All Activity

Lake Powell hits record low, threatening key water and electricity supply for millions The alarming milestone at the United States’ second-largest reservoir, reached Saturday, heightened concerns about the ongoing crisis in the Colorado River system. Read more. Why this matters: It comes about a week after the river’s other major reservoir, Lake Mead, also hit a historic low. Plummeting water levels pose a major threat to the Colorado River Basin, which is a key resource for wildlife, hydropower and more than 40 million people in seven states. The historic lows come as the federal government and states that rely on the river struggle to reach agreement on a long-term management plan for the dwindling resource. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ WATCH: Visitors to Hoover Dam worry as water levels drop Oppressive heat, high humidity grip much of the US

Trump blames vandals for damaged grass where he held July 4 celebration President Donald Trump posted a photo on social media showing a once-grassy area by the World War II Memorial now patchy and brown. Trump did not say why he believes it’s the work of vandals instead of trampled turf from the Independence Day festivities. Read more. Why this matters: Trump has repeatedly blamed vandals for damage to his renovation projects in the nation’s capital, often without evidence and sometimes despite opposing accounts from his officials. Trump lashed out at U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro this month after her office concluded that damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was the result of poor construction and not the work of vandals, as Trump claimed. Authorities on Friday announced an arrest in connection with vandalism at the World War II Memorial. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ WATCH: ‘Clean hands dirty $’ painted on World War II Memorial and soap in fountain BBC asks a US court for help in getting testimony from the Trump family in defamation suit In Florida, Wasserman Schultz sparks a debate over what representation means in diverse districts Democrats disagree over abolishing or reforming ICE at DNC meeting Republicans won the redistricting competition. Don’t tell that to this California congressman Democratic primary turnout has soared in some states. Can it carry over to November?

