All Activity

⚡ Scoop: CIA director's Iran doubts CIA Director John Ratcliffe told President Trump and other senior officials that intelligence gathered by U.S. spies raises serious doubts about Iran's willingness to make the nuclear concessions the U.S. is seeking in any final deal, Axios' Barak Ravid reports. Ratcliffe isn't the only skeptic on Trump's top team. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth have both expressed concerns and raised questions about the deal in internal discussions. Vice President Vance and U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner advocated for it. Vance will attend Friday's formal signing ceremony in Geneva. 👀 Behind the scenes: Trump and his advisers held a series of high-level meetings in the lead-up to Sunday's announcement of the deal. During those meetings, Trump and his team discussed the intelligence: Iranian officials were discussing the deal among themselves in a way that was inconsistent with what they were telling the mediators and the U.S., two sources said. Ratcliffe and Rubio said that based on that intel, they doubted the Iranians would agree to take the nuclear steps the U.S. was seeking, according to two sources. "The intelligence reflects that the Iranian intentions are not in line with their commitments under the deal," the source said. Zoom out: The nuclear elements of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) that was signed electronically on Sunday depend on the parties reaching a more detailed nuclear deal over the next 60 days. Vance, Witkoff and Kushner are expected to meet on Friday with Iranian Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, along with Pakistani and Qatari mediators, to discuss that next phase. 👓 Between the lines: The text of the 14-point initial deal has yet to be published. A source familiar with the text contended that the Iranians will get more than they give under the MOU — unless they agree to sign a nuclear deal that meets the U.S. objectives. Keep reading.

💡 Brad Smith on AI-era jobs: "Let's not panic" Mike Allen interviews Brad Smith. Screenshot: Axios Brad Smith, vice chair and president of Microsoft, slammed tech moguls for hypocritical, grandiose warnings that are alienating Americans at a time of huge workforce opportunity. "Nobody knows for sure, but let's not panic," Smith, who has been with Microsoft for 33 years, said from the tech giant's headquarters in Redmond, Wash. Why it matters: Smith is among the tech leaders who think dire predictions about AI's threat to entry-level white-collar jobs are souring young Americans on a miraculous technology. Watch our video. In our interview, Smith said tech leaders have botched the conversation about AI and jobs: Hypocritical warnings: In an essay this month, Anthropic pointed to benefits of slowing AI development "to give ourselves more time to deal with its immense implications" — a so-called global pause. Smith told me: "If somebody says, 'This technology is so powerful that we need a global treaty to slow it down,' then I would say: Then take your foot off the accelerator yourself if you think it's moving too fast." Scaring grads: Echoing points Jim VandeHei and I made in our recent "Rattled Generation" column, Smith noted that this year's graduates were in high school during COVID and have done much of their socializing through screens, against a backdrop of political turmoil. "Now, they finally get to enter the workforce and here comes AI?" he said. "Too often, this is being presented to them as something that is going to happen to them, not for them." Short-term distortion: "This is going to unfold over 25 years, not two-and-a-half," Smith said. "But look, if you're trying to raise money as entrepreneurs need to do, it's easier to raise money if people think it's going to happen sooner rather than later." Unrealistic hype: "Tech leaders tend to repeat two mistakes," he said. "One is: They overestimate the impact of technology, especially the pace at which it will arrive. And second: The tech leaders often underestimate people." Fake certainty: "You find that the same folks who made the wrong predictions a decade ago keep making them with extraordinary conviction," Smith said. "And it makes great fodder for people who generate stories for a living." Hollow calls for regulation: He said we're seeing a flashback to the past decade's debates over social media legislation. "You had some companies that said, 'We want legislation,' and then they basically opposed every bill in Congress because they never liked it specifically." He said that on AI policy, beware "ideas that are so grandiose that the chance of them being adopted is zero." Watch our interview ... Read Brad Smith's post, "AI, jobs, and the next generation."

Campaign ad fakery Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Stock: Getty Images Campaign ads featuring AI-generated clips and images are now everywhere, with attack ads that place candidates in a wide variety of compromising and fictitious situations, Axios' Andrew Solender writes. Why it matters: This largely unregulated practice is blurring the line between truth and fiction. The latest spot to push the envelope is an attack ad against Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico from a Trump-aligned group called Citizens for Sanity. The ad depicts Talarico in a dress singing an abridged version of "Favorite Things" about transgender children. 🔎 Zoom in: Last month's GOP primary in Kentucky's 4th district, which Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) lost after being savaged by President Trump, saw widespread AI use by both sides. That included a "throuple" ad containing deepfakes of dining, checking into a hotel and holding hands with Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.). Pro-Massie spots used AI to depict an elephant with Trump-like hair and a MAGA cap, and Ed Gallrein, Massie's challenger, abandoning Trump in a foxhole. AI-generated image. Screenshot: AdImpact 🍑 In Georgia, gubernatorial candidate Brad Raffensperger used AI in multiple ads to depict his GOP primary opponents wildly shooting guns in the air and fighting each other with pugil sticks. A new ad from another Georgia gubernatorial candidate, Burt Jones, is entirely AI-generated and portrays his GOP primary runoff opponent, Rick Jackson, shoveling money into a furnace. Democrats are also using AI: In Texas, Crockett used AI to inflate the crowd size in one of her ads and posted an AI video to social media of herself, Trump and others as babies. In New York City, Andrew Cuomo used AI in the mayoral election in an ad that portrayed him performing various jobs, including subway conductor, stockbroker, stagehand, and window washer. 🔮 What's next: Some campaigns voluntarily disclose this AI use, but it's not required. Democrats want to change that if they retake control of Congress in November.

