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Trump's all-powerful "Great Man" theory President Trump declared on "The Axios Show" yesterday that he's discovered "no limits" to his power since going to war with Iran. A new book reveals he's been entertaining an even grander idea: that he may be the most powerful man in history, Axios' Zachary Basu and Marc Caputo report. Why it matters: Trump is no longer merely testing the limits of the presidency. He's describing power in world-historical terms — placing himself in the lineage of conquerors, dictators and strongmen who bent nations to their will. In a wide-ranging, 45-minute interview yesterday with Axios' Marc Caputo, Trump repeatedly measured power by submission: G7 leaders believed him when he joked "I'm the boss," he said, while Israel has "a lot of respect for me" and will "do as I say." 👀 Zoom in: In "Regime Change," the forthcoming book by Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, Trump proudly shows off a document arguing he's more powerful than Attila the Hun, Genghis Khan, Napoleon, Stalin, Mao and Hitler. Trump "began reading from it," the authors write, "reciting the names of some of history's most powerful figures" and explaining how each "fell short of his own power as U.S. president." "They didn't have airplanes, right? You couldn't travel around," Trump said of Alexander the Great, the Caesars and William the Conqueror. "Napoleon," he added "with relish," according to the authors. Haberman and Swan write that the revealing part was "the evident pleasure he took in the company of Mao, Hitler, and Stalin" — and "the untroubled ease with which he accepted a place among men who had reshaped the world through conquest and fear." 🌐 Zoom out: Hints of that grandiose theory of power surfaced throughout Trump's interview with Axios, hours after returning from what he called a "very dominant" G7 summit in France. Trump named China's Xi Jinping and India's Narendra Modi as the world leaders he most admires, praising Xi as "all business" and Modi as "a very tough cookie." He declined to identify the leaders he considers the weakest — then pivoted to lamenting Vladimir Putin's absence from the G7, which was the G8 prior to Russia's expulsion after its 2014 annexation of Crimea. Trump lingered on French President Emmanuel Macron's decision to honor him with a dinner at Versailles, the kind of imperial stage Trump called "my weakness." Between the lines: Allies, in Trump's telling, are only relevant when they recognize who holds the real power. "If it weren't for me, Israel would not exist today," Trump told Axios, adding that his relationship with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is "good, but we have to keep him a little bit sane." (Watch a clip about Israel and Netanyahu from the interview.) Trump struck a similar tone toward Republican hawks furious over his Iran deal: "Some guys that I used to respect, I don't respect anymore. They're hardliners," he said. Pressed on why the deal falls short of his original demands, a defiant Trump opted for his own reality — insisting the outcome does, in fact, amount to "unconditional surrender" by Iran as well as "regime change." 📉 Reality check: For all of Trump's claims of limitless power, he acknowledged one force still constrains him — the economy. He argued that extending the war to satisfy hawks could have triggered a "worldwide depression." He pointed to falling oil prices and a surging stock market as proof he made the right decision to back a deal that could end the Iran war. "I have one primary wish as president ... I never want to be the late, great Herbert Hoover," Trump said, referring to the 31st president, who's forever associated with the Great Depression. The bottom line: Trump posted the "Great Men" document on Truth Social yesterday, calling its author a "presidential historian." Haberman and Swan report the author was actually the longtime caddy and personal confidant to golfer Gary Player. The document's conclusion: Trump's willingness to use his power on a global scale "makes him by far the most powerful person that has EVER walked this planet." 📱 Watch a clip from the interview.

Trump’s $14M Reflecting Pool Disaster Deepens With Record Slime Explosion A Washington Post analysis found the reflecting pool is experiencing its worst algae bloom in years. President Donald Trump’s controversial $14 million overhaul of the White House’s reflecting pool has hit another setback, as officials battle a record outbreak of algae. A Washington Post analysis found that the reflecting pool now contains more algae than at any point recorded in June over the past five years. The study also noted algae levels were among the highest seen in any month over the last two years. Trump said the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, which was renovated at a cost of around $13.1 million ahead of the 250th anniversary celebrations, would be refilled and repainted a shade of “American Flag Blue,” and pledged to overhaul what he described as the “filthy” and “disgusting” water in the Reflecting Pool. After the pool was refilled on June 4, he hailed its “clean, beautiful water.” But the pool started to turn green with algae less than 24 hours after the renovations were completed earlier this month.Experts say the spike in algae is consistent with seasonal conditions, as hot, sunny weather in the Washington area creates an ideal environment for algae growth. “We would expect June to have more algae naturally than February, March or April because there is more light availability and higher temperatures,” Alana Menendez, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Virginia’s Department of Environmental Sciences, told the Washington Post. The D.C. region experienced a heat wave as the pool was being refilled earlier this month. Trump administration officials, however, blamed the problem on residual material left in supply lines that had reportedly been dormant for weeks. The Interior Department has also linked the issue to an Obama-era renovation, saying the more than $30 million 2012 overhaul “resulted in massive algae clumps taking over the pool’s surface following years of construction that cost taxpayers millions upon millions only to be broken and disgusting days later.” But critics questioned whether recent changes may be contributing to the problem. One National Parks Conservation Association official suggested the darker paint color could be raising water temperatures and worsening algae growth, telling the Post: “These are all questions that would normally be answered during that review process that just was not done in this case.” Elsewhere, a resident of Alexandria, Virginia, told The Daily Beast the reflecting pool is “a mess” and said they have “never seen it this green before.” “I think it’s a waste of our tax dollars,” said James, who declined to give his surname and has lived in the D.C. area for decades. The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment. https://www.thedailybeast.com/trumps-14m-reflecting-pool-disaster-deepens-with-record-slime-explosion/?

