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A great question Hobbie! Another point to add is that: There are more Catholics who attend Mass on Saturday than there are Seventh-day Adventists. If worshipping Christ as God on Sunday is a sin, is a worse sin than repudiating the Trinity Doctrine?

And we have this.. "9 Key Takeaways from President Trump’s Executive Orders on Nuclear Energy Breaking down the President's plan to usher in a nuclear renaissance and expand America’s Energy Dominance agenda. On May 23, President Trump announced four executive orders aimed at reinvigorating America’s nuclear energy industry. The orders lay out a plan to modernize nuclear regulation, streamline nuclear reactor testing, deploy nuclear reactors for national security, and reinvigorate the nuclear industrial base. Together, they represent a bold new strategy for unleashing American energy and continuing our nation’s dominance as the world’s nuclear energy leader. Let’s take a closer look at some of the key changes outlined in the executive orders: 1. Speed up Nuclear Reactor Licensing President Trump wants the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to play a large role in significantly reducing regulatory risks to accelerate nuclear reactor licensing. The executive orders instruct the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to create an expedited pathway to approve reactors that have been safely tested by DOE or the Department of Defense (DoD). Also included is a comprehensive review of the NRC and the establishment of a deadline to evaluate and approve new construction and operation licenses within 18 months. 2. Add 300 Gigawatts of New U.S. Nuclear Capacity by 2050 Palisades could become the first recommissioned U.S. nuclear power plant. Holtec International The United States is the number one producer of nuclear energy in the world, but just three of the nation’s commercial nuclear reactors were completed in the 21st century. President Trump’s executive orders seek to accelerate deployment of new nuclear reactor technologies and expand American nuclear energy capacity from around 100 GW today to 400 GW by 2050. That includes: Working with industry to facilitate 5 gigawatts of power uprates Leveraging the Department’s Loan Programs Office to support reactor restarts and finish partially completed construction projects Improving supply chains Having 10 new large reactors with complete designs under construction by 2030 3. Lay the Groundwork for Faster Reactor Testing The executive order proposes that three pilot reactors could be built and tested outside of the national laboratories with the goal of achieving criticality by July 4, 2026, as part of an overarching plan to shorten the length of time it takes to test advanced reactors. Going forward, DOE will revise its regulations and guidance for expedited review and approval of reactor projects under its supervision. The Department will also use all available authorities to eliminate or expedite its environmental reviews for authorizations, permits, approvals, leases, and any other activity requested by an applicant or potential applicant. 4. Deploy U.S. Reactors for AI and Military Bases Project Pele microreactor DoD Advanced nuclear technology is cited in the executive orders as a pivotal element of President Trump’s national security strategy. He directed DOE to designate AI data centers as critical defense facilities and tasked the Secretary of Energy with utilizing all available legal authorities to site, approve, and authorize deployment of advanced reactors to power them. DOE will lay the groundwork for building and operating an advanced nuclear reactor supporting AI or other critical infrastructure no later than October 2027. DoD was also directed to build a nuclear reactor at a domestic military installation to commence operations within the next three years, with DOE providing the technical advice needed for the design, construction, and operation of these military installation reactors. The two agencies were also instructed to coordinate on assessing the feasibility of restarting or repurposing closed nuclear power plants as energy hubs for military microgrid support. 5. Explore Fuel Recycling and Reprocessing The United States hasn’t recycled or reprocessed commercial spent nuclear fuels since the 1970s, and the President’s executive orders seek to change that. To that end, DOE is instructed to find ways to efficiently transfer spent nuclear fuel from commercial light-water reactors to a government-owned, privately operated reprocessing and recycling facility. The Department will also evaluate reprocessing and recycling of spent nuclear fuel from DOE- and DoD-managed reactors and recommend improvements to those processes to make efficient use of the recovered materials. Additionally, the President ordered the creation of a program to dispose of surplus plutonium by processing and making it available for advanced reactor fuel fabrication and identify ways to permanently dispose of the waste products. 6. Amp up Domestic Nuclear Fuel Production HALEU reguli made from EBR-II spent nuclear fuel at Idaho National Laboratory. Idaho National Laboratory One of the big takeaways from the executive orders is that President Trump wants to maximize domestic production of nuclear fuel. Building out the U.S. nuclear fuel supply chain will reduce the nation’s dependence on foreign sources of uranium and enable long-term expansion of American nuclear energy. That means a focus on increased mining, enrichment, conversion and deconversion capabilities — and even recycling and reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel — with assistance from DOE-supported nuclear industry consortia. Of note: DOE will release at least 20 metric tons of high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) into a fuel bank for private sector projects powering AI infrastructure at DOE sites. 7. Bolster the American Nuclear Workforce Courtesy of Georgia Power According to the executive orders, 60 percent of the nuclear workforce is between the ages of 30 and 60. In order to generate a pipeline of workers to supply the demand for this crucial industry, new emphasis will be placed on increasing participation in nuclear-related apprenticeships and education programs. Nuclear engineering and nuclear energy-related careers will be considered priority areas for federal investment, and DOE is also directed to increase access to R&D infrastructure, workforce, and expertise at the national laboratories for college and university nuclear engineering students. 8. Assess Spent Nuclear Fuel Management Spent nuclear fuel was another key issue highlighted. President Trump tasked the secretaries of energy, defense, and transportation, along with the director of the Office of Management and Budget, to recommend a national policy on spent nuclear fuel management and high-level waste that considers the development and deployment of advanced fuel cycle capabilities to establish a safe, secure, and sustainable long-term fuel cycle. 9. Expand U.S. Nuclear Energy Exports Secretary Wright stands with other leaders on his April 2025 visit to Poland. The Trump Administration intends to fully leverage the resources of the federal government to enable the U.S. nuclear industry to compete for commercial civil nuclear projects worldwide. Within 90 days, the State Department and other agencies including DOE are instructed to produce strategies that will increase financing for U.S. nuclear projects and promote nuclear trade, and to make financial and technical support available for foreign adoption of nuclear energy. One key milestone: pursue at least 20 new international Agreements for Peaceful Nuclear Cooperation by the close of the 120th Congress to enable the United States nuclear industry to access new markets in partner countries. America’s Nuclear Renaissance With the pressing need for more American energy to meet the challenges of AI and secure our nation’s energy dominance, President Trump’s vision for a revitalized U.S. nuclear energy industry comes at the perfect time. These executive orders will unshackle our civil nuclear potential and usher in an American nuclear energy renaissance, ensuring abundant, reliable, and affordable energy for the United States." https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/9-key-takeaways-president-trumps-executive-orders-nuclear-energy

