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White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is leaving the Trump administration Karoline Leavitt, the youngest person to hold the role, will leave at the end of the month to spend more time with her young family. Leavitt, 28, called it a “bittersweet decision" in a social media post Wednesday. Read more. What to know: Leavitt recently returned to the White House podium after the birth of her second child, a daughter, in May. She also has a 2-year-old son. President Donald Trump did not outline plans for who might replace her in the high-profile role. He said in a social media post that Leavitt’s decision to leave is one “I totally understand and respect!” and indicated she would continue to play a role in his orbit. Trump, who regularly engages with reporters during White House events and during his travels, primarily deployed Leavitt to take shots at Democrats and the mainstream media during televised news briefings and on conservative media outlets such as Fox News. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Rubio and Bessent stayed on decoy flight from Turkey as Trump switched planes, official says Kennedy Center board set to vote on whether to move forward with closure Lawsuit seeks to ban Trump Media from charging for early access to president’s posts on US policy Trump is making a rare Western trip to raise cash for Republicans and talk about the economy Republicans see Minnesota fraud scandal as a chance to go on offense in a blue state

AP Exclusive: ICE plans to give officers gloves that can deliver painful electric shocks ICE plans to spend up to $20 million to purchase thousands of “conductive distraction and de-escalation devices” for officers and agents by March, according to a notice published Monday by the Department of Homeland Security. Read more. Why this matters: Civil rights advocates expressed alarm at the plan, saying ICE officers already face criticism for their use of force with little oversight or accountability while enforcing President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. The devices have been used in recent years by some jails and police departments. DHS issued a statement that did not mention the product specifically or explain why it had been chosen. “ICE is constantly assessing the needs of our officers in the field to ensure they have the tools and equipment necessary to safely arrest and remove criminal illegal aliens from our country,” the statement said. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ ICE’s plan to give officers electric shock gloves draws outrage and fears of misuse DHS cites recent policy shift after not disclosing death of Guatemalan man who had been in custody US government charges 11 people in scheme to obtain green cards through sham marriages Law firm with ties to Trump administration declines offer to represent migrant children