August 17, 2026 Your first month is free in The New York Times app. Download now → Good morning. The United States and Iran missed their deadline to reach a deal under the terms of the June cease-fire. And Hawaii is struggling with the aftermath of Hurricane Lala. There’s been more storm activity in the Pacific than in the Atlantic so far this hurricane season, and that’s partly because of El Niño. Today we’re going to tell you more about the phenomenon. Sam will be back tomorrow. Collecting water from a well in a drought-afflicted village in India. Ritesh Shukla/Getty Images Pacific grim By Chico Harlan I cover the changing planet. El Niño, the Pacific climate shift that comes around once or twice a decade, is back this year — warming tropical oceans and triggering various consequences worldwide. We know to expect these, and they don’t usually reach full strength until December. But this year’s El Niño is already huge — and affecting the planet well before it is done growing. Scientists say the world should brace itself for some major weather extremes. El Niño is nudging up already-sweltering global temperatures. It’s causing dry spells and crop failures across the world. We’ll feel the ramifications into next year in droughts, floods and heat waves that had already been growing more intense because of climate change, scientists say. Now scientists wonder whether human emissions are causing El Niño events to become stronger and more frequent. There’s no expert consensus yet, because El Niños are very complex — and good records don’t go back far enough to have certainty about how they are changing. But the question hangs over the current cycle because it’s on track to be the strongest in nearly 80 years of records. Let’s look at what’s changing. Ripple effects In Kenya last month after heavy rains. Tony Karumba/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images The Pacific influences weather around the world. So when temperatures in its tropical zones jump, the consequences play out everywhere from Central America to the Horn of Africa. In those places, experts are now seeing El Niño’s telltale pattern. Parts of Panama, normally one of the wettest countries on Earth, haven’t had a major storm since early May, raising concerns about operations in the Panama Canal. It raises and lowers ships through the locks using water from a rain-fed lake. Ethiopia’s fertile highlands, its agricultural breadbasket, are enduring one of their driest summer stretches in four decades. Kenya’s western grain-producing counties are experiencing a stunningly poor maize harvest. India had its fifth-driest June since its modern rain records began in 1901. Dry and hot seasons mean fewer crops, which will feed fewer mouths. The United Nations World Food Program says that El Niño could drive an additional 50 million to experience acute hunger by the end of next year. Why now? El Niño events are essentially ocean anomalies, and their magnitude is measured by looking at a specific rectangular zone of the Pacific to see how much surface temperatures there veer from normal. The answer is: a lot. Temperatures have soared over the past three months, and forecasts say this could be the most freakishly warm year for that zone in modern history — hotter than the strongest El Niño cycles. (If you’re curious about what that means, the three-month average temperature in that area of the Pacific is likely to be at least 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit higher than normal this year. It doesn’t seem like a lot, but the ocean is vast and requires tremendous excess heat to warm even slightly.) The extra heat affects air temperatures, too. This year isn’t quite as scorching as 2024, the planet’s hottest year on record. but experts widely believe that 2027 will be the hottest year on record, thanks in part to El Niño. Source: World Meteorological Organization | Data comes from six global temperature data sets, compared to the 1850–1900 base line. | Arfa Momin/The New York Times Until 2010, the world didn’t have a single year that was more than 1.0 degree Celsius, or 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit, above preindustrial times. But Zeke Hausfather, a climate scientist at Berkeley Earth, forecasts that temperatures near will be 3.17 degrees Fahrenheit above that level in 2027. The temperature spike from El Niño is transitory. But it offers a glimpse of where the world is heading. Sign up for our climate newsletter here. THE LATEST NEWS Politics President Trump Tierney L. Cross for The New York Times President Trump ordered the Pentagon to reduce military operations with South Korea because of his “very good relationship” with North Korea and its leader, Kim Jong Un. In an interview, Todd Blanche refused to say he’d act independently of Trump as attorney general. He also said that Trump has “never” demanded he prosecute specific enemies. The head of U.S. Central Command visited the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln. He acknowledged the challenges of long deployments, but said mental health issues were lower on the Lincoln than on similar vessels. The Middle East Jared Kushner was meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss Trump’s Gaza plan. Kushner met with Hamas leaders yesterday. Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, has given top security roles to hard-line, veteran commanders, a sign he intends to keep fighting. More International News Thieves stole four paintings by the Renaissance master Antonello da Messina from a museum in Sicily during an annual religious celebration. China wants to provide training data for global A.I. models. Analysts said it that could spread propaganda. Young women who joined protests in India face online abuse and verbal attacks from Hindu nationalists. How did Japan avoid a major disaster when a 6.8-magnitude earthquake hit last month? In the video below, our reporter River Akira Davis explores how one region built quake-proof buildings and infrastructure. Click to watch. The New York Times Weather Damage from Hurricane Lala cut off access to the town with the only hospital in the southeastern part of the Big Island of Hawaii. At least seven people have died in Indiana as a result of severe storms and flooding. The state is expecting more rain this week. Other Big Stories Older factory robots are getting new eyes that can keep them working much longer, saving companies hundreds of thousands of dollars. Baltimore’s homicide rate has dropped to its lowest recorded level at this point in the year, a milestone for a city that has long had one of America’s highest murder rates. OPINIONS Friends wanted the writer Celeste Marcus to go “no contact” with her father after a disagreement on gay marriage. But that would have been the wrong choice, she writes. Ignore the reports of a literacy crisis, advises Peter Schmidt, the program director of the Strother School of Radical Attention. The future of reading is a party, he argues. Free this week: Play all 3 Crosswords. You can access every new crossword puzzle through August 23. Whether you have seconds or 60 minutes, there’s a puzzle for everyone. Start solving today. MORNING READS The New York Times We’ve made these links free for you. Art of craft: For Aimee Lee, one of the few U.S. makers of hanji — a traditional paper made from the paper mulberry tree — every step matters. “The plant wants to become paper, and it’s the human’s job to partner with it,” she says. See her work. On a mission from God: With fewer Italians going into the priesthood, African immigrants are filling pulpits in many of the country’s rural communities. Detention: He was a MAGA supporter. Then ICE took his wife. Your pick: The most clicked link in The Morning yesterday was about the world’s ugliest dog. Metropolitan Diary: A favorite T-shirt comes home. TODAY’S NUMBER In Queens. Juan Arredondo for The New York Times 46 — That is how many people work at the shop in Queens that makes almost every New York City street sign. Even in the digital age, humans do the cutting, lettering and assembling. SPORTS Swimming: For the first time in 14 years, Katie Ledecky lost an 800-meter freestyle race at an international meet. The Australian Lani Pallister beat her by 1.16 seconds. Memorabilia: A jersey worn by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar during U.C.L.A.’s 1968 N.C.A.A. National Championship Game sold for $1.25 million. It was last traded about 50 years ago, for a transistor radio. N.B.A.: Mark Walter sold the Los Angeles Lakers after just over a year at a $2.5 billion markup. The timing has raised eyebrows, and not just for the brevity of his ownership. Two of Walters’s insurance business are under federal investigation. RECIPE OF THE DAY Bobbi Lin for The New York Times This Greek chicken with cucumber-feta salad is a streamlined version of a combo plate from your favorite Greek diner. Boneless chicken thighs are coated with herby, garlicky yogurt, then seared until tender inside and crusty and browned outside. Extra yogurt dresses cucumbers and tomatoes. Throw in some bell peppers, olives or thinly sliced red onion for more of the Greek salad vibe. Eat with lemon potatoes or toasted pita. GET INTO THE GROOVE The New York Times Madonna moved to New York to be a dancer. Of course, her artistry blossomed into something much bigger. But she never stopped using dance as a guide. To her, it’s an invitation to shed your skin, to be born anew. And she wants everyone to join in. More on culture Paul Simon’s “Graceland” turns 40 this year. In the book “Days of Miracle and Wonder,” the music historian Ashley Kahn takes a careful look at the cross-cultural forces that led to the album’s creation and the debates that still surround it. HBO’s new superhero series “Lanterns” debuted last night. Before tuning in, catch up on the lore. Hayden Panettiere, 1989-2026 Ryan Pfluger for The New York Times Hayden Panettiere began her career in front of the cameras at 11 months old and went on to win acclaim for her work on films like “Remember the Titans” and the TV series “Heroes.” She spoke openly about her struggles with mental health issues and substance abuse, including in a memoir published this spring. She died at 36. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS Bobbi Lin for The New York Times Eat a kiwi. They’re odd-looking fruits but they are fiber-rich and packed with nutrients. Start strength training with these simple moves that don’t require any equipment. Do your laundry anywhere with these tips and recommendations from Wirecutter. Take our news quiz. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangrams were becloud and beclouded. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Crossplay and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Host: Sam Sifton Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Brent Lewis, Lara McCoy, Karl Russell Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Editorial Director, Newsletters: Jodi Rudoren Deputy Editorial Director: Lauren Jackson