Trump seems to be going in both directions, we have this.. " Executive Order 14154 By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered: Section 1. Background. America is blessed with an abundance of energy and natural resources that have historically powered our Nation’s economic prosperity. In recent years, burdensome and ideologically motivated regulations have impeded the development of these resources, limited the generation of reliable and affordable electricity, reduced job creation, and inflicted high energy costs upon our citizens. These high energy costs devastate American consumers by driving up the cost of transportation, heating, utilities, farming, and manufacturing, while weakening our national security. It is thus in the national interest to unleash America’s affordable and reliable energy and natural resources. This will restore American prosperity —- including for those men and women who have been forgotten by our economy in recent years. It will also rebuild our Nation’s economic and military security, which will deliver peace through strength. Sec. 2. Policy. It is the policy of the United States: (a) to encourage energy exploration and production on Federal lands and waters, including on the Outer Continental Shelf, in order to meet the needs of our citizens and solidify the United States as a global energy leader long into the future; (b) to establish our position as the leading producer and processor of non-fuel minerals, including rare earth minerals, which will create jobs and prosperity at home, strengthen supply chains for the United States and its allies, and reduce the global influence of malign and adversarial states; (c) to protect the United States’s economic and national security and military preparedness by ensuring that an abundant supply of reliable energy is readily accessible in every State and territory of the Nation; (d) to ensure that all regulatory requirements related to energy are grounded in clearly applicable law; (e) to eliminate the “electric vehicle (EV) mandate” and promote true consumer choice, which is essential for economic growth and innovation, by removing regulatory barriers to motor vehicle access; by ensuring a level regulatory playing field for consumer choice in vehicles; by terminating, where appropriate, state emissions waivers that function to limit sales of gasoline-powered automobiles; and by considering the elimination of unfair subsidies and other ill-conceived government-imposed market distortions that favor EVs over other technologies and effectively mandate their purchase by individuals, private businesses, and government entities alike by rendering other types of vehicles unaffordable; (f) to safeguard the American people’s freedom to choose from a variety of goods and appliances, including but not limited to lightbulbs, dishwashers, washing machines, gas stoves, water heaters, toilets, and shower heads, and to promote market competition and innovation within the manufacturing and appliance industries; (g) to ensure that the global effects of a rule, regulation, or action shall, whenever evaluated, be reported separately from its domestic costs and benefits, in order to promote sound regulatory decision making and prioritize the interests of the American people; (h) to guarantee that all executive departments and agencies (agencies) provide opportunity for public comment and rigorous, peer-reviewed scientific analysis; and (i) to ensure that no Federal funding be employed in a manner contrary to the principles outlined in this section, unless required by law. Sec. 3. Immediate Review of All Agency Actions that Potentially Burden the Development of Domestic Energy Resources. (a) The heads of all agencies shall review all existing regulations, orders, guidance documents, policies, settlements, consent orders, and any other agency actions (collectively, agency actions) to identify those agency actions that impose an undue burden on the identification, development, or use of domestic energy resources — with particular attention to oil, natural gas, coal, hydropower, biofuels, critical mineral, and nuclear energy resources — or that are otherwise inconsistent with the policy set forth in section 2 of this order, including restrictions on consumer choice of vehicles and appliances. (b) Within 30 days of the date of this order, the head of each agency shall, in consultation with the director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the National Economic Council (NEC), develop and begin implementing action plans to suspend, revise, or rescind all agency actions identified as unduly burdensome under subsection (a) of this section, as expeditiously as possible and consistent with applicable law. The head of any agency who determines that such agency does not have agency actions described in subsection (a) of this section shall submit to the Director of OMB a written statement to that effect and, absent a determination by the Director of OMB that such agency does have agency actions described in this subsection, shall have no further responsibilities under this section. (c) Agencies shall promptly notify the Attorney General of any steps taken pursuant to subsection (a) of this section so that the Attorney General may, as appropriate: (i) provide notice of this Executive Order and any such actions to any court with jurisdiction over pending litigation in which such actions may be relevant; and (ii) request that such court stay or otherwise delay further litigation, or seek other appropriate relief consistent with this order, pending the completion of the administrative actions described in this order. (d) Pursuant to the policy outlined in section 2 of this order, the Attorney General shall consider whether pending litigation against illegal, dangerous, or harmful policies should be resolved through stays or other relief." https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/unleashing-american-energy/

Interesting question came up in one of the forums from a Sunday worshiping poster, "If Worship on Sunday is wrong, then why do SDA parishes rent their churches to Traditional Christians? On this forum Sunday-worshipping Christians are relentlessly criticized by some Adventist members, but meanwhile a great many SDA churches rent their premises out to Orthodox, Anglican and other traditional churches for use in Sunday worship. If worship on the First Day is, as has been argued, ?the mark of the beast? or some act of eschatological disloyalty or defiance to God, then how is it ethical for SDA congregations to charge rent and make money off of Christians worshipping in such a manner? Indeed I attended a church that worshipped in an Adventist church this morning; I won?t say which church I attended or which Adventist church they worshipped in to preclude harassment, but it is quite common. The Adventists even made their social hall available, and a very friendly Adventist was present to assist the traditional denomination I visited in accessing the facilities, and he did so without commenting on their faith. Also it was interesting to note that the main sanctuary featured a pipe organ, paraments and other fittings and was basically identical to any Presbyterian, Methodist or Baptist or low church Anglican parish from the mid 20th century; indeed its appearance strongly reminded me of the USAF Academy in Colorado Springs (albeit without the particularly lovely architecture of Skdmore Owings and Merrill, but the overall layout of the primary and secondary worship spaces was very much in keeping with it)." What would you answer to such a question?