One of the biggest questions in science is how life first emerged on Earth. Researchers generally agree that the appearance of the first biopolymers and their building blocks marked a critical step in the origin of life (OoL). However, scientists still do not know exactly how a collection of prehistoric inert chemicals (gases) transformed into the first living systems. The mystery remains difficult to solve because the full sequence of events that led to life is impossible to observe directly and extremely challenging to recreate. Over the past century, scientists have proposed numerous hypotheses, most of them centered on chemical evolution occurring either on Earth or in space. Yet each explanation has limitations, often relying on specific experimental findings and/or theoretical assumptions. Several well known models have attempted to explain the (terrestrial) chemical OoL, including the Metabolism-first world (FeS world), Zinc world, Thioester world, RNA world, and Lipid world. While each provides valuable insights, none offers a complete explanation of how life emerged from nonliving matter. No single theory has successfully integrated all aspects of the process into a unified and convincing scenario. A New Framework Built Around Nanozymes To address this challenge, Prof. Yongdong Jin of the School of Biomedical Engineering at Shenzhen University in China has proposed the "nanozymes hypothesis" for the OoL on Earth. The hypothesis suggests that primitive natural mineral nanozymes (MN-zymes), along with later generations of organic small molecule hybridized nanozymes, played a central role in the emergence and evolution of life. According to this idea, these materials were especially important during the earliest stages of life's development, helping generate the first biologically relevant molecules from nonliving substances. Under primitive Earth conditions, MN-zymes may have gradually converted prehistoric inert chemicals (gases) into increasingly complex molecules through a combination of chemical (and physical) processes. The author proposes that this transformation occurred primarily through a process described as "inorganic photosynthesis." Multiple Roles in Early Chemical Evolution The nanozymes hypothesis assigns several important functions to natural MN-zymes. These include (a) catalysis, (b) surface binding/confinement, (c) anti-UV irradiation, (d) (photo-)selection, and (e) energy flow management. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/06/260610003054.htm -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- You mean the story about the lightning starting life is untrue? According to science? I'm shocked to hear that! Even the scientists know it was a fairy tale.

Researchers at Mass General Brigham have uncovered evidence that the thymus, a small immune system organ long thought to lose its importance after childhood, may play a major role in adult health. Two new studies found that adults with healthier thymuses were more likely to live longer and less likely to develop serious diseases. The research also suggests that thymic health may influence how well cancer patients respond to immunotherapy. The findings were published in two papers in the same issue of Nature and challenge decades of assumptions about the thymus. The results indicate that the organ remains important throughout adulthood and could eventually help guide disease prevention strategies and cancer treatment decisions. "The thymus has been overlooked for decades and may be a missing piece in explaining why people age differently, and why cancer treatments fail in some patients," said Hugo Aerts, PhD, corresponding author on the papers and director of the Artificial Intelligence in Medicine (AIM) Program at Mass General Brigham. "Our findings suggest thymic health deserves much more attention and may open new avenues for understanding how to protect the immune system as we age." What the Thymus Does Located in the chest, the thymus helps train T cells, a type of immune cell that helps defend the body against infections and disease. Because the organ gradually shrinks after puberty and produces fewer new T cells over time, many scientists assumed it played only a limited role in adult health. As a result, the thymus has received relatively little attention in large population studies. Earlier research connected T cell diversity to aging and declining immune function, but those studies were typically small and focused on blood samples. The new research took a much broader approach. Investigators analyzed data from more than 25,000 adults participating in a national lung cancer screening trial, along with more than 2,500 people enrolled in the Framingham Heart Study, a long-running study that tracks the health of generally healthy adults. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/06/260601025352.htm