Neural Speech Milestone A 47-year-old father with ALS has used a brain implant to communicate with roughly 92% accuracy for nearly two years, the longest-running demonstration of speech communication through a brain-computer interface. The at-home system, described in a study released yesterday, converts brain signals into near-instant speech, letting Casey Harrell communicate independently and conversationally. Four implants, each packed with 64 tiny electrodes, record activity from the brain's speech-control region. When Harrell tries to speak, AI decodes the signals into text and a synthetic voice modeled on recordings of his pre-ALS voice. The translation happens at about 56 words per minute. Harrell had surgery in 2023; the study reports on the first 23 months following the procedure. Over time, the device has evolved into more than a speech tool, allowing Harrell to operate a computer, surf the web, send texts and emails, and enable a profanity filter when talking to his young daughter. See it in action (w/video).

When Play Doh was first developed in the 1930s, it wasn’t a toy… it was a way to clean wallpaper. James

Iran coach says team ordered out of US right after 2-2 draw with New Zealand in World Cup opener INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — The coach of Iran’s World Cup team said it was ordered to leave the U.S. and return to its training base in Mexico only a few hours after opening its politically charged tournament by playing to a 2-2 draw with New Zealand on Monday night. https://apnews.com/article/world-cup-iran-new-zealand-score-314655749d94fe577bb2b52ebd6b32c4?

🎶 Parting shot: Hallelujah, Montreal Photo: Steve Ward During a morning stroll through a Montreal neighborhood, Finish Line reader Steve Ward and his wife came across this striking mural of Leonard Cohen — a towering tribute to one of the city's most beloved artists.

Yale's happiness guru Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Stock: Getty Images If happiness science had a celebrity, it'd be Yale Professor Laurie Santos, Axios' Natalie Daher writes. 📚 Santos' class on well-being was Yale's most popular in 300 years when she introduced it in 2018. She's since launched her own podcast and appeared in dozens of interviews, proving demand for her work extends far beyond the classroom. 🔭 The big picture: Santos' core belief is that you can't optimize your way to happiness — but there are steps you can take to see your emotions and your life in new ways. She notes that Americans are uniquely compelled to find silver linings, even in grief, in ways other cultures simply aren't. For Santos, happiness has two parts: how you feel and how you think your life is going. Chasing "good vibes only" won't get you there. "Happiness isn't about getting rid of your negative emotions. That's toxic positivity," she told The New York Times' Lulu Garcia-Navarro in a recent appearance on "The Interview" podcast. Instead, "you have a sense of meaning. You have a sense of purpose. It feels good to be you because of how you think it's going." Zoom in: For students glued to screens instead of talking to each other, Santos has a reframe: Negative emotions are signals, not failures. Loneliness means: Seek connection. Overwhelm means: You've taken on too much. 📱 Between the lines: Santos argues technology, including AI, will make isolation worse. The desire to connect with a real person — over a flattering, always-available chatbot — will only get harder to sustain. As she puts it, technological advancement has always made us less social: "We go to the ATM now — we don't have to talk to a teller. We don't go to a record store and talk with people about records to get our music — we just have an algorithm deliver it to us." 💡 More takeaways from Santos' research: Social connection is the clearest driver of happiness. When small talk presents itself, take it. Time famine is real, but it's also a perception problem. We have more free time than humans did even 20 years ago, but it's fragmented into "time confetti" that we fill with scrolling instead of connection. Solo time isn't automatically bad. Contemplation and solitude can have real value. The problem is the self-judgment that creeps in when we think we should be connecting instead. 💭 Natalie's thought bubble: I interviewed Santos back in 2019 — which feels like ancient history after living through the pandemic. Her advice is even more essential now. 🎧 Watch Santos on "The Interview" ... Listen to her podcast "The Happiness Lab."

What is the US poverty rate? The poverty rate was about 10.6% of the US population as of 2024. The poverty rate is the percentage of people whose household income falls below the poverty threshold set by the government. It measures the percentage of people in households that don’t earn enough to pay for basic needs like food, housing, and healthcare. In 2024, 35.9 million people lived in poverty. https://usafacts.org/answers/what-is-the-us-poverty-rate/country/united-states/? How many people skip medical treatment due to healthcare costs? In 2025, 26% of American adults skipped some form of medical treatment because they couldn’t afford it, according to the Federal Reserve. This is lower than the 28% who avoided care in 2024 and is the lowest percentage since 2022. https://usafacts.org/articles/how-many-people-skip-medical-treatment-due-to-healthcare-costs/? One last fact Friday is Juneteenth, a federal holiday that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. W.E.B. Du Bois, a pioneer in many ways, was also a pioneer in data visualization. He documented Black life in America in the generations after slavery, and he presented hand-drawn charts on the topic at the 1900 Paris Exposition. See them here.