Many say the changes of the NIV don't make any difference, but I came across the following discussion. "As you no doubt know, the critical text uses Nestle-Aland 27th ed with variant readings. Nestle-Aland relies primarily on, guess which two manuscripts? Sinaiticus and Vaticanus! What is TRULY amazing is that Westcott and Hort are now considered to be comparatively accurate! More so than the Received Text (TR) As for the NIV, it does massacre the text in some important areas, regardless of which manuscripts are relied on. One example is Hebrews 9, where the NIV changes 'holy place' to 'Most Holy Place.' Also, Colossians 2,'sabbaths' to 'a Sabbath day.' Etc." "Hebrews 9 says that Christ entered the 'greater and more perfect tabernacle . . .' and that He entered the Holy Place. v. 12 says that Christ entered the Holy Place, ta hagia, not the Most Holy Place, hagia haggiwn. The NIV, along with Desmond Ford, have attempted to change that. In vv. 24ff, it says He sacrificed Himself. But your best clue is found in what you yourself have said. His stated work was 'to make intercession for us.' That is the distinctive ministry of the courtyard and the Holy Place. The work in the Most Holy Place was a work of judgment....Heb. 9 specifies that Christ entered ta hagia, the holy place, as opposed to hagia haggiwn. Christ's ministry as our intercessor occurs in the holy place, within the veil. That is what began shortly after his ascension. " and there are more changes that affect doctrine and the changes also affect the New King James version, here is a good article to go over... "Let us look at the two Bible versions most in use by Protestantism, the NIV and the NKJV, and compare them with the Authorized King James Bible to see if they are in harmony with these divine, irrevocable criteria established by God Himself. THE SABBATH KING JAMES BIBLE 'But the seventh day is THE Sabbath of the Lord Thy God' Exodus 20:10. This is speaking of a definite and particular day of the week, which we know refers to Saturday, the seventh day of the week on the calendar. NIV VERSION 'But the seventh day is A Sabbath to the Lord your God...' Exodus 20:10. By substituting the definite 'the' for an indefinite 'a,' this takes the emphasis of any particular day and leaves one free to choose any day of the week as 'a' 'Sabbath day'a subtle attack by Satan on God's holy Sabbath day. THE DEVIL KING JAMES BIBLE 'By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I WILL DESTROY THEE, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire...Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffic: therefore WILL I BRING FORTH A FIRE from the midst of thee, IT SHALL DEVOUR THEE, and I WILL BRING THEE TO ASHES UPON THE EARTH in the sight of all them that behold thee. All they that know thee among the people SHALL BE ASTONISHED at thee: THOU SHALT BE A TERROR AND NEVER SHALT THOU BE ANY MORE.' Ezekiel 28:16, 18,19. Here, the King James Bible clearly speaks of a FUTURE judgment to fall upon Satan. NIV VERSION 'Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, O guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. [verse stops here]..By your many sins and dishonest trade you have desecrated your sanctuaries. So I MADE A FIRE COME OUT FROM YOU, AND IT CONSUMED YOU, and I REDUCED YOU TO ASHES ON THE GROUND in the sight of all who were watching. All the nations who knew you ARE APPALLED AT YOU: YOU HAVE COME TO A HORRIBLE END AND WILL BE NO MORE.' Ezekiel 28: 16,18,19. NEW KING JAMES VERSION 'By the abundance of your trading you became filled with violence within, and you sinned; Therefore I cast you as a profane thing out of the mountain of God; an[ I DESTROYED YOU, O covering cherub, from the midst of the fiery stones. You defiled your sanctuaries by the multitude of your iniquities, by the iniquity of your trading; Therefore I BROUGHT FIRE FROM YOUR MIDST; IT DEVOURED YOU, AND I TURNED YOU TO ASHES UPON THE EARTH in the sight of all who saw you, All who knew you among the peoples are astonished at you; YOU HAVE BECOME A HORROR, AND SHALL BE NO MORE FOREVER.' Ezekiel 28: 26,18,19. Both the NIV and the NKJV present this event as something already done and in the past in direct contrast to the KJV, and in direct contradiction to Revelation 20:10 which states that the devil will be cast into the lake of fire after the 1000 year millennium. Which version manifests the Spirit of truth, and which shows that it comes from the father of lies? THE SANCTUARY/1844 KING JAMES BIBLE: 'Neither by the blood of goats and calves, buy by His own blood He entered in once INTO THE HOLY PLACE, having obtained eternal redemption for us.' Hebrews 9:12. In accordance with Advent truth, this verse harmonizes with the Sanctuary message that Christ did not enter the Most Holy Place until 1844. NIV VERSION 'He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but HE ENTERED THE MOST HOLY PLACE once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.' Hebrews 9:12 NEW KING JAMES VERSION 'Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood HE ENTERED THE MOST HOLY PLACE once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.' Hebrews 9:12. Both of these versions attack the Advent message pillar of 1844 by indicating that Christ went into the Most Holy place at His ascension. THE STATE OF THE DEAD KING JAMES BIBLE 'The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment TO BE PUNISHED.' 2 Peter 2:9. This verse clearly tells us that the unjust will not receive their punishment until after they have been judged. NIV VERSION 'If this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, WHILE CONTINUING THEIR PUNISHMENT.' 2 Peter 2: 9. NEW KING JAMES VERSION 'Then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly our of temptations and to reserve the unjust UNDER PUNISHMENT for the day of judgment.' 2 Peter 2: 9. Both of these versions give credence to the Roman Catholic doctrine of purgatory. 3 ANGELS MESSAGE/RIGHTEOUSNESS BY FAITH KING JAMES BIBLE 'Because STRAIT is the gate, and NARROW IS THE WAY, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.' Matthew 7:14. NEW KING JAMES VERSION 'Because NARROW is the gate, and DIFFICULT IS THE WAY which leads to life, and there are few who find it.' Matthew 7:14. Here the NKJV not only changes 'strait' to 'narrow,' but replaces 'narrow' with 'difficult.' The implication of this is that if something is difficult you just try 'just work a little harder and you'll eventually make it', or in other words, Righteousness by WORKS, not Righteousness by FAITH which is the 3 Angel's message in surety. A teaching of Divine truth, or satanic falsehood? THE HOLY SPIRIT KING JAMES BIBLE 'Do ye think that the Scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?' James 4:5. This verse speaks of the yearnings and desires of the carnal nature. NEW KING JAMES VERSION 'Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, 'The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously?' James 4:5. By substituting Spirit for spirit this version declares that the Holy Spirit leads one to sin. Again, is this blasphemous substitution indicative of holy inspiration or satanic manipulation? CONCLUSION Nine of the 'scholars' that produced the NKJV were also on the translation committee of the NIV. Is it not reasonable then to suppose that their attitudes, their opinions, their beliefs were no different when they translated the NKJV than when the produced the NIV? The NKJV makes over 100,000 word changes from the KJV, and though they claim that it's a superior and more accurate translation they state: 'It was the editor's conviction that the use of footnotes would encourage further inquiry by readers. They also recognized that it was easier for the average reader to delete something he or she felt was not properly a part of the text, than to insert a word or phrase which had been left out by the revisers.' [The New King James Bible, 1982, Study Edition, The History of the King James Bible. P. 1235] Here the editors of the NKJV are encouraging anyone and everyone to delete something he or she felt was not properly a part of the text. So if you are reading along and you run across something you don't FEEL should be a part of the text, just delete it!!! A candid revelation of the true spirituality of these men and by the way, other than the name, the NEW King James Bible has nothing to do with the King James Bible. That was a clever and extremely successful marketing ploy to sell more Bibles. If the publishers would have named it, for example, the New Thomas Nelson Edition of the Bible, it's very doubtful that as many would have been sold. The supplied verses prove that the NIV attacks three of Adventism's pillars, the Sabbath, the State of the Dead, and the Sanctuary...."http://omega77.tripod.com/cs1gettingtobot.htm and the changes aren't just on doctrine... SOME OMISSIONS & DELETIONS IN THE NIV BIBLE THESE CAN BE SEEN IN MOST VERSIONS AS WELL, EXCEPT THE King James Version 1. NIV in Luke 11:2-4 omits key parts of the LORD'S PRAYER. 2. NIV, in Isaiah 14:12 blasphemes CHRIST by putting Him in the place of Lucifer (devil). 3. NIV in Micah 5:2 says Christ has an ORIGIN, wrongly making Him a CREATED being. 4. NIV in Romans 1:29 omits FORNICATION from the sins listed with sodomy. 5. NIV in Exodus 20:10 & Colossians 2:14 attacks on the SEVENTH DAY SABBATH. 6. NIV in Ephesians 3:9 removes Christ from being CREATOR. 7. NIV in Revelation 22:14 attacks on COMMANDMENT KEEPING. 8. NIV in I John 5:7, 8 denies the TRINITY and DEITY of CHRIST. 9. NIV in Revelation 12:17 attacks on the REMNANT CHURCHS IDENTITY. 10. NIV in Daniel 8:14 & Hebrews 9:3-4 attacks on the SANCTUARY DOCTRINE. 11. NIV in Matthew 28:20 & Matthew 24:3 PROMOTES NEW AGE MOVEMENT. 12. NIV omits FASTING 5 times, and weakens PRAYER LIFE 3 times (Matthew 17:21). 13. NIV 178 KEY portions of verses are deleted (example Matthew 20:16). 14. NIV 17 ESSENTIAL verses are completely omitted (example Matthew 18:11). 15. NIV omits names of JESUS 38 times, CHRIST 43 times, LORD 35 times, GOD 31 times and OTHER NAMES OF GOD 26 times. Therefore, total names 173 times.... Study on Daniel and Revelation Chapters - Page 9 A

