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I am interjecting a comment just in case there is a lack of understanding what has been a common SDA position. SDAs have often thought that the term Michael the archangel referred to Christ as God in heaven as being in charge of the created angels. It was not a statement that Christ was a created angel.

Global Context: How the US Compares America's 30% weekly attendance rate, while declining domestically, remains significantly higher than most of the developed world. For perspective: Country Weekly Church/Worship Attendance Nigeria 89% Philippines 68% Brazil 45% United States 30% Canada 15% Australia 13% United Kingdom 9% France 7% Sweden 4% Source: Pew Research Global Attitudes Survey 2024 The US remains an outlier among wealthy nations, with attendance rates far above Western Europe, Canada, and Australia. However, the American trajectory appears to be following, with a lag, the secularization patterns that transformed European Christianity in the late 20th century. Whether the US will reach European levels of disaffiliation or stabilize at a higher baseline remains one of the most debated questions in sociology of religion. -------------------------------- Wow, Canada and AU have fallen off a cliff! https://faithscout.com/blog/church-attendance-statistics

Church Attendance Statistics 2026: Trends, Data, and What's Changing By FaithScout TeamApril 7, 202611 min read Last updated: April 8, 2026 Only 30% of Americans attend a religious service weekly in 2026, down from 42% in 2000. But that single statistic masks a far more complex reality: some denominations are growing explosively while others face existential decline, the post-COVID attendance landscape has permanently reshuffled how people engage with church, and the gap between the most-attended and least-attended churches in America has never been wider. This is the most comprehensive collection of church attendance statistics for 2026, drawing from Pew Research Center, Gallup, Barna Group, the Hartford Institute for Religion Research, Lifeway Research, and denominational self-reporting. Whether you're a researcher, church leader, or someone trying to understand the state of American religion, the data tells a story that defies simple narratives. Overall US Church Attendance Rates Church attendance in the United States has followed a steady but uneven decline over the past two decades. However, the rate of decline has slowed since 2023, and some metrics suggest a plateauing effect rather than continued freefall. Attendance Frequency 2000 2010 2019 2022 2026 Weekly (at least once per week) 42% 38% 34% 27% 30% Monthly (at least once per month) 54% 49% 44% 36% 39% Yearly (at least once per year) 71% 67% 62% 54% 56% Never 14% 18% 24% 31% 29% Sources: Gallup Values & Beliefs Survey, Pew Research Center Religious Landscape Study, Barna Group State of the Church Report 2026 The 2022 column reveals the pandemic's devastating impact on attendance: a 7-percentage-point drop in weekly attendance from 2019 to 2022, the steepest decline in modern tracking history. However, by 2026, weekly attendance has recovered 3 of those 7 points, settling at 30%. The "never attend" category actually decreased slightly from 2022, suggesting that some pandemic-era dropouts have returned to some level of engagement. Trends Over the Past Decade Looking at the ten-year window from 2016 to 2026 reveals several important patterns: Key trends (2016-2026): Church membership fell below 50% for the first time in Gallup's history in 2020 and has stabilized at approximately 45% in 2026. In 1999, it was 70%. The "nones" grew from 23% to 29% of the population, but growth has decelerated. The annual increase has slowed from roughly 1 point per year in the 2010s to about 0.3 points per year in the 2020s. Post-COVID recovery has been uneven. Evangelical and non-denominational churches recovered faster (to approximately 92% of 2019 levels by 2026) while mainline Protestant churches recovered more slowly (approximately 78% of 2019 levels). Hybrid attendance is now permanent. An estimated 15-20% of regular churchgoers attend at least some services online rather than in person, creating a new "attendance" category that didn't exist before 2020. Church closures accelerated, with an estimated 4,500 Protestant churches closing annually compared to approximately 3,000 new churches opening, resulting in a net loss of roughly 1,500 congregations per year (Lifeway Research 2025). Attendance by Denomination: Who's Growing, Who's Shrinking The denominational landscape in 2026 is defined by a dramatic divergence between growing and declining traditions. The data below reflects the most recent available from denominational annual reports, the Hartford Institute, and Lifeway Research. Growing Denominations Denomination Est. US Adherents (2026) 5-Year Change Growth Driver Non-denominational evangelical 19.4 million +14% Church planting, multisite expansion Assemblies of God 3.3 million +9% Hispanic growth, experiential worship Church of God in Christ 6.5 million +6% Strong community ties, African American growth Anglican (ACNA) 185,000 +22% Liturgical renewal, young adult converts Orthodox (all jurisdictions) 850,000 +12% Convert growth, online visibility Declining Denominations Denomination Est. US Adherents (2026) 5-Year Change Decline Driver Southern Baptist Convention 12.8 million -9% Internal controversies, aging base United Methodist Church 5.2 million -28% Denominational split, church disaffiliations Evangelical Lutheran (ELCA) 2.9 million -16% Aging congregations, fewer young families Presbyterian Church USA 1.1 million -22% Congregation departures, aging membership Episcopal Church 1.5 million -18% Aging membership, parish closures United Church of Christ 680,000 -21% Aging membership, identity challenges Sources: Denominational annual reports 2024-2025, Hartford Institute, Lifeway Research, National Council of Churches Yearbook The United Methodist Church's dramatic 28% decline reflects the historic split over theological disagreements that saw approximately 7,600 congregations disaffiliate between 2022 and 2025. Many of those congregations joined the newly formed Global Methodist Church, which reports approximately 4.2 million adherents worldwide.