A new three-year study from researchers at The University of Texas at Dallas' Center for BrainHealth (CBH) suggests that getting older does not automatically mean losing mental sharpness. Instead, the findings indicate that brain health and cognitive abilities can continue to improve throughout life. The research, published in Scientific Reports, a Nature journal, draws on data from The BrainHealth Project (BHP), an initiative launched by CBH in 2020 to better understand how people can strengthen and optimize brain health across the lifespan. Researchers tracked 3,966 adults ranging in age from 19 to 94. This group represented roughly one-fifth of all BrainHealth Project participants. Over the course of three years, participants completed brief training activities that required only five to 15 minutes per day. BrainHealth Index Tracks Changes Over Time To evaluate changes in brain health and performance, the team used the BrainHealth Index (BHI), a patent-pending assessment developed by CBH researchers and first introduced in a 2021 pilot study. The BHI is designed to detect both improvements and declines in brain health. It measures three primary areas: clarity, emotional balance, and connectedness to people and purpose. "The BrainHealth Index brings together about 20 metrics, including validated gold-standard measures like the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire, as well as tasks designed at the Center for BrainHealth to focus on more complex thinking skills," said Lori Cook MS'02, PhD'09, CBH director of clinical research and corresponding author of the Scientific Reports study. "This battery of assessments produces insights into individual brain health and change over time. Progress is measured by comparing results with participants' own earlier scores." Cook, who also serves as an adjunct assistant professor in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, said the findings challenge common assumptions about aging and cognition. "Every brain is as unique as a fingerprint and has potential for growth," Cook said. "This study challenges the prevailing narrative of inevitable cognitive decline, suggesting instead that brain health can be proactively cultivated at any age." Brain Improvement Seen Across All Ages According to the researchers, positive changes were observed even among participants in their 80s, showing that efforts to improve brain health can be beneficial long before symptoms or disease appear and can remain effective later in life. "For too long, we've operated under the outdated notion that we need to wait until something bad happens to our brains before we do anything for them," said Sandra Bond Chapman PhD'86, senior author of the study, CBH chief director and Dee Wyly Distinguished University Chair for BrainHealth. "This study reminds us that our brain is not defined by age -- it is defined by possibility." One of the study's most notable findings involved participants who started with the lowest BrainHealth Index scores. This group experienced the largest improvements over time. "Those who are starting at the lowest level appear to have the most opportunity for growth and may be coming in with more preexisting concerns," Cook said. "As such, they may be more motivated to invest the time needed to see more growth potential. But it is noteworthy that we saw measurable growth even in those entering as high performers." https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/06/260613034222.htm

For many Americans, middle age is becoming more challenging than it was for previous generations. People born in the 1960s and early 1970s report higher levels of loneliness and depression, along with poorer memory and reduced physical strength compared with those who came before them. What makes this trend especially notable is that it is not happening to the same extent in many other wealthy countries. In several peer nations, particularly in Nordic Europe, health and well-being during midlife have improved over time rather than declined. To understand why the United States appears to be moving in a different direction, psychologist Frank J. Infurna of Arizona State University and his colleagues examined survey data from 17 countries. "The real midlife crisis in America isn't about lifestyle choices or sports cars. It's about juggling work, finances, family, and health amid weakening social supports," Infurna said. "The data make this clear." The study, published in Current Directions in Psychological Science, points to several factors that may be driving these differences and suggests possible ways to improve outcomes. Family Support Policies and Loneliness One key distinction between the United States and many European countries involves support for families. Since the early 2000s, European nations have increased spending on family benefits, while spending in the U.S. has remained largely unchanged. Compared with Europe, the United States offers fewer programs such as cash assistance for families with children, income support during parental leave, and subsidized childcare. These policies can have a meaningful impact on people in midlife, who are often balancing careers while raising children and caring for aging parents. The researchers found that adults in countries with stronger family support systems reported lower levels of loneliness and experienced smaller increases in loneliness over time. In contrast, loneliness among Americans continued to rise across generations. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/06/260613215430.htm

For centuries, losing human teeth meant living with a permanent gap in your smile or relying on artificial replacements. But a groundbreaking discovery by Japanese researchers could change this reality forever, offering the possibility of naturally regrowing teeth where they’ve been lost. Led by Dr. Katsu Takahashi at Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, scientists have developed a drug that could stimulate the body to grow new teeth—a breakthrough that might one day make dental implants and dentures a thing of the past. https://japandaily.jp/regrowing-human-teeth-ending-dental-implants/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tooth regeneration therapy enters first human clinical trials in Japan Synopsis A groundbreaking human trial in Japan is exploring a revolutionary treatment to regrow teeth. Researchers have identified a way to activate dormant tooth buds, potentially offering a natural solution for tooth loss. Early results are promising, with a drug aiming for a 2030 release, heralding a new era in dental care. In Japan researchers have taken the first step of their kind by starting the first-ever human trial in a treatment that aims to help grow teeth. In May 2026, the trial is progressing with a cautious optimism, and are aiming to release the drug in 2030. Many people across the globe are who suffer from teeth loss as a result of the effects of aging, injury or genetics, this breakthrough can revolutionize dental treatment. Read more at: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/us/japanese-scientists-begin-human-trials-for-tooth-regrowth-drug/articleshow/130710567.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

