unplanned Iran war out of its annual operations and maintenance budget. The Pentagon’s current budget for the next year is roughly $1 trillion, with any request for extra funds required to be approved by the White House’s Office of Management and Budget before it goes to Congress. However, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is already touting his plans for a $1.5 trillion budget. The publication said Feinberg has briefed lawmakers on his plan this week, with money to be allocated to ship operations, personnel pay, and munitions. Their sources added a full U.S. supplemental request, which would fund the Pentagon as well as non-defense priorities such as farm and disaster relief, could be sent to lawmakers in the coming days. The Daily Beast has contacted the Pentagon and the White House for comment. This week Trump signed a 14-point peace plan with Iran, claiming it represented a “major win” for America despite making political and financial concessions to Iran. The president said the plan, and access to the Strait of Hormuz for global oil supplies, will prevent a “worldwide depression”. Feinberg, who founded private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management, has kept a low profile but has “far eclipsed” his boss, Hegseth, according to a report in The Guardian. “Everything is centered around Feinberg,” one veteran Pentagon bureaucrat said. “I don’t think there’s anything that goes on that he doesn’t have a stake in,” a financier familiar with his operations stated. Hegseth’s figure of $1.5 trillion faced immediate pushback from Republicans, who were wary of the impact on domestic funding ahead of the critical midterm elections. Ahead of Trump signing his peace deal, Hegseth met with lawmakers on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, pushing for his unprecedented $1.5 trillion budget. Hegseth met with Republican Lindsey Graham, who chairs the Senate Budget Committee. Graham posted on X that he is prepared to support extra money for the Pentagon. “We discussed the urgent need to plus up the military budget to deal with replenishing and restoring our stockpile of weapons and other one-time expenses being incurred by constant conflict,” Graham said, suggesting a figure of $355 billion. “We cannot turn our backs on an historic opportunity to help the Department of War at a time of multiple conflicts,” Graham added. https://www.thedailybeast.com/jaw-dropping-cost-of-trumps-war-with-iran-revealed/?

Anxious Trump, 80, Self-Soothes With New Catchphrase as Republicans Revolt The president has taken to repeatedly reminding frustrated aides, lawmakers, and arguably himself just who’s in charge. Donald Trump has a new retort for anyone in his party or at the White House who’s brave enough to question his judgment: “I’m the president and you’re not.” Trump, 80, has delivered the line time and again to allies and advisers offering strategic guidance on a mounting run of botched ploys, humiliating gaffes, and screeching U-turns, according to The Wall Street Journal. The newspaper writes that Trump’s childish new catchphrase speaks to how the president now appears to trust his own instincts far more than those of the aides, lawmakers, and old hands who have so far helped grease the gears of his turbulent 18 months back at the White House. The habit is severely testing his already weakening grip on a party that otherwise spent his first year back in office falling in line. Sen. Bill Cassidy, who lost his primary to a Trump-backed challenger last month, told the Journal he was appalled by the president’s new arrangement with Iran. “Reagan is rolling over in his grave,” the senator told the newspaper of Trump’s self-professed political hero, adding that Trump’s peace deal with the Iranian regime represents “the worst foreign policy blunder in decades.” Trump signed a tentative agreement to wind down the war with Iran this week. The regime has agreed to reopen a vital oil corridor in the Persian Gulf, while the White House will lift sanctions, unfreeze assets, and help underwrite a $300 billion reconstruction package. Cassidy’s comments make him only the most vocal of hawkish Republicans to balk at what they say amounts to throwing Tehran an economic lifeline while leaving its weapons program largely untouched. The president sealed the agreement at a Wednesday dinner at the Palace of Versailles in France, a venue that for more than 100 years has served as a byword for disastrous deals. The Journal reports that the move caught aides off guard, as they had penciled in a separate ceremony for Friday. Senate Armed Services Chairman Roger Wicker, not known for public dissent, called the agreement “completely out of step with the president’s goals.” Trump has also upended his own party’s timetable on Capitol Hill. He stalled the path of Jay Clayton, a former SEC chairman picked as his incoming director of national intelligence, so that acting director Bill Pulte, a 38-year-old loyalist, could first spend longer slashing jobs at the spy agency. The freelancing has handed Democrats a trove of attack-ad fodder, the Journal says. Trump has brushed off the coming midterms and, when asked about soaring prices sparked by his war with Iran, offered only, “I love the inflation” as a retort. Ron Bonjean, a onetime spokesman for Republican leaders in Congress, told the Journal the math has changed. “The total control that Trump once had over Congress just isn’t there anymore,” he said. The White House has defended the president’s freewheeling approach. Spokesperson Olivia Wales said that “no president has worked harder or delivered more than President Trump.” The president himself has cast the upheaval as a plus, writing on Truth Social that his moves “add a slight bit of intrigue” but have ultimately served the country. The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for further comment on this story. https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-80-self-soothes-with-new-catchphrase-reminding-himself-hes-president-as-republicans-revolt/?