August 13, 2026 Your first month is free in The New York Times app. Download now → By Matthew Cullen Good morning. Today we want to show you some amazing images from yesterday’s total solar eclipse. The eclipse as seen from Spain. Christian Hartmann/Reuters A celestial wonder “Totality is a cosmic coincidence,” explains our science reporter Katrina Miller: Our moon is about 400 times smaller than the sun, but it is also 400 times closer to Earth. This makes the two appear to be the same size from our point of view. The sun, moon and Earth are locked in a gravitational dance around one another, and when these three align, we bear witness to a solar eclipse. That’s what happened yesterday in parts of Europe. Millions of people looked up to see the moon devour the sun, briefly turning the star that gives us life into a hazy glowing ring in the sky. Day suddenly turned to dark. The air cooled. Crowds cheered. Birds started shrieking. Then, just a couple of minutes later, everything returned to normal. It was Europe’s first total solar eclipse in decades, a rare collective experience for almost everyone along the viewing path. True totality — the eerie, fleeting event where the sun and the moon perfectly align — could be seen in remote Greenland, in the cliff towns of Iceland and in parts of Spain. At an eclipse watch party in Spain. Susana Vera/Reuters As the moon appeared to slide across the surface of the sun, skywatchers who came prepared donned eclipse glasses and stared up. Two ways of watching. Angelika Warmuth/Reuters; Susana Vera/Reuters On Iceland’s west coast, the clouds parted just enough to allow a glimpse of the solar eclipse. First, the sun narrowed to a sliver, like a French tip on a celestial manicure. Then, it was suddenly twilight. In the Spanish heartland, where large crowds gathered in normally empty towns, excited visitors chanted “Now, now, now!” as the moon took its first nibble. In Mallorca, the moment of totality arrived just before sundown, making it feel even more dramatic. An optical illusion causes the sun to look much larger as it nears the horizon, where the Earth’s atmosphere also shifts the color of the light. In Mallorca. Francisco Ubilla/Reuters In cities along the path of totality, the eclipse was one of the summer’s main attractions. My colleague Jason Karaian, who was in Mallorca, noticed a restaurant offering a burger with a side of eclipse-watching glasses for about $23. The moment of totality. Borja Suarez/Reuters Eclipses are special because they’re rare. The United States, for instance, won’t see a coast-to-coast eclipse until 2045. As Katrina put it: It offers a primal sense of what it means to be human, through shared despair and delight under a celestial rebirth. We are all so consumed by our problems on the ground. Sometimes, we need a reason to look up. See more photos here. Related: During the last total solar eclipse visible from Spain, in 1905, the U.S. Navy sent warships to take high-definition photographs with one of the largest cameras then constructed. See what they captured. IN ONE IMAGE Federico Rios for The New York Times The recent earthquake in Colombia hit the city of Cali particularly hard. Officials feared that more than 200 people were trapped alive under the rubble there as of Tuesday. This photograph shows the rescue of one survivor — Diana Marcela Troncoso, 31, who was trapped for almost 30 hours. Click the image to see details of the operation. THE LATEST NEWS Immigration The Trump administration plans to issue ICE officers gloves that can give electric shocks. A third immigrant held at a troubled Newark detention facility has died after suffering a medical emergency. New Jersey’s attorney general opened a civil rights investigation into the facility last week. Times exclusive: The Homeland Security Department used a no-bid contract to buy 10 used jets that it said were urgently needed for deportation flights. They’ve sat idle for months. Politics When President Trump covertly left Air Force One before a flight out of Turkey last month, some members of his inner circle — including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent — remained on the plane. The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, will step down at the end of the month. Leavitt recently had a second child and Trump said she was leaving to spend more time with her family. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth urged Latin American military leaders to join U.S. efforts against drug cartels. He said the coalition’s motto would be, “We do bad things to bad people.” The Trump administration said it would not enforce corporate reporting requirements designed to target money laundering. The Justice Department allowed parts of a major 1934 gun control law to lapse, ending federal restrictions on short-barreled guns and suppressors. Health Lancaster County in Pennsylvania is now at the center of a major measles outbreak. Five years ago, before he was health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visited the county and told a crowd that the cure for measles was chicken soup and vitamin A. A surrogate who refused a request from the intended parents to abort a fetus with a heart defect gave birth in Texas. Ken Paxton, the state’s attorney general, intervened to compel medical care for the newborn. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Celeste Sloman for The New York Times Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has spent nearly a decade in the public eye, but the spotlight has rarely fallen on her personal life. That changed this week: After she announced that she was freezing her eggs, TMZ revealed that she had broken up with her fiancé. Ocasio-Cortez’s decision to publicize her egg-freezing resonated with women who had made the same decision. “I just love that she’s making it public,” one told The Times. “I think women, the more we share, the better it is.” Around the World Two Palestinian families in the West Bank have been trapped in their homes for days, under siege from Israeli settlers. Trump’s clandestine flight was stunning for an American president. But it’s nothing compared with the steps that Russia’s Vladimir Putin takes to remain shrouded in secrecy, our former Moscow bureau chief writes. Nigel Farage, a populist right-wing leader in Britain, is running in a special election today. His main challenger is a man who dresses as an intergalactic trash can. In the video below, our reporter Amelia Nierenberg explains. Click to watch. The New York Times Other Big Stories Three states plan to execute inmates today. It would be the first time in more than a decade that three people on death row were killed on the same day. Former sheriff’s deputies in Georgia have been arrested on charges of using Flock cameras to stalk people. OPINIONS A new law has criminalized trans life in Kansas. This is what fascism looks like, M. Gessen argues. Trump is putting an end to a lucrative overseas shipping scam, Peter Navarro, a White House trade adviser, writes. Deeply reported journalism needs your support. The Times relies on subscribers to help fund our mission. Become a subscriber today. MORNING READS Roberto Mosquera Moises Saman/Magnum, for The New York Times We’ve made these links free for you. No way out: Roberto Mosquera was deported from the United States to Eswatini, an African country he’d never heard of. He may never go free. Sound of silence: Meet the filmmakers who think silent movies are the best way to make themselves heard. India’s most livable city: That’s what one state leader has set out to build — no easy task in a country known for poor infrastructure and high pollution. See what he has planned. TODAY’S EMOJI — This was the most popular emoji worldwide last year, according to data from Google. It rose from fourth place, leapfrogging 🤣, 😂 and ❤️. Texters, especially young ones, deploy it when something is so funny, emotional or embarrassing you could cry. LAKERS SALE Ethan Swope/Associated Press Just over a year after buying the Los Angeles Lakers at a record-setting valuation of $10 billion, Mark Walter agreed to sell the team to Bob Iger, the former Disney C.E.O., and Joshua Kushner, the brother of Trump’s son-in-law Jared, at a $12.5 billion valuation. The deal is for Walter’s shares in the Lakers and does not affect his ownership of the Dodgers or Sparks. Kushner will have to sell his minority share in the Miami Heat. Here’s what we know about the deal and how it went down. Related: Walter’s continued control of the Dodgers is a positive sign for the team’s ability to keep the superstar Shohei Ohtani. RECIPE OF THE DAY Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Cyd Raftus McDowell. Here’s a contender for the perfect summer dinner. This one-pan salmon recipe makes the most of ripe, bursting tomatoes. Sear the fish in butter, then grate tomatoes coarsely and pour them in for a low-effort sauce that is sweet and tangy. Pair the dish with a glass of white wine. (Here are 12 bottles our critic recommends.) THE BARD IN SUMMER Gary Miller/Getty Images Lindsay Zoladz, one of our music critics, is having a Bob Dylan summer. She is reading two new books about less heralded parts of his career — one on his musical output since the 1990s, the other on his foray into filmmaking. And she saw him play live, at age 85, on his Long Hot Summer Tour. “There was such a relaxed virtuosity to the whole performance,” she writes. For her newsletter, The Amplifier, Lindsay made a playlist of Dylan songs, inspired by the books and the concert. Pop it on and have your own Bob Dylan summer. More on culture For decades, art experts insisted that the fragile, centuries-old Bayeux Tapestry could never leave France. Now it’s in London. Read about how that happened. A video of the pop star Tate McRae with skin care products has led to a wave of parodies. Late night hosts questioned Trump’s decision to leave some of his staff on Air Force One. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS Suzanne Saroff for The New York Times Eat more zucchini. It can improve your metabolism. Protect your eyes. Here’s what ophthalmologists wish you knew. Your pick: The most clicked link in The Morning yesterday gave tips for making the most of a small kitchen space. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was weighty. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Crossplay and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. Sam Sifton is back next week. 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 News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Brent Lewis, Lara McCoy, Karl Russell Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Editorial Director, Newsletters: Jodi Rudoren Deputy Editorial Director: Lauren Jackson

