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State Unemployment by Race and Ethnicity The second quarter of 2026 saw persistent racial inequality in unemployment rates across states https://www.epi.org/indicators/state-unemployment-by-race-and-ethnicity/?

In Trump’s economy, Black adults and their families face worsening job security and financial stability The Trump-Vance administration inherited a strong labor market with record employment and wage gains. But after a year of the administration’s economic mismanagement, workers are feeling more vulnerable to the softening labor market. While the president is busy touting the stock market’s performance, working people and families are expressing concerns about job security and affordability. This is evident in the Federal Reserve’s latest Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking (SHED), which shows an increase in the number of adults who worry about finding or keeping a job. More than 2 out of 5 adults reported concerns about finding or keeping a job in 2025, up from 37% in 2024. https://www.epi.org/blog/in-trumps-economy-black-adults-and-their-families-face-worsening-job-security-and-financial-stability/?

Conviction on any of the origional charges would have required the testlimony of the female victum. Conviction of the crime of abduction would not have required testimony from the victum. The 36-month sentence was the max that couold be gliven under the ammended charge. Justice was served, and wlithout further trauma to the victum by requiring her to testify.

Arizona AG declines to charge Gov. Katie Hobbs over pay-to-play allegations PHOENIX (AP) — State prosecutors declined to file criminal charges against Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs over allegations that she took part in a pay-to-play scheme with a group home company that received a rate increase from the state after contributing $100,000 to her inaugural celebration, Attorney General Kris Mayes announced Friday. https://apnews.com/article/katie-hobbs-sunshine-pay-to-play-kris-mayes-6bb26a982bbdf2775da83484f175bf1f?

Pentagon dismisses Stars and Stripes leadership after editor, reporter oppose military interference The Pentagon on Friday fired the editor-in-chief of Stars and Stripes and a top reporter for insubordination after they spoke publicly against any interference by the Defense Department in the military news outlet that has a long history of editorial independence. It was the latest move by an administration that has grown increasingly aggressive toward the news media. https://apnews.com/article/stars-stripes-pentagon-censorship-media-d42affb0c17fef31c6089645c8dbbe70?

🐿️ 1 fun thing: Fat Marmot Week A marmot named 9 sits outside her den on Aug. 6 in Gothic, Colo. Photo: Brittany Peterson/AP Fat Marmot Week is helping scientists drum up donations for their research into the furry ground squirrels living high in the Colorado mountains. The riff on Fat Bear Week starts Monday, and comes as federal funding cuts jeopardize the researchers' work. 🔬 The local marmot study, run by UCLA researchers about 20 miles south of Aspen, has been ongoing since 1962 — making it one of the world's longest-running studies of individual mammals. The researchers need to bank three years of funding — over $200,000 — to keep working next summer. Go deeper.

🛒 SNAP food aid enrollment dropped by more than 13% in a 12-month span. That's a far steeper decline than the government estimated as work requirements and other parts of President Trump's "big beautiful bill" take effect. Go deeper. ps:How sad! This program helps more people than many other programs!! My Mom was on that program and barely got anything, lucky for her she had 2 sons that were able to help with any problems she had, but the people that really need this and have no family to help are really in trouble!!!!!!

📚 The FTC is being urged to investigate AI companies for buying, scanning and destroying books to train their models, per a letter first shared with Axios' Ashley Gold. Go deeper.

⚽️ FIFA has banned three Argentina players, including a 10-match suspension for midfielder Leandro Paredes, for striking their Spanish opponents after losing the World Cup final. Go deeper.

🏀 NBA merry-go-round keeps on spinning Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios Marc Lore has agreed to sell his controlling stake in the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves and the WNBA's Minnesota Lynx to billionaire investor Marc Stad at a $4.5 billion enterprise value, Axios' Dan Primack reports. That comes just a week after Mark Walter agreed to sell the Los Angeles Lakers to Joshua Kushner and Bob Iger for $12.5 billion. 🐺 Lore — a serial entrepreneur and former Walmart exec — gained control of the Timberwolves last summer, after a protracted legal process. Lore's partner on the deal, ex-MLB player Alex Rodriguez, will remain a part of club ownership. 📆 Behind the scenes: The deal has been in process for several months, per a source familiar — which means it wasn't a reaction to the Lakers sale. Go deeper.