For generations, scientists have viewed the inability to regrow lost body parts as one of the fundamental limitations of humans and other mammals. While creatures such as salamanders can regenerate entire limbs, humans typically heal injuries by forming scar tissue. New research from the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (VMBS), however, suggests that regenerative abilities may not be entirely absent in mammals. Instead, they could be hidden within the body's normal healing machinery, waiting to be activated under the right conditions. "Why some animals can regenerate and others, particularly humans, can't is a big question that has been asked since Aristotle," said Dr. Ken Muneoka, a professor in the VMBS' Department of Veterinary Physiology & Pharmacology (VTPP). "I've spent my career trying to understand that." In a study published in Nature Communications, Muneoka and colleagues describe a new two-step treatment that enabled the regeneration of bone, joint structures, and ligaments. Although the regrown tissues were not perfect replicas of the originals, the researchers believe the approach could eventually help reduce scarring and improve tissue repair after amputations. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/06/260618041508.htm

Researchers in Brazil have created a new biomaterial made from jackfruit latex, pomegranate peel extract, and simvastatin (a statin-based medication) that could offer a more effective way to treat periodontitis, a serious form of gum disease. The team, from the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences (FCMS) at the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo (PUC-SP) in Sorocaba, developed the material as part of an effort to improve treatment options for a condition that affects the tissues supporting the teeth. Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease caused by infection. Over time, it can destroy the structures that hold teeth in place, leading to bone loss and reduced attachment between teeth and surrounding tissues. Current treatments are designed to control infection and inflammation, but they generally do little to regenerate damaged periodontal tissue. Other approaches, including guided tissue regeneration and bone grafting, have been explored, but their results can vary and are often difficult to predict. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/06/260618041508.htm ------------------------------------------------------------ I have a Jackfruit tree in my yard. The fruit is the size of two smaller bowling balls. It is very popular here. When one fruit is ready, we cut it down and cut it up into pieces, then share with the neighbors. Nothing is waisted. Even the seed (about the size of dates) are boiled and eaten. Gum disease is not a problem here.

A large international study found that fewer than one in five people consume enough flavanols, compounds associated with a lower risk of heart disease. Adding foods like blueberries, plums, blackberries, broad beans, and cherries to your daily diet, especially when paired with green tea, could be a simple way to support heart health, according to new research. A large international study led by scientists from the University of Reading, Harvard Medical School, the University of California Davis, and Mars, Inc., found that most people are not consuming enough flavanols, natural compounds linked to a lower risk of heart disease. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/06/260619020512.htm

Obama Towers Over Trump in Humiliating Popularity Ranking A significant portion of Republican voters even admit they like the former Democratic president. Barack Obama is by far the most popular and admired U.S. president, holding a strong double-digit lead over Donald Trump, according to a poll. A CNN/SSRS survey of 2,480 U.S. adults found that 57 percent hold a favorable view of Obama, compared to just 34 percent for Trump. The two-term Democrat is held in such high regard among Americans that nearly one in five Republicans (19 percent) surveyed still hold a favorable view of Obama. He enjoys near-universal support among Democrats (96 percent), nine years after leaving office. Obama is also considerably more popular than the other living presidents: Joe Biden (30 percent), George W. Bush (42 percent), and Bill Clinton (38 percent). Elsewhere in the poll, Obama came out on top when respondents were asked which U.S. president they admire most, receiving 30 percent of the vote. He was followed by Trump (19 percent), Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan (9 percent), and John F. Kennedy (6 percent). The poll results are likely to be particularly humiliating for Trump, especially as the president has helped push his longtime nemesis back into the limelight. During Trump’s tacky UFC White House event on Sunday, heavyweight fighter Josh Hokit called former first lady Michelle Obama “a man” after defeating Derrick Lewis in the second round. Trump also could not resist badmouthing Obama during a tantrum when asked about his Iran deal on Wednesday. Hours before Trump signed the controversial memorandum of understanding at the Palace of Versailles, just outside Paris, the 80-year-old blasted the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear deal, which Tehran signed in 2015 during the Obama administration and which Trump withdrew from in 2018, during a foul-mouthed tirade. “Nobody could have made this deal. I mean, the JCPOA, done by Obama... He gave them $1.7 billion in cash, green cash from banks, into a Boeing 757 and flew it into Iran. “They tried to bribe their way out of it, and you know what the Iranians did? They laughed at Obama, and they said he’s a stupid son of a b---h,” Trump said before abruptly ending the press conference. In an interview with ABC’s Good Morning America, which took place one day before the MOU was agreed, Obama said he was “doubtful” that any Iran agreement negotiated by Trump would be “significantly different” from, or a “significant improvement” on, the 2015 deal his administration brokered. “It’s a reminder that on a lot of different foreign policy problems, the notion we can just bully our way or bomb our way to a solution may sometimes seem appealing,” Obama added. “You’d think we would’ve learned that lesson by now, but it seems like every so often we have to learn that lesson again.” The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment. https://www.thedailybeast.com/obama-towers-over-trump-in-humiliating-popularity-ranking/?