🏀 1 for the road: Team prices soar Data: Axios research. Chart: Erin Davis and Danielle Alberti/Axios This chart shows the astonishing spike — a literal hockey stick! — in how much professional sports teams have sold for over the last few decades. The Los Angeles Lakers were sold yesterday to venture capitalist Josh Kushner and former Disney CEO Bob Iger at an astonishing $12.5 billion valuation — the most ever for a pro sports club. Billionaire Mark Walter reached a deal to buy the controlling stake just last June at a $10 billion valuation, meaning the team's value increased by $2.5 billion in 14 months. Between the lines: The $12.5 billion sale is double the record price for an American sports franchise just three years ago, when the Washington Commanders sold for $6.1 billion. Go deeper: Dan Primack on the Lakers.

👎 Youth poll: Thumbs down on everything Data: Generation Lab. Chart: Danielle Alberti/Axios Asked which political party they trust more to bring down the cost of living, young Americans' top choice was neither (36%) — over Democrats (26%) or Republicans (22%), Axios' Margaret Talev writes from a new Axios-Generation Lab poll of 18- to 34-year-olds. "They're kind of thumbs-down on everything — how the president's doing, how the economy's doing, both political parties," said Generation Lab CEO Cyrus Beschloss. "AI is a pretty big disruptor. It's easy to point to one faceless thing as the cause." More data from the poll on AI, 2028 contenders and socialism.