Trump promises cheaper beef Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios President Trump said today that he would temporarily increase tariff-free beef imports and that he had secured a commitment to sell the meat at 25% below current market prices, Axios' Nathan Bomey reports. A global cattle shortage has driven up the cost for red meat, making burgers and steaks more expensive. 🤳 Trump said on Truth Social that he had "concluded a deal to substantially lower the price of ground beef for working American families." He added, "We have a commitment that this beef will be sold at 25 percent below current market prices." "As we work to rebuild this herd and help our ranchers, for the next 90 days, the United States will allow up to 300,000 metric tons of product for ground beef to be imported with no out of quota tariff." 🤔 Reality check: Trump didn't specify who made the commitment to sell the beef at a lower price. A White House official said the commitment came from foreign beef exporters, and that the 25% discount would be passed along to U.S. consumers. Go deeper. ps:So what's different this time? He's already said this before and it wasn't true than!!!!!

Supreme Court’s chief justice allows work on Trump’s $400M White House ballroom to continue for now WASHINGTON (AP) — Chief Justice John Roberts on Friday allowed the White House to continue construction on President Donald Trump’s $400 million ballroom project for now, as the Supreme Court considers the Trump administration’s emergency request to intervene in lawsuits over the project. https://apnews.com/article/trump-white-house-ballroom-supreme-court-b3eaee672028e584d0c520180c663e2c? ps:How pathetic is that?????

ADRA assesses damage after magnitude 7.7 earthquake strikes Indonesia ADRA teams and local church leaders assess needs as rescue and recovery efforts continue across earthquake-affected communities in Flores. https://adventist.news/news/adra-assesses-damage-after-magnitude-7.7-earthquake-strikes-indonesia

Court cuts $50M judgment against Alex Jones over falsely labeling Sandy Hook killings a hoax AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A Texas court on Friday slashed a $50 million judgment that conspiracy theorist Alex Jones was ordered to pay families of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre over his false claims that one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history was a hoax. https://apnews.com/article/alex-jones-infowars-newtown-b7866ab5ef652bbc7307ae55b09937ce? ps:These guys just want to do the crime, but not take the consequences!

The Trinity is: God the Father = All powerful, almighty, all glorious, final authority, universal. Old Testament term "El" God the Son = Personal, approachable. Old Testament term "YHWH" The Angel of the Lord who turns out to be the Lord, the Captain of the Lord's Host, Michael and other manifestations. God the Holy Spirit = God working with our subjective/existential experience Old Testament term "The Spirit of the Lord" and pictures of the Lord's leading. All three are seen as one God, We use the term "Trinity" The idea is in the Old Testament term "Elohim" a singular plural.

Ramat Gan’s Early Islamic Past Archaeologists have uncovered a planned commercial and industrial complex dating to roughly 1,300 years ago in Ramat Gan, Israel. The site contains straight, intersecting streets, rooms that may have functioned as shops or warehouses, pottery kilns, plastered industrial installations, and large quantities of artifacts. The combination of deliberately arranged streets and buildings leads the Israel Antiquities Authority to suggest that, during periods of Muslim rule, this complex was purpose-built by engineers, likely at the commission of regional authorities. https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/daily-life-and-practice/ramat-gans-early-islamic-past/? The Aleppo Codex Online Throughout its long history, the Aleppo Codex has been carefully and jealously guarded. The Aleppo Codex online project, however, has placed the Aleppo Codex among the ranks of other ancient biblical manuscripts that have been made available to all via the web. Under the auspices of the Ben-Zvi Institute in Jerusalem and funding by George S. Blumenthal, the Aleppo Codex online—that is, at least the remnants of it that arrived in Jerusalem in 1957—is available free for anyone with a computer and an internet connection. https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/hebrew-bible/the-aleppo-codex-online/?