https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2025/02/26/religious-attendance-and-congregational-involvement/ Far more Americans (67%) say they attend religious services in person a few times a year or less often. This includes about half of U.S. adults who seldom or never attend services. Because of these changes, the results of the two surveys on religious service attendance are not directly comparable. What might appear to be a sharp drop from 50% of U.S. adults describing themselves as regular (at least monthly) attenders in 2014 to 33% describing themselves that way in 2023-24 does not necessarily reflect a real change in behavior. The difference between the two surveys is caused, at least in part, by changes in the ways the surveys were conducted. That said, the Center’s telephone surveys were picking up a decline in religious attendance in the years before we switched over to online/paper surveys. The share of Americans who reported attending religious services at least monthly dropped from 54% in 2007 to 50% in the 2014 RLS and had fallen to 45% by the time the Center transitioned away from phone surveys in 2018-19.

Four drones hit the two main buildings of the Desna Boarding House in Radychiv, Ukraine. The attack occurred at 5:50 am on July 24, 2026. At the time of the attack, there were 15 personnel on the property. The building caught fire as a result of a drone attack, according to Oleksandr Seliverstiv, head of the Novhorod-Siversk Regional Military Administration, via Facebook. Photos: Denys Borodyuk, Suspilne Chernihiv, State Emergency Service, Oleksandr SeliverstovAccording to Denys Borodyuk, director of Desna, there were no casualties, and utilities are working at this time. The boarding house has not been functioning since the beginning of 2022. Desna Boarding House operated as a health and wellness retreat and is a partner institution of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Ukraine is being destroyed, day by day. ------------------------------------------------------------- Poland has retirement buildings for Adventists, similar to the Methodist in USA.

Rory Block | 7 Time Blues Music Award Winner Scroll down to the Church Live video, BRI TV

Since this thread was started, things in Israel have surly changed. What I never see talked about in recent news stories is the extraordinary destruction in Israel. They have been very successful in suppressing the damages there. However, it seems closer to the whole country being destroyed. It is not a far stretch that someone may occupy that place soon. Thank you for posting this. https://www.timesofisrael.com/billions-in-damages-israel-rebuilds-after-iran-war-destruction-in-south-and-north/

Esther(*) Likely a typo that produced the happy face. Thank you for posting this.

Pastor, 86, who has married FIVE times now suspect in double homicide of two ex-wives in coast-to-coast investigation By ALYSSA GUZMAN, US NEWS REPORTER Published: 13:48 EDT, 8 August 2026 | Updated: 14:17 EDT, 8 August 2026 A Missouri pastor, who has married five times, is now under investigation by two different police departments into the deaths of two of his ex-wives decades later. More than 30 years ago, Astrid Bridges was found unresponsive outside her Oregon home by her husband, John Bridges, now 86. Her death was ruled an accident after neighbors said they believed she fell while cleaning the gutters. On July 29, John became the suspect in a reopened investigation of the homicide of Bridges, his second wife. But it's not the only investigation the elderly pastor faces, as across the country, the Louisville Metro Police Department in Kentucky has reclassified his first wife Joyce 'Mable' Bridges' death as a homicide and are asking for the public's help. Joyce was also found unresponsive at her home by John in Kentucky in 1972. He brought her to the hospital, where she was declared deceased. Her death had been ruled an accident, as there was no police or EMS involvement. However, her body was exhumed in 2015, and a new autopsy determined she had died by homicide, police said. John has been officially named a suspect by the Gresham Police Department, however, Louisville has not yet done the same. Pastor John Bridges is now being investigated in the homicides of two of his ex-wives decades after they were found dead 'We consider her husband at the time, John Bridges, to be a suspect in her murder,' Detective Adam Wright, of the Gresham Police, told WDRB. John, who is currently married to Janice Sue Grote, had two other wives, who also mysteriously died. His third wife, Tama Jo Bridges, died in 2011 from hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, the coroner's report, viewed by NBC News, said. His fourth wife, Gail Hope Mizell, died in 2024 in Texas. Grote told NBC News that Mizell died after being diagnosed with cancer. Criminal investigations into the deaths of Tama Jo and Mizell have not been opened. Grote, however, kicked her elderly husband out the door after the Gresham Police Department served a warrant to search their Missouri residence. 'I am not afraid of him, and I don’t think he would come back to hurt me,' the 65-year-old wife, who married John five years ago, told NBC News. 'But I don’t want to sleep with a man who is under suspicion of murder. I don’t want to be stupid,' she continued. 'It wasn’t until the police came here from Oregon that I found out they might have been killed.' Astrid Bridges was found unresponsive outside her home in Oregon in 1993. Her death was ruled an accident after neighbors thought she fell while cleaning the gutters Joyce 'Mable' Bridges' was found dead by John inside their Kentucky home in 1972. John has married five times, and four of the wives have died. The other two deaths are not being reinvestigated It is unclear what caused the two police departments to reopen the cases. The Daily Mail has reached out to Bridges and police for comment. In hindsight, Grote is now wondering about the man she married and said his past marriages 'should have been red flags.' 'That’s where I goofed,' she told NBC News. 'I should have listened to the Holy Spirit. I would not be in this position if I had listened to the Holy Spirit.' The pair, who have a 21-year age gap, connected through their faith. She had been on the cover of a magazine published by the Seventh-day Adventist Church and the pastor had reached out. Their first conversation was about the faith, the massage therapist said. Despite the age gap, she said it never concerned her, as his previous wives were all around his age. 'It wasn’t a pattern with him. It didn’t worry me,' she told the outlet. Another thing that drew her to John was his storytelling abilities, which she now is questioning. 'I’ve come to realize that the truth doesn’t come easy for John,' she said. 'He didn’t tell me the whole truth about his marriages.' https://www.dailymail.com/crime-desk/article-16038271/pastor-john-bridges-homicide-investigation-ex-wives.html