🧀 Inside Wisconsin's big polling miss Pollsters blew another high-stakes election: In Wisconsin, center-left David Crowley, behind 20 points in poll after poll, stunned socialist Francesca Hong in Tuesday's Democratic primary for governor, Axios' Holly Otterbein writes. The reasons for the miss became clear yesterday: Surveys a week before the primary captured only a hint of a roller coaster of a race in which Crowley was gaining fast and Hong was playing defense. Two recent polls had Hong up by about 20 points over Crowley. But Crowley wound up winning by half a point (39.8% to 39.3%) in an upset that interrupted a run of primary wins by left-wing Democrats this spring. Former top Obama strategist David Axelrod told us: "Part of it is the old saw that we often say but rarely hear: Polling is a snapshot in time. A lot of the polls were taken too early to capture the movement." 🔎 Zoom in: The primary's final month was particularly chaotic. The party's establishment scrambled to stop Hong out of fear the state Assembly member was too far left to win in November. The last week of the campaign was dominated by the fallout from Hong struggling to explain to CNN why she'd once taken to social media to say "cancel Thanksgiving." 📺 Dan Pfeiffer, another former Obama adviser, noted on X and Substack that Hong — with little campaign money — didn't air TV ads during the campaign's stretch run to counter the attacks against her in the critical last few days before the primary. "Hong ran an inspirational grassroots campaign that mobilized people around key issues like data centers, but her failure to advertise in the final days probably cost her the election," Pfeiffer wrote.

🧠 Haberman: 70% of Trump's brain on monuments The New York Times' Maggie Haberman tells me 70% of President Trump's mindshare ("maybe plus or minus 5%") goes to his gilding, construction, renovation, renaming and tribute projects. "He is spending a huge amount of energy, mental and otherwise, on these renovation projects, beautification projects around Washington, and then monuments to self," Haberman told me for our "Behind the Curtain" video series. "[T]here is no precedent in U.S. history of a sitting president devising such endeavors in their own name." Why it matters: That mental map by Haberman — co-author with Jonathan Swan of "Regime Change," which has sold 600,000 copies and yesterday hit seven weeks at No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list — is a Rosetta Stone to what motivates and fascinates Trump. "What interests him are things that you can see and touch," she told me. Haberman had earlier made the 70% estimate about Trump's mindshare during an interview with her Times colleague Ezra Klein, saying that it's "a legacy thing." Haberman and I worked together in the early years of Politico. Her relentless reporting has made the New York City native a top expert on how Trump thinks. So I asked her to unpack her eye-opening stat: White House as construction zone, as seen from the Washington Monument this week. Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images Haberman and Swan visited Trump in the Oval Office in March for an hourlong interview for the book, which is now in eight printings and is the nonfiction bestseller of the year. "It was very clear," Haberman recalled, "what his mind was on while we were there. And what it was not really on was the war," which he'd launched just over two weeks earlier. "He didn't really want to talk about that. He didn't really want to talk about policy specifics. He wanted to describe himself as winning. And he wanted to show us how he had remade Washington." 🏛️ "You would think that on the 17th day of the war that he would have maps of the Middle East or maps of troop deployments — who knows," Haberman continued. "He picks up these pictures, and [they're] of maple trees. And he says: 'I am choosing maple trees for the White House. I am good at picking trees.' I'm paraphrasing here, but that is pretty much what he said." "Under that were designs of the ballroom. And he starts talking to us about the columns and how some of the columns are evocative of Rome. And then on the other side, the columns are evocative of Athens. And he's happy that they are a little bit either wider or more spaced apart or both than the columns at the Supreme Court. And that was like the first 15 minutes of this hour that we had." 📱 Watch our interview. ps:Pathetic!!

🗳️ Youth revolt slams older Dems House Democrats who've comfortably held their seats for decades are suddenly finding the ground shifting beneath their feet as primary voters revolt against the party's old guard, Axios' Andrew Solender writes. Why it matters: An anti-establishment revolution has swept Democratic primaries this year and could drastically alter the makeup of the party caucus and Congress as a whole. Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.), a 14-termer, became the latest victim: The 78-year-old lost his primary by more than 20 points to 47-year-old former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin. Larson became a top target for the Democratic youth brigade after his highly publicized freeze-up during a House floor speech last year that he later said was due to a complex partial seizure. 🧮 By the numbers: Larson is one of seven House Democrats who've lost their primaries this year — five of whom are past retirement age. Reps. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.), and Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.) — ages 69, 71 and 71, respectively — all lost to younger challengers affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America. Rep. Al Green (D-Texas), 78, lost to 38-year-old freshman Rep. Christian Menefee (D-Texas) after the GOP's mid-decade redistricting put them in the same seat. These losses, along with the ouster of Reps. Julie Johnson (D-Texas) and Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.), tie 2026 with 2012 as the worst year for Democratic incumbents in primaries in the 21st century. Keep reading.