Tough job market has many teens struggling to find summer work About one-third of 16- to 19-year-olds in the U.S. were employed last summer, federal data show, down from a peak of about 60% in the late 1970s. Read more. What to know: Teens most commonly work in food preparation and serving jobs and sales, according to BLS data. But Jaune Little, director of recruiting services at the human resources company Insperity, says some entry-level jobs have been eliminated and teens now compete with more experienced candidates for the remaining ones. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ What full-time working moms and dads want, by the numbers The Trump administration says it is cutting student loan interest. Here are some facts and context U.S. filings for unemployment benefits fall to 226,000 last week as layoffs remain historically low

Democratic socialists surge in mayoral races across the US as anti-Trump fervor rises After winning the D.C. mayor primary election Tuesday on an unapologetically expansive, left-wing agenda, Janeese Lewis George’s victory puts her in the vanguard of democratic socialists who have ascended in urban politics over the last year. This includes New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Nithya Raman, who clinched a spot in the LA mayoral runoff. Read more. Why this matters: “They are all channeling a displeasure with a status quo and a serious desire for economic populism that the establishment Democratic Party hasn’t been preaching,” said Eric Stern, a Democratic strategist with Fight Agency, a political consulting firm that strategized Mamdani’s mayoral campaign. The trend of progressives surging in urban areas may have limits for its broader impact on Democratic politics. Some cities still favor relatively moderate candidates and there's little sign of national coordination among the candidates. It’s also unclear whether voters are gravitating toward promises of improved government services, vows to fight the Trump administration or critiques of capitalism. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Pingree and Charles will compete for Maine governor and Dunlap gets Democratic nod for US House NJ Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. sets June 30 return date after monthslong absence 🫏 House Democratic leadership suffered another setback when state Sen. Joe Baldacci lost his primary to a progressive rival in Maine's 2nd district. It's the second time this month a candidate backed by the House Dems' campaign arm has fallen short in their primary, Axios' Andrew Solender reports.

Trump approval on Iran low even as tentative deal to end fighting emerged Most Americans continue to disapprove of how President Donald Trump is handling Iran, according to a new AP-NORC poll that was conducted as Trump suggested a deal with Iran had been reached. Read more. What to know: Trump’s overall job approval stands at 37%, unchanged from an AP-NORC poll conducted in May. Americans’ views on how the president is handling Iran are roughly in line with that. About one-third of U.S. adults approve of Trump’s approach to the economy. That’s in line with last month, and continues a challenging stretch for Trump on the issue. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Gas prices dip below $4 for 1st time since March but remain 25% higher than last year Vance’s push to get Iran talks started hits an early bump as weekend negotiations are put on hold Israeli military strikes in southern Lebanon in intense fighting as US-Iran talks postponed JD Vance slams Israeli officials who criticized Iran deal, deepening rift between allies Some GOP senators and Trump allies have harsh reviews of his agreement to end Iran war Freed Israeli hostage Guy Gilboa-Dalal recounts sexual abuse in Gaza, urges victims to speak out Senators seek to block Hegseth travel funds until Pentagon releases report on Iran school strike Trump presents the Medal of Honor to 3 veterans for heroism in Vietnam and Afghanistan Senator urges FAA to reject any pressure from Trump to approve triumphal arch over aviation safety Democrats say money from Trump’s tax cuts bill is paying for White House ballroom project Trump from ‘hunted’ to ‘hunter’: New book details Trump’s push to test the limits of executive power Trump administration can replace Washington slavery exhibit in Philadelphia, appeals court says Obama Center opens in Chicago with a call to defend democracy and a celebrity crowd Photos of the Obama Presidential Center opening