Tropical Storm Cristobal forms in the Atlantic and a Pacific system could threaten Hawaii Tropical Storm Cristobal formed Wednesday in the Atlantic Ocean well west of the Azores, and a Pacific storm system could threaten Hawaii this weekend, forecasters said. Read More.

Officials say US forces on track to complete Iraq pullout by Sept. 30 The U.S. military is on track to pull all of its forces out of Iraq by the end of September, officials said Wednesday, marking the end of a presence that started with the 2003 invasion against Saddam Hussein. Read More.

Hungary's government plans interventions on Danube River to keep nuclear plant running Authorities in Hungary will begin taking steps to raise the level of the Danube River this week in order to ensure the country's only nuclear power plant can continue operating, Prime Minister Péter Magyar said on Wednesday. Read More.

☀️☄️ 1 for the road: Twin sky shows People watch today's total solar eclipse in Tarragona, Eastern Spain. Photo: Josep Lago/AFP via Getty Images Parts of Europe were treated to a spectacular total solar eclipse today, while one of the year's best meteor showers awaits stargazers tonight, Alex Fitzpatrick writes. Tourists flocked to Iceland, Spain and other areas in the eclipse's path of totality, where the Moon briefly blocked the Sun from view, creating an eerie and awe-inspiring moment of daytime darkness. 🌙 Folks in the Northeastern U.S. and elsewhere were treated to a partial solar eclipse, with the Moon appearing to take a "bite" out of the Sun. The Perseids seen in China in August 2023. Photo: Costfoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images Meanwhile: The annual Perseid meteor shower peaks tonight, as particles from Comet Swift-Tuttle burn up in Earth's atmosphere in often-spectacular fireballs. Tonight's New Moon will make for especially dark skies, promising a good show. Cloud forecast. 🔭 How to watch: Get away from city lights, keep your phone in your pocket to preserve your night vision, and bring a blanket so you can lie down and look up at the whole sky. You can't go wrong with some hot cocoa, either. Go deeper.

🏗️ President Trump's Kennedy Center renovation would polish its Carrara marble facade, remodel its grand halls and theaters, and likely send marquee events offsite over the next few years, according to plans first obtained by Axios' Cuneyt Dil. Go deeper. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is leaving the Trump administration WASHINGTON (AP) — White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, the youngest person to hold the role, will leave the Trump administration at the end of the month to spend more time with her young family. https://apnews.com/article/trump-press-secretary-leavitt-dc3753a957b05ef554bf277221d9cf46? Lawsuit seeks to ban Trump Media from charging for early access to president's posts on US policy President Donald Trump was sued in federal court Wednesday to stop him from making money off a new, paid service at his Truth Social company offering early, exclusive access to his posts on U.S. policy. Read More.

⛽️ Diesel desperation Data: AAA. Chart: Ben Geman/Axios The global diesel market is getting even dicier amid the Iran and Russia-Ukraine wars, Axios' Ben Geman writes. Diesel prices ripple through global economies, affecting shipping costs, construction and much more. 🤑 The average U.S. price is up 44 cents over the last month to $5.32 per gallon as of yesterday, per AAA. That's compared to $3.71 a year ago. The all-time high: $5.82, in June 2022. 📉 A new S&P Global Energy analysis estimates that global refineries processed 7.5 million fewer barrels of crude oil daily last month than during the same period in 2025. A separate International Energy Agency report also shows a steep drop in crude processing. 🛢️ The U.S. has been exporting growing amounts of diesel to the thirsty global market, but S&P says domestic refineries are running at 96% capacity — leaving little room to boost production. Mizuho Securities analyst Robert Yawger said in a note: "The situation is not going away anytime soon, and could very well get more expensive." Go deeper.