Musk and Zuck's AI comeback Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg have muscled their way back into AI's elite ranks, closing the gap on a new generation of Silicon Valley startups, Axios' Madison Mills and Zachary Basu write. Why it matters: Recent gains by tech giants SpaceX and Meta — long stuck in AI's second tier — are putting pressure on a hierarchy dominated by OpenAI and Anthropic. Both companies released models this week with performance and pricing that would've been hard to imagine from either lab a year ago. SpaceX's Grok 4.6 scored essentially even with OpenAI's GPT-5.6 Sol Max and just behind Anthropic's Fable 5 Max on the closely watched Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index. Promising "something special," Musk said Grok 4.7 should arrive in three to four weeks and predicted it will "exceed all current models" after additional training on a massive trove of SpaceX data. Meta is trying to squeeze the frontier from below. Its new models deliver competitive performance at dramatically lower cost — including Muse Glimmer, an open-weight system small enough to run locally on a laptop. 🔬 Zoom in: As OpenAI and Anthropic pulled ahead, Musk and Zuckerberg answered with the full force of their empires — spending billions on talent, infrastructure and acquisitions. Zuckerberg overhauled Meta's AI effort after the disappointing launch of Llama 4, then invested $14.3 billion in Scale AI and brought aboard its CEO, Alexandr Wang, to lead the push. Musk went even further, folding xAI into SpaceX and agreeing to acquire Cursor for $60 billion — bringing massive computing power, proprietary SpaceX data and a fast-growing AI coding platform under one roof. Between the lines: The AI race is starting to reward more than raw intelligence, as price becomes a decisive advantage for many users. 🥊 Reality check: Anthropic and OpenAI still hold pole position — with even more capable models waiting in the wings, including systems deemed too sensitive for public release.

THIS DAY IN HISTORY August 13 1961 Berlin is divided German soldiers begin laying down barbed wire and bricks as a barrier between Soviet-controlled East Berlin and the democratic western section of the city. read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT Ancient Americas 1521 Aztec capital falls to Cortés Arts & Entertainment 1982 “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” debuts 1952 “Hound Dog” is recorded for the first time by Big Mama Thornton Inventions & Science 1878 First victim of Memphis yellow fever epidemic dies Latin American & Caribbean History 1926 Fidel Castro born Sports 1995 New York Yankees star Mickey Mantle dies U.S. Presidents 1981 Reagan signs Economic Recovery Tax Act (ERTA)

Black Hole Star Scientists say they have identified a new type of cosmic object, a supermassive black hole surrounded by a dense gas cloud, resembling a star. The so-called “black hole star” could explain similar objects, red dots that have until now remained unidentified. See illustration; scroll for image. While searching for the oldest possible galaxies, researchers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope noticed an extremely bright red spot—the reddest hue it has ever documented. They say the object—named “MoM-BH*-1”—formed about 660 million years after the Big Bang. They posited that a powerful star surrounded by a dense cloud of hydrogen could explain the red hue, among other phenomena. However, it was only when researchers incorporated a black hole into their simulation that it explained the object’s brightness, radiating 100 billion times the energy of a star. Red dots have appeared in nearly every image the telescope has taken, suggesting these cosmic objects may have been foundational in the early universe. Learn more about the telescope's mission.

Kosher salt is salt traditionally used for koshering meat, a process that removes the blood from it. It’s also fantastic for cooking with, as it contains no iodine or anti-clumping agents! James

🏛️ Parting shot: New York minute Photo: Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images A traveler walks past Grand Central Terminal's towering arched windows in Manhattan earlier this week.