After thinking about this, it appears to be a crime that took place. I am not an attorney, but, I suspect taking two young women to a high crime area, late at night, without their permission is a crime. Possibly more than one.

Updated 12:55 PM GMT+8, June 12, 2026 10 BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand’s Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol, a lawyer and the eldest of King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s children, has died at 47, the Bureau of the Royal Household said. She died Thursday evening at a Bangkok hospital where she had been cared for since falling unconscious due to illness three years ago, according to the statement issued Friday. “This loss is not merely bad news announced to the people, but an immeasurable grief in the hearts of the entire nation,” Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said in a televised speech. He said the princess was “a pride of Thailand,” and that “her commitment to building a society of kindness, justice, and equality, will forever remain as a moral legacy for the nation, a guiding light for generations of Thais.” A small group of mourners gathered in an atrium at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, where the princess had been treated. Most held framed or laminated photos of her throughout the years. Pattamaporn Kaewkityakorn said she had arrived Thursday and spent the night there to show her support for the princess, unaware that the announcement of her passing would come the following morning. “I know she was sick, but I wished there were a miracle,” she said, her voice trembling. “I was saddened and shocked.” Bajrakitiyabha was active in justice reform efforts and best known for her Kamlangjai, or “Inspire,” project to help rehabilitate incarcerated Thai women ahead of their release. Bajrakitiyabha was hospitalized in December 2022 after falling unconscious while training dogs for an army exhibition. The palace said she had a mycoplasma infection, a bacterial infection usually associated with pneumonia. Her father’s New Year’s greeting card for 2023 showed King Maha Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida garbed in somber black, which many Thais saw as confirmation of the gravity of her condition. The princess was born on Dec. 7, 1978, to Vajiralongkorn, who was the crown prince at the time, and his then-wife, Princess Soamsawali. Vajiralongkorn has seven children by three of his four successive wives. Bajrakitiyabha was also known by the royal name Bajrakitiyabha Narendira Debyavati, used in formal state settings. Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti, the youngest of the king’s children, is the presumptive heir because sons take precedence in Thailand’s line of succession. But Bajrakitiyabha’s experience in public service raised speculation she was set to hold an important role in any future succession, perhaps as regent to a youthful monarch. Bajrakitiyabha studied law at Thammasat University then went to Cornell University in New York state, where she earned a master’s degree in law in 2002. She earned a doctorate at Cornell in 2005 with a dissertation concerning the protection of the rights of the accused. Scholarships to Cornell Law School and a program for the exchange of legal scholars between Thailand and Cornell were later established in her name. After working briefly at the Thai Mission to the U.N. in New York City, she returned home and worked as a public prosecutor. She renewed her diplomatic career with an appointment as Thailand’s ambassador to Austria from 2012 to 2014 before returning to her homeland to concentrate on criminal justice issues. In 2017 she was appointed a goodwill ambassador for the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime. In addition to working for the rehabilitation of female convicts, she was involved in other projects including a campaign to enhance the living conditions of women prisoners and promoting efforts to stem violence against women as an honorary U.N. goodwill ambassador for women. Her efforts led to the U.N. General Assembly adopting the “Bangkok Rules” on care and conditions for female prisoners. “Society cannot grow if there is instability and injustice,” Bajrakitiyabha said in a 2013 interview with The Associated Press. “Without the rule of law, without a good justice system, it’s always chaos,” she said. “I think the rule of law is a very important pillar to development, to economic growth, and of course to human rights.” Bajrakitiyabha is survived by her parents and siblings. ---------------------------------------------------- It is has been reported on the Internet, that she became sick after a Covid injection. The Thailand Government denies this.

There has been a leadership problem in Ohio for a while. Thank you for shedding light on this. Yes, I agree. A storm is coming. The GC wants to ignore this. Let NAD handle it. NAD wants to let the Union handle it. The result, no one is doing anything. And people are becoming angry and frustrated.