New indictment alleges Nick Reiner was lying in wait before killing parents Rob and Michele Reiner LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Los Angeles County grand jury has indicted Nick Reiner on murder charges in the killings of his parents, Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner, and adds the allegation that he was lying in wait before attacking them. https://apnews.com/article/nick-reiner-rob-reiner-murder-indictment-780851649d9851b18bb3335b7bfdb942?

Millions crowd Spanish cities to see country’s first total solar eclipse in over a century MEDINACELI, Spain (AP) — Millions of people crowded cloudless cities and towns in Spain on Wednesday in search of the best views of a total solar eclipse, when the alignment of the sun, moon and Earth briefly plunged parts of the planet into darkness. https://apnews.com/article/solar-eclipse-spain-europe-iceland-sun-4748323b3df8272d546683cc1dbc1d15?

Europe Is Getting an iPhone-Connected Windows 11. Why Aren't We? From iPhone integration to default browser freedom, EU regulation is creating a superior version of Windows 11—and Microsoft has zero plans to bring it home. https://www.pcmag.com/news/europe-is-getting-an-iphone-connected-windows-11-why-arent-we?

Congo’s Ebola outbreak is on track to surpass the deadliest one in history, WHO chief says The ongoing Ebola outbreak in Congo is on track to surpass the deadliest one in history, which erupted over a decade ago and killed over 11,000 people, the head of the World Health Organization said Wednesday. https://apnews.com/article/congo-ebola-outbreak-africa-who-d9bb9bfa9816e278ba36a2382334d65f?

