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Spanish mountain village braces for astrotourists lured by total solar eclipse Somosierra will be prime spot to view celestial alignment on 12 August, an event that poses logistical challenges https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/08/spanish-mountain-village-braces-for-astrotourists-lured-by-total-solar-eclipse?

Rising number of UK children report seeing explicit deepfakes of themselves Exclusive: anonymous flagging service says cases have surged, as watchdog says AI is making sexualised or ‘nudified’ content easier to produce https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/aug/08/uk-children-explicit-deepfake-images-ai?

Travelling through Iran reveals mixed narratives about the US-Israel war Some believe conflict strengthened national unity, others say it deepened repression, but all mourn the dead https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/08/iran-journey-israel-us-war?

Greenland issues ‘strong warning’ as Trump-linked oil firm prepares to drill Island’s government says no approval given after Greenland Energy brings kit ashore for exploratory drilling https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/08/greenland-iwarning-trump-linked-oil-firm-prepares-drill?

Though most think it’s Italian, pepperoni is an American invention. The first use of the word dates back to 1919. James

Baby Steps (Jim Watson / AFP / Getty)   View in browser If at first you don’t succeed, appeal to a higher federal court. And if you even lose at the Supreme Court … just try again anyway. This seems to be President Trump’s approach to limiting birthright citizenship. Last year, he issued an executive order that purports to end the practice of automatically granting citizenship to babies born in the United States—as has been the norm since the late 19th century. Despite Trump visiting oral arguments in an apparent attempt to intimidate the justices, the Supreme Court struck down the order this June. Yesterday, Trump attempted to do some of the same things via new executive orders. One is intended to deny automatic citizenship to children born to people living in the United States while working for a foreign government and children of people declared to be terrorists or adversaries of the U.S. It would also deny citizenship to people born in U.S. territories if Congress passes a proposed law allowing that, creating a new group of stateless people. The second order is intended to prevent the practice of “birth tourism,” in which people visiting the United States on tourist visas give birth to babies who are then U.S. citizens. Legal experts and advocates say the orders are unconstitutional, and they are certain to be challenged in court. Trump’s loss at the Supreme Court seems to make these orders a long shot. As Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in his opinion for the Court, “children born of parents unlawfully or temporarily present in the United States” satisfy the relevant conditions and thus “under the Constitution, they are citizens at birth.” The language in the orders about “alien enemies” is another likely area for dispute, not because anyone is eager to welcome the children of bona fide adversaries but because this administration has made absurd claims about illegal immigration constituting an “invasion,” which makes no sense on its face and has been rejected by federal judges. Trump’s announcement of the orders at the White House yesterday was full of fabrications, exaggerations, and lies. Trump claimed that the Fourteenth Amendment “was meant for the babies of slaves. It was—it was right after—one week or two weeks after the Civil War ended.” In fact, it passed three years later, in 1868. The presidential adviser Stephen Miller echoed the same idea, saying that the amendment “had no other meaning and purpose outside of that, and that’s been clear, obviously, since the day that it was passed.” When a politician uses the word obviously—like frankly—that’s a good sign that what follows will be neither obvious nor true. If this had been obvious since 1868, the U.S. wouldn’t have acted otherwise for more than a century, and the Supreme Court would have ruled in favor of the administration. Trump’s claims about birth tourism were even further off base. The president isn’t making the idea up—just wildly exaggerating it. Asked by a reporter how many people are engaging in the practice, Trump said, “I can tell you right now. Hundreds of thousands. Hundreds of thousands.” This number appears to be pulled out of thin air. During Supreme Court oral arguments, Solicitor General John Sauer, arguing on behalf of Trump, was asked how commonly birth tourism occurs and replied, “No one knows for sure.” In 2020, the Center for Immigration Studies, which supports much stricter laws, estimated the number at between 20,000 and 26,000 births each year, out of roughly 3.6 million babies born in the United States. By attempting to end or restrict birthright citizenship in order to address these issues, Trump is trying to use a bulldozer to achieve a task that calls for a small mallet. The law already prohibits fraudulent visa applications, and the Justice Department has prosecuted people for birth tourism in the past. Trying to undermine birthright citizenship risks jettisoning one of the fundamental bases of modern American society to deal with a minor challenge. Trump could have tried another path. Justice Brett Kavanaugh offered the White House a potential lifeline in his concurrence in the birthright case, suggesting that despite the plain language of the Fourteenth Amendment, Congress could pass a law altering birthright citizenship. The likelihood of such a bill succeeding seems very low, and pushing it through would require sustained attention from Trump. Instead, he’s trying to achieve his goals through executive orders, which are both easily reversed by a future president and have already proved unsuccessful. But the president has a demonstrated weakness for this kind of grand, overreaching presidential gesture. Last month, after a member of the U.S. men’s national soccer team was suspended for a game in the World Cup, Trump decided to use his position to exert some pressure, calling FIFA President Gianni Infantino to try to get the suspension waived. In a direct sense, it worked—FIFA allowed the player to participate—but it may have backfired. Belgium, the American opponent, was incensed, and trounced the United States 4–1. Trump ended up looking obnoxious and corrupt, but didn’t even get a victory out of it. The player in question, by the way, was Folarin Balogun—a U.S. citizen by birth because his mother, while pregnant and visiting family, got stuck in the United States. Related: The revolutionary idea that remade the New World The other case for birthright citizenship

AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Hawaii’s state primary An ongoing corruption scandal involving Hawaii’s lieutenant governor looms over Saturday’s state primary as nine candidates jockey to replace her. Meanwhile, a longtime Democratic congressman who bucked his party and supported one of President Donald Trump’s top legislative priorities faces a tough primary challenge. Read More.

FAA orders crack inspections for hundreds of Boeing 737 Max jets The Federal Aviation Administration this week ordered inspections for hundreds of Boeing planes, following reports of cracks in some older models. Read More.

On August 3, 2026, Dr. Ronald Lawson PhD, died. He was a con traversal figure in Adventism, He was seldom welcomed and often dismissed Yet throughout it all he remained on the far distant edge of this Church. As a historian/sociologist he once traveled the world interviewing son 4,500 SDA members as to their understanding and relationship to Adventism. His research was published in the scholarly journals. The following Spectrum provides more information on his life https://spectrummagazine.org/news/ronald-lawson-trailblazing-gay-adventist-sociologist-scholar-and-advocate-dies-at-86/ It should be clearly stated that I differed with his understanding of certain Biblical issues. In those areas my understanding conforms to main-line Adventism. I also agree with an application of those beliefs that demonstrates grace rather than legalism. I once asked him to evaluate my understanding of certain aspects of SDAs living in Germany under Hitler, In his response he clearly informed me that my suggestion totally lacked historical evidence. With the announcement of his death, many have posted on the Internet their thoughts as to how he will spend eternity. I do not consider this to be either helpful or Christian. I ask that such not be posted here in Club Adventist. Sometimes Adventists point to scandals in other Christian groups an ignore that such has happened in Adventism. One such involving the highest levels of Adventism occurred while I was living in Denver. I am well aware of it. Dr. Lawson wrote a 43-page report of it which is available on the Internet, I consider it to be just, accurate and helpful. Those with probably a superficial knowledge of Dr, Lawson will probably remember him as a co-founder of SDA Kinship. The General Conference filed a lawsuit requesting that Kinship be banned from using the trademarked name Adventist The GC was represented by a well qualfied legal team and expected an easy victory. The G/c team was matched by the pro bono team that defended Kinship, The followoing rticle informs as to that litigation. https://ronaldlawson.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/kinship-goes-to-trial.pdf The final decision of the Court was definitive:: The GC could not prevent the use by Kinship of the word Adventist./ It also opened that use by others in other ways

From 'The Lion' to 'The Tiger': Conservative Trump allies gain ground in Latin America When Abelardo de la Espriella takes office as Colombia's president on Friday, he'll become the latest conservative to helm a Latin American country. Read More. ps:Right! All he is is billionaire that trump can control, period!!!!! US promises $1bn in security aid to Colombia as new rightwing president pledges drugs crackdown Trump ally Abelardo De La ‌Espriella vows to start ‘profound transformation’ of country’s destiny as he is sworn in https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/08/us-promises-1bn-in-security-aid-to-colombia-as-new-rightwing-president-pledges-drugs-crackdown? ps:I can see where this is going!!