Trump Makes Desperate Pope Pitch to Sell His Surrender The president is now amplifying the pope’s words as he faces growing backlash over a deal critics describe as a monumental failure. President Donald Trump is now so eager to sell his embattled Iran deal that he has turned to an unlikely ally: the very pope he has spent months publicly attacking. Trump on Thursday shared a glowing statement from Pope Leo XIV praising efforts to end the conflict and avoid further bloodshed in the Middle East. The 80-year-old president followed it up soon after with his own all-caps post on Truth Social. “OIL IS FLOWING, IRAN CAN NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON (THE WORLD WILL BE SAFE!), THE STOCK MARKETS ARE ROARING, JOBS ARE AT RECORDS, AND PRICES ARE DROPPING (AFFORDABILITY!). OUR COUNTRY IS STRONG, SAFE, AND RESPECTED LIKE NEVER BEFORE. “YOU’RE WELCOME!” he wrote. The Pope’s endorsement was made earlier this week, after months of increasingly bitter exchanges between Trump and the Vatican. Trump repeatedly blasted the pontiff over immigration, accused him of being weak on crime, and suggested he was naive about foreign policy. The Vatican, meanwhile, criticized the administration’s migrant policies and repeatedly warned against military escalation with Iran. But Trump is now eagerly amplifying the pope’s words as he faces growing backlash over a deal critics say gives Iran significant concessions while delivering few immediate guarantees in return. “I welcome with satisfaction the reaching of an agreement between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America, which will be signed on Friday, as an encouraging result of patient work in dialogue and negotiation,” the Pope had posted on Monday before the text of the Memorandum of Understanding had been unveiled. “I hope that the agreement may help strengthen mutual trust, security, and stability in the Middle East, promoting paths of dialogue and cooperation among peoples.” Under the framework, Iran would regain access to frozen assets, receive sanctions relief, and continue to use the Strait of Hormuz as leverage. But broader questions surrounding nuclear power, missiles, regional proxies, and long-term enforcement remain unresolved, with some critics describing the deal as a monumental strategic failure. “This agreement is far worse than I expected,” said former US Ambassador Michael McFaul, now a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution. “To reopen the Strait—a Strait that was open before the war—we and our partners are transferring billions to the autocrats. We get nothing else—no elimination of enriched uranium, missiles, or terrorist support." The backlash has extended well beyond Democrats, with some Republicans lashing out at the agreement, while foreign policy hawks have warned that the framework could leave Iran in a stronger strategic position than before the war began. “This will go down as a tremendous foreign policy blunder,” said GOP Senator Bill Cassidy, who recently lost his seat after Trump endorsed his opponent in his primary race. With criticism mounting, Vice President J.D. Vance was dispatched on Thursday to serve as the administration’s chief salesman for the deal. Vance has spent the week defending the agreement in television appearances and will front the briefing room in the absence of Karoline Leavitt, who is on maternity leave. That has fueled growing speculation inside Washington that Vance is also being positioned as a convenient fall guy if the agreement unravels, with Trump himself joking at the G7 that he would take credit if the deal succeeds but blame Vance if it fails. The president also took to social media at 4:32 am on Thursday morning to hit out at “fools” who trashed the memorandum of understanding. “These fools, who think I haven’t been tough enough on Iran, when the Stock Market Just Hit A RECORD HIGH, and Oil prices are ‘tumbling’ down, are either jealous, bad people, or stupid. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!” the 80-year-old president wrote. https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-makes-desperate-pope-pitch-to-sell-his-surrender/?

MAGA Civil War Erupts Over Trump’s Peace Deal ‘Disaster’ The president’s closest allies are fighting over his not-so-“unconditional surrender” deal. Donald Trump is facing massive fallout for the tentative deal he reached with Iran to end the war he started, which has exposed fault lines among even some of his most vocal MAGA backers. The details of the memorandum of understanding with Iran, which the president signed in Versailles, France, on Wednesday before heading back to the U.S., are a far cry from his demand just months ago for “unconditional surrender.” Instead, they lay out a series of stark concessions to Iran. Some have called the temporary agreement to talk about a permanent deal the best possible outcome for the president, who has struggled to set clear objectives since he launched the war at the end of February. But some of Trump’s biggest MAGA allies and conservatives have shredded it as a monumental foreign policy blunder. The deal lays out a plan to lift all sanctions on Iran, unfreeze billions in assets, and provide $300 billion for reconstruction, all while letting Iran keep ballistic missiles. While Iran has agreed to never have a nuclear weapon, the enforcement mechanisms remain to be worked out in 60 more days of negotiations. “History teaches that giving billions of dollars to theocratic lunatics who want to murder us is a bad idea,” GOP Sen. Ted Cruz told the conservative Daily Wire. In another quote posted on X from the interview, Cruz said, “Nearly one thousand Americans have been murdered by the Ayatollah and the mullahs... It is not remotely in America’s interest for us to pay to rebuild that capacity that we just took out.” But Trump’s eldest son was quick to fire back at Cruz and accused him of undermining the president and MAGA. “The only problem with this quote is that @tedcruz is lying thru his teeth about the deal. We’re not giving them a cent and he knows that,“ he wrote on X. ”Using fake news about the peace deal to undermine @realDonaldTrump is the opposite of MAGA." While the deal does not include the U.S. directly handing over cash, it does provide massive sanctions relief and the release of assets. Iran would also be able to export oil. The Obama Iran nuclear deal, which Trump has raged against for more than a decade, also unfroze Iranian assets and settled a long-running arms purchase dispute. Since Trump launched the war, Iran has also been proven to have immense leverage when it comes to activity in the Strait of Hormuz, which was open for shipping before Trump launched his strikes. Podcaster Ben Shapiro, who is deeply tied to but not always full-blown MAGA, also slammed the president’s memo of understanding as a “disaster” that did not achieve any of the administration’s goals. However, after the deal’s details were revealed and Trump signed it, many MAGA influencers furiously promoted it and heaped praise on the president. They argued he could now come back to the U.S. and focus on domestic issues despite the agreement essentially laying out 60 more days of negotiations with Iran and the president threatening to go back to bombing if Iran does not comply. Trump also appeared to freak out as he jumped into the fray to sell his deal amid escalating backlash over his war and its outcome. The president posted an all-caps message on Truth Social on Thursday in which he declared, “OIL IS FLOWING, IRAN CAN NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON.” But Trump indicated at his Wednesday press conference that if the deal went south, he was open to throwing Vice President JD Vance under the bus.Republican critics of the deal quickly appeared to follow the president’s lead, already casting blame on Vance as the negotiator of the agreement. https://www.thedailybeast.com/maga-civil-war-erupts-over-trumps-peace-deal-disaster/?