Adventist World, a magazine of the Seventh-day Adventist Church with a circulation of around 1.5 million, has ceased publication, with its final edition released in June. Merle Poirier, a former Adventist World staff member and current operations manager for Adventist Review, announced the closing of the 20-year-old publication in last month’s edition. “You hold in your hand the last issue of Adventist World,” she wrote. “Just let that sink in a bit. Even though I’ve known this day was coming, it’s still difficult for me to write, let alone read.” The Adventist Review, an old denominational publication that was restricted to North America, will take on the role that Adventist World had in distributing stories to the denomination worldwide. “[W]hen one is a person of faith and a follower of God, while times might be disheartening, we can never remain there long, because we know who is in charge,” wrote Poirier. “Adventist World’s race may be run, but it has done something that no other publication in our history has accomplished — established a worldwide path.” In comments emailed to The Christian Post, Poirier said the decision to merge Adventist World and Adventist Review came last year, with the same staff being in place. Piorier added that the merger is “really the best of both” publications, combining “the breadth of’ Adventist World and “the depth of” the Adventist Review regarding “its content.” “[Adventist World was] a bit more didactic, concentrating on fundamental beliefs, spiritual encouragement, Bible study, upbuilding faith, and more,” she said. “That does not mean that [Adventist Review] doesn’t have that type of content, but it is written from sometimes a different perspective.” Gerald A. Klingbeil, who served on the editorial team for the publication from 2009 to 2023, wrote in a piece that the publication had periodic “financial strains” and “very complex logistical challenges" when "producing a magazine in different regions and in distinct languages.” “I enjoyed working with a dynamic team, and as the first senior editor whose native language wasn’t English, I began to recruit new, younger, and more international authors whose insights, dreams, concerns, and ideas would be a blessing to a magazine printed in nearly two dozen languages reaching all continents,” he wrote. “Adventist World was a conscious move by the global Adventist Church to go beyond its U.S. roots and embrace the church in Africa, Central and South America, Asia, Europe, and the Pacific region.” Klingbeil went on to note that he believed the magazine was “a child of its age, during which connections and links became part of larger networks that brought the world closer together.” “The story of Adventist World is a timely reminder that Jesus’ body is global, connected, caring in solidarity, and embracing all age groups,” he added. Adventist World was officially launched in September 2005, having been championed by Jan Paulsen, president of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists from 1999 to 2010. “We think it is critical to the church, to the church’s witness, to the unity of the church that we have a voice that can speak to the whole world church, with the same message to all,” stated Paulsen before the inaugural edition was released. The initial rollout of the magazine included 1 million copies at an estimated cost of $2.5 million a year. The circulation eventually grew to around 1.5 million copies annually. Initially available in English, French and Spanish, it expanded to include over 20 different languages. --------------------------------------------------------------- This is very sad. It was a great publication. World-class articles and very relevant to our mission in Asia. We would get 1 copy for the church and member would take turns making presentations to the church, one article at a time. Sometimes in the 8:30 to 9:30 slot, sometimes in AY. Nothing was waisted. I believe our new president may have made a mistake in canceling this publication. It was vital to our world mission. The members felt connected to the world church through that magazine.

The first time the Hebrew word usually translated as "atonement" appears in the Bible is Genesis 6:14: "Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch." The word "pitch" is the same word often translated as "atonement." This word, in the LXX, is translated from the Greek ασφαλτω. This is the word from which the English "asphalt" is derived. This material was also used to build the tower of Babel and the craft which preserved the life of baby Moses in the river Nile. Its very basic meaning is to preserve, protect, seal, cover, hold things together. Atonement, in the Old Testament, was usually about cleansing from sin. Leviticus 16:30, for example, reads Le 16:30 For on that day shall [the priest] make an atonement <03722> for you, to cleanse <02891> you, [that] ye may be clean <02891> from all your sins before the LORD. The Hebrew word translated as atonement is כפר [kaphar]. Same word which describes the material which covered/ sealed/protected the ark of Noah and little Moses. The sanctuary altar was cleansed every day by an atoning sacrifice: Ex 29:36 (AV) And thou shalt offer every day a bullock [for] a sin offering for atonement: and thou shalt cleanse the altar, when thou hast made an atonement for it, and thou shalt anoint it, to sanctify it. The Hebrew word for atonement [כפר] is used in Psalm 65:3. The ESV translates the verse "When iniquities prevail against me, you atone for our transgressions." Other versions [NASB, NRSV] say God forgives our transgressions. Young's Literal Translation says God covers our sin. Isaiah 54:9 likens the flood to the wrath of God. The ark which preserved Noah had "atonement" all over and inside of it.

I first posted this three years ago. Last year I began studying for a second doctorate which will be in Community Care and Counseling: Traumatology. Something I see so often is how our biases lock us into a way for thinking and many people don't want to break free from them. The older I grow, and the more I work with people and their problems, the more I realize how harmful pride is and how common it is. The reason so many people get locked into a biased view of something is because of pride. This is even true for many brave souls that seek counseling. The unwillingness of many people to consider, accept and admit they were wrong about something is amazing.

Did Nicodemus make the case for Christians today to consider the teachings of Ellen G. White? Starting at minute marker 1:27 in the video clip below Nicodemus asks Schmuel, "So you would place limits on the Almighty?" In the episode, Nicodemus is making the case for the possibility that God could incarnate Himself as a Man. Nicodemus continues, "And if God did something that you felt contradicted the Torah, would you tell Him to get back in that box that you have carved for Him? Or would you question your interpretation of the Torah?" A bit later he says, "fear alone ensures we remain ignorant, asleep in the safety of rigid tradition." Then, "I don't want to live in some bleak past where God cannot do anything new, do you?" Finally, "Let's look to the ancient roads where the good way is and walk in it, as Jeremiah says. And still keep our eyes open to the startling and unexpected." This same argument being used in this episode to consider the incarnation of God can be used to consider an end-time prophet. Many Christians claim the gift of prophecy died with the disciples and cling to church tradition instead of applying Biblical tests to the claims of modern-day prophets. Click link to view the -> Scene from The Chosen

The compassion of Jesus is noted several times in the New Testament. I am currently reading the gospel of Mark during my daily devotions and read Mark 6:34. "When He went ashore, He saw a great crowd, and He had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd." The context of the verse is that Jesus was trying to get away from the crowds with His disciples to find a desolate place. Yet, when saw the crowd waiting for Him, He had compassion. A childhood friend of mine, Pastor Nate Furness, is now the pastor at Pacific Union College. He tells me that grace comes first. I see that in this episode. He shows compassion for the leper. He shows compassion for Simon's family situation. He shows compassion for the paralytic. As He was leaving, He stopped to look at Matthew, a look of compassion. Last week I made a post about Season 1 Episode 7 but I got the episodes confused and labeled that post "Episode 6 Responding to Light" . In 2023, I posted on Episode 6 and focused on a different theme. I will post that again in the comments below. Now, getting back to the theme of compassion, have you heard the ice cream song? We used to sing it with our children when they were young. There were times it would bring tears to my eyes because it is about me. When that song becomes about you, it may bring tears to your eyes too. I love Jesus better than ice cream, and ice cream is really good. I love Jesus better than ice cream, just like I know I should. Even when I disobey and don’t do the things I should, Jesus loves me better than ice cream, and ice cream is really good!