Protection and Priorities (Jessica Kourkounis / Getty)   View in browser One of the more charming moments in the deliriously charming 1964 Beatles movie, A Hard Day’s Night, has the boys in the band trying to evade screaming fans and the paparazzi. They duck in alleys, they dodge around corners, and in one scene, they all jump into a taxi and then climb out the other side and get in a different taxi. It’s a wonderful, exhilarating sequence. It seems less fun when the president of the United States does it. A few days ago, Americans learned that Donald Trump had to do something like the Beatles car switcheroo to evade not admirers or photographers but an Iranian assassination plot. When the Secret Service got wind of a plan last month to kill Trump—apparently by taking out Air Force One—it engaged in a clever bit of misdirection: Trump boarded the usual Air Force One 747 in full view of the cameras, and then everyone shut the window shades as Trump surreptitiously climbed into one of the large containers that delivers food to an airplane galley. That container was then trucked over to a smaller C-32A aircraft, where Trump exited the container and boarded the plane (which, because of the president’s presence, instantly became the real Air Force One). The C-32A and the 747 then both flew to the United Kingdom, with the 747 continuing the ruse by identifying itself as “Air Force One.” Trump got off the smaller plane in Britain, snuck back on to the 747, and then exited from it as if he’d been on board the whole time. He then got on another 747, the lavish new Air Force One 2.0 given to Trump by the Qatari government, to fly home. We learned about the plane swap in Turkey in a scoop from the Washington Post reporter Dan Lamothe and his colleagues, but more reporting now suggests that this whole escapade went from a Beatles movie to a Marx Brothers comedy. Trump, as it turns out, was not alone on the food truck. While the press and some others on the plane were told nothing about a threat, Trump reportedly climbed into the catering container with three of his White House footmen: Dan Scavino (his former caddie) and Walt Nauta (his former butler), both of whom are now White House aides, and Natalie Harp, his executive assistant. Meanwhile, military officers, enlisted staff, and several American civilians were left on a plane that was deemed too dangerous for the president. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, according to reports, was waiting for Trump on the C-32A, but Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent were on the original 747, and they were aware that Trump was on the other, secret plane. Several White House aides were reportedly on the decoy flight, including Stephen Miller, Steven Cheung, and others. The pool report from the 747, however, says that there were “no visitors to the press cabin” during the flight from Turkey to the United Kingdom. The commander in chief is the most important person on any American aircraft, and his safety must take precedence over all other concerns or interests. If the Secret Service wanted Trump spirited out of Turkey for his security, then no one should second-guess that decision. But now that we know that Trump was getting shuttled around a Turkish airport in a food-supply crate with three of his courtiers, we also know more about this White House—and about the war in Iran. One immediate question: If the situation was that dangerous, why send up the first 747 at all—and with two men fairly senior in the line of presidential succession aboard? Perhaps the threat wasn’t quite so dire, or its parameters were not well-enough defined, and the Secret Service acted out of a superabundance of caution. Or perhaps the president thinks it’s acceptable to send up an airplane full of innocent Americans as a decoy to draw fire so that he can evade enemy action. It’s true, of course, that anyone takes a risk flying near active hostilities on a government aircraft. Back in late 1990, I accompanied the U.S. senator I was working for, John Heinz, on a visit to the Desert Shield operations area during the Gulf War. A group of senators had borrowed what was usually the vice president’s official plane, and during a security briefing before the trip, another Senate staffer asked: “Will we be in any danger?” The briefer, with a bit of exasperation, said: “You’ll be flying through an active war zone in a plane with ‘United States of America’ in giant letters on the side, so yeah, there’s some risk.” But that’s not the kind of risk that was ostensibly facing those on board the 747. Trump and his people had information about a threat clear enough that the president, the defense secretary, and a few cronies were diverted from the aircraft. The way the Great Food-Truck Escapade unfolded—including who Trump chose to take with him—also reveals much about the president’s priorities. And why didn’t Trump take the press into his confidence, even if he couldn’t take them all on the safer plane? Granted, the president seems to resent most of the media, so maybe he just didn’t care about their fate, but what about his staff? Not only was it morally appalling to keep so many people in the dark about the threat; it was politically inept, on two levels. First, imagine if something had actually happened to the decoy. Trump would later end up either having to lie or having to explain that he’d known that such a disaster was possible, and that he’d sent Air Force personnel and several American civilians—possibly including two Cabinet secretaries—to their death to cover his own escape. And second, Trump missed a major opportunity. Had he brought a few reporters with him, they could have told the story of a clever evasion. The 747, meanwhile, could have been temporarily held and its passengers delayed until Trump emerged in Britain, when the Iranians would find out they’d been had. That’s not how this White House works. Trump and his people operated under the kind of paranoia and callous disregard for military and civilian lives that have characterized the president’s time in office. The White House might argue that it cannot trust the media, but John Kirby, the retired rear admiral who served as a spokesperson in two administrations, noted yesterday on MS NOW that he often took the press into his confidence on similar classified matters and was never, in his word, “burned” by the decision to keep the American people informed. The larger issue is that Trump likely wanted this story buried because it makes him look cowardly and puts the lie to all his happy talk about the war. Trump has crowed—as he did at the time in Turkey—that the Iranians are beaten and pleading for a deal. In truth, the Iranians might have been planning to blow the president of the United States and some of his top officials to smithereens. When Trump ducked out of that 747, he was not channeling John Lennon or Groucho Marx. Instead, he affirmed that the character he most resembles is Greg Stillson, Stephen King’s cowardly presidential contender in the novel The Dead Zone. Stillson’s candidacy ends when he tries to shield himself from an assassin by holding a child in front of him. Trump, to his credit, did not grab a small child. He just sent a giant decoy filled with innocent Americans into the sky. Related: Trump’s new strategy of nothing Trump’s irrationality is dangerous.