😈 Republicans take revenge Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios House Democrats are seething over what is, by all indications, a nationwide Republican effort to elevate Democratic primary candidates viewed as more beatable in November. Why it matters: This once-rare practice is becoming commonplace. Democrats did it in 2022 and 2024, and one House Democrat, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told us it "seems like the new normal." House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has publicly blasted Republicans on the subject, writing in a post on X last week: "Stay the Hell out of our races with your malignant and desperate scheming." Driving the news: A trio of obscure super PACs with progressive-sounding names have cropped up in recent months to support more left-leaning or scandal-tarnished candidates in key battleground districts. Lead Left PAC played in Nebraska's 2nd District, Pennsylvania's 7th and — most infamously — Texas' 35th, where it reported spending over $1 million to boost Maureen Galindo, a sex therapist whose comments widely seen as antisemitic became a major flashpoint before she lost in a primary runoff. Real Change PAC spent big to oppose the more moderate Democratic primary candidates in New Jersey's 7th, Maine's 2nd and California's 22nd. Progressive Champions PAC is spending at least $1.5 million against centrist Cait Conley in New York's 17th district. Between the lines: Republicans have played coy about their alleged role in these efforts, but there are clues pointing to their involvement. Lead Left PAC's website — which says the group "stands against MAGA extremists" and — included a link to the GOP fundraising site WinRed in its metadata, according to Punchbowl News. When one signs up for Real Change PAC's email list, the group responds with an email from GOP consulting firm Cavalry LLC, as Axios first reported. Progressive Champions PAC and Real Change PAC list the same bank of record on their FEC filings, with both reportedly using the same, Republican-affiliated compliance filing software. What we're hearing: One former House Republican with knowledge of the effort, speaking on the condition of anonymity to share sensitive details, told us this is simply the GOP fighting fire with fire. "After Dems ran these fake PACs two years ago, Republicans have entered the fray with the same strategy," the former lawmaker told Axios. New York's 17th District, they added, is "one of the districts [where] it's being employed." Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) told us that GOP spending in Democratic primaries is "awful" but was "inevitable" after Democrats adopted the tactic in the Biden years. Yes, but: A former House Democrat involved in the 2022 and 2024 elections noted there were "no fake shell Dem PACs from those years." In 2022, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and House Majority PAC meddled directly in GOP primaries. In 2024, a group called Duty and Country — which had public ties to Democrats' Senate Majority PAC — supported now-Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) in his GOP primary. What they're saying: Democrats "aren't happy" that Republicans are "trying to help the far left," a senior House Democrat told us. "This type of spending is as prevalent as it is awful — by Dems and Republicans," Rep. Johnny Olszewski (D-Md.) told us. The bottom line: This is all made possible in part by campaign finance laws allowing these groups to keep their funding sources hidden until after primary day. "If only Congress had the ability to do something about these super PACs," Olszewski told us sarcastically, adding, "Oh wait." — Andrew Solender