THIS DAY IN HISTORY August 17 1969 Woodstock performers jam through a long final night The Woodstock festival draws to a close after three days of peace, love and rock ‘n’ roll in upstate New York. read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 1980s 1987 Rudolf Hess, Hitler’s last living henchman, dies 19th Century 1877 Billy the Kid kills his first victim Cold War 1962 East Germans kill man trying to cross Berlin Wall Exploration 1978 Balloon crosses the Atlantic Native American History 1862 U.S.-Dakota War begins in Minnesota Sports 1957 Foul balls batter unlucky Philadelphia Phillies fan U.S. Presidents 1998 President Clinton testifies before grand jury 1841 President Tyler is burned in effigy outside White House World War II 1943 General George S. Patton wins race to Messina

August 17, 2026 Long Enough “And the LORD spake unto me, saying, Ye have compassed this mountain long enough: turn you northward.” (Deuteronomy 2:2-3) This was the second time God rebuked Israel for staying too long in one place. Here they were camped adjacent to the region controlled by the descendants of Esau and thus kinsmen of the Israelites, but God told them to go on north toward Canaan. Long before, they had wanted to stay too long at Mount Sinai (same as Horeb) where God had given the law to Moses. Finally, “the LORD our God spake unto us in Horeb, saying, Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount . . . . Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers” (Deuteronomy 1:6, 8). It is possible for a Christian to become too satisfied with his level of attainment when the Lord may well have something more for him to do. Possibly, like Israel at Sinai, we may be content to stay in a situation where we have seen God work in the past. Or, like Israel at Edom’s Mount Seir, we want to stay in what we think may be friendly surroundings rather than venture into overtly enemy territory. Perhaps we have stayed long enough at a certain stage in our Christian growth or service, and God wants us to go further. Paul wanted to continue preaching near his home in Asia, but God said for him to go on into Europe (Acts 16:6-10). Peter asked Jesus what John was going to do, but Jesus said, “What is that to thee? follow thou me” (John 21:22). God may, indeed, want us to continue all of our lives right where He has placed us now, as far as location and position are concerned, but He also wants us to go on further with Him. The last words written by Peter are profoundly important. “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). HMM