USA is the number one country when it comes to Homosexuality. Philippines is number two. Thing are very different here. Different dynamics. The homosexual people here are not in your face. In the capital city, Manila they are slightly more active in politics. Here they are called Gays. Either male or female, they are gays. It's a derogatory term. Females are slightly more accepted, but cannot achieve much status or promotion. Males are laughed at or ridiculed. No one takes them seriously. I have known many here. Sadly too many. There are several reasons why they choose this lifestyle, but the root cause is severe insecurity. Often there was severe trauma as a youth. This is their way of coping. It is a very sad thing to see. There is no reasoning with them, because the root cause is deeply emotional. Some of them feel trapped in these feelings. Often the parents contributed to the problem, out of ignorance or lack of skills. Sometimes the parents were also recovering from this trauma and were incapable of helping the children. Emotionally damaged children are very common in third world. I am sure this is why Thailand has so many sexual tourists. The government here understands the danger of foreign predators and is active in prosecuting and preventing. A foreigner with a sexual criminal record of any kind is rejected at the port of entry, if he is in their database. Some well-meaning ex-pats have gotten into trouble taking the neighborhood children to town for ice cream. A policeman stops them and finds out that one or two are not relative, he arrests them. I have been very careful not to give rides to underage children, even in a group, even friends of my children from the church. A local can do it, but I cannot. But there is no scheming here. I am sure it will continue to be a problem here. I have seen no one who knows how to solve this problem. It seems like, no one is interested in solving the problem. Possibly it's just to big of a problem.

Well I don't know very much about this topic, but I agree with you, It is a scheme. I grew up in Michigan and left there about 20 years ago. I have been on Club Adventist a long time. There was nothing like you describe there back then. I doubt much has changed. But I realize it is possible that I was just not aware of this kind of things because it was out of my circle of friends and there are times when I am naive. I assume this is mostly a west coast thing, although I would not be surprised if it is spreading. I agree we need to be careful and protective. Australia has developed training programs for this kind of thing. The adults who work with the children are encouraged to take the course and be certified. Then pastors and nominating committees focus on people who have the certificates. They seem to be proactive in this area. I think it would be helpful if NAD adopted these measures. I am also reminded of the Ohio pastor who was recently involved with a young girl. Perhaps this is an area that we need to give much more attention to. Perhaps the people I have seen complaining about this, were right all along. It has just been well hidden. I don't understand how it happens, but I can clearly see we as a church, need to recognize the problem and take action.

Joe, Several years ago, the idea of a sexual accountability and transparency committee [SATCOM] was conceived. Their purview would include investigating suspected homosexuals in the denomination. Of course, they would approach the individuals with pastoral concern. In view of Kinship's president openly advocating the introduction of homosexuality, transgenderism, etc. to SDA youth at Pathfinder meetings, these individuals certainly pose a danger to SDA young people. Not all young people involved in homosexual activity are actually same sex attracted. Some are conned into the relationship[?] by older men who are attracted to younger men or even children. These "victims" would include youth who lack responsible parenting. SSA men groom and seduce them over time. For that reason, the church should be vocal in its protestations contra homosexuality. Protecting young people who are not actually same sex attracted but long for companionship can easily be identified by older, more experienced predator types. Pathfinders should be warned of the dangers these individuals pose. These predatory types could be exactly the kind of people you mentioned--long time members, respected in the community and church, people broken by life in a sinful world. Research has been done on the dynamics of molestation. It sometimes occurs "accidentally" due to a specific situation, e.g, camping trips with no agenda. More often, predator types scheme to exploit vulnerable youth. The president of Kinship advocating the introduction of homosexuality to Pathfinders is no accident. It is a scheme.