Childish Ease of Fooling Trump’s New AG Exposed by Ghislaine The Swamp, our must-read guide to D.C.’s misdeeds has uncovered just how easily hoodwinked Todd Blanche was by the convicted liar. Donald Trump wants to crush The Swamp. The leaks, the sneaks, and the secrets are all there. Our writers, David Gardner, Farrah Tomazin, Sarah Ewall-Wice, and Laura Esposito, are sifting through the ooze so you don’t have to. Don’t miss out. In this week’s booze from the ooze: Stormy Daniels, Mort Janklow, Robert Maxwell, Dylann Storm Roof, Jon Ossoff, Abdul El-Sayed, Andrew and Tristan Tate, Gavin Wax, Nick Fuentes, Ghislaine Maxwell, Michael Cohen, John Tower, Boris Ephsteyn, Gretchen Whitmer, and Scott “Swamp Fox” Bessent. Blanche on the Carpet Over His Interview With Ghislaine Maxwell Todd Blanche may have scraped through his Senate nomination (just), but The Swamp has uncovered documents exposing a major lie he appears to have missed during his controversial questioning of Ghislaine Maxwell. Far be it from us to suggest that Blanche’s Ghislaine grilling was a way to ensure she didn’t reveal anything unseemly about the president’s friendship with Jeffrey “Kryptonite” Epstein. But it seems the British socialite who was conveniently moved to a cushy hotel prison after talking to Blanche misled the new attorney general about her own relationship with Trump. Maxwell told Blanche on July 24, 2025, that she met Trump in 1990 when she flew to New York to help her media mogul father, Robert Maxwell, with “some advertising issues with the New York Daily News. “And in fact, I met—I may have met Donald Trump at that time, because my father was friendly with him and liked him very much,” she continued. “And I think it should be said that he also very much liked Ivana, because she was also from Czechoslovakia, where my dad was from. So I don’t—I don’t remember if I did meet him or not in 1990 with my dad, but I knew that that’s how I knew about—about Mr. Trump.” Maxwell went on to make the point that she didn’t meet Epstein until the following year, adding that her father never met the child predator who killed himself/was murdered exactly seven years ago last Monday. The only problem is that The Swamp has unearthed a newspaper clipping from the May 17, 1989 issue of the New York Daily News which reports how both Trump and Ghislaine were guests at a party on board her father’s yacht—named Lady Ghislaine—with “caviar flown in from Paris on the Concorde and salmon served from the vessel’s stores by shoeless waiters.” Also on board were John Tower, the former senator whose defense secretary nomination was shot down over his thrifting and heavy drinking, literary agent Mort Janklow and Peter Kalikow, then owner of the New York Post. The report said Maxwell insisted his well-heeled guests took off their shoes before boarding his yacht. Trump, it said, had a “much bigger yacht and was happy to discuss them with Maxwell.” The report, by gossip columnists Phil Roura and Tom Poster, was not just in the New York Daily News; it was syndicated nationwide. The obvious question for Trump’s then deputy attorney general and now his top lawman is this: If Ghislaine was able to snow him so easily with this lie, how much else should we believe about her account of her and Epstein’s relationships with the president? Swampy Scott the Silver Fox Good to hear that a regular Swamp reader, Scott Bessent, has chosen “Swamp Fox” as his Secret Service handle. He says it’s a nod to his ancestor, “Swamp Fox” Francis Marion, a South Carolina military officer who led guerrilla-style attacks against British forces during the American Revolution. He earned the nickname because he used the region’s swamps to hide, maneuver, and launch surprise raids. Just like us. Welcome Scott. Lindsey’s Nepo-Sister Has Secret History of Backing DEI Newbie senator Darline Graham is fighting off nepo-sister accusations and making her final pitch for a full six-year term representing South Carolina in Congress in a run-off, but her political past, or lack thereof, is proving a liability with some MAGA diehards. Now it turns out, the 62-year-old has a history of backing DEI initiatives, another detail on her record that might not sit well with the conservative base. When the senator served as the commissioner on the South Carolina Commission for the Blind, she signed off on a report for 2019 and 2020 that touted its DEI efforts. The annual accountability report highlighted the commission’s effort to recruit qualified and “diverse staff” and “develop a culture of diversity and inclusion.” This enlightened stance comes after The Swamp also revealed the Senate hopeful twice donated to a GOP state senator after she helped block an effort by South Carolina Republicans to pass a near-total abortion ban in 2023. Graham has rushed to prove her conservative credentials as she seeks a full term. She has blasted criticism of her years of work in state government, arguing that the agency was helping blind people find jobs. But her largely unknown political past, from abortion to state agency DEI, has been a red flag for some of the most conservative and MAGA parts of the base. There’s another DEI hire that Graham is advocating for: herself. If elected, she would be the first woman to represent South Carolina in the U.S. Senate. Even her brother might have balked at her bold belief that she could replace a man. Blanche’s Every Loser Wins Party Gift They were the two lawyers who defended Trump (unsuccessfully) in the blockbuster trial that led to him becoming the first convicted felon to occupy the White House, thanks to his conviction for illegal hush money payments to Stormy Daniels, among others. You might think that for this duo, losing the highest-profile case of their careers would come with consequences. And indeed it did—although not the usual consequences for that sort of defeat. Instead, they got a reunion when federal appeals court judge Emil Bove got to swear in the above-mentioned Blanche as Attorney General. The swearing in was followed by a pretty bonkers bad-taste party of MAGA’s finest, waving giant heads of Blanche. What was in the gift bags? As it turned out, a present Trump has been thirsting over for some time: Some handy extra protection from consequences, courtesy of Blanche. The Department of Justice’s Office of the Legal Counsel, a place where, in theory, the government’s finest legal minds consider its most important issues, pumped out a new memo which was unwrapped eagerly in the Oval. It says that “executive privilege” can cover Trump’s communications with people outside of government when they are advising him on official presidential business. Why does it matter? If, as expected, Democrats regain control of Congress and launch inquiries or impeachment investigations into Trump, they could subpoena his advisers, their emails and other communications. This could be particularly useful when it comes to, let’s say, Boris Ephsteyn, who has served as an unofficial legal and political adviser to Trump for years. Now, however, the administration can argue their chats are off limits. What a gift! And if it ends up in front of a court, Judge Bove might be the person to rule on it. Isn’t MAGA life grand! MAGA Candidate’s Pro-Anti-Weaponization Fund Stance It’s hard to forget that Blanche got voted through by hoodwinking convincing two Republican senators—Thom Tillis and John Cornyn—that Trump’s infamous $1.7 billion slush fund for his cronies was dead and that, pinky promise, that tax immunity for him and his entire family was only retrospective. If you are wondering whether an incoming Republican senate would want to keep the fund dead, cast your gaze no further than Georgia, where Mike Collins is trying to unseat the rising Democratic star Jon Ossoff. The MAGA nominee was asked by Dominic Box, no innocent voter but a pardoned January 6 insurrectionist, whether he would support the fund or “some form of compensatory relief” for not just those who stormed the U.S. Capitol but any Americans who are “victims of a weaponized political system.” Collins couldn’t have been clearer: “A lot of things have been politicized and weaponized, and when the federal government harms you, then yes, they have a liability too. That’s easy,” he told Box, who had clearly identified himself as a January 6er at the event. But when the Swamp asked, Collins’ campaign had a carefully parsed apparent change of heart. “Mike Collins fully supports holding the government accountable when federal agencies abuse their power and believes Americans who’ve been wronged by their government ought to have a path to seek justice,” said spokesperson Meyer Siegfried. “He does not support a blank-check fund or automatic taxpayer-funded payouts to anyone simply because they were prosecuted for January 6.” Sounds like a few loopholes in there, Mike. Let’s see how you vote if you win. Tates Gallery Snacks Exhibits As they await possible extradition to the U.K. on charges of rape and sex trafficking, Andrew and Tristan Tate have portrayed their stint in a Miami federal jail as something of a humanitarian catastrophe. In an epic whinge, the two misogynist brothers recently told a judge through their lawyers that they had “no commissary access” while Andrew complained that he was effectively cut off from basic comforts (cue the violins). Enter federal prosecutors - and a remarkably well-preserved paper trail. In a filing this week, prosecutors included Government Exhibit 10: two commissary receipts dated August 5—one from each brother—showing they spent a combined haul of $75.40. And what did the allegedly starved brothers buy? Doritos. Snickers. Twix. Ramen. Coffee. Turkey-and-Swiss cheese sandwiches. Plus shampoo, body wash, a thermal mug and other assorted jailhouse essentials. In other words, it wasn’t exactly Les Miserables. Still, look up guys. Maybe your one-time BFFs Barron Trump and Don Jr. will come visiting before you’re crated up for a transatlantic trip on ConAir. And their dad’s something of an expert on in-flight catering these days. Schumer at Whit’s End The elephant in the room in the Democratic Party’s Michigan debacle was Gretchen Whitmer. The popular governor, who is term-limited from running for a third time, was the first choice to run for the vacant Senate seat and was a virtual shoo-in to win. After all, her approval rate among Dems was 90 percent and 35 percent with Republicans. Even after she buddied up to Donald Trump, she managed to walk the high wire without falling off. But Whitmer said no to the Senate, saying she wanted to “walk the Earth a little while” (i.e., prepare for a presidential run), and they finally settled for fourth choice Hayley Stevens, who promptly spent $40 million losing to lefty non-DSA (but he is really) Abdul El-Sayed. The centrists of the party are convinced that El-Sayed is pushing uphill to beat Mike Rogers in a reliably purple state. So, if Whitmer is the elephant in the room, who is the dead duck? The Swamp would suggest Chuck Schumer, who failed (again) to get his woman. https://www.thedailybeast.com/childish-ease-of-fooling-trumps-new-ag-exposed-by-ghislaine/?

