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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fourth toddler dies in France as Europe’s brutal heatwave forecast to shift east Scientists say hot spell is worst ever, with nearly half of region’s 850 largest cities facing unprecedented heat stress https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jun/26/europe-heatwave-shift-east-child-deaths-france-cities-heat-stress?

June 27, 2026 Vessels of Wrath “What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction?” (Romans 9:22) Most of us have met people who appear to be beyond salvation. We may even judge them to be “vessels of wrath fitted to destruction.” Is there any hope for them? Consider some of the characters Jesus interacted with: the woman at the well, tax collectors, lepers, cripples, the demon-possessed, the woman caught in adultery, and the thief on the cross. These were outcasts and seemed to be without hope. But God tells us, “As I live . . . I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live” (Ezekiel 33:11). Clearly, Jesus did not come “into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:17). Despite appearance, words, or actions, no one is beyond saving. Christians are instructed to witness to and pray for all who don’t know Jesus as their Savior, not judge their spiritual standing. We are exhorted to love them and preach the gospel to them, for the gospel exists “to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins” (Acts 26:18). The “vessels” Paul mentions are people who persistently rebel against God, and only He knows whether they will be hardened or saved. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9). We not only can’t know all His ways, but we aren’t supposed to! Do you know someone who appears beyond redemption: a family member, friend, or even foe? Prayerfully place them in Jesus’ saving hands. Our God is gracious and merciful, and miracles happen! MJS

Woody (from Toy Story) actually has a last name — it’s Pride. James

If You Build It View in browser If there’s one thing Donald Trump wants Americans to understand, it’s that he knows how to build. At a Pennsylvania petrochemical plant in 2019, he told workers, “I was a good builder. I built good. I love building.” Talking to reporters in the spring: “What I do best in life is build.” During last year’s Kennedy Center Honors, Trump joked that he has “two jobs”—the second being, naturally, construction. Even as past ventures have flopped, Trump continues to position himself as the kind of big-shot developer who blasts through red tape and never takes no for an answer. This is the president who once wooed voters by promising to build a “big, beautiful” wall along the southern border. Who, he argued on the 2016 campaign trail, was better positioned to make it happen? In his second term, he’s been focused on redesigning the landscape of Washington, D.C., in his own image. But earlier this week, Trump showed he’s willing to delay the construction of something that Americans have clearly indicated they need. On Tuesday, lawmakers passed the biggest housing bill in a generation, the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act. Co-sponsored by Senators Elizabeth Warren and Tim Scott, it’s a bipartisan omnibus with reforms meant to encourage development and push down prices. Trump needs the win; at the moment, most Americans disapprove of the president’s handling of the economy. But on Wednesday, Trump abruptly canceled the signing ceremony for the bill. It will remain canceled, he wrote on Truth Social, until Congress passes the SAVE America Act, a completely unrelated and highly controversial piece of voter-ID legislation. (He’s called it his “No. 1 priority” ahead of the midterm elections.) The stalled bill targets a pressing national concern. About a third of American households spend more than a third of their income on rent and mortgage payments, and almost four out of five voters identify the cost of housing as an extremely or very important issue. That Trump halted the signing shows that he’s willing to use a bipartisan bill as collateral—even if it means sacrificing the prospect of affordable housing for Americans. Although the move is within his procedural rights, it’s also toothless: Because the bill has passed both the House and the Senate, it is set to become law in 10 days with or without the president’s signature. And even if Trump decides to veto it, Congress (barring a sudden reversal) has the supermajority required to override a veto. Plus, the president can’t unilaterally force the passage of the SAVE America Act, which faces staunch opposition from Democrats. Quantifying the extent of the country’s housing crisis is difficult (some analysts think the United States is short 6 million units, whereas others think the number is closer to 2 million), but experts tend to agree that building more housing in high-need areas could help. The ROAD to Housing Act isn’t a panacea, and many of its proposals will take effect only in the long term. But by fast-tracking environmental reviews and encouraging legislators to loosen zoning restrictions, among other proposals, the bill aims to incentivize new construction. Trump has delivered mixed messages on housing affordability throughout his second term. White House press releases make passing mention of increasing housing supply, and Trump released an executive order in March directing agencies to loosen regulatory barriers to building homes. His push for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to buy up mortgage bonds turned out to have little lasting effect on rates. But lately, the president’s own comments have focused on the needs of existing homeowners. “I don’t want to drive housing prices down; I want to drive housing prices up for people that own their homes,” he said earlier this year. Homeowners of course do want their investments protected, but the housing bill’s incentives for developers to build would not automatically depress the value of all American homes. And in some cases, encouraging more construction could promote economic growth and increase land values in the long run. Although the administration has taken steps to address the housing crisis, its efforts have at times been misdirected. In an attempt to protect individual landlords (known as mom-and-pop owners), who currently dominate the real-estate market, Trump issued an executive order in January aimed at curbing the influence of institutional investors—a nebulous umbrella term for some larger firms. Parts of the housing bill echo this idea. But, as my colleagues have explained, the panic over institutional buying’s effect on housing prices seems to be overblown. Although big corporate landlords pose a real problem in certain communities (corporations are more likely to evict tenants, and can neglect maintenance and upkeep), institutional investors own less than 1 percent of single-family homes nationwide. Whether Trump is a “good” builder is a question best left to architecture critics, and perhaps to his creditors. But it’s undeniable that he builds. With his proposed triumphal arch, his modifications to the Reflecting Pool, and his renovation of the White House, he has attempted to reorganize the seat of government around his own aesthetic preferences. His recently announced presidential library, which may also be a hotel, could permanently alter the Miami skyline. The ROAD to Housing Act may still be a victory for this administration—and the president may even claim credit for the effort to make housing more affordable. But he has yet to prove to the American people that he will build for them, and not just for himself. Related: Trump’s giant face is everywhere. The latest ploy to help Republicans win elections

Unauthorized immigrants and the economy Immigration is among the most important economic and political issues and a main topic of discourse and debate among policymakers and the public. But misperceptions persist about many fundamental aspects of this crucial topic, such as: https://www.epi.org/publication/unauthorized-immigrants/?