Monday, August 17, 2016: 4:55 PM I have telephoned the office of the Pacific Union Conference. As the election is over and there are results, I have asked if they have been posted. They have not. I am informed that the results should be released sometime during the next three (3) days. I am dumbfounded. Gregory Matthews

Cornell to Pro-Palestine Students Targeted by ICE: Come Back to the U.S. or Lose Funding Cornell University is reneging on its pledge to help two graduate students avoid immigration detention by threatening to cut their funding if they don’t return to the United States, where the Trump administration has targeted them for possible deportation over their participation in a pro-Palestine protest. https://theintercept.com/2026/08/14/cornell-pro-palestine-student-targeting-ice/? Israel Justified Its Wars by Calling Enemies “Crazy.” Now, the Warning Signs All Apply to Israel. In July 2020, Aluf Benn, the editor of the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, interviewed a 92-year-old retired Hebrew University professor named Yehezkel Dror. Benn described him as the “doyen of public policy experts in Israel.” For his part, Dror fashioned himself after Herman Kahn, the American defense intellectual who made his name by “thinking the unthinkable” — how to fight a thermonuclear war. In 2005, Dror’s work on policy planning and strategic thinking won him the coveted Israel Prize. https://theintercept.com/2026/08/13/israel-palestine-benjamin-netanyahu-likud-crazy/? ICE Shot a Journalist and Threw Him in Detention. He’s Approaching 300 Days Behind Bars With a Festering Wound. Somewhere in a sweltering desert, cockroaches scurry around the cell of Carlitos Ricardo Parias. He holds up a plastic bottle, gazing at the worm-like creatures swimming in his drinking water. His other arm is turning purple from a gunshot wound for which he says he hasn’t received proper medical care. https://theintercept.com/2026/08/16/ricardo-parias-ice-detention-journalist-los-angeles/? Has the Left Really Met Its Limit? The stunning momentum of the insurgent left hit a roadblock this week when democratic socialist Francesca Hong narrowly lost her primary race for Wisconsin governor to Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, a moderate who garnered significant support from establishment Democrats. https://theintercept.com/2026/08/14/david-sirota-democratic-establishment/?

Secret ICE Agent Tried to “Entice” Minneapolis Activists Into Confrontational Tactics Organizers in Minneapolis long suspected they were being surveilled by the federal government during the height of the winter protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement. It was not until a court filing on Thursday, however, that the youth-led Sunrise Movement and other groups learned the depths of infiltration. https://theintercept.com/2026/08/15/undercover-ice-agents-minneapolis-sunrise-movement/?

At least 7 people have died from days of heavy rain and record-setting flooding in Indiana Days of storms and flooding in Indiana left at least seven people dead as floodwaters receded in Indianapolis’ White River and rains eased in other parts of the state Sunday. Read More.

1 killed, 4 injured in shooting at park in Kentucky Police in Kentucky said one person was killed and four others were injured in a shooting at a park Saturday evening. Read More.

Kushner has a rare meeting with Hamas' leader on the Gaza road map. A meeting with Netanyahu is next U.S. negotiator and President Donald Trump 's son-in-law Jared Kushner held a rare meeting with the Hamas chief on Sunday in a new diplomatic effort to make progress in the stalled Gaza ceasefire. Kushner will meet on Monday with Israel's prime minister, who is under pressure after rejecting the new 15-point, U.S.-backed road map. Read More.

Colombian president asks Trump to suspend tariffs to help earthquake recovery Colombia's President Abelardo de la Espriella has asked his ally U.S. President Donald Trump to suspend tariffs to help the South American nation recover from a powerful earthquake that killed at least 289 people. Read More.

Ben Franklin chose America. Son William chose the crown. This civil war is a microcosm of revolution In central London, near where tourists and business travelers board Eurostar trains to Paris, lies the burial place of Benjamin Franklin’s eldest son — a man whose life and family relationships were upended by his stance on the American Revolution. Read More.

Republicans won the redistricting competition. Don't tell that to this California congressman One thing Anne Smull, a retired feedstore owner, was looking forward to on Election Day was voting for the man who currently represents her in Congress, conservative Rep. Kevin Kiley. Now she can't. Read More.