Muddy Results (Reuters)   View in browser Declaring that “the deal is all signed” with Iran, as President Trump did today, is like shopping for a wedding dress after a good first date: It’s just too soon. A deal has an element of finality and permanence. A nuclear deal with Iran, for example, would require specific obligations, concessions, and verification measures, such as inspections, agreed to by all parties. What Iran and the United States are moving toward, with a signing ceremony scheduled for Friday in Geneva, is an agreement that could set the conditions for a potential deal. In the meantime, the war’s shaky cease-fire would be extended for 60 days and commercial shipping would once again transit the Strait of Hormuz unimpeded. (Neither side has released the agreed-upon text, although U.S. officials said today that Trump, Vice President Vance, and the speaker of Iran’s Parliament have already digitally signed on the dotted line.) If all goes to plan, both sides would then use the breathing room to address more complicated issues, such as how to manage Iran’s nuclear program, just as they were doing before February 28, when Trump went to war. Although the war has weakened Iran’s military, killed members of its leadership, and put pressure on Tehran, the memorandum of understanding is also an acknowledgment that the U.S. cannot solve the problem of Iran with either a war or economic pressure. Despite the thousands of strikes, and the damage done to Iran’s oil-export-driven economy, the U.S. has little choice but to try diplomacy again. Another mark of how much the U.S. has deviated from its aims at the conflict’s outset is the fate of the Strait of Hormuz. Its centrality to the new memorandum might suggest that Iran’s blockage of the narrow channel was a reason for the U.S. and Israel to go to war in the first place. Not so. The strait was open on the day the war started. Iran closed it, snarling global energy-supply chains, to gain exactly the leverage now being employed at the negotiating table. By contrast, none of Trump’s initial goals for the conflict has been achieved. The negotiations are designed to address the nuclear program, but it is not clear whether reducing Iran’s missile batteries and its proxy militias will be on the agenda for the 60-day talks, or the additional negotiating increments that will almost certainly follow. “I worry about results, and I worry about getting to a place that is good for the American people,” Vance told us in a brief interview. “Right now, we’re on a pathway to get to a very good place for our country. I want to keep on working towards that end.” Maybe at the end of that cycle, the U.S. and Iran will have an agreement worth calling a deal. The results of the war have been muddy enough that hawks on each side want to see a convincing victory and believe that such an outcome might still be within reach. “The Islamic Republic is not a problem that can be negotiated away,” Mark Dubowitz, the chief executive of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, wrote on X yesterday. He suggested that the United States should support Iranians in overthrowing the regime, something that Trump signaled he favored at the start of the war but has since abandoned. “The only solution is maximum support for the Iranian people,” Dubowitz continued. “Given the opportunity and assistance they need, they can cripple—and ultimately end—this terrorist regime.” Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a Trump ally who strongly supported military action, suggested on X that the U.S. is giving up too much too quickly just to secure the strait’s reopening, even though its closure has sent energy prices soaring. Graham, who rarely criticizes the president directly, said that he was “pleased” that the Strait of Hormuz would reopen but was “somewhat concerned that Iran’s view of the agreement seems different than what the American negotiating team is claiming.” He didn’t provide specifics, and accounts vary regarding exactly how and when the Strait of Hormuz will reopen. Graham also reminded Trump that any nuclear deal would need Congress’s formal sign-off, and he heaped pressure on Vance, a presumed candidate for president in 2028, to make the case on Capitol Hill. Other GOP Iran hawks were notably quiet in the hours after Trump’s triumphant announcement yesterday. Rather than cheering the news, party leaders, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, celebrated the president’s 80th birthday and the Ultimate Fighting Championship event at the White House. Neither Johnson nor Senate Majority Leader John Thune has said anything official or substantial about the Iran development since. About a dozen other Republican backers of the Iran war either declined or did not respond to requests for interviews or comment—hardly a ringing endorsement of their president’s negotiating prowess. Critics of Trump’s Iran policy on the right and the left found some unity in demanding to see the full text of the memorandum, viewing its secrecy as a sign that American negotiators had whiffed. “Trump must release the details publicly, brief Congress immediately, and end this war for good,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement. U.S. officials, briefing reporters earlier today, said the text would be released but didn’t say when. Meanwhile, Iranian hard-liners (some of whom came to power when other leaders were killed in the war), as well as members of Iran’s Parliament and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, argue that Iran was too quick to surrender the leverage that Tehran gained by closing the strait. They want guarantees of long-term economic relief, not temporary understandings or the extension of an already fragile cease-fire, which Trump once described as “shooting in a more moderate manner.” Both the regime and hawks in Iran “want to turn this strategic moment into a new reality in the region, while gaining economic benefits,” Vali Nasr, a professor of international affairs and Middle East studies at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, told us. The difference between the hawks and the decision makers is that the decision makers “don’t want to go back to a hot war” and want to prioritize the regime’s survival. U.S. officials told reporters that no frozen Iranian assets have yet been released and that any initial relief would consist of limited, reciprocal “small gestures” intended to build trust. But Tehran has reasons to be hopeful. “What you’ll see is that, you know, we are prepared to release frozen funds, and we are prepared to release sanctions,” one of the U.S. officials said. That may serve to only further infuriate the hawks in Washington. Around the time that Trump said a deal had been reached, Israel launched strikes inside Beirut, retaliating against Hezbollah, Iran’s proxy. Tehran had linked any agreement to a cessation of strikes inside Lebanon. But U.S. officials have said that an agreement was not conditional on Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon and stressed that any cease-fire would not be one-sided, and would preserve Israel’s right to respond to Hezbollah attacks. Israel’s latest strikes likely reinforced Tehran’s belief that Washington cannot constrain Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is not ready for even a temporary arrangement. “We know the near entirety of the Israeli political spectrum is unhappy about what is transpiring,” H. A. Hellyer, a senior associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute International, told us. “I think between now and Friday, publicly or privately, we are going to be seeing a lot of tension between Washington and Tel Aviv about what this deal means for Lebanon in particular.” Hellyer suggested that Netanyahu was unlikely to respond to rhetoric about the need for Israel to stand down, which would require Washington to look for greater sources of leverage, such as withholding arms sales and aid. If the Trump administration isn’t willing to go that far, Tehran may question Trump’s commitment to the prevention of Iran’s nuclear development. Central to the negotiation is enforcement, U.S. officials told reporters, in which sanctions relief would be tied not to any single action but to Iranian behavior. The message is “everything is on the table” if Iran complies—and nothing is if it does not. U.S. officials acknowledged that cease-fires and transitions from conflict to peace are inherently messy, and they warned that implementation challenges are likely and could possibly include violations by hard-line factions inside Iran. But officials held out hope that successful negotiations, with the support of others in the region such as Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, could encourage Tehran to become a more constructive regional actor. The ultimate test, of course, is whether signing a memorandum can translate to a durable peace before domestic politics or regional instability scupper its chances. Trump may be unlikely to restart the war—as he has threatened to do if the talks don’t go well—especially given the proximity of the midterm elections. But don’t expect U.S. troops to return home anytime soon. The U.S. will maintain its current military posture in the region for now, the U.S. officials said. Any reduction in U.S. forces will depend on Iran following through on its commitments under an agreement that has not yet been reached—and that may not be for some time. Related: Tom Nichols: Trump celebrates while America capitulates. One of these Trump threats is not like the others.

8 people died in B-52 bomber crash at US Air Force base in Southern California, officials say LOS ANGELES (AP) — A B-52 bomber crashed shortly after takeoff Monday morning at a U.S. Air Force base in Southern California’s Mojave Desert, and all eight people aboard have dead, military officials said. https://apnews.com/article/b52-crash-california-edwards-air-force-base-ea237a6eec587adbbf9e7a578014ca93?