🎉 Yahoo! It's Friday! You made it. What are the chances? Brewers prospect Sawyer Strosnider's memorable first professional home run with the High-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers got even better when he saw whocaught it: his dad, Scott. In today's edition: Premier League kickoff, Behind the Lens, Harden joins the $500M club, baseball comic books, hook 'em Horns, Guess the Logo, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports...   🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES 🎾 Alcaraz is back: Carlos Alcaraz, who's missed the past four months with a wrist injury, announced that he will return for next week's U.S. Open, though the defending champion hasn't confirmed if he will participate in the singles draw. Also unconfirmed? World No. 1 Jannik Sinner, whose knee injury has kept him off the court since winning Wimbledon. 🏀 Cavs making moves: The Cavaliers gave James Harden a three-year, $97 million extension, making the 11-time All-Star just the fourth player to eclipse $500 million in career earnings (LeBron, KD, Steph). Cleveland also acquired Peyton Watson from the Nuggets in a five-team deal, and then gave the young wing a four-year, $88 million contract. ⚾️ History in Williamsport: Phenix City's Kinley Rasmus struck out eight batters on Wednesday, tying Mo'Ne Davis for the most by a girl in a LLWS game. Rasmus, one of just 25 girls ever to appear in the LLWS, is the daughter of former MLB pitcher Cory Rasmus and the niece of former MLB outfielder Colby Rasmus. 🏎️ Verstappen inks new deal: Red Bull signed Max Verstappen to an extension through 2030, ending any rumors that the four-time F1 champion might sign with another team. The 28-year-old Dutchman currently sits in sixth place and still seeks his first win of the season. ⚾️ Seattle calls up top prospect: The Mariners are calling up LHP Kade Anderson, MLB's top pitching prospect, to start tomorrow's game against the Cubs. Seattle took the southpaw No. 3 overall in 2025, three weeks after he led LSU to the CWS title as the tournament's MOP.   📺 VIEWING GUIDE WEEKEND WATCHLIST (Carl Recine/Getty Images) We're still a few weeks away from peak football season, but that isn't stopping this weekend from being packed with wall-to-wall action the next three days. Enjoy! ⚽️ English Premier League The Premier League's 35th season kicks off this weekend, starting with today's match (3pm ET, USA) at Emirates Stadium between defending champion Arsenal and newly-promoted side Coventry City. Best of the rest: Manchester City vs. Bournemouth (Sun. 9am, USA) and Newcastle United vs. Liverpool (Sun. 11:30am, USA). Coaching carousel: A record nine teams begin this season with a new manager, including mega clubs like Manchester City (Enzo Maresca), Liverpool (Andoni Iraola) and Chelsea (Xabi Alonso). ⚾️ MLB Little League Classic The Braves and Brewers meet in the ninth annual Little League Classic on Sunday night (7pm, ESPN) at Historic Bowman Field in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. This year's event will pay homage to Hank Aaron, who spent his legendary career playing in Milwaukee and Atlanta. Sunday Funday: First, the big leaguers will watch the Little League Word Series alongside the kids (and partake in the traditional slide down the hill). Then, they'll take the field in front of a crowd of mostly LLWS players, coaches and families. ⛳️ BMW Championship Play continues in St. Louis (Fri-Sun, ESPN/Golf/CBS) as the field of 50 fights to book a spot in next week's 30-man Tour Championship. Leaderboard: Five golfers, including Rory McIlroy, are tied for the lead at 6-under after Thursday's opening round. Scottie Scheffler surprisingly sits eight strokes back at 2-over, tied for the second-worst score of the day. 