🏞️ Parting shot! Photo: Heather Diehl/Getty Images A car at the base of the 3,000-foot El Capitan reads "GONE CLIMBING" in Yosemite National Park, Calif., last week.

🛑 House Dems hit a ceiling Data: Axios research; Chart: Kathleen Hunter/Axios August's Senate primaries in Michigan and Minnesota will give House Democrats a shot at breaking their 0 for 3 record this year of advancing in statewide races. Why it matters: Winning a promotion out of the House has been hard for lawmakers from both parties this year. House Republicans are 3 for 10 in statewide primaries this year after wins in Georgia, Oklahoma and Alabama. They'd previously lost seven times in a row. Zoom in: In March, Democratic Reps. Robin Kelly and Raja Krishnamoorthi lost to Lt. Gov Juliana Stratton in the Illinois Senate primary, while Rep. Jasmine Crockett lost to James Talarico, a state lawmaker from Austin, in the Texas Senate primary. Next up: Rep. Haley Stevens, a moderate, is competing against a Sen. Bernie Sanders-backed candidate, Abdul El-Sayed, and Mallory McMorrow, a liberal state senator, in Michigan's Aug. 4 Senate primary. A week later, Rep. Angie Craig will face off against Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan in Minnesota's Senate primary. — Kathleen Hunter

🎯 New 2026 long shots Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios Republicans have stranded nine House Democratic incumbents in districts President Trump carried by double digits in 2024, thanks to the redrawn House map. Why it matters: This is the individual lawmaker version of how redistricting has become a powerful firewall for Republicans. It gives the party a way to threaten Democratic seats even if the national environment turns ugly for the GOP. The big picture: Under the new maps, Democrats are defending 23 House seats that Trump won in 2024, according to an NRCC analysis we viewed. Republicans are defending just eight seats that former Vice President Kamala Harris carried last cycle. These races will determine which party controls the House and test whether incumbents' personal brands can overcome the new electoral realities created by redistricting. Zoom in: Cleo Fields (D-La.) is running in a Trump +31.8 district. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) is in a Trump +18.4 district. Darren Soto (D-Fla.) is in a Trump +17.8 district. Shomari Figures (D-Ala.) is in a Trump +14.3 district. Don Davis (D-N.C.) is in a Trump +11.4 district. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) is in a Trump +10.6 district. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.) is in a Trump +10.4 district. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) is in a Trump +10.4 district. Vicente Gonzalez Jr. (D-Texas) is in a Trump +10.1 district. Between the lines: Democrats have overperformed in special elections by 13% so far this cycle, according to The Downballot. They'll only need to flip three seats to win back the majority next year, compared to the 47 they had to flip in 2018. What they're saying: "Democrats' path to the majority runs straight through districts that already rejected them," NRCC spokesperson Mike Marinella told us in a statement. "The battlefield has shifted, and they're on the wrong side of it." DCCC spokesperson Viet Shelton told us in a statement: "Democrats are poised to retake the House majority, and Republicans know it. It's why they've resorted to trying to rig the midterms through illegal gerrymanders and voter suppression, but it won't work." — Kate Santaliz

Corruption in plain sight During the first 100 days of his administration, President Trump has consistently put the interests of billionaires and corporations over working people. This is most evident by the Trump administration already halting or dismissing nearly 90 investigations against lawbreaking corporations, according to a recent report by Public Citizen. One of the biggest beneficiaries of this is tech billionaire Elon Musk. https://www.epi.org/blog/corruption-in-plain-sight-how-elon-musk-has-benefited-from-the-first-100-days-of-the-trump-administration/?

Janeese Lewis George wins the Democratic primary for mayor of Washington, DC WASHINGTON (AP) — Janeese Lewis George, who pledged to aggressively stand up to federal intervention into Washington, D.C.'s affairs, won Tuesday’s Democratic primary for mayor, setting up a potential showdown with the Trump administration over its moves to challenge the city’s limited autonomy. https://apnews.com/article/janeese-lewis-george-washington-dc-mayor-primaries-a792a2b725d641ca511c81d8faf6ebc8?

🤠 1 for the road: Rodeo on the Mall Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios A rodeo is coming to the National Mall as part of America's 250th birthday celebrations, Axios D.C.'s Mimi Montgomery reports. The free daily performance will tell the history of American cowboys through rodeo acts, trick riding, cattle drives and Mexican charro displays. 🐎 Organizer Binion Cervi tells Axios: "There's so much history that we're going to tell" during the show — stretching back to when the Spanish brought horses to America. Go deeper ...