⏱️ Trump arch on the clock White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt shows an artist's rendering of the planned Triumphal Arch. Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images The public comment period for President Trump's Triumphal Arch closes early tomorrow, Axios D.C.'s Anna Spiegel reports. It's part of a legally required historic preservation review under the National Park Service. 🏗️ The proposed 250-foot structure would rise at Memorial Circle, between the entrance to Arlington National Cemetery and Arlington Memorial Bridge. The arch faces more federal reviews and another vote from the National Capital Planning Commission. 📸 What's next: A scaled-down photo-op version will be on display on the National Mall during the Great American State Fair. Go deeper ... 🎆 President Trump is billing Washington's July 4 celebration of 250 years of American independence as a political rally for himself. Trump announced on Truth Social that "at The Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument, in beautiful and safe Washington D.C., we are going to host the most spectacular TRUMP RALLY of them all." Go deeper.

Iran deal signed, but big questions remain People wave the Iranian flag outside the Iranian Embassy in Baghdad today. Photo: Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP via Getty Images The U.S.-Iran deal was signed electronically yesterday by President Trump, Vice President Vance and Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, senior administration officials told reporters today. The deal is testing whether Washington and Tehran can turn a battlefield pause into a broader settlement — starting with the Strait of Hormuz and then moving to the far thornier question of Iran's nuclear program, Axios' Dave Lawler and Barak Ravid report. ⏸️ A 60-day ceasefire extension is in effect, including in Lebanon, U.S. officials say. But the Strait of Hormuz isn't expected to begin reopening until after a formal signing ceremony Friday in Geneva. U.S. officials say the full text of the memorandum of understanding will be released in the next 24–48 hours — though Trump said it might not be published until after it's signed. 🏁 Washington and Tehran are racing to shape the narrative around a deal that's causing huge political and market reactions, even though few people have actually read it. The U.S. says relief for Iran will be tied to performance. Iranian state media has described a more generous package. Shipping companies say they're waiting for clearer guarantees from Tehran before sending cargo through Hormuz. Hawks in Washington and Israel are pressing the White House to explain exactly what Iran is getting — and what happens if nuclear talks fail. 🤔 Many key questions are still swirling around the deal: What does Iran actually get? Will Hormuz be truly open? Will Israel comply? A senior administration official told reporters today: "I think we'll know over the next two to three weeks whether those understandings will turn into an actual agreement." Go deeper.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom says Trump’s Justice Department is investigating him and his wife SACRAMENTO, Calif (AP) — Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday accused the Justice Department of launching a politically motivated investigation into him and his wife, saying the Trump administration was targeting him as he weighs a presidential bid. https://apnews.com/article/newsom-trump-justice-department-a9e5bd1f8c2906c23bd68f3e5b6b3f2f?