June 26, 2026 Good morning. Sam’s traveling and will be back on Monday. Iran struck a container ship in the Strait of Hormuz, undermining efforts to restore shipping there. And we have a report below from journalists on the ground in Venezuela. But we will start in Washington. Kenny Holston/The New York Times Protected no more By Tom Wright-Piersanti I’m the news editor of The Morning. The Supreme Court sided with President Trump in two big tests of his immigration crackdown, granting his administration the power to expel hundreds of thousands of migrants and to turn away others at the southern border. The justices allowed the Trump administration to end humanitarian protections that permit people from Haiti and Syria to live and work legally in the United States. The migrants had been shielded by a program, known as Temporary Protected Status, that Congress had created in 1990 to provide temporary legal status to people fleeing war, natural disasters or other crises. The ruling clears a path for the potential deportation of 350,000 Haitians and 6,100 Syrians. And it’s likely to have implications for T.P.S. holders from about a dozen other countries. In the other case, the justices said the Trump administration could turn away migrants seeking asylum along the U.S.-Mexico border by physically preventing them from crossing into the United States, where federal law would have entitled them to try to claim asylum. Both rulings were split along ideological lines, 6 to 3. Our Supreme Court reporter Ann Marimow explains their significance: Taken together, the opinions from the court’s conservative majority signaled deference to the president’s ability to set the nation’s immigration policy, as the justices prepare in the coming days to issue more rulings that will decide how much power to give Mr. Trump across his boundary-pushing agenda. The race factor The matter of race was central to the T.P.S. case, Adam Liptak writes. Trump has a history of derogatory statements against Haitians: He has accused them of “poisoning the blood” of the nation, accused them of “eating the pets” of their neighbors, and described their home country as a “shithole” that is “filthy, dirty, disgusting.” If discrimination was “a motivating factor” in Trump’s determination, the leading precedent said, it would violate the Constitution’s equal protection clause. But Justice Samuel Alito, writing for the majority, concluded that Trump’s comments had not cleared that bar. The president’s statements, he wrote, were not “overtly racial.” Justice Elena Kagan, in her dissent, was incredulous. “The references — of filth, disease and primitiveness — are shot through with racial stereotypes and tropes,” she wrote. For more The justices also struck down a Hawaii law that required permission to carry guns onto private property. In another case, the justices overturned a jury award for a man who had claimed that the weedkiller Roundup caused him to develop cancer. The court will return next week to weigh in on other major tests of presidential power. See the cases that remain. (We have made this article free for Morning readers. You’ll find more free articles below.) SEARCHING THE RUBBLE Adriana Loureiro Fernandez for The New York Times; Federico Parra/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images; Maxwell Briceno/Reuters Isayen Herrera, a freelance reporter for The Times, reported yesterday from La Guaira, a port city near Caracas, Venezuela, that is one of the areas hit hardest by a pair of devastating earthquakes. At one collapsed building, she reported, no emergency crews came. No firefighters. No medical workers. So the residents, in flimsy helmets, were attempting rescues themselves. They could hear their loved ones trapped inside the rubble: Tap. Tap. Tap. “They’ve pulled out a lot of dead people,” said Yorliana Colmenares, who believed her boyfriend was among those under the crushed walls and knotted wire. “Injured people, children, animals.” The Venezuelan government put the official death toll at 235 with more than 4,300 injured, but those numbers were expected to rise significantly. Hundreds of people are trapped in the rubble or missing. There is growing fear about the toll in shantytowns, where many people live in precarious hillside homes. International rescue teams were arriving early this morning to help with the desperate search for survivors. The quakes slammed a country struggling to emerge from a decade-long depression that prompted millions to emigrate and wiped out infrastructure, including for health care. The disaster is an unexpected test for the new, forced alliance with the United States months after the Trump administration arrested and removed Venezuela’s longtime president, Nicolás Maduro. Among the missing is a 35-year-old man who was deported this year from Florida, where he worked remodeling homes, under the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration. In videos posted on social media, one woman likened the experience of living through the quakes to being inside a horror movie. A man who was in a Caracas shopping mall told The Times, “Everyone was just kind of waiting for the building to fall on top of them.” Adriana Loureiro Fernandez, a photographer who lives in Venezuela, witnessed horrific scenes of collapsed buildings and spoke to survivors trying to cope with the aftermath. She describes the experience in the video below. Click to watch. The New York Times WORLD CUP FEVER And now back to Tom, our resident sports fanatic, for an update about the action on the field. Every four years, I and millions of my fellow Americans cosplay as hard-core soccer fans. We relearn the offside rule and Google what “V.A.R.” stands for. We set aside our aversion to ties. We’re all in — until the U.S. team inevitably flames out and we lose interest. This time, though, the U.S. is not flaming out, and we’re not losing interest. It helps that we’re hosting most of the matches. How can you not love seeing Scottish fans depleting Boston’s beer supply? Or Brazilians dancing in the sands of Miami Beach? Or thousands of the real hard-core American soccer lovers disrupting traffic in Seattle with a raucous march to the stadium? Team U.S.A. last night. Patrick T. Fallon/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images And yes, it helps that the U.S. is outperforming expectations. Our guys won their first two matches — a feat not achieved since the inaugural 1930 World Cup — before dropping their final match of the group stage last night, 3-2, against Turkey (or was it Türkiye?) after having already clinched the top spot. Next up is the round of 32, otherwise known as the knockout round, in which the U.S. will face Bosnia and Herzegovina on July 1 in Santa Clara, Calif. If we win there, there’s a good chance it’ll be Egypt or South Korea a few days later. A deep run in the World Cup. What better way to celebrate our 250th birthday? More from yesterday’s matches: Ecuador defeated Germany 2-1, earning a spot in the knockout stage. Ivory Coast reached the knockout stage for the first time, with a 2-0 win over Curaçao. Japan and Sweden played to a 1-1 draw, propelling Japan to a round-of-32 game against Brazil on Monday and sending Sweden to the knockout stage as a third-place team. The knockout rounds are starting to take shape. But the rules deciding who plays whom are, frankly, too confusing to figure out on your own. This handy page from The Athletic does the math for you. THE LATEST NEWS Politics Trump’s abrupt decision not to sign a bipartisan housing bill left some Republicans wondering if he was trying to sabotage his own party’s chances in November. The housing bill may still become law — even without Trump’s signature. Here’s how that would work. A one-time tax on billionaires, intended to fund health care programs, will be on the ballot in California in November. Around the World In South Sudan. Ed Ram for The New York Times Many teachers in South Sudan haven’t been paid in a year. They keep coming to work anyway. Z.ai, a tech start-up from China, released an A.I. model that is nearly as powerful as those of Anthropic and costs much less to use. King Charles III released details of his personal income taxes, the first monarch in Britain to do so. The heat wave roasting Europe would not have happened without global warming, researchers say. Other Big Stories Apple raised the prices of its Macs and iPads, citing the rising cost of computer memory and chips driven by the A.I. boom. The Pentagon is again requiring flu vaccinations for all recruits in basic training, reversing an order from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, after an outbreak at a base in Texas. John Bolton, a former top adviser to Trump who became one of his most outspoken critics, is expected to plead guilty today to mishandling classified information. He could go to prison. OPINIONS The New York Times Louise Perry thinks the sexual revolution helped men more than it helped women. She chatted with Ross Douthat about how to fix that. Play the video above to watch their conversation. Trump’s reflecting pool fiasco is the perfect symbol for his clownish presidency, Michelle Cottle writes. (This link is free.) Subscribers always win. Here’s why. You can now save 75% on your first year of a New York Times Games subscription. Discover all of our word and logic games (and play past puzzles), earn badges for your achievements, plus more. Time is running out though, so subscribe today. MORNING READS Ready for liftoff? The Artemis missions and the SpaceX I.P.O. have more people dreaming of a visit to the stars. Can space tourism get them there? (This link is free.) Chimp chuckles: Humans aren’t the only species that laughs. Scientists tickled apes and got a familiar reaction. Brown or blue? A French ophthalmologist invented a controversial procedure that can change eye color. (This link is free.) Late night hosts graded the attractions at the Great American State Fair. Your pick: The most clicked link in The Morning yesterday was about Dianna Russini, a former N.F.L. reporter for The Athletic. TODAY’S NUMBER 11,000 — That’s how many gallons of whiskey were produced at George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate before his death, a historian said, making it the largest whiskey distiller in the United States at the time. The distillery burned down after Washington died, but it was revived in 2001 and is now celebrating its 25th anniversary. (This link is free.) RECIPE OF THE DAY David Malosh for The New York Times Vaughn Vreeland’s recipe for Italian heroes solves a perennial problem of packing sandwiches for a picnic or beach day: the wilted lettuce. Instead, his heroes use a slaw made with cabbage and red onions, which offers the same crunch and freshness as shredded romaine with even more sturdiness. STAGE FRIGHT Tim Lahan What’s happening with the Broadway musical? Just two seasons ago, 14 new musicals opened on Broadway. Last season, though, it was down to six. And only two have been announced to open this year. The industry is optimistic that the form is just in a weird moment, and not vanishing for good, Michael Paulson reports. But there are some systemic challenges: For one, he writes, the theater industry’s focus has shifted toward plays starring well-known actors, which are generally cheaper to produce than musicals and more likely to make money. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS Marki Williams/The New York Times Wirecutter Wear sneakers that look good in the office and at the park. Wirecutter has some stylish options. (Check out their favorite Prime Day deals, too, before the sales end.) Keep the dentist at bay with a simple, free habit: rinsing with water after meals. Read a swoony Sapphic novel. Ashley Herring Blake, a romance author, recommends some of her favorites. Take our news quiz. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was fixated. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Crossplay and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Host: Sam Sifton Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Brent Lewis, Lara McCoy, Karl Russell Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Editorial Director, Newsletters: Jodi Rudoren