Here Are All the Top Goons Trump Left to Die on the Bait Plane With the Press Trump secretly switched planes in Turkey after intelligence pointed to a potential Iranian assassination threat. Trump secretly fled a potential Iranian assassination attempt, leaving Stephen Miller, Marco Rubio, and other top aides aboard a decoy Air Force One, according to The Washington Post. The extraordinary escape unfolded after Trump had publicly boarded Air Force One to attend the NATO summit in Turkey in July. After making a public show of boarding the jet, Trump was secretly transferred with a small group of aides to a smaller Air Force C-32A after intelligence pointed to a potential Iranian plot to assassinate him. The group traveled concealed in a catering truck from the legacy Air Force One to the second aircraft, which then flew separately to Britain. The older plane continued on with the White House press corps and senior administration officials, apparently unaware that Trump was no longer aboard. Among those who escaped with Trump were his besotted 35-year-old executive assistant Natalie Harp, Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino, and Oval Office operations director Walt Nauta, according to The Post. All three belong to Trump’s tight inner circle and worked for him at Mar-a-Lago during the four years between his presidencies. Scavino has worked for Trump for more than a decade, while Harp, nicknamed the “human printer,” is a constant presence at his side. Nauta, a former Trump White House valet and Navy veteran, was a key witness in the Mar-a-Lago classified documents investigation. A handful of lower-profile aides also made the switch. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was also moved to the C-32A, boarding via external stairs in a way that made him appear to be the most senior official on the flight, The Post reported. Left behind were Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, White House communications director Steven Cheung, Deputy National Security Adviser Michael Needham, staff secretary Will Scharf—who was promoted this week to White House counsel—and the entire White House press pool, according to The Post. Reporters aboard the older Air Force One believed Trump was traveling with them. They were instructed to close their window shades after boarding, according to a pool report. It remains unclear whether all of the administration officials left behind knew about the deception, though reporters have confirmed they were kept in the dark. Rubio was confronted about the episode Tuesday. “Mr. Secretary, did you put Americans at risk by having them fly an Air Force One when it was under threat?” a reporter asked. Rubio smiled awkwardly at the cameras and replied, “Thank you, guys,” before walking away without answering. The ruse, which the Trump administration kept secret for more than a month, has prompted congressional Democrats to demand an immediate briefing. “There has to be a congressional briefing because it involves not just the safety of the president,” Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal told CNN. “I want to know what precautions were taken to make sure that all of the passengers on that Air Force One, which was judged too dangerous for the president to fly on, what precautions were taken to keep the staff and reporters on that plane safe.” The White House Correspondents’ Association has also urged the administration to “work with us on a protocol for handling extraordinary security circumstances in the future.” Trump, speaking publicly about the operation for the first time Tuesday, said the decision was made by the Secret Service and insisted he simply followed its instructions. “It’s really just up to Secret Service. I just follow what they like to do,” Trump told reporters on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews. “They wanted me to go on a different flight, a different plane, equal safety… I do what they say.” Trump also argued that the threat was specifically greater for him than for those left aboard the original aircraft. “The plane that I was on was at greater risk,” Trump said. “Because that would be the plane that I think that they would be more likely to go for.” He said he was not surprised by the security operation because he faces “a lot of threats that you don’t know about.” “Any consequential president has a lot of threats,” Trump said. “Non-consequential presidents don’t get threatened. And I think that I may be the most consequential.” The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment. https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-left-rubio-miller-cheung-and-bessent-to-die-on-assassination-bait-plane/? ps:A little over board story!!