🎾 Cincinnati Open, Finals The Masters 1000 event concludes on Sunday (2pm, Tennis), and there's a decent chance we'll see a pair of American winners considering they make up half of the remaining field. The contenders: No. 6 Taylor Fritz, No. 27 Brandon Nakashima and No. 17 Frances Tiafoe will attempt to become the first American man to win this tournament since Andy Roddick in 2006. No. 3 Jessica Pegula, No. 4 Coco Gauff and No. 20 Madison Keys are the Americans still contending for the women's title. 🏁 Freedom 250 Grand Prix IndyCar makes its first-ever stop in our nation's capital on Sunday morning (11:30am, Fox), hitting the streets of Washington, D.C. and the National Mall to celebrate America's 250th birthday. More racing: F1 returns from its month-long break at the Dutch Grand Prix (Sun. 9am, Apple), while the NASCAR Cup Series heads to New Hampshire (Sun. 3pm, USA). More to watch: 🏈 NFL Preseason: Week 2 (Fri-Sun) … Packers at Broncos (Fri. 9pm, NFL), Eagles at Patriots (Sat. 7pm, NFL) and Seahawks at Titans (Sun. 8pm, Fox) headline the 14-game slate. 🚴 Vuelta a España: Stages 1-2 (Sat-Sun, Peacock) … Tadej Pogačar seeks to become the ninth man to win all three grand tours as the 21-stage race begins in Monaco. 🏀 WNBA: Lynx at Mystics (Fri. 7:30pm, ION); Fever at Liberty (Sat. 7pm, Prime); Storm at Wings (Sun. 4pm, NBA); Fever at Sky (Sun. 7pm, NBC) ⚽️ MLS: St. Louis vs. Houston (Sat. 8:30pm, Apple) … Houston have won five straight to climb into first place in the West; St. Louis are unbeaten in 10 straight to climb into sixth. ⚽️ NWSL: San Diego vs. Utah (Fri. 10pm, Prime); Portland vs. Denver (Sat. 8:45pm, ION); Chicago vs. Louisville (Sun. 2pm, CBSSN); Washington vs. Orlando (Sun. 4pm, ESPN2) Plus: ⛳️ LIV Indianapolis (Fri-Sun, Fox Sports); ⛳️ Canadian Women's Open (Fri-Sun, Golf); 🏀 BIG3 Championship (Sat. 1pm, CBS); ⚾️ WPBL (Fri-Sun, ESPN+)   📸 PHOTOGRAPHY BEHIND THE LENS (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) We're bringing back one of our favorite sections! Each week, we'll be going "Behind the Lens" with Getty Images to get the backstory on the best photographs in sports. This week's photo: Australia's Edward Sommerville competes in the Men's 200m freestyle heats at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, when an unfortunate equipment malfunction made for a unique snapshot. Photographer: Maddie Meyer Location: Irvine, California Date: August 12 📸 Behind the lens: Here's Maddie… Many swim photos can feel repetitive, so I do my best to look for details that stand out to make an image more interesting. I'll look for goggle or swim cap colors, or bright sunscreen or nail colors. There were a lot of athletes I needed to photograph in this heat, but at a glance I thought something looked "off" about Sommerville. I tracked his face through my camera and noticed his goggles had slid down his face. If this happens during a race there's nothing the athlete can do to adjust it without stopping completely. I made sure to photograph him with the longest lens I had, a 400mm, to really put the focus on his facial expression. Equipment and technique: Maddie used a Canon R1 f/2.8 with a setting of ISO 125 and a shutter speed of 1/2700, as well as the aforementioned 400mm lens.   ⚾️ COMIC BOOKS BASEBALL STARS, ASSEMBLE! (All Baseball Comics) This fall, a gathering of heroes will band together in a desperate battle against a relentless, approaching evil that threatens to lay waste to all we hold dear. No, we're not talking about "Avengers: Doomsday." We're talking about a true threat … the battle to keep the Los Angeles Dodgers from winning another World Series. Jay Busbee, Yahoo Sports: The dramatic highs and lows of every baseball postseason can feel like a comic book movie, so what better time than October to catch up on your baseball history via comic books? Enter: All Baseball Comics, an MLB-licensed collection of three comic books telling the story of three iconic squads: the New York Yankees, the Chicago Cubs and those aforementioned Dodgers. Baseball, as everyone from Ken Burns to Bob Costas to Kevin Costner reminds us, is the story of America, and these three comic books will tell the stories of their three franchises against the broader landscape of American history. The Yankees, Avengers-level icons, have maintained excellence throughout their century-plus existence. The Cubs, beloved losers in the X-Men mold, define fan loyalty. And the Dodgers, a collection of Justice League-style legends, have pushed the edges of the sport for decades. Like baseball itself, comic books in their current form are a thoroughly American invention. While the most popular American comic books focus on superhero exploits, there's a small but significant niche of nonfiction comics telling the stories of everything from the Civil Rights Movement to rock 'n' roll. All Baseball Comics fits squarely into this tradition, combining story and image for a unique take on American legends. Get your comics: Each issue is available for pre-order at baseballcomics.com for $19.99 apiece. For the collectors, there are also signed variant covers available.   🤘 HOOK 'EM THE LONGHORNS' LONG DIGITAL REACH Which NCAA schools have the biggest digital reach? Thanks to Zoomph's College Athletics Rankings Dashboard, released this week, now we know. By the numbers: Texas has by far the most valuable athletic department on social media, generating $9.6 million more social value, 229 million more impressions, and almost 9 million more engagements than second-ranked Ohio State. It just means more: SEC schools account for seven of the top 10 and 13 of the top 30. The Big Ten placed 10 teams in the top 30, but seven of them were ranked between 20th and 30th. Impact from women's sports: A women's sport was among the top three sports at eight of the top 10 schools. Softball was in the top three at four of those schools, while women's volleyball was the top driver of social media value at Nebraska, the only school where football didn't hold that distinction.   🔎 LET'S PLAY GUESS THE LOGO Question: Can you guess this zoomed in Premier League logo? Hint: One of six Premier League clubs based in London. Answer at the bottom.   🍿 SPORTS SHORTS WATCH: "THE MELONEERS" Yahoo Media Group and The Nonfiction Hotlist invited filmmakers worldwide to submit documentary shorts for recognition and distribution. Nearly 1,000 filmmakers answered the call — and now, the results are in! Five films were selected in the Sports category, and we'll be sharing one each day this week ahead of our inaugural Film Festival this weekend. Title: The Meloneers Director: Brendan Young Runtime: 22 minutes About the film: The Meloneers is a coming of age story, examining the intersection of wrestling and fatherhood as a high school coach in the small town of Rocky Ford, Colorado, uses the sport to help the community's youth better understand their lives.   🏎️ START YOUR ENGINES YAHOO SPORTS x APPLE TV (Apple) This weekend's Formula 1 Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2026 continues our season-long partnership with Apple TV for F1 coverage. Tune in: Today's sprint qualifying (10:30am ET) and tomorrow's race qualifying (10am) will air for free on Yahoo Sports, while tomorrow's sprint (6am) and Sunday's race (9am) will stream on Apple TV, the new U.S. home of Formula 1.   Logo reveal: Chelsea Football Club  