*This* time for Africa Cape Verde keeper Vozinha celebrates after a scoreless draw against Spain on Monday. Photo: Buda Mendes/Getty Images African teams are having a moment in early World Cup play, Alex Fitzpatrick reports. 🇨🇻 The biggest upset so far belongs to Cape Verde, the tiny island nation that held tournament favorite Spain to a scoreless draw on Monday. That could help Cape Verde make it out of the group stage. Ties earn both teams a point toward the knockout rounds. Meanwhile, goal differential can be the difference between advancing or going home — the fewer goals scored against you, the better. 🇨🇩 Congo yesterday similarly held the Cristiano Ronaldo-fueled powerhouse Portugal to a 1-1 draw. Yoane Wissa delivered the country's first-ever World Cup goal — a flawless header in first-half extra time. 🇬🇭 Also yesterday, Ghana took down Panama 1-0 with a buzzer-beater of a goal from Caleb Yirenkyi in the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time. Congo players celebrate their goal against Portugal yesterday. Photo: David Buono/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images 🇨🇮 Earlier in the tournament, Ivory Coast stunned Ecuador 1-0 with a late goal from Manchester United's Amad Diallo. 🇲🇦 Another big draw came from Morocco, whose 1-1 result against Brazil on Saturday triggered deep soul-searching for the longtime South American heavyweight. 🇸🇳 Senegal even frustrated France for the first half of their Tuesday match. But French superstar Kylian Mbappé woke up in the second, netting a pair in an eventual 3-1 win for Les Bleus. Full schedule.

Trump’s Spaghetti-Against-the-Wall Indictment Against ICE Protesters — and How to Fight It Donald Trump’s Department of Justice unsealed a federal indictment on Tuesday announcing hefty charges against 15 antifascist protesters for alleged actions taken in response to the brutal U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement surge in Minneapolis earlier this year. https://theintercept.com/2026/06/17/ice-indictment-minneapolis-protesters/? How Did the Feds Get Into Anti-ICE Activists’ Signal Messages? When anti-ICE activists rallied against the Trump administration’s deportation campaign in Minneapolis, many relied on the encrypted messaging app Signal for secure communications. In activist chats and quickly established ICE-tracking groups, locals used Signal to keep tabs on federal agents patrolling their communities. https://theintercept.com/2026/06/17/signal-messages-minneapolis-ice-protests/? An Army Whistleblower Believed in Pete Hegseth — Until the Military Covered Up Her Child’s Abuse Amanda Feindt sat in the fourth row during the Senate confirmation hearing of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. A U.S. Army major and former whistleblower who had submitted a letter supporting his nomination, Feindt listened as Hegseth spoke about troop readiness, military lethality, and protecting military families. Service members and veteran advocates around her wore shirts and hats bearing his name. https://theintercept.com/2026/06/15/child-abuse-army-daycare-military-pete-hegseth/? Senate Democrats Aren’t Happy About Trump’s Spy Law Ultimatum Before President Donald Trump threw his latest hand grenade into congressional negotiations over a key domestic spying law, two factions of Senate Democrats seemed to believe they were on the verge of a breakthrough. https://theintercept.com/2026/06/17/trump-fisa-warrant-surveillance-clayton-pulte/? Trump Admin Wants to Make It Easier for White Men to Sue for Discrimination The chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the federal agency created by the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to protect American workers from discrimination, moved to delete the agency’s affirmative action rule that was implemented almost 50 years ago. https://theintercept.com/2026/06/16/trump-white-men-discrimination-eeoc/? U.S. Casualties in Iran Are Still Rising America’s Iran War casualties crept higher even as the U.S. was in the final stages of declaring a second ceasefire with Iran this weekend. https://theintercept.com/2026/06/16/us-casualties-iran-still-rising/? Bernie Sanders Backs Justin J. Pearson, House Candidate at the Heart of Tennessee Voting Rights Fight An outspoken progressive running for Congress in the Tennessee district at the center of Republicans’ efforts to sabotage voting rights and maintain control of the House earned the endorsement of Sen. Bernie Sanders on Tuesday. https://theintercept.com/2026/06/16/justin-pearson-sanders-tennessee-house-redistricting/? Once a Target of TrackAIPAC, Ro Khanna Gains Its Endorsement After a resounding primary victory and ahead of a potential presidential run in 2028, progressive California lawmaker Ro Khanna has received the endorsement of the influential advocacy and watchdog group TrackAIPAC, known for posting red cards of lawmakers and candidates who receive money from the pro-Israel lobby. https://theintercept.com/2026/06/17/ro-khanna-trackaipac-israel-election/? Trump Celebrates Achieving Absolutely Nothing in Iran The Trump administration is boasting about pending plans to conclude its war with Iran, having achieved none of the original objectives laid out by President Donald Trump. https://theintercept.com/2026/06/15/trump-us-iran-war/?

Supreme Court sides with a Texas man who says it’s not a crime for marijuana users to have guns WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court ruled Thursday against a broad federal ban on gun ownership by marijuana users, the latest in a line of firearm cases from a court that has expanded gun rights. https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-guns-drugs-marijuana-texas-a60ce6df9e735c6bc7def285ca396784?