✏️ AOC's "Woke 1" rewrite Photo illustration: Sarah Grillo / Axios. Photo: Dia Dipasupil / Getty Images New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is laughing off "Woke 1." But she's carrying baggage from the 2020 era of cultural progressivism that some Democrats say is an obstacle to a future presidential run. Why it matters: AOC's pivot to the cultural center — which she began to roll out last week in a high-profile ABC interview by saying, "Woke 1 was crazy" — is potential damage control for her past remarks about law enforcement, immigration and a range of social issues. Ocasio-Cortez told ABC that the left's so-called excesses of that period were partly the result of the COVID pandemic and lockdowns. 🤨 But she made some of her most controversial remarks before the pandemic hit the U.S. in 2020. "This is really going to be something that handicaps her, especially with demographics that are culturally more moderate," former Biden White House adviser Yemisi Egbewole told us, pointing to Black voters in the South who have a large voice in Democratic presidential primaries. 👮 Flashback: In the early 2020s, Ocasio-Cortez was one of the most aggressive and well-known advocates for "defunding" the police — an idea that polls have long shown is not popular. In the summer of 2020, she blasted New York City's government for proposing to cut its police department by only $1 billion. "Defunding police means defunding police," she said then. "It does not mean budget tricks or funny math." She added: "The fight to defund policing continues." In 2019, AOC posted on social media that "we need to have a real conversation about decarceration & prison abolition in this country." She said that year that some marginalized groups "have no choice but to riot." And she said at an event in 2021: "I want to abolish our carceral system that's designed to trap Black and brown men." On immigration, Ocasio-Cortez sponsored a bill in 2021 and 2023 to decriminalize border crossings. Asked by the New Yorker in 2019 if she'd get rid of the Department of Homeland Security, she said: "I think so. I think so." She repeatedly used language en vogue in elite liberal circles, such as the gender-neutral term "Latinx" in the early 2020s — a word that surveys have found isn't used by the vast majority of U.S. Latinos. She used the phrase "menstruating person" in 2021 to be inclusive of the transgender community. 🔭 Zoom out: AOC now has shifted her rhetoric but hasn't detailed where she currently stands on many of these politically fraught topics, or what made her change her views on "Woke 1." Ocasio-Cortez's spokespeople didn't respond to several questions, including what her position is now on defunding the police, whether she supports decriminalizing the border, and if she thinks rioting is sometimes justified. 📺 In her ABC interview, Ocasio-Cortez did say that she doesn't support some Democratic Socialists of America's proposals such as abolishing police and prisons, defunding the Department of Defense and granting amnesty to all immigrants. The other side: Some Republicans argue that AOC would be a formidable presidential candidate despite her controversial positions in the past. "To me, she's incredibly dangerous," said GOP pollster Brent Buchanan, noting that AOC has high name recognition and an impressive favorability rating for a nationally known figure who's faced years of attacks. He shared his polling that shows 39% of voters view Ocasio-Cortez favorably, compared with 42% who see her unfavorably — a rating similar to Secretary of State Marco Rubio's. Ocasio-Cortez's recent cultural moderation "tells me she's a good politician, because she's doing it now instead of next year," Buchanan added. 🙌 Democratic strategist James Carville likewise praised AOC, telling us that "it's always been evident that she's more talented than the rest of them put together," a reference to others in the "Squad" of House progressives. Carville said AOC doesn't need to overexplain her changes of heart: "She can say 'I'm grown,' and people understand that." Read more. — Holly Otterbein, Alex Thompson

Didnt know it had any historical significance,,,,

Teen boy among 6 dead including suspect in Michigan shootings; girl survived A teenage boy and four adults were killed Friday in shootings that prompted a wide search for the fleeing gunman, whose body was ultimately found in a wooded area alongside one of his victims, authorities said. A teenage girl survived and was in stable condition, police said. https://apnews.com/article/michigan-shooting-dead-ce8b1a0e7ea2389331ee9b6dfcfa27a2? Police have arrested a 19-year-old in connection with Virginia State University shooting Police arrested a 19-year-old found hiding in a dormitory closet at Virginia State University on Saturday in connection with an overnight shooting on campus that left five people wounded, including one with critical injuries. https://apnews.com/article/virginia-state-university-shooting-campus-lockdown-783d5190d7fe0818fc27a98123311dc3? Ohio city fires police officer who shot and killed 15-year-old, settles lawsuit with family AKRON, Ohio (AP) — Officials in Akron, Ohio, have fired a police officer who shot and killed 15-year-old boy while also announcing Friday that the city has agreed to pay $4.75 million to the teen’s family. https://apnews.com/article/akron-police-shooting-settlement-jazmir-tucker-eccc10d87e38c1e8f70493ee26e74dc0?