Done With Windows? This Linux Distro Makes It Easy to Switch If you can't upgrade to Windows 11, or don't like what you've seen of it, install Linux Mint instead. Here's how to make the switch to an open-source operating system and install apps. https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/done-with-windows-this-linux-distro-makes-it-easy-to-switch

DALLAS (AP) — Texas’ education board on Friday approved a required reading list for more than 5 million public school students that includes Bible stories, widening conservative efforts to bring Christian teachings into U.S. classrooms. https://apnews.com/article/texas-education-board-reading-list-bible-vote-eb6ea9e23e303da0ca2da6132889e020?

🌡️ Heat wave coming Graphic: NOAA A "heat dome" is forecast to bring dangerously high temperatures to much of the eastern half of the U.S. next week. The extreme heat could last through July 4 celebrations. NOAA forecasters write: "Widespread temperatures into the 90s to low 100s, combined with high humidity, will result in heat indices approaching or exceeding 105-110 in many places." "Overnight lows will also be quite warm, with some record high minimums possible, bringing little to no relief from the heat in the nighttime hours." ⚠️ Cities from Minneapolis and Chicago to Nashville and Atlanta will be under extreme heat risk next week, NOAA says. Such conditions affect "anyone without cooling/hydration as well as health systems, industries, and infrastructure." 🥵 Meanwhile: The heat wave baking Europe this week wouldn't be possible without climate change, a World Weather Attribution rapid study found.

A tough lark in the parks Crowds on the Mist Trail at Yosemite National Park last summer. Photo: Apu Gomes/Getty Images Sky-high airfares will likely fuel another huge season for America's national parks as travelers seek cheaper getaways. They may find huge crowds, long waits and understaffed facilities. The New York Times reports: "This year, staffing remains sharply reduced, and some parks have scrapped their reservation systems, already leading to gridlock at popular sites." "In addition, steep new fees for foreign visitors have caused confusion at entry gates, resulting in delays." ✂️ The Trump administration cut permanent Park Service staffing by 25%, part of its broader trims across the federal government. That's left some parks with fewer staff to manage traffic and parking, clean up facilities, and help distressed hikers. It could also affect long-term park management. Visitors at Yellowstone National Park's Old Faithful in May. Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images 🏔️ Some popular parks — Arches, Glacier, Yosemite — recently scrapped timed entry systems meant to reduce crowding. That makes them easier to enter, but good luck getting a parking spot. 🦞 Our thought bubble, from Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick: I'm visiting Acadia soon, where overcrowding has been a huge issue. My plan: Get up early for the most popular hikes, and explore some of the lesser-visited areas later in the day. Another idea: Pick an under-the-radar national (or state!) park to visit this summer. Some to consider: Isle Royale (Michigan), Badlands (South Dakota), North Cascades (Washington). N.Y. Times gift link.

Israel and Lebanon sign framework agreement with US in ‘first step’ toward peace, Rubio says WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Marco Rubio joined Israel and Lebanon’s ambassadors to the U.S. Friday to announce a framework agreement that was described as a first step toward peace following months of conflict between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. https://apnews.com/article/rubio-israel-lebanon-c263a75ad99ef5120ad8f9f65bed5911? US airstrikes again hit Iran as Tehran strikes Bahrain and Kuwait, further imperiling interim deal DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The U.S. military launched a second round of airstrikes Saturday targeting Iran at President Donald Trump’s direction as Tehran hit both Bahrain and Kuwait, underscoring rising tensions that threaten the interim deal between the two nations to stop the war. https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-israel-war-hormuz-strait-june-27-2026-dca83ec0b72f498eea7146df5311b39c? US airstrikes again hit Iran as Tehran strikes Bahrain and Kuwait, further imperiling interim deal DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The U.S. military launched a second round of airstrikes Saturday targeting Iran at President Donald Trump’s direction as Tehran hit both Bahrain and Kuwait, underscoring rising tensions that threaten the interim deal between the two nations to stop the war. https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-israel-war-hormuz-strait-june-27-2026-dca83ec0b72f498eea7146df5311b39c?

Fault lines: Pentagon funding Republicans are splintered over how to get the Pentagon the roughly $1.5 trillion it says it needs, including $67 billion in emergency supplemental spending. Why it matters: The Iran war is complicating bipartisan negotiations on defense funding, and it's far from certain the GOP can hold together and use budget reconciliation for party-line votes. House Speaker Mike Johnson wants another version of the "big, beautiful bill" to serve as a catch-all for GOP legislative priorities. Johnson has said the SAVE Act "has to be done" and has said it can be attached to reconciliation. Senate Majority Leader John Thune wants to pass supplemental spending via a bipartisan process. Thune told Punchbowl News that using reconciliation for the supplemental should be Plan B, not the starting spot. He's also resistant to attaching the SAVE Act to reconciliation, which could have issues with the parliamentarian. Between the lines: If Republicans do plow ahead on a third reconciliation bill, the budget offsets would put moderates in a tricky spot. The bottom line: This is starting to sound like the summer '25 fight over the "one big, beautiful bill." — Justin Green