Bernie Sanders endorses Angie Nixon for U.S. Senate in Florida Vermont independent U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders has endorsed Democrat Angie Nixon in her battle for the U.S. Senate versus Republican Ashley Moody in November. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/08/20/bernie-sanders-endorses-angie-nixon-for-u-s-senate-in-florida/? DeSantis announces cancer grants applications are open, touts increased research dollars Florida is accepting applications for $70 million in cancer “innovation” funds. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/08/20/desantis-announces-cancer-grants-applications-are-open-touts-increased-research-dollars/? Jay Collins lost big — but he did win 16 counties in North Florida and 17 overall Byron Donalds enjoyed a relatively stress-free night Tuesday in defeating 10 opponents to capture the Republican nomination for governor and goes into November’s general election as the favorite against Democrat David Jolly. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/08/20/jay-collins-lost-big-but-he-did-win-14-counties-in-north-florida-and-15-overall/?

Navy may strip Black war hero’s name from carrier A portrait of Doris Miller, showing a Navy Cross received in a ceremony at Pearl Harbor. (US Navy) The US Navy is working to rename an aircraft carrier that was set to honor a Black sailor hailed for his heroism during the attack on Pearl Harbor, potentially naming it after President Trump instead. During Trump’s first term, the Navy announced the Ford-class carrier would be named the USS Doris Miller, honoring the enlisted sailor who helped defend US forces during Japan’s attack. Officials are now considering naming another warship after Miller and plan to recommend him for the Medal of Honor, sources told CNN. Naming the carrier after Trump would be unprecedented: Several active US aircraft carriers honor former presidents, including Abraham Lincoln, George H.W. Bush, Ronald Reagan and George Washington, but none of those first set sail while their namesake was still in office. + Read more: Navy weighs renaming carrier slated to honor Black war hero + Video: Great-nephew of Black WWII hero: ‘a shock’ to hear ship may be renamed ps:"May?" That's putting it lightly!! Can't get anymore pathetic with this administration!!!