June 19, 2026 By Sam Sifton Good morning. The preliminary deal to end the war between the United States and Iran is on the rocks. Switzerland said talks there had been postponed, and Israel struck in Lebanon again. Read the latest news. And it’s Juneteenth, a day of celebration and a day to consider Shirley Chisholm’s admonition not to measure America by its achievement, but by its potential. If you’re off work for the holiday, I’ve got some ideas for what to eat and drink. But we’re going to start with the war between Russia and Ukraine. via Reuters; Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Fear factor Ukraine struck Moscow yesterday with a furious drone attack that appeared to be the largest of its kind in the more than four years since the war began. President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine was clear about its intent. “If Ukraine burns, then your Moscow will burn as well,” he said. The strikes destroyed an oil refinery, filling the skies with greasy, toxic smoke. They shuttered four airports. They closed down part of the highway that rings the city, which is home to 13 million people. The objective, my colleagues Paul Sonne and Nataliya Vasilyeva said, was to bring the war home for Russians who live far from the front lines of eastern Ukraine. The attack “seemed likely to feed fears among Russians that the Kremlin’s ability to isolate society from the impacts of the war was sharply eroding,” they wrote. The effects are mounting. Ukrainian drone attacks on other refineries have led to lines and rationing at gas stations across Russia. The war has started to take its toll on the Russian economy, too. It has now run longer than World War I. Russia is pounding Ukraine as well. Earlier this week it bombarded Kyiv, the capital, leaving a historic cathedral at one of Ukraine’s holiest sites in flames, killing five people and injuring 35 others. But the attack on Moscow has made Russian hard-liners apoplectic. They want the Kremlin to deploy the full might of Russia’s military to stop Ukraine from continuing its attacks within the country. “We must strike the enemy mercilessly, without hesitation,” one told the Russian news outlet RTVI. He called on Moscow to “eliminate the entire leadership, destroy all command centers, bring the entire industrial sector to its knees.” Which is a good reminder that this war is far from over, and could get much worse. Paul and Nataliya wrote a terrifying sentence about that: “How much further Russia, which has the world’s largest nuclear stockpile, can go with its conventional arsenal is unclear.” Read their article here. It’s a free link. A FEAST FOR JUNETEENTH Recipes from Nicole Taylor’s cookbook. Kelly Marshall for The New York Times, Jessica Emily Marx for The New York Times Nicole Taylor, who contributes to our Cooking site, wrote a great cookbook a few years ago about Juneteenth, the holiday that heralds the day in 1865 when those enslaved in Texas first learned that they were free, more than two years after Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. It’s called “Watermelon and Red Birds” and is worth seeking out. After its publication, Nicole shared a few recipes from the book with us, and I want to share them with you. Maybe you could try her grilled peach and molasses chicken today, with a very green coleslaw with grilled poblanos, and wash it down with watermelon ginger beer? I wouldn’t sneeze at Millie Peartree’s recipe for Charleston red rice to go with it, either. Nor at Nicole’s strawberry slab pie for dessert. Cook, anyway. Make something delicious. The idea is to take a moment to celebrate freedom in all of its bitter sweetness, with good food, family and friends. And not just on Juneteenth, by the way. Here’s Nicole to play us off: Even on the days that are not demarcated as holidays or holy days or special days, we should do special things for ourselves and the ones we hold dear. These small everyday traditions, these molecules of the ordinary, can have power and meaning, if we allow them to. Rituals of leisure and care are as much a testament to what Juneteenth has made possible as voting rights and desegregated buses are. Have a great weekend. Browse more recipes for Juneteenth here. THE LATEST NEWS Iran Peace Deal Nabatieh, southern Lebanon, on Friday. Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Israel launched new strikes in Lebanon following a deadly attack on its soldiers there. Israeli lawmakers and some Republicans in Washington have criticized the initial agreement between Iran and the United States, which throws Iran an economic lifeline while delaying nuclear negotiations. The deal is disastrous for Israel, analysts and officials there say, accomplishing none of the country’s war aims. Vice President JD Vance delivered an unusually direct rebuke to Israeli critics: “Donald J. Trump is the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment in time,” Vance said, adding, “If I was in the cabinet of the Israeli government, I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the entire world.” Gulf states, repeatedly targeted by Iranian projectiles, are frustrated that the agreement does not cover Iran’s missiles. Politics A warehouse in Pennsylvania that ICE recently bought for $87 million. Rachel Wisniewski for The New York Times Times Exclusive: ICE, which spent $700 million on seven warehouses to hold detained immigrants, now wants to get rid of those purchases. The Trump administration backed off a plan to remove hundreds of ocean monitoring instruments, which are critical for studying climate change. The Supreme Court, siding with a recreational marijuana