⚡️ Lawler's unlikely assist Rep. Mike Lawler's (R-N.Y.) fight to hold on to a key battleground seat is getting a behind-the-scenes assist — for now, at least — from an unlikely group: House Democrats. Why it matters: Kamala Harris carried Lawler's district in 2024, but some Democrats are privately wary of spending the small fortune it would take to oust one of the GOP's most bipartisan — and electorally savvy — members. 🚨 "If you're going to have a Republican, it's the kind of Republican we want in the Congress," a Democratic source told us of Lawler, also noting that the New York City area is the nation's most expensive media market. A senior House Democrat told us: "I don't think Lawler is beatable." 💰 Republicans are outspending Democrats more than 40 to 1 on current and future ad reservations in New York's 17th District, according to ad tracking firm AdImpact. The House Republican leadership–aligned super PAC Congressional Leadership Fund has a whopping $6.7 million reserved in the district. That is on top of $2.8 million from the Lawler campaign and $2.1 million from outside GOP group Americans for Open Government. Democratic leadership–aligned nonprofit House Majority Forward is the only group with ad reservations in the district, at just $270,000 reserved. 📺 Yes, but: Democrats insist their lack of ad reservations is simply a result of the New York media market being so costly that there is no value in reserving TV time early there compared with states like Iowa. "NY-17 is one of the best flip opportunities on the map, and Mike Lawler is down in polling — HMP is going to do whatever it takes to flip this seat," CJ Warnke, a spokesperson for the HMF's political arm, House Majority PAC, told us. Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesperson Riya Vashi pointed to an alleged GOP shell PAC spending $1.5 million in a failed attempt to stop Cait Conley from becoming the Democratic nominee as evidence they are "clearly scared." Vashi noted that the DCCC put Conley, a U.S. Army veteran, on its coveted "Red to Blue" list. Between the lines: One estimate shared with us found that the money needed to compete seriously in NY-17 could instead fund television advertising across 11 toss-up House districts. 🤔 The intrigue: A former House Republican familiar with the dynamic between Lawler and Democratic leadership expressed skepticism that Jeffries will ultimately lay off Lawler through Election Day. The DCCC and House Majority PAC will "absolutely" spend in the district, the former lawmaker predicted, adding that Lawler "will still win." The bottom line: Lawler is one of the Republicans with the most Democratic fans, but he's still a Republican standing between them and the House majority. — Kate Santaliz and Andrew Solender