👋 Good morning! How jam-packed was this weekend in sports? Fox is airing the World Cup and wasn't even the busiest network as three champions (Knicks in the NBA, Hurricanes in the NHL, Louisville Kings in the UFL) were crowned on ABC. In today's edition: Knicks win it all, Canes hoist the Cup, World Cup opening weekend, two near-perfectos, UFC at the White House, Hamilton back on top, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports...     🎶 NEW YORK, NEW YORK BING BONG! CHAMPIONS AT LAST (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) For the first time in 53 years, the Knicks are NBA champions, clinching their long-awaited title on Saturday night with yet another comeback win over the Spurs. The long wait is over: New York's triumph broke one of the longest championship droughts in North American sports and united generations of Knicks fans — those who remembered the championships of yesteryear (1970, 1973) and those who spent decades only hearing about them. The longest waits between titles among "Big Four" teams: Cubs: 108 years (1908-2016) White Sox: 88 years (1917-2005) Red Sox: 86 years (1918-2004) Twins/Senators: 63 years (1924-87) Eagles: 57 years (1960-2017) NY/SF Giants: 56 years (1954-2010) NY Rangers: 54 years (1940-94) Knicks: 53 years (1973-2026) Man of the hour: Two years ago, Jalen Brunson took $113 million less than he was eligible to receive — a financial concession that gave the Knicks the flexibility to build the roster that ultimately won them a championship. Brunson, fittingly, earned Finals MVP after scoring 45 points in the title-clinching game. Per usual, he gave all the credit to the guys around him. "Everyone bonding, coming together, having the mindset of just believing in each other, never giving up, no matter what the situation was, made this all possible. Yes, it may look like [the contract] had something to do with it, but it's a credit to my teammates." The series in a nutshell: New York led for only 23.6% of game minutes but turned it on when it mattered most, pulling off three of the five biggest comebacks in Finals history. San Antonio led by 8+ points at the end of every first quarter and held the lead in the final four minutes of all five games… and only won one of them. A truly unprecedented choke job. (Adam Gray/Getty Images) The celebration: New Yorkers celebrated late into the night on Saturday, taking to the streets to revel in glory. NYT's Matt Flegenheimer captured the scene beautifully: So this is how it feels. It is giggling, weeping, spinning, convulsing, mosh-pitting, truck-honking, law-skirting, trumpet-playing, cowbell-ringing, off-key-singing, cigar-lighting, all-night-ing — remembering to remember it all, as if Knicks fans would ever forget. It is hugging strangers so hard they go airborne, fist-bumping cabbies as they crawl through concrete delirium, high-fiving kids on shoulders (and adults on shoulders), climbing stoplights and trees and scaffolding to wave the team flag higher, swiping utility cones and wearing them as hats because they are orange. It is tears blotting the pavement outside Madison Square Garden, where New Yorkers had for generations walked off disappointment after debacle after heartbreak after OK-that's-just-cruel. It is kick-lining together to Sinatra in a Broadway bike lane ("Start spreading the newwwwws …") as a man nearby stands on a bus-stop bench to make an announcement to no one and everyone in particular ("Ladies and gentlemen! We have just witnessed historyyyyyyy!") — and it is the whole block calling back with the primal, guttural screams that stir dogs and babies and civilizations and memories of relatives who would have loved this team. What's next: The ticker-tape parade is scheduled for Thursday at 10am ET, with celebrations beginning near Manhattan's Battery Park before traveling north along Broadway through the Canyon of Heroes and ending at City Hall.   🏆 LORD STANLEY'S CUP CANES WIN TITLE, FINISH OFF EPIC RUN (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) The Hurricanes blanked the Golden Knights, 3-0, on Sunday night in Las Vegas to win the Stanley Cup Final in six games and secure the franchise's second title (2006). And they did so with an all-time great playoff run, going 16-3 for the fewest losses by a champion since the 1988 Oilers (16-2). (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) Unlikely hero: Rookie goaltender Brandon Bussi didn't play a minute in the postseason until Game 3 of the Cup Final, when he was forced into action to replace an injured Frederik Andersen. Four games later, the undrafted 27-year-old etched his name into Hurricanes lore, stopping 81 of 87 shots and becoming the first rookie since 1937 to record a Cup-clinching shutout. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) Playoff MVP: 20-year veteran Jordan Staal, 37, scored six goals in the Cup Final en route to winning the Conn Smythe Trophy, making him the oldest player ever to be named MVP of the playoffs. And 17 years after winning the Cup in 2009 with the Penguins, he also now holds the NHL record for longest gap between titles. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) Franchise legend: Rod Brind'Amour is the most important person in Hurricanes history, and there is no close second. Since moving from Hartford in 1997, the Canes have won 104 playoff games, and Brind'Amour was either a player or coach in 102 of those wins (98.1%). The former captain, who played center for Carolina from 2000-10, is just the fourth man to captain and coach the same NHL team to a title.   ⚽️ WORLD CUP AMERICAN MUSCLE: USA DOMINATES OPENER Folarin Balogun celebrates with Chris Richards after scoring the USMNT's third goal against Paraguay. (John Dorton/USSF/Getty Images) The USMNT entered the World Cup with numerous question marks and, it's probably fair to say, higher hopes than expectations. They left Friday's opener in Los Angeles with nothing less than the most emphatic win in team history. USA 4, Paraguay 1: The Americans raced out to a 1-0 lead on an own goal in the seventh minute and never looked back, going up 3-0 before the half en route to a 4-1 victory. The last time they won by that many goals in a World Cup match? 