✈️ Senate's great escape Senate Republican leaders are tantalizingly close to a deal to take some uncomfortable votes in exchange for leaving town at a more comfortable hour. Why it matters: President Trump won't like all of the outcomes, but senators don't plan to be around to hear about it. 👍 Winners: Senate Majority Leader John Thune is expected to officially avoid a pre-election shutdown fight, set a new record for confirmed nominees, give Trump his attorney general and show GOP unity for a voter-ID bill to contrast with Democrats. He also finally passed new Russia sanctions. 👎 Losers: A budget resolution that passed the House — and has been the White House's priority — is expected to fail. The same fate awaits the voter-ID bill, which won't get the Democratic votes needed to reach 60. Plus, the crypto market-structure bill was delayed until September. 🔮 Mysteries: The fates of a hemp product ban and a name, image and likeness college sports bill were still unclear as of late this afternoon. 🎧 What we're hearing: All three items on the GOP Joe Rogan agenda we told you about last night — crypto, hemp and college sports — are wilting in the August heat. Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) defied the White House and held fast on his amendment to stop delaying a ban on certain hemp products. It has a real shot of passing. Thune punted an initial vote on the CLARITY Act late last night into September, weeks before an election that will make compromise more difficult. The intrigue: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), despite his best efforts, can't quite convince some fellow Republicans who have lingering questions about his college sports legislation. 🏈 The bill would set national rules for how schools pay student-athletes and regulate NIL deals. "I want to make sure that this legislation doesn't either intentionally or unintentionally absolve the NCAA, which lacks testicles and a spine," Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) said. The White House Counsel's office is trying to get it across the line, issuing a memo on why the bill does not preempt state laws on transgender women in sports. 🔎 Zoom in: At a rare Friday lunch among Republican senators, the contours of a get-out-of-town deal began to emerge — though Thune was still working through some of the details late this afternoon. Senators are still trying to reach a time agreement on the stopgap funding package, but they have agreed to give Budd a vote on his hemp amendment at a 50-vote threshold. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) introduced his budget resolution to kick off reconciliation 3.0. It would, among other things, provide money for the Pentagon to restock munitions used in Iran. But even with a 50-vote threshold, it's expected to fail because of GOP defections. Thune is trying to deflect MAGA anger over the Senate's failure to pass the SAVE America Act with a vote on a much narrower bill that would establish a national voter ID standard. But with a 60-vote threshold and no Democratic support, it's headed for defeat. 🧳 The bottom line: Nothing has been easy about getting out of town. Late yesterday, Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) refused to agree to a time limit on the continuing resolution unless he received a vote on adjournment. But the way out of it is the same: taking a tough vote to catch an earlier flight. — Hans Nichols and Stef W. Kight

The Cost of Deportations Calculator The Trump administration is taking billions of taxpayer dollars to pay for mass deportations. https://www.epi.org/deportation-calculator/? Appeals court rules Trump can't build White House ballroom without congressional approval A divided federal appeals court ruled Friday that President Donald Trump’s administration must stop construction of the $400 million White House ballroom because Congress has not approved the project, a decision he blasted as “unjust” while vowing to appeal it to the nation's highest court. Read More.

Holding the line Federal worker protections are under attack https://www.epi.org/holding-the-line-state-solutions-to-the-u-s-worker-rights-crisis/? ps:Nothing new here, especially with this administration and his first time in office!!

Airlines Are Lobbying To Change Airfare Font Sizes. It’s Gonna Cost You. For decades, buying a plane ticket hasn’t been a simple process. In the late 2000s, consumers were inundated with ads for special $79 or $99 flights, but were met with sticker shock when they went to buy the tickets and saw the true cost was actually much higher. https://www.levernews.com/airlines-are-lobbying-to-change-airfare-font-sizes-its-gonna-cost-you/? Congress has long underfunded worker protection agencies. The Republican budget would deepen the damage. On June 9, the Republican majority on the U.S. House Appropriations Committee approved a 2027 budget that slashes funding for worker protection agencies. https://www.epi.org/blog/republican-budget-exacerbates-underfunding-of-worker-protection-agencies/? ps:Just pitiful!!!!!