🌟 Congress' campaign stars Illustration: Eniola Odetunde / Axios ⛱️ It's August, which means lawmakers are fanning out across the country to campaign for themselves and their colleagues. Why it matters: A friendly senator or House member can help on the stump. But only a handful can juice fundraising, draw a real crowd or make a mark with an endorsement. 🎬 We asked strategists in both parties which lawmakers have enough star power to move voters, draw crowds or open wallets for candidates far from home. There aren't many, but a few names came up again and again. For Democrats: No one compares to former President Obama. But among lawmakers, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has never been hotter, as progressives and democratic socialists take down one establishment-backed candidate after another. In a twist, Sanders is seen by some Democrats as an asset not just in the primary — but also in the upcoming general election. Sanders appeared in one of battleground House candidate Rebecca Cooke's closing primary ads in this week's Wisconsin primary. Her other final ad pitched a Sanders idea — a moratorium on data centers. Sanders' heir-apparent, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), also tops the list with her formidable grassroots power. Sanders and AOC combined have drawn huge crowds across the country, even when they're not explicitly campaigning for themselves. 🚀 Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) is also popular nationwide, bolstered by his experience as an astronaut. 👀 Both Kelly and AOC are potential 2028 presidential election contenders. And few endorsements are seen as carrying more weight with Black voters than that of Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.). For Republicans: The roster of lawmakers outside of leadership is shorter. And, of course, no member of Congress comes close to matching the power of President Trump and some in his Cabinet. Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) has become an online and in-person phenomenon with his folksy one-liners and viral clips. 🤠 Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) is polarizing but familiar, with the ability to draw crowds and Texas dollars. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), as a founder of the House Freedom Caucus, can do a lot for a candidate. Between the lines: Power in Washington doesn't necessarily translate to power on the campaign trail. Although Hill leaders' job is to work to keep their majorities, they still hold the most sway with major donors, not average voters. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) are bringing in record funds — even as roughly a third of voters say they have never heard of Thune and 44% disapprove of Schumer, according to a recent CNN poll. ❌ Thune even told reporters last month that his endorsement "probably isn't helpful anyway" when asked about South Carolina Republican Sen. Darline Graham. 🚗 Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) often gets media coverage of his cross-country efforts to campaign for House Republican candidates, as does his leadership team — Reps. Steve Scalise (R-La.) and Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) 30% of voters said they had never heard of House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, even as he campaigned recently for Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and battleground House candidate Bob Brooks. — Stef W. Kight and Holly Otterbein

Trail to the Transfiguration Part 1 The Origins of Anti-God Religion https://www.patternsofevidence.com/2026/08/14/trail-to-the-transfiguration-part-1/?

In another posst in anoher section, I predict who will lbe elected in the Paclifilc Union Conference election, beforel it happens. GM

August 15 & 17 will be the date for the Pacific Uniioin Conference to electl officers, and conduct some other business. I predict the following elections: A major focus of the session will be the election of officers for the coming quinquennium. The nominating committee has recommended the following slate of nominees for the nine elected leadership positions of the Pacific Union Conference: President: Marc Woodson Executive Secretary: Sandra E. Roberts Treasurer: Stephen Mayer Executive Vice President: Alberto Ingleton Vice President for Asian Pacific Ministries: Manuel (Manny) Vitug Vice President for Black Ministries: Leon B. Brown, Sr. Vice President for Hispanic Ministries: Yohalmo Saravia Vice President for Education: James P. Willis, II Remember, lyou heard ilt first, before it had happened, in Club Adventist. Gregory Matthews

I am interjecting a comment just in case there is a lack of understanding what has been a common SDA position. SDAs have often thought that the term Michael the archangel referred to Christ as God in heaven as being in charge of the created angels. It was not a statement that Christ was a created angel.

Global Context: How the US Compares America's 30% weekly attendance rate, while declining domestically, remains significantly higher than most of the developed world. For perspective: Country Weekly Church/Worship Attendance Nigeria 89% Philippines 68% Brazil 45% United States 30% Canada 15% Australia 13% United Kingdom 9% France 7% Sweden 4% Source: Pew Research Global Attitudes Survey 2024 The US remains an outlier among wealthy nations, with attendance rates far above Western Europe, Canada, and Australia. However, the American trajectory appears to be following, with a lag, the secularization patterns that transformed European Christianity in the late 20th century. Whether the US will reach European levels of disaffiliation or stabilize at a higher baseline remains one of the most debated questions in sociology of religion. -------------------------------- Wow, Canada and AU have fallen off a cliff! https://faithscout.com/blog/church-attendance-statistics