1930. The last time they scored that many goals in a World Cup match? Never. The star of the match was striker Folarin Balogun, whose brace made him the first American with multiple goals in a World Cup game since 1930 and put him fifth on the USMNT's all-time World Cup scoring leaderboard. The final goal of the evening, a highlight-worthy trivela off the foot of midfielder Gio Reyna, came after 26 consecutive passes. Joga bonito, indeed. Wild stat: The U.S. have already scored more goals than they did in the entirety of the 2022 World Cup (3), which is impressive regardless of their opponent. But to do it against Paraguay, who had allowed just one goal total across their last four qualifiers, should give fans reason to believe that they could be in store for a magical summer. Steven Goff, Yahoo Sports: Taking into account the World Cup's magnitude, the pressure of being a host, SoFi Stadium's sweeping backdrop, the weight of an opening match, the number of eyeballs watching on screens both wide and handheld, this victory stands alone in U.S. men's soccer lore. Keep in mind the U.S. has not won much in the sport's preeminent competition: nine victories in 37 prior matches over 11 appearances and, since 1990, just two victories in 22 attempts against South American and European opponents. The Americans have been more apt to pull off a seismic upset (England in 1950, Colombia in 1994, Portugal in 2002) than to dominate an opponent with pedigree. So to not only win but to do so in such a punishing, attractive style shook a nervous fan base at home and sent tremors rippling across planet fútbol. The movement and fluidity, the hunger and confidence, the interplay in tight space and service from distance, the finishing touches … it was a ballet under a translucent roof that drew standing ovations. Was that really the same U.S. program that for years has disappointed and infuriated, never conjured a badly needed breakthrough moment, played hard and gutted out some good results but rarely charmed us? It was. Cyle Larin celebrates with his teammates after scoring a late equalizer for Canada. ( Charlotte Wilson/Getty Images) Weekend recap: The USMNT's victory was one of 10 games this weekend across five groups. Group B: With a pair of 1-1 draws, Canada (against Bosnia and Herzegovina) and Qatar (against Switzerland) both earned their first-ever World Cup point. Group 😄 Scotland held off Haiti, 1-0, for their first World Cup victory since 1990, while Brazil and Morocco played to a 1-1 draw in one of the best on-paper matchups of the group stage. Group 😧 Australia stunned Turkey, 2-0, in a result that delivered a surprising jolt to the Americans' group. The U.S. plays Australia on Friday. Group E: Ivory Coast defeated Ecuador, 1-0, with a 90th-minute goal to hand them their first loss in 20 matches, and Germany demolished Curaçao, 7-1, in the tiny island nation's World Cup debut. Group F: Japan and the Netherlands drew, 2-2, in a thrilling clash that saw all four goals scored in the second half, and Sweden rolled to a 5-1 win over Tunisia for their most goals in a World Cup match since 1938.   💯 STAT SHEET BIG NUMBERS (John Fisher/Getty Images) ⚾️ 104.5 mph Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski yet again broke his own record for the fastest pitch of the pitch-tracking era (since 2008), throwing a 104.5 mph fastball in Friday's 6-0 win over the Phillies as part of one of the greatest pitching performances in MLB history. The Miz struck out 15, walked none and allowed just one hit in the 95-pitch shutout — a near-perfect game that continued his historic hot streak. Since May 1, he's 7-0 with 80 strikeouts, 9 walks and a 0.17 ERA, the lowest in any eight-start span since earned runs became official in 1913. Speaking of near-perfectos: Dodgers righty Yoshinobu Yamamoto lost his in the eighth inning on Saturday after retiring the first 23 batters he faced. Combine that with his previous start, when he set down the final 22 batters he faced, and his streak of 45 consecutive batters retired is tied for the second-longest in MLB history. 🏀 40+ points Kelsey Plum (43 points) and Kahleah Copper (41) made history on Saturday, becoming the first pair of players in WNBA history to both score at least 40 points in the same game. Plum's Sparks outlasted Copper's Mercury, 111-102, in overtime. Elsewhere: The Aces (10-3) beat the Lynx, 100-97, to snap their eight-game winning streak and leapfrog them into first place; the Liberty (10-4) won their seventh straight game in Sabrina Ionescu's return, joining Vegas and Minnesota (10-3) as the WNBA's only 10-win teams. (Clive Mason/Getty Images) 🏎️ 106 wins Lewis Hamilton won Sunday's Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix for his first Formula 1 victory since joining Ferrari last year, and his record-extending 106th overall. Hamilton's triumph snapped a five-race winning streak for Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli, who suffered mechanical failure with four laps to go. Meanwhile, in France: Toyota beat BMW and Cadillac in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, earning their first win since 2022 and ending Ferrari's streak of three straight victories in the crown jewel of global endurance racing. ⛳️ 239th start Bud Cauley is a winner at last, holding off the field on Sunday at the Canadian Open for his first PGA Tour victory in his 239th start, which had been fifth-most among active golfers without a win. Comeback kid: The 36-year-old Alabama native — who was roommates with Justin Thomas when they played for the Crimson Tide — had a promising career until a car crash in 2018 left him with five broken ribs, a broken leg and a collapsed lung. Cauley returned from a nearly four-year hiatus in 2024, carded four top-10 finishes in 2025 and finally broke through in 2026.   📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: MONDAY, JUNE 15 Georgia's Joey Volchko shut down Texas on Saturday with 15 strikeouts in a complete game victory. (Georgia Athletics) ⚾️ College World Series The action in Omaha continues this afternoon with an elimination game between No. 6 Texas and No. 7 Alabama (2pm ET, ESPN). Then it's No. 3 Georgia vs. Oklahoma (7pm, ESPN) for a spot in the semifinals. Tomorrow, the winner of the first game takes on the loser of the second game for another spot in the semis. Weekend update: No. 5 North Carolina booked the first semifinal spot with a 5-2 win over No. 16 West Virginia; Troy beat Ole Miss, 12-8, to eliminate the Rebels and earn its first CWS win in program history. ⚽️ World Cup, Day 5 Today's slate begins with Spain vs. Cape Verde in Atlanta (12pm, Fox), followed by Belgium vs. Egypt in Seattle (3pm, Fox), Saudi Arabia vs. Uruguay in Miami (6pm, FS1) and Iran vs. New Zealand in Los Angeles (9pm, FS1). Player to watch: Lamine Yamal, 18, has already helped lead Barcelona to back-to-back LaLiga titles and Spain to the Euro 2024 championship. Now he'll make his World Cup debut, where he'll make his case as the world's best player. More to watch: ⚾️ MLB: Rays at Dodgers (10pm, ESPN) … Tampa's Nick Martinez (6-2, 2.43 ERA) has the third-best ERA in the AL. How will he fare against the NL's best offense? 🏀 WNBA: Aces at Wings (8pm, USA); Sparks at Valkyries (10pm, NBCSN) … A'ja Wilson (Aces), Paige Bueckers (Wings) and Kelsey Plum (Sparks) are among the top MVP candidates at the season's quarter-mark. Got plans tonight? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events in your city.   🏆 TROPHY CASE NBA TRIVIA (Yahoo Sports) The Knicks are the ninth NBA franchise to win at least 3 championships. Question: Can you name the other eight?   📸 THROUGH THE LENS PHOTO FINISH (Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC) The UFC took over the White House South Lawn on Sunday night for an MMA event unlike anything we've ever seen. Stunning finale: Despite being cast as a more than 6-to-1 underdog, and despite being roundly dismissed as a lamb led to slaughter, Justin Gaethje upset Ilia Topuria in the final bout of the evening to become the UFC lightweight champion.   Trivia answer: Celtics (18), Lakers (17), Warriors (7), Bulls (6), Spurs (5), 76ers (3), Heat (3) and Pistons (3)