user in Texas, narrowed a law that bars drug users from owning guns. The Trump administration gave a no-bid contract to clean the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool’s water to a firm tied to a political donor, records show. The Obama Presidential Center, on the South Side of Chicago, finally opened. Barack Obama cried during Michelle’s speech. (And several guests, including Stephen Colbert, wore tan suits.) Around the World Andy Burnham Oli Scarff/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Britain: Andy Burnham, a popular Labour mayor, won a seat in Parliament. His next job could be prime minister. Niger: Gunmen attacked the main airport for the second time this year. An Al Qaeda-affiliated group claimed responsibility. Afghanistan: The Taliban government barred troops and civil servants from bringing smartphones to work. Those caught disobeying will have their phones smashed. Education New tools allow students to cheat in ways their makers say teachers and A.I. detectors can’t trace. Colleges and K-12 schools are struggling to keep up. (This link is free to read.) The Education Department said it would lower federal student loan interest rates by up to one percentage point, citing defaults. In France, a high-school philosophy exam is a rite of passage. See questions. Other Big Stories Nearly 160 service members have fallen ill at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, officials said, less than two months after the Pentagon made flu vaccines optional. In an abrupt reversal, Luigi Mangione’s lawyers said they no longer intended to argue that he was experiencing “extreme emotional disturbance” at the time he was accused of killing a UnitedHealthcare executive. GO NEW YORK, GO The New York Times Lower Manhattan was a roaring sea of orange and blue yesterday as Knicks fans celebrating the team’s championship jammed along a route known as the Canyon of Heroes. “For as long as we live, we will remember this feeling of a city together, a city alive, a city overcome by happiness,” said Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who rode on a float alongside team members. See more photos from the parade. OPINIONS In The Conversation, Frank Bruni and Bret Stephens discuss Trump’s failure in Iran. New books look back on the Biden presidency. The verdict isn’t pretty, Carlos Lozada writes. (We made this link free for you to read.) Wordle is 5 today. Solve the latest puzzle to earn a celebratory badge. Play now MORNING READS In Nottinghamshire, England. Royal Society for the Protection of Birds Lives Lived: The Major Oak, a centuries-old tree in Sherwood Forest, has died. Its connection to Robin Hood was mythical, but it did outlast the reigns of six Henrys, six Georges and two Elizabeths. Gen Z glop: After years of chaste corporate branding meant to appeal to millennials, consumer products are starting to look a lot gooier. What’s your sleep type? Take our quiz to find out whether you’re a morning person, a night owl or something in between. (We made this link free for you to read.) Your pick: The most clicked story in The Morning yesterday was about the best hidden safes for your home. WORLD CUP Mexico had a 1-0 win over South Korea that clinched the top spot in Group A. The team was booed by its own fans at halftime but got a goal from Luis Romo and a remarkable late save from Raúl Rangel. Canada posted its first win in a men’s World Cup, thrashing Qatar 6-0. Christian Pulisic of the United States may not play against Australia today. He left the team’s World Cup-opening win over Paraguay at halftime. Johan Manzambi helped Switzerland beat Bosnia and Herzegovina 4-1, entering the game near the end of the second half and scoring two goals. NJ Transit spiked its ticket prices for games. The service has run smoothly, but weak sales could worsen the network’s budget deficit. TODAY’S NUMBER 8 — That is the number of players who wear the number 7 on their jerseys who have scored goals in this World Cup so far. Cristiano Ronaldo isn’t one of them. NEXT STATION An illustration of a proposal for Penn Station. via Practice for Architecture and Urbanism “These days we’re seeing a lot of self-congratulatory architecture from occupants of the White House past and present,” writes our architecture critic, Michael Kimmelman. A new federal plan to rebuild Penn Station in New York, he continues, “recalls an era when civic space and public-spirited architecture was a national priority and a democratic symbol expressed in America’s infrastructure projects.” There’s hope! More on culture “Toy Story 5” arrives today. Manohla Dargis has our review: “Time has predictably taken its toll.” Still, it’s Buzz and Woody. Will see. Casa de Estrogen was an apartment building in Los Angeles’s Koreatown that became a haven for queer, feminist art during the 1990s. T Magazine compiled an oral history of the punky scene. Late night hosts joked about the Iran deal, calling it “the retreaty of Versailles.” THE MORNING RECOMMENDS Enter the wayback machine and read Anthony Doerr’s 2014 novel “All the Light We Cannot See.” The Times loved it then and I love it still. Bask in the sun today. It’ll make you happier and healthier. (Apply sunscreen, obvs.) ☀️ Send your kids back to your youth this summer, with old-school tech chosen by the nostalgists at Wirecutter. Walkie-talkies! Instant cameras! An actual record player! It’ll get them off their screens. Take our news quiz. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangrams were toxified and detoxified. 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 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