Walmart promises price cuts Walmart told investors Thursday it will use the $2.9 billion it received in tariff refunds for “price investments,” or price cuts aimed at encouraging consumers to spend more. The announcement comes after the retailer posted its slowest US store sales growth since the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic. Other major retailers are also receiving sizable refunds, including Target, TJX, Home Depot and Lowe’s. The payments follow the Supreme Court’s February ruling that President Trump’s sweeping tariffs were illegal and that the $168 billion collected from 330,000 importers would need to be returned. + Read more: Walmart promises price cuts after $2.9 billion tariff refund + Plus: Americans are being choosy about where they spend their money ps:Funny they would claim that! They've actually been saying that for a few months now, and there prices have been coming down here and there! You'll see the prices going up week after week and than they'll say a few weeks later prices are being rolled back, but when you look at the price it's not even half lower than what it was 2/3 weeks before, but at the same time prices of other items have still gone up little by little!!!!! I'll be watching this in the coming weeks!!!!!

The Only Truth About Trump’s America Is That Everything Is a Lie Our government is braindead. If they get their way, we’re next. As bad as you think things are, they’re worse. How do I know? I mean, besides that I am Jewish and this bleak worldview has been inculcated in me since growing up in the tiny shtetl of Summit, New Jersey. I know because while this administration has waged war on the First Amendment and is the least transparent in history, while it is erratic and chaotic and the goat rodeo to end all clusterf–ks, there is one thing about which we can be absolutely certain. It lies. The president lies. His soon-to-depart press secretary lies… and so will her replacement, no matter who that is. His director of communications lies. His Cabinet secretaries lie. When economic data is released, it is no longer reliable. When casualty counts for military actions are announced, they are wrong. When new policy initiatives are announced, what we’re sure of is that the ones that might help us will never happen and the ones that appear crazy or ill-conceived will surely turn out worse than we can imagine. When big deals are announced, we know that there are side deals we will never hear of—while we are shocked by how much Trump corruption is out in the open the one thing we know is that there is even more of it taking place in the shadows, in the demi-monde of crypto, Russian oligarchs, the children of Steve Witkoff and Howard Lutnick and of course the whole Trump clan. Did DOGE save us money or enhance government efficiency? No. Will the Make America Healthy Movement make us healthier? The opposite. When the insanity of RFK Jr. and his quack clack leads to disease outbreaks, contaminated food and viral misinformation, the only thing we know for sure is that these unqualified nutcases are lacing their announcements with science they read off a tile over a urinal at an 1-95 rest stop. Wherever possible, mendacious goons kill or pervert or attempt to coopt reliable sources of government data, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to the National Weather Bureau. Look out your window; do you see a baked landscape? Shriveling crops? Europe in flames from wildfires? Well, try to find information about climate change on a government website—it’s not there. There is no climate change, folks. That’s the BS being fed to you via the droopy info teats of Trump and Stephen Cheung. It’s an election year. Trump has the lowest approval ratings of his presidency. Republicans seem headed for historic losses. And what kind of predictions do you hear from the White House, the Keebler Elf serving as Speaker of the House, or the confederacy of dunces in the GOP caucuses? That it’s all gonna be great! Prosperity is around the corner. (It must be. Scott Bessent said it would be.) Peace is around the corner. (It must be. Marco Rubio said it would be.) Big victories are coming. (They must be. Because Dear Leader says so and he is never wrong.) How do we know the lies will keep flowing? Because they seem more and more compelled to lie about smaller and smaller matters. If they are going to lie about the actual role being played by the president’s… amanuensis Natalie Harp, or the state of the Trumps’ Potemkin marriage, or the causes of bruises on his hands or his golf scores, you know that they are going to lie about the big damaging realities we face. You know, the really big ones, like the exploding budget, the cuts to healthcare, the depletion of our military stockpiles, the Iranian victory in Trump’s illegal war, their plans to steal the elections in November or to end democracy thereafter, the destruction of our institutions, the ending of our vital alliances, the strengthening of our enemies and Trump’s involvement with the most notorious sex-trafficker of our time. In fact, although our government has lied to us in the past, just as almost all governments do, we are now in an entirely new era in which smart information consumers know not to believe anything the White House says. (It is really something that we don’t believe anything about the Iran war unless it is confirmed by Tehran.) Worse, we also know that behind their lies are malevolent intentions, incompetence, pathological personalities, ignorance and corruption. They are not just unleashing a never-ending torrent of falsehoods, but they are doing it to hide a destructive agenda in which the people of the United States are very often the intended victims. Other nations know that they too are being lied to by the U.S. government. Were the government the only contributor to the tsunami of lies, deceptions, and misrepresentations that washes over us daily, we might hope to remain afloat on planks of truth. The problem is that the media on which we have depended in the past to search for the truth has largely been coopted by oligarchs with a political agenda or hacks who misunderstand their mission and seek ‘balance’ rather than simple facts. (It is compounded by the fact that new media is dominated by opinion, conjecture, conspiracy theories and, increasingly, AI slop.) Meanwhile academics who seek to speak truth to power often find themselves undermined, silenced or fired by spineless trustees and administrators who are being pressured by the administration to teach the MAGA party line. In short, in what is undoubtedly the moment in human history when we have the greatest abundance of mechanisms by which information can be delivered to us, we are presented with more distortions, falsities and what a recent president would have called “malarkey” than ever before. This could be a golden era of informed lives and good, transparent governance. Instead, we are entering a new dark age in which we ignore or misuse the tools of insight and wisdom all around us and choose immersion in bulls–t. It may be high-class, high-tech bulls–t, scented with a faint whiff of a misunderstood truth, but it is bulls–t nonetheless. The only path out is that each of us, individually, makes seeking the truth our top priority, and skepticism our constant ally. We must seek out reliable sources of information and reject those who deliver anything less. For voters, it is also essential we become intolerant of liars in government, media, the corporate world, academia—anywhere. The argument that “they all lie” is one proffered by liars to excuse deceptions not yet unleashed on the world. So is the nonsense that we are each “entitled to our own truth.” Demand proof. Demand evidence. Make people work for your trust. We entered into this Trumpian bulls–tocracy because we stopped giving proper value to the character of our leaders, and like a virulent epidemic, the flaws of those we elevated then spread so rapidly that they now threaten the very life of our republic. That’s no exaggeration. In the best case, if we reject lies and demand truth again—starting with November’s elections—it will still take many years to restore trust in the U.S. government at home and abroad. But if we fail to, if we allow the lies to triumph yet again, we may well live the rest of our lives in this new grim, unnecessarily, tragically dark age, and with the fear that must carry with it. https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-only-truth-about-trumps-america-is-that-everything-is-a-lie/?