So then you face the dilemma of if Christ became fully man or not when it comes to fully man and fully God,...

🚀 1 for the road: Endowments take off Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios The University of North Carolina's endowment returns are up over 30% this year thanks in part to an early bet on SpaceX, Bloomberg reports. The school's endowment management company invested in SpaceX through venture capital over 15 years ago. Now it's seeing big returns after the company went public last month. 💰 Bloomberg reports that the investment "has helped make UNC's endowment one of the best-performing in the U.S., but it's also emblematic of how a select group of U.S. universities have profited from a surge in value from early-stage investments." Some later SpaceX investors haven't fared as well: Shares are trading at about $130 early this afternoon, down from the $135 IPO price. Gift link.

🕯️ Sydney Towle, a social media content creator who projected enduring optimism as she chronicled her life with a rare form of cancer, has died at 26. Keep reading.

📉 America's employers unexpectedly shed 23,000 jobs in July, while the unemployment rate ticked down to 4.1%. The report hints at bigger cracks in the labor market than previously known. Go deeper.

🧑‍⚖️ The Trump administration will ask the Supreme Court to reverse a block on its White House ballroom project, the president said today. A federal appeals court ruled earlier today that his plans need congressional approval. Get the latest. 🏦 The White House launched a new effort to remove Fed Governor Lisa Cook: Deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino notified her in a letter, obtained by Axios' Courtenay Brown, that President Trump is considering her removal, and gave her 21 days to respond to mortgage fraud allegations. Read the letter.

📊 Poll: Independents are progressive-curious Illustration: Lindsey Bailey/Axios Independent voters support several key progressive ideas, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll finds. 64% of independent registered voters say they support higher taxes for corporations and billionaires. 60% support government-provided health care for all Americans. 🌹 Yes, but: 43% of independents said they're less likely to vote for a candidate who identifies as a democratic socialist, as some progressives do. The big picture: Progressives got a big boost with Abdul El-Sayed's victory this week in Michigan's Democratic Senate primary. Establishment Democrats are skeptical that progressives can win enough moderates' votes in big elections, while President Trump and other Republicans have been falsely deriding them as "Communists." Go deeper.

It's brutal out there Data: NCEI, NWS; Note: Values shown are the averages of major airports in each metro area. Typical range is the 10th–90th percentiles; Chart: Erin Davis/Axios Downright nasty humidity levels are plaguing the East Coast today, along with high temperatures — and they could last for days in some places, Alex Fitzpatrick and Erin Davis report. 🥵 A high-pressure system along the East Coast is pulling tropical air up from the Caribbean, making cities like D.C. and New York feel more like Miami or San Juan. Heat advisories are in place along the Northeast Corridor, which also faces a chance of thunderstorms today. ⚠️ High temperatures combined with high humidity can be deeply unpleasant and potentially dangerous, making it difficult to stay hydrated and for our bodies to regulate their temperature. People in affected areas should seek out A/C, drink plenty of water and limit strenuous activity outside. What we're watching: National Weather Service forecasters are eyeing a cold front late next week that could bring relief from the heat and humidity — but also severe weather as it passes. 🌡️ The other side: The western half of the country is dealing with dangerously hot temperatures, with daytime highs in the triple digits in some places. Meanwhile, high pressure is blocking wildfire smoke from clearing out, leading to bad air quality in the Pacific Northwest and Intermountain West over the next few days. Get the forecast.