5 Reasons All Christians Should Celebrate Juneteenth Juneteenth serves not only as a day of remembrance, it is also a platform for reflection and dialogue about the struggle for racial equality that still exists in our nation 160 years later. This holiday serves as an opportunity to expand... https://www.crosswalk.com/special-coverage/america/5-reasons-all-christians-should-celebrate-juneteenth.html?

It was not part of that study. However, coffee is widely promoted as beneficial in many top health YouTube channels. If you put this into the search engine, "study on coffee" you will get article after article talking about health benefits of coffee. The Seventh-day Adventists are the only people I know warning about the dangers of coffee. When I was in business in Mich, I had a client who told me he was addicted to Coffee. He could not break it. He said it was the worst addiction in the world.

THIS DAY IN HISTORY June 19 1865 Abolition of slavery announced in Texas on “Juneteenth” In what is now known as Juneteenth, on June 19, 1865, Union soldiers arrive in Galveston, Texas with news that the Civil War is over and slavery in the United States is abolished. read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 19th Century 1867 Emperor of Mexico executed 1868 Father De Smet talks peace with Sitting Bull 1960s 1953 Julius and Ethel Rosenberg executed for espionage 21st Century 2006 Construction on Global Seed Vault begins 2014 Felipe VI becomes king of Spain after Juan Carlos I abdicates Arts & Entertainment 2013 James Gandolfini, TV’s Tony Soprano, dies at 51 1971 Carole King has her first #1 hit as a performer 1905 Pioneering Nickelodeon theater opens Asian American, Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander History 1982 Vincent Chin fatally beaten Black History 1968 “Solidarity Day” rally at Resurrection City Civil War 1864 USS Kearsarge sinks CSS Alabama Crime 1892 Siblings’ murder becomes first crime solved with fingerprint evidence Sports 2005 Controversy at U.S. Grand Prix U.S. Government and Politics 1856 First Republican national convention ends World War II 1944 In Battle of the Philippine Sea, U.S. cripples Japanese naval air power

Yeah research isn’t what it used be

What about the caffeine?