👋 Good morning! Happy Hump Day. Four-way tie: Junior Caminero and Matt Olson each hit their 35th home run of the season on Tuesday, tying Kyle Schwarber and Yordan Alvarez for the MLB lead. It's the first time there's been a four-way tie for the lead this late in the season since 1982. In today's edition: Big Dumper's epic slump, Yankees land billions in PE deal, Joe Brady's Super Bowl mandate, college fantasy rankings, Sports Jeopardy, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports...   📣 NOW HIRING JOIN OUR TEAM Come join our growing Yahoo Sports newsletter team! We are adding a contract (non full-time) employee as the sports calendar picks up. What we're looking for: A skilled writer who is both passionate and knowledgeable about all things sports. Past experience working in a newsroom or publishing a newsletter is a plus, but not required. Responsibilities include: Writing stories for Yahoo Sports AM, our flagship daily newsletter Developing new section ideas and providing research for larger features Assisting with our growing network of newsletters (AM, Sports Biz, Fantasy, and more) More details: This is a fully remote position, so you can work from wherever. You may be asked to work some nights, early mornings and weekends. To apply: Send an email to kendall.baker@yahooinc.com with the subject line: "Application." Tell me a little bit about yourself, and why you'd be a good fit. Please also attach your résumé.   ⚾️ BIG SLUMPER WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT CAL RALEIGH (Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) Baseball is a uniquely difficult sport, so it's not unusual for even the best players to experience year-to-year slumps. But nobody saw this season coming from Cal Raleigh, whose "Big Dumper" nickname has taken on a whole new meaning in 2026. Then vs. now: Last year, Raleigh had the single greatest season ever by a catcher, losing a close MVP race only because Aaron Judge did Aaron Judge things. This year? The Mariners backstop is, without exaggeration, the worst hitter in baseball. Slash line: Last year, Raleigh hit .247/.359/.589 with a .948 OPS that ranked fourth in MLB. This year? .159/.264/.299, with a .564 OPS that ranks dead last among the 165 hitters with at least 350 plate appearances. HR and RBI: Last year, Raleigh became the seventh player in MLB history to hit 60 home runs, and also led the AL with 125 RBI. This year? 12 HR (on pace for 17) and 43 RBI. The icing on the cake: Last year, Big Dumper put up 7.2 wins above replacement, second only to Judge's 9.7 among position players. This year? Big Slumper is at -0.4 WAR. In other words, he's been worth nearly half a loss this season for the floundering Mariners (56-64). What he's saying: Raleigh didn't mince words after another 0-4 showing in Tuesday's loss to the Yankees: "It starts with me. I'm awful. It is what it is." How is this happening? It would be one thing if Raleigh's 2025 had come out of nowhere, but this was a rising star who'd averaged 30 HR per year in his previous three seasons. He's 29 and ostensibly in the heart of his prime, despite mounting evidence to the contrary. The struggles began with an 0-for-9 showing in the World Baseball Classic and continued with an 0-for-38 slump in early May. An oblique injury that later landed him on the shelf for a month could have been the culprit, but he's been just as bad since returning from the IL in June. The root of the issue appears to be Raleigh's sudden lack of ability to make good contact: His hard-hit rate has dropped from a sterling 49.6% to a pedestrian 34.5%, and his perennially high strikeout rate has climbed to an even worse 32%. Worst falloff ever? Raleigh's stiffest competition may have come 95 years ago, when Cubs slugger Hack Wilson had 13 HR a year after hitting 56 and winning MVP (though his .798 OPS far outpaced Raleigh's .564). The decline was so shocking that the Cubs hired a PI "to see if late-night carousing was the source of Wilson's woes," as WSJ noted ($). The Mariners, as far as we know, have not gone to those lengths with their starting catcher… yet.   ⚾️ PRIVATE EQUITY BRONX BOMBERS LAND BILLIONS (Dustin Satloff/Getty Images) Institutional investors are advancing further into the sports asset class, drawn to the unique appeal offered by scarcity, stable cash flows, and unparalleled cultural resonance. Now, the pinstriped suits of private equity are investing in the pinstriped uniforms of baseball's most fabled franchise. Billions to the Bronx: Yankee Global Enterprises, the holding company that owns the Yankees, announced a $2.6 billion financing agreement with Apollo Sports Capital on Tuesday. The investment is a mix of credit and equity, providing the Yankees with capital to invest in growth and refinance debt. The Steinbrenner family will remain the controlling owners. Apollo, the global alternative asset manager with over $1 trillion in assets under management, has long invested in the sports ecosystem. However, the firm formalized its sports approach with a dedicated vehicle in late 2025, launching Apollo Sports Capital. To date, ASC's high-profile investments have come in soccer. The company became a minority investor in Wrexham in December 2025, before making a bigger splash in March by becoming Atlético Madrid's majority shareholder. Keep reading: This is an excerpt from today's edition of Yahoo Sports Biz, which hits inboxes in a few hours. Sign up here to get the full breakdown of the Yankees' private equity deal — plus more insights about the evolving world of sports business. Disclosure: Yahoo is a portfolio company of funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management.   