FACT FOCUS: Social media falsely claims heat wave threatens Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and bank MILAN (AP) — As Italy has been plunged into a period of extreme heat, social media accounts amplified and falsified reports about the impact on the production of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and a regional bank that stores the cheese wheels as collateral for loans. https://apnews.com/article/italy-parmigiano-reggiano-cheese-extreme-heat-bank-e077ee7f9b93f2b7a50364e25387a991?

Trump warns of ‘economic D-Day’ against Iran, but Tehran is well acquainted with sanctions Nearing the six-month mark of the Iran war and facing diminishing stockpiles of key weapons, the Trump administration is touting a crushing financial campaign against a country that has so far withstood nearly five decades of punishing American sanctions. Read more. Why this matters: With sparse details, President Donald Trump announced this week that the U.S. would be imposing an “unprecedented” level of economic warfare and isolation on Iran, aiming to force its leadership to cave to demands to end its nuclear program and fully reopen the crucial Strait of Hormuz to oil and natural gas tankers. The president is refocusing America’s might on bringing Iran to its knees through an accelerated sanctions campaign against one of the most economically penalized countries in the world. Iranian officials and analysts have accused the Republican president of flip-flopping with his latest pivot to economic pressure against Iran. Trump has long derided past leaders who used sanctions to limit Iran’s ability to pay for its military and nuclear development. In a post last week on X, Esmail Baghaei, spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, wrote that Washington’s pattern of retreating to sanctions when it doesn’t want to pursue diplomacy has proven to be futile. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Iranian families struggle to afford the basics as US ratchets up economic warfare US aircraft carrier arrives in Middle East, relieving long-deployed USS Lincoln A quiet channel between ICE and Iran shaped deportation flights, newly released emails show

US ramps up Cuba sanctions and detentions of Americans returning from the island The Trump administration is imposing more economic penalties on industries in the heavily sanctioned socialist country and broadening enforcement of laws that bar Americans who visit the island from dealings with government-owned or affiliated businesses. Read more. Why this matters: The administration has steadily ratcheted up pressure on Havana, threatening it with potential military intervention even when mired in a conflict against Iran, while also boosting economic sanctions designed to cut off funding for the Cuban government. An oil blockade that the U.S. imposed on Cuba after the American military raid that ousted Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, whose country provided Cuba with subsidized oil, has plunged the already economically crippled island into full-blown crisis. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ More than 2,300 Mexicans sent to Guatemala and Honduras as Trump ramps up third-country deportations US has sent deportees to many African countries, the latest one being Liberia. Here’s why

Why Trump administration moves to calm the bond market haven’t worked so far Interest rates rebounded Thursday despite efforts by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to put a lid on longer-term borrowing costs, a sign Wall Street investors remain worried about burgeoning government debt, heavy borrowing by tech firms and the Federal Reserve’s commitment to fighting inflation. Read more. Why this matters: While Bessent is talking about billions of dollars in bond buybacks, the Treasury market is so large that even purchases at that scale may not have much impact. History shows that government interventions in the bond market have limited effects. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Canadian provincial leader says Trump is a ‘bad person’ as Canada weighs concessions for trade deal Trump appears on former fixer-turned-enemy Michael Cohen’s radio show after detente Investigators examining foes of Trump seek interviews related to Mar-a-Lago search, AP sources say Trump keeps embracing data centers even as they become toxic in midterm races Federal agents seize devices from ex-Rep. Eric Swalwell in sexual misconduct probe, AP source says California lawmaker Aisha Wahab wins special election to succeed Swalwell in Congress Federal court is asked to block Kennedy Center from returning Trump’s name to building