🇺🇸 Pics for the road! Photo: Jen Golbeck/AP This was the view from the top of the 110-foot Ferris wheel at Freedom 250's Great American State Fair on the National Mall yesterday. Photo: Tom Brenner/Reuters Visitors rode the Ferris wheel yesterday at the fair, which'll run through July 10. If you're going.

🌋 Cluster of quakes Data: USGS. Map: Danielle Alberti/Axios Several strong earthquakes have recently rocked areas in or near the "Ring of Fire," the world's most seismically and volcanically active area, Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick writes: Devastating magnitude 7.5 and 7.2 earthquakes in Venezuela left at least 188 people dead, with many more injured or missing. Magnitude 5 or higher quakes have struck since Wednesday in California, Japan, the Philippines and Papua New Guinea. 🔎 Zoom in: Clusters of strong earthquakes are rare but not unprecedented. Scientists have been researching whether large quakes in one area can trigger more elsewhere. The Venezuela earthquakes — too strong for either to be a foreshock or aftershock — are connected because they likely occurred on the same fault. There's no evidence that the rest of the quakes are directly related. Get the latest.

💻 AI price shock Data: Apple. Table: Courtenay Brown/Axios The enormous sums of money going into the AI race are driving up costs throughout the economy. That's now becoming increasingly apparent to ordinary Americans who might have thought that AI's impact would be primarily on their jobs, Axios' Courtenay Brown and Nathan Bomey report. 📈 Apple provided the clearest evidence yet yesterday, raising prices by as much as 25% on MacBook and iPad models — and blaming soaring memory chip costs due to AI demand. The same memory squeeze is now hitting gaming consoles. Also yesterday, Microsoft announced price increases of as much as $150 on Xbox consoles — which comes after Sony and Nintendo recently made similar moves. The bottom line: For the past few decades, consumer gadgets were one of the few areas where prices reliably fell. The AI infrastructure boom is reversing that.