Desna boarding house caught fire after drone attack, no injuries reported. https://adventist.news/news/desna-boarding-house-damaged-by-drone-attack

ADRA Romania brings critical healthcare to 2,289 in Malawi ADRA Romania brought the first permanent dental clinic to Neno, Malawi, as well as food and hygiene kits. https://adventist.news/news/adra-romania-brings-critical-healthcare-to-2-289-in-malawi ADRA strengthens team readiness for crises ADRA held an international training meeting that will strengthen the readiness of ADRA teams for times of crisis. https://adventist.news/news/adra-strengthens-team-readiness-for-crises

Trump’s Accidental Sabotage of His Own Vanity Project Revealed The botched renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool has caused no end of embarrassment for the president. Donald Trump inadvertently doomed his multimillion-dollar renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool with his sweeping tariff plans, according to a report. Rodney Jarboe, president of paint and coating manufacturer Creative Polymers, revealed to The New York Times how he had been approached by David Schutzenhofer, manager of the president’s golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, for advice on how to reline the pool for the America250 celebrations. Schutzenhofer, who works in hospitality and has no training in engineering or architecture, then came up with a novel idea to coat the pool’s concrete slabs with a polyurea liner to fix the long-standing issue of it leaking millions of gallons of water every year. However, Trump’s tariff plans targeting resins—the raw or semi-solid form of a polymer—from China severely limited the amount of available polyurea coatings. “Tariffs were reducing the amount of materials that could come into the U.S. to make this stuff,” Jarboe told the Times. Instead, Jarboe’s Creative Polymers approached the California-based company Rhino Linings to produce enough polyurea coating at its factory in Texas to cover the 2,000-foot-long pool. Rhino was seen as a good fit because it made a coating in a shade called “American flag blue,” which they correctly assumed would delight Trump. Rhino then teamed up with Atlantic Industrial Coatings, a Virginia-based company that had never won a government contract, for help applying the coating. As noted by the Times, the chain of events starting with the president announcing major levies on imports from China resulted in a company with no previous federal contracts being awarded millions to fix a problem at a high-profile national landmark, following a brainwave by someone who runs one of Trump’s golf resorts. “It’s like asking the museum guard to restore a painting in the Met,” Charles Birnbaum, the president of the Cultural Landscape Foundation, who tried to prevent the Reflecting Pool renovation, told the Times. Elsewhere, Jarboe said that Schutzenhofer had only contacted him in March about the idea of renovating the soon-to-be algae-infested pool to coincide with the July 4 celebrations. “For this thing to be done in the time frame that was required, we almost had to have a contract and start manufacturing by the first week of April,” Jarboe said. “So it was a very tight deadline to make a decision.” The rushed nature of the renovation was the cause of another embarrassment for Trump surrounding the pool. Last month, the office of Trump’s handpicked U.S. attorney, Jeanine Pirro, announced it would drop charges against former Olympian David Hearn, who had been accused of sabotaging the pool liner. Pirro’s office confirmed that the damage at the pool had nothing to do with vandalism and was instead the result of the “rush to complete” the renovation project ahead of celebrations marking the country’s 250th anniversary. The Times also noted that the project’s late start resulted in some “bureaucratic jujitsu” from the Interior Department, which cited the tight deadline to fight off scrutiny of the project and accuse those raising questions about it of causing unnecessary delays.The department, led by top Trump ally Doug Burgum, is still pushing the false claim that the pool was damaged because it was targeted by vandals. “President Donald J. Trump is an expert builder who fixed the Reflecting Pool permanently before deranged people vandalized it,” Katie Martin, a department spokesperson, told the Times. White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers added: “For years, the Reflecting Pool sat neglected, plagued with algae and leaking millions of gallons of water. Fixing it was common sense. It’s another example of President Trump restoring our nation’s capital for the American people.” The Daily Beast has contacted the White House and the Interior Department for further comment. https://www.thedailybeast.com/trumps-accidental-sabotage-of-his-own-reflecting-pool-vanity-project-revealed/? ps:Again just another project that didn't need to be done!!!!!