Juneteenth's resilience Photo illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photos: Sarah Reingewirtz/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News, Bastiaan Slabbers/NurPhoto, and Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images Juneteenth is surviving the DEI backlash, even as American institutions pull back from the promises that helped elevate it. Why it matters: The holiday's staying power shows how Black history can be absorbed into calendars, payroll systems and public rituals even as the post-2020 commitments that gave it renewed force are renamed, narrowed or abandoned, Axios' Russell Contreras writes. Keep reading.

🎰 Stat du jour Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Stock: Getty Images Kalshi, the prediction market platform, is generating more than $2 billion in annualized revenue — triple its November run rate — as NBA Finals and World Cup bets juice trading volume, The Information's Yueqi Yang reports ($). What to watch: The fast growth has sparked early conversations between Kalshi's top executives and investment banks about going public.

Longevity medicine's do-or-die moment Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios. Stock: Getty Images The world's first human trial of whether a drug can essentially make a person's cells younger is underway, Axios' Caitlin Owens reports. 🔬 Catch up quick: "Cellular reprogramming" for longevity centers on the concept that aging is a biological process that can be altered therapeutically, just like thousands of other such processes. This early-stage clinical trial will signal whether it can be performed safely in humans, a prerequisite for any future claim that a treatment can slow or even reverse biological aging. Driving the news: The first person in the clinical trial was treated last week with an experimental gene therapy for eye disorders including glaucoma, which can cause blindness. The therapy targets three genes that can "partially reprogram" old cells, and in this case aims to restore function in neurons connecting the eye to the brain. Read on.

🏡 Priced out Data: Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies tabulations of Freddie Mac, Primary Mortgage Market Surveys, National Association of Realtors, Existing Home Sales, Moody's Analytics estimates. Chart: Emily Peck/Axios Americans are being thwarted by homeownership costs that are near record highs, Axios' Emily Peck writes from a new report out of the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard. Why it matters: Homeownership is a cornerstone of the American Dream, but it is increasingly out of reach — particularly for young adults. 📈 The monthly cost of a median-priced home was $3,120 in the fourth quarter of 2025, per the Harvard report. That includes a mortgage payment, insurance and property tax. It's a roughly 46% increase from the same time in 2019. Stunning stat: In a growing number of cities, a so-called starter home can now run $1 million, a recent Zillow report noted. The homeownership rate in the U.S. fell in 2025 for a second consecutive year. The largest decrease was among those under age 35. Read on.

⏳ Vance postpones Iran talks trip Vice President JD Vance postponed a planned trip to Switzerland for U.S.-Iran talks expected to begin today. The White House said the reason for the change of plans was "logistics." But there were some indications that the background for the decision is connected to the shaky ceasefire in Lebanon, Axios' Barak Ravid reports. At a press conference yesterday, Vance said the plans for the talks hadn't been finalized and mentioned that Iranian officials might have technical challenges with their travel arrangements. The White House said in a statement: "The U.S. delegation has been prepared to depart at the first available opportunity. But the logistics of these negotiations have never been simple or predictable." Between the lines: A U.S. official said Tehran's claims about alleged Israeli violations of the ceasefire in Lebanon could be the reason for the talks not happening. Israel's military conducted a strike in southern Lebanon on Thursday, killing four people. Last night, before Vance announced he wasn't going, intense fighting between the Israeli military and Hezbollah erupted in southern Lebanon. President Trump wrote on Truth Social that the U.S. "is committed to PEACE" and called on all parties in the region to allow the negotiations "to beautifully unfold." "We expect a complete Ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon, Hezbollah, and Israel," he wrote. Go deeper: Trump sees "no limits" to his power.