26 more bodies are recovered in Zimbabwe’s ferry disaster, bringing death toll to 72 HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Eighteen children were among more than 70 people killed when an overloaded ferry capsized on Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe this week, police said Saturday after rescuers recovered more bodies. https://apnews.com/article/zimbabwe-ferry-capsize-death-toll-rises-children-8c45f83769ef978a64899d851911e8c7?

Tropical Storm Lala rakes Hawaii with high winds and rain without making landfall Hurricane Lala weakened Sunday to a tropical storm after raking Hawaii without making landfall, its heavy rains and winds strong enough to sweep around 100 homes off their foundations on the Big Island, officials said. https://apnews.com/article/hawaii-lala-hurricane-tropical-damage-a9fafe9ffc24572c671d1b43414c0ac2? Lala is again a tropical storm, sending drenching rain and high winds across the Hawaiian islands Hurricane Lala weakened to a tropical storm on Sunday after its eyewall skirted Hawaii without making landfall. But it continued to punish the state with hurricane-force gusts and pounding rain, reaching a total of nearly three feet (one meter) in places and sending raging torrents down mountain slopes. Read More.

Trump told Ukraine it had no cards. Then Kyiv took the war to Russia U.S. President Donald Trump told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last year that he had “no cards" in the fight against Russia. In the months after that disastrous meeting, Trump warmly welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska and seemed ready to push Ukraine into an unfavorable peace deal. But since the meeting, Ukraine has shown it can take the war to Russia. In one operation, drones smuggled into the country destroyed or damaged Russian bombers worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Kyiv has ramped up a campaign of longer-range strikes, increased production of weapons, targeted Russian air defenses, and hit oil infrastructure and warehouses of a major retailer. But as Ukraine’s strikes have intensified, so have Russia’s. Read more. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Ukraine launches one of its largest aerial attacks of the war, killing at least 6 people in Russia Ukraine takes aim at Russia’s economy and morale by attacking online retailer The attacks began on a July weekend and have continued for a month, stretching from Moscow and St. Petersburg, to cities in the south, and eastward to the Ural Mountains. The targets weren’t oil refineries, maritime hubs or arms plants hit by other Ukrainian strikes, but warehouses that bring the convenience of online shopping across the breadth of Russia. https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-putin-wildberries-kim-48c331f100a1d981959c5d75a1397d21?

There’s a reason why Israel has done little to rein in settler violence. It’s not just Netanyahu A dayslong standoff in the occupied West Bank points to Israel's reluctance to rein in settler violence against Palestinians. Many of Israel's political leaders have criticized the violence. But most support the larger settlement enterprise aimed at cementing control over the West Bank and preventing the establishment of a Palestinian state. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leads the most settler-friendly government in Israel's history and it has eased military restrictions on them. But the settlements, considered illegal by much of the international community, have grown under all of his predecessors. Read more. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Israel’s Ben Gvir advocates killing ’30 to 40' people in Gaza nightly while speaking to ex-hostage Top US commander visits USS aircraft carrier, Gaza talks in Egypt and other Mideast news Trump says USS Lincoln’s record time at sea during Iran operations ‘not nearly long enough’ Israel's Ben Gvir advocates killing '30 to 40' people in Gaza nightly while speaking to ex-hostage An extremist Israeli lawmaker in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition publicly advocated for killing “30 to 40” people in Gaza each night, comments that surfaced Sunday and were quickly shared by Palestinian media. Read More.