🏈 WIN-NOW MODE JOE BRADY'S SUPER BOWL MANDATE Rookie head coach Joe Brady takes the helm in Buffalo this season. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images) Jay Busbee, Yahoo Sports: Most new NFL head coaches arrive at their jobs with muted expectations: Win a few more games than last year. Maybe make the playoffs. Stop embarrassing us as a franchise and a city. For Joe Brady, new head coach of the Buffalo Bills, the expectations are more straightforward: Win a Super Bowl. Or else. That's what happens when you take over a team that won 12 games last season, a team quarterbacked by an MVP in the absolute prime of his career, a team that's spent the last seven years beating its fists bloody on the heavy iron door of the playoffs. Forget honeymoons; Brady's seat may as well be warm already. And he's just fine with that. "I didn't take this job to shy away from expectations," Brady said after being hired. "I know what I signed up for and I'm going to embrace it because no one rises to low expectations. I want what this city wants." (Davis Long/Yahoo Sports) Brady, 36, is the youngest current NFL head coach, but in the era of Sean McVay, age ain't nothing but a number. Here's another number: 29.6, the number of points Buffalo has averaged in the past two seasons with Brady as offensive coordinator. That mark is second in the league only to Detroit. In the two seasons Brady has been the full-time OC, Buffalo has ranked in the top 10 in average yards per game, rushing yards per game, passing yards per game and red zone efficiency. No rookie head coach in history has arrived at his job with quite the pressure Brady has, but then few rookie head coaches arrive with Buffalo's level of talent already in-house. Is Brady up to the task of running the whole team? We're about to find out.   🏈 DRAFT KIT COLLEGE FANTASY: TOP PLAYERS (Dillon Minshall/Yahoo Sports) While you're debating Bijan Robinson vs. Jahmyr Gibbs, it's worth remembering that Yahoo College Fantasy Football is here, too. And we've got everything you need to dominate your league in our draft kit, courtesy of Yahoo Sports' Eric Froton. Top players: Our Top 300 rankings skew heavily in favor of running backs, but we also have top players by position, including the new Team Offense position. QB: Arch Manning (Texas), Trinidad Chambliss (Ole Miss), Devon Dampier (Utah), Drew Mestemaker (Oklahoma State), Sam Leavitt (LSU) RB: Kewan Lacy (Ole Miss), Caleb Hawkins (Oklahoma State), LJ Martin (BYU), Jadan Baugh (Florida), DeSean Bishop (Tennessee) WR: Jeremiah Smith (Ohio State), Malachi Toney (Miami), Nick Marsh (Indiana), Amare Thomas (Houston), Cam Coleman (Texas) TE: Trey'Dez Green (LSU), Jamari Johnson (Oregon), Terrance Carter Jr. (Texas Tech), DJ Vonnahme (Iowa), Dylan Wade (UCF) Team Offense: Notre Dame, Indiana, Ohio State, Texas Tech, Oregon D/ST: Ohio State, Notre Dame, Indiana, Georgia, Miami   📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: WEDNESDAY, AUG. 12 (Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images) ⛳️ U.S. Amateur Championship Merion Golf Club outside Philadelphia hosts the 126th U.S. Amateur Championship, where the field of 312 has been whittled down after two days of stroke play. There will be a playoff this morning to determine the final spots in match play before the Round of 64 tees off (3pm ET, Peacock). Notable cuts: Among those who missed the cut are defending champion Mason Howell and last year's runner-up Jackson Herrington, as well as Preston Stout, the world's top-ranked amateur. 🎾 Canadian Open, Semifinals On the men's side: No. 20 Rafael Jódar vs. No. 28 Brandon Nakashima (6pm, Tennis) followed by No. 5 Ben Shelton vs. No. 12 Learner Tien. On the women's side: No. 7 Iga Świątek vs. No. 9 Elina Svitolina (7pm) followed by No. 2 Elena Rybakina vs. No. 4 Coco Gauff. Meteoric rise: Jódar was ranked 540th in the world a year ago. The worst he will be ranked when this tournament ends is 11th. More to watch: ⚽️ UEFA Super Cup: PSG vs. Aston Villa (3pm, CBSSN) … Red Bull Arena in Salzburg, Austria, hosts the annual match between the reigning winners of the Champions League (PSG) and Europa League (Aston Villa). ⚾️ MLB: Mariners at Yankees (7pm, ESPN); Rangers at Angels (10pm, ESPN) … Seattle's Bryce Miller (3.08 ERA, 0.95 WHIP) looks to get back on track after losing four of his last five starts. 🏀 WNBA: Tempo at Wings (8pm, USA); Sky at Valkyries (10pm, USA) … The Wings (19-14) have lost three straight to fall into eighth place; the Valkyries (23-9) have won four straight to climb into second.   🎰 LET'S PLAY SPORTS JEOPARDY Answer at the bottom.   📸 THROUGH THE LENS PHOTO FINISH (Phil Walter/Getty Images) 🇳🇿 Auckland, New Zealand — Steam rises from the scrum during a National Provincial Championship rugby match between North Harbour and Counties Manukau. You're not playing proper rugby until the scrum starts looking like a campfire.   Jeopardy answer question: What is "tripping"?