MAGA Gov Candidate Busted Living in Luxury Out of State The Trump-endorsed candidate in the toss-up Iowa governor’s race now faces carpetbagging accusations. A MAGA governor hopeful has secretly been living in a multimillion-dollar mansion hundreds of miles away from the state he wants to run, contradicting his humble farmer claims. Zach Lahn, the Trump-endorsed candidate in the Iowa gubernatorial race, has actually been living in Kansas for years, in a $2 million mansion, not in Iowa as he claims, a Daily Beast investigation can reveal. In 2024, Lahn and his wife Annie, the ex-daughter-in-law of billionaire donor Charles Koch, purchased their Wichita property, which he later transferred to an LLC in what appeared to be a move meant to hide his ownership—and true residency—as he planned to run for governor a few states over. The Kansas mansion sits on a large plot of land with a private lake. The luxurious home came equipped with an indoor pool, with one real estate outlet even calling the property “a place on Earth that was closest to heaven.” Lahn also owns property in Iowa, having bought his great-grandmother’s farm in his hometown of Belle Plaine, but there does not appear to be any indication that he treats this as a primary residence. Records reviewed by the Daily Beast indicate that he has never claimed any property in Iowa as his primary residence. When he refinanced the Iowa property in 2021, he and Annie waived the Iowa Homestead Tax Credit, a sign that they do not consider the Iowa property to be their primary home. Flight records also reveal that while Lahn, a licensed pilot who owns his own plane, travels to and from campaign events, he regularly flies in and out of Wichita to attend those events. These flights include his trip from Wichita to his “hometown” in June for a campaign event. He even flew from Wichita to Des Moines to submit his paperwork for his nomination at the State Capitol. Voting records also show that Lahn has voted in Kansas elections in the 2018, 2020 and 2022 cycles. He told The Wall Street Journal, however, that he voted in Iowa in 2024. Lahn, a graduate of the University of Colorado, worked for years in Republican politics in Colorado and Montana in his early adult life. He also worked for the Koch-affiliated group Americans for Prosperity. In 2017, he and his current wife, Annie, met while they were both still married to their former partners. Before getting married, they co-founded and still sit on the board of the Wonder School, an unorthodox, for-profit K-12 school in Wichita that boasts that it “doesn’t hire teachers.” Tuition currently costs $10,000 a year, and after graduation, only about a third of students go on to attend a 4-year college. The Lahns applied for their marriage license in Montana just 11 days after his divorce was finalized. With their combined kids from previous marriages, the couple co-parents seven children. In addition to his luxury mansion in Kansas, Lahn sold his multimillion-dollar mansion in Whitefish, Montana in October. The house, which was valued just under $5 million dollars last year, was described online as a “ski-in, ski-out mansion” that came equipped with an outdoor spa and hot tub. He still owns a plot of land on the same road. Lahn’s campaign has focused on what he calls an “Iowa First” agenda, as he has attacked corporate agriculture and has touted his endorsement from RFK Jr.’s “MAHA Action.” But with his apparent strong roots in Kansas and Montana, it remains unclear why Lahn chose Iowa to launch his political career. He has not publicly commented on carpetbagging accusations, and when reached for comment by the Daily Beast, his deputy campaign manager, Meg Deneen, again did not comment on Lahn’s out-of-state life. Deneen instead attacked his opponent, Rob Sand’s in-law’s multimillion-dollar real estate in Aspen, Colorado, and Sand’s prior work as a model. When Sand’s campaign was reached for comment, Emma O’Brien, deputy campaign manager, accused Lahn of “lying to Iowans from day one of this campaign about where he lives, how much time he spends in Iowa, and his background.” Lahn narrowly beat House Republican Randy Feenstra in the state’s primary election in June. Feenstra had been endorsed by Trump in the primary, but Trump has since turned sour on him since Lahn’s upset win. Trump reportedly regretted his endorsement because Lahn was “much more Trump” than Feenstra. The gubernatorial race is currently viewed as one of the most competitive in the country, and a potential pick-up for Democrats as the 2026 midterm elections are expected to be a catastrophe for Republicans. Polling shows that his opponent, Sand, the state’s Democratic auditor and the only Democrat who holds a statewide office in the Republican-leaning state, has a slight edge in the race. As it relates to the carpetbagging accusations, a recent poll from Emerson College found that 76 percent of Iowa voters said it is important that a candidate has lived in the state for most of their adult life. https://www.thedailybeast.com/maga-iowa-gov-candidate-zach-lahn-busted-living-in-luxury-out-of-state/? ps:These are trumps kind of people!!!!