US military base schools put new emphasis on Western civilization and Christianity The Department of Defense is introducing a course centered on Western civilization and Christianity this fall in the schools it operates for military families, part of an effort by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to redirect the education system toward patriotic values and classical learning. The Department of Defense Education Activity operates about 160 schools across 11 countries and educates roughly 70,000 students who are children of active-duty military or civilian service members. Conservatives have eyed the schools — which, unlike most public schools, are run by the federal government — as a testing ground for reshaping education. Read more. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Judge refuses to block Trump administration from building border wall along tribe’s reservation A federal judge blocks Idaho from prosecuting doctors for health-protecting abortions Federal judge denies attempt to strike down Mississippi county’s majority-Black judicial districts Homicides at the lowest rate since 1956, FBI says America In Focus: Inflation cools in July, but so do consumers with their spending A surprise credit after an overseas purchase: The tariff refunds now flowing through shippers Democrats’ 2028 presidential calendar gives Black and Latino voters and union members an early say The buck stops somewhere else: A look at Trump’s tendency to avoid blame when things go awry Suspect arrested in World War II Memorial vandalism in Washington Wife of US soldier is removed from deportation flight and released from federal immigration custody

Trump’s Own Aides Admit He’s Lost Interest in His Job The president’s aides say he does not like hitting the campaign trail unless it’s to get himself elected. President Donald Trump’s aides admit that their boss has little interest in traveling across the country to prop up weak GOP candidates for the midterms, a new report alleges. Anonymous aides tell CNN that Trump will finally embark on a long-awaited tour to energize MAGA voters—but that traveling across the country to stump for other politicians is not a part of the job he enjoys. “He loves to travel, but he hates to travel,” an aide told the outlet. They added, “Once he’s traveling, he’s like: ‘Why am I doing this? I want to be doing other things.’” The report on Trump’s reluctance to hit the campaign trail comes as he finally gave the OK for Republicans to use millions from his personal PAC to support vulnerable Republican candidates in November, as fears grow that the GOP will lose its majorities in both chambers. “Without a doubt, we’ve got to make sure we get some of these voters who show up for Donald Trump in presidential elections to show up for these congressionals,” an adviser told the network. Yet, GOP lawmakers also worry that Trump could become a liability heading into the midterms, as Republican voters are increasingly frustrated with the president over the war in Iran and his lack of concern for the affordability crisis and rising gas prices. Reached for comment, White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales told the Daily Beast that “President Trump is the unequivocal leader of the Republican Party who is committed to maintaining Republicans’ majority in Congress.” Despite Trump’s high disapproval ratings over his handling of the economy, the president has told Punchbowl News plainly that he will not take the blame if his party loses in November. “The question is, will they vote?” he said, before supplying his own answer: “They’re angry at Republicans, but they’re not angry at me.” Trump spoke in Long Island, New York, on Friday in an effort to boost his party’s chances in the elections, including those of his gubernatorial pick, Bruce Blakeman, who is challenging New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. But during the law-and-order rally with New York police officers, Trump repeatedly fixated on the “young, beautiful girls” he sees at the White House rather than focusing on domestic policy. He also appeared to forget the name of Saritha Komatireddy, the Republican candidate for New York attorney general—whom he has endorsed—as the woman he had “just met.” White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles has reportedly told staffers to keep steering Trump back to the issue voters find most important: affordability. Staying on topic has proven to be difficult for Trump, who is often more interested in discussing his construction projects—such as the so-called Arc de Trump, the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, and his White House ballroom. https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trumps-own-aides-admit-hes-lost-interest-in-his-job/?

Mrs. White tells us how she wanted to be used, and how she did not want to be used. She even had a long going argument on this topic with Stephen Haskell, and a less friendly argument with those who's ideas evolved into what we call "Historic Adventism." In the long run, most Adventists sided with Haskell's side of the argument. Second came the views of those who's thoughts evolved into "Historic Adventism." Sadly, Mrs. White lost the argument. She argued that she was not a historian, and that her writings were not to answer questions about exegesis. She said that if we learn something about the Bible that does not agree with what she wrote that we need to follow the facts of the Bible. (We have turned this into a challenge "I DARE YOU TO FIND SOMEPLACE WHERE SHE GIVES A DIFFERENT VIEW FROM THE BIBLE, AND IF SHE DOES, THEN SHE IS NOT A TRUE PROPHET." She routinely changed these details as she learned more. Mrs. White's job was to help guide and form the church. She is giving us information for our lives today. She is giving us inspired guidance for people who were in some form of business that does not fit with our principles. When doing a historical/geographical study of the text, this was NOT Jews raising pigs. They were pagans. We need to follow Mrs. White's guidance and see the message that she has for us as Seventh-day Adventists when it comes to questions of shall we make our living in things like pig farming, growing tobacco, wine making, casinos, underworld activities. This is an important message that we need. But it is NOT the historical geographical events.