👀 Administration slows OpenAI release Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Stock: Getty Images OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is getting the Mythos treatment: He learned during a conversation Wednesday with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick that OpenAI will have to initially limit release of its next model, GPT-5.6, to only a small set of government-approved partners. I'm told the administration made the move because of the model's "Mythos-like" capability — a reference to the Anthropic model that has formidable power for both cyber defense and cyberattacks. Why it matters: This marks the first time the U.S. government has preemptively asked an American AI company to restrict the launch of a model before release, Axios' Ashley Gold and Sam Sabin point out. Between the lines: A source tells Axios that OpenAI has been proactively working with the administration on the GPT-5.6 model release since before Anthropic revoked access to its frontier models, Fable 5 and Mythos 5, over a rare Commerce Department directive. The White House has been looped in on the capabilities of OpenAI's new model and has been able to preview its abilities. OpenAI hopes to get the model to a larger group next week. Behind the scenes: Lutnick wanted to be sure all relevant parts of the government test and approve the model, a second source told us. This source said the government intervened because GPT-5.6 has Mythos-class power, not because the administration is suddenly taking a heavier hand. "This is what's happening with models of that caliber," the source said. The models are so powerful that the administration wants to be sure the companies have adequate safeguards in place, the source added. Go deeper.

The cost of blind loyalty Photo illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios. Photo: Cheriss May/NurPhoto via Getty Images President Trump trained elected Republicans to obey him, even when they disagreed. Elected Republicans trained Trump to expect obedience, even as his demands grew impossible to satisfy. Why it matters: Years of Republicans submitting to Trump, often against their own judgment, have curdled into a rolling crisis as Washington nears the likely end of the GOP's two-year monopoly, Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen write in a "Behind the Curtain" column. 🥊 The big picture: Trump has spent his second term steamrolling his own party, confident the lawmakers he humiliates will keep voting his way. You see it everywhere: He canceled the signing of a landmark bipartisan housing bill just hours before the ceremony — trying to strong-arm the Senate into passing the SAVE America Act, a sweeping voter ID bill with no realistic path to 60 (or even 50) votes. He dismissed the housing bill — which his own White House had called "one of the most significant pieces of housing affordability legislation in American history" — as "of minor importance." He berated the "Four Republican Losers" in the Senate who voted this week to rein in his Iran war powers, calling the rebuke "poorly timed and meaningless." (Hours after his barrage, Republicans passed a symbolic reversal.) He blew up a bipartisan scramble aimed at renewing the government's FISA surveillance powers, demanding the SAVE Act on voting rules be bolted on. He let the authority lapse rather than back down. He yanked his own intelligence nominee, Jay Clayton, from a confirmation hearing hours before it began, leaving the nation's spy agencies under an acting director both parties distrust. He refused to brief Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and other senators on his Iran deal until after the text was finally released, leaving them to defend terms they hadn't seen. He blindsided senators by proposing a $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund just as they moved a $70 billion immigration package, defending Jan. 6 rioters who attacked the building where the senators work. 👀 Between the lines: Trump is governing like a term-limited president with little patience for Congress, few concerns about the midterms and an insatiable appetite for executive power. Republican lawmakers are still stuck with Senate rules, swing-state politics and the long-term consequences of his maximalist demands — like blowing up the filibuster to pass the SAVE Act. "I don't think about Americans' financial situation," Trump told reporters in May when asked whether domestic economic pressure was shaping his Iran negotiations. "I don't care about the midterms," he said to his Cabinet two weeks later, dismissing the idea that Iran could wait him out on peace talks. 🏛️ What we're hearing: The first sustained check on Trump's second-term power is coming from rebellious GOP senators, especially those whose careers he cut short for insufficient loyalty. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), beaten in a Trump-backed primary, was initially among those voting to curb the president's Iran war powers. Trump and Cassidy got in a shouting match during a closed-door Senate lunch. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), who chose retirement over a humiliating primary, has become the face of GOP resistance in the Senate — publicly savaging Trump nominees, opposing any move to weaken the filibuster and vowing to "do everything I can" to block the SAVE Act. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), who voted with Trump 99% of the time before Trump backed a primary challenger anyway, joined Tillis and Cassidy in refusing to advance attorney general nominee Todd Blanche over concerns about the "anti-weaponization" fund. Top Republicans tell us Trump's response — lashing out ineffectively — could be a preview of how he'll play his cards over the next 2½ years as his power wanes. He'll technically be a lame duck after November's midterms. A favorable midterm environment could hand Democrats the House, even with Republicans' redistricting edge. The Senate is in play, too. "The Senate is now behaving like the Senate," said a longtime Trump ally who knows Congress well. "More to come. If he loses the Senate, his presidency will be effectively over. Yet he's acting like it doesn't matter."

THIS DAY IN HISTORY June 26 1948 U.S. begins Berlin Airlift The Berlin Airlift begins. U.S. and British pilots begin delivering food and supplies by airplane to Berlin after the city is isolated by a Soviet Union blockade. read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 1990s 1993 President Clinton punishes Iraq for plot to kill George H.W. Bush 21st Century 2003 Former U.S. Senator Strom Thurmond dies Ancient Americas 1541 Francisco Pizarro, conqueror of the Incas, assassinated Arts & Entertainment 1975 Sonny and Cher’s divorce becomes final Civil War 1862 Rebels strike Union at the Battle of Mechanicsville Inventions & Science 1974 Pack of chewing gum becomes first-ever item scanned with a UPC barcode 1956 Congress approves Federal-Aid Highway Act 1959 St. Lawrence Seaway officially opened LGBTQ+ History 2015 Same-sex marriage is made legal nationwide with Obergefell v. Hodges decision 2003 Lawrence v. Texas is decided U.S. Presidents 1844 President John Tyler weds his second wife 1963 John F. Kennedy claims solidarity with the people of Berlin World War I 1917 First U.S. troops arrive in France World War II 1945 United Nations Charter signed

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'Peppa Pig' Contract Doesn't Fly Nearly 1,000 people have signed an open letter condemning contracts requiring child actors to sign over their voices to AI. The letter comes after Hasbro, which owns the “Peppa Pig” brand, reportedly updated its contracts to include the clause. The new contracts come after Hasbro presented an AI version of Peppa Pig this year, in partnership with ElevenLabs. It’s not clear if six-year-old Harriette Cox, who began voicing the character last year, licensed her voice for the project. (See part of the demo via LinkedIn.) Child advocates say kids are too young to sign over rights to their voices or images indefinitely. If they refuse, however, they risk losing out on business opportunities. “Peppa Pig” is a Nick Jr. show with tens of millions of YouTube subscribers. The animated series is one of dozens of entertainment projects owned by Hasbro; adaptations of Monopoly, My Little Pony, Magic: The Gathering, and Furby are currently in development.