Fox to buy streaming pioneer Roku in a $22 billion deal Fox Corp. has agreed to buy the streaming pioneer Roku in a cash-and-stock deal valued at approximately $22 billion, including debt. https://apnews.com/article/fox-roku-tubi-streaming-824089dbe16631fade634becdb164c94?

False electors figure draws reprimand from Florida Supreme Court The Florida Supreme Court has declined to suspend the Florida law license of Kenneth Chesebro, convicted in Georgia of filing a false list of electors there to undermine Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/06/12/false-electors-figure-draw-reprimand-from-florida-supreme-court/? FL GOP gubernatorial candidates blast party’s decision to not hold debate The Republican Party of Florida confirmed Friday that there will be no “full” gubernatorial debate later this month when the party holds its annual summer confab in South Florida. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/06/12/fl-gop-gubernatorial-candidates-blast-partys-decision-to-not-hold-debate/? It’s been 10 years since ‘unimaginable tragedy,’ the Pulse nightclub shooting It’s been 10 years since one of the most violent attacks on U.S. soil occurred. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/06/12/its-been-10-years-since-unimaginable-tragedy-the-pulse-nightclub-shooting/? DeSantis directs Capitol and Brevard County flags lowered for Bill Posey Gov. Ron DeSantis has directed flags at the Capitol, Brevard County Courthouse, and Palm Bay City Hall to fly at half staff on Saturday in honor of former U.S. Rep. Bill Posey. https://floridaphoenix.com/briefs/desantis-directs-capitol-and-brevard-county-flags-lowered-for-bill-posey/?

Trump’s Shock Reaction to Vile Michelle Obama Slur Revealed The jaw-dropping moment unfolded at the president’s tacky UFC birthday bash. Donald Trump had a shock reaction after a UFC fighter spat out an offensive slur against Michelle Obama after winning his bout at the president’s tacky cage-fighting gala at the White House. Trump staged a UFC Freedom 250 card on the South Lawn of the White House on Sunday to mark his 80th birthday, with the divisive event delayed by weather and then running until after 1:15 a.m. But a comment made by a UFC fighter personally selected by Trump to take part in his birthday bash threatened to upstage the actual event, where each of the seven fights staged ended in a stoppage. Former NFL player and heavyweight UFC prospect Josh Hokit, 28, made a controversial statement after winning his match Sunday night. Hokit was victorious via a TKO over Derrick Lewis, who is Trump’s favorite fighter, in the second round. “Shout-out to Trump for having the balls to put some s--- like this on,” Hokit told Joe Rogan in an interview after his win. After shouting out his “Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” Hokit looked directly into the camera and said, “And lastly, Michelle Obama is a man! Am I right America?”CNN reported that Trump, who was seated in the front row during the match, “appeared to show a half-smile” seconds after Hokit’s outrageous remark. Trump was seated next to wife Melania and UFC CEO Dana White in seats that had “The White” House printed on them. UFC shared an eight-second clip of Hokit’s speech, which only included an insult about fellow fighter Alex Pereira’s mother, but was cut before the Obama comment. The Daily Beast has contacted the White House and reps for Obama for comment. Paramount +, which is airing the event exclusively, declined to comment. Right-wing conspiracy theorists have baselessly claimed for years that the former first lady is a man. The parent company of Paramount+ has been under fire for recent firings at 60 Minutes as the network moves their news department in a more Trump-friendly direction, as well as yanking Stephen Colbert’s late-night show off air. After his win, Hokit put a medallion around Trump’s neck, with White House communications adviser Margo Martin capturing the incident on Instagram. The New York Times reported that Trump put a white baseball hat on his head after Hokit appeared to “disturb” his hair while placing his medallion over the president’s head. However, Trump took Hokit’s chain off shortly after his remark about Obama, New York Post journalist Steven Nelson reported. Reaction to Hokit’s infantile comment included former CNN host Don Lemon playing the exchange while he rolled his eyes and grabbed a bag, as if to leave. The fighter, who goes by the nickname The Incredible Hok, also went viral on Saturday during the weigh-in for the Freedom 250 card. After appearing to stagger and then vomit on himself, he stated, “So what, maybe I was drinking last night.” Hokit has form for the lazy insult, delivered as a mic-drop moment at the end of his post-victory interview. At a UFC event in January, he referenced legendary women’s basketball player and 10-time WNBA All-Star Brittney Griner at the end of his victory speech. “And P.S., Brittney Griner is a man,’’ Hokit said. At the time, Rogan said, “Brittney Griner catching strays.’’ UFC CEO White said he did not approve of the remark about Griner. “I heard about it,” he said. “I didn’t see it. I don’t love it.” https://www.thedailybeast.com/trumps-shock-reaction-to-vile-michelle-obama-josh-hokit-ufc-slur-revealed/?

Synagogues Jesus and Mary Magdalene Knew In 2009, archaeologists uncovered a first-century synagogue at the town of Migdal on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. Its stone benches still lined the walls and its floor still bore a carved stone table decorated with imagery perhaps linked to the Jerusalem Temple. Some believe the town was ancient Magdala, whose most famous resident needs no introduction: Mary Magdalene. She is one of the most prominent women in the Gospels, present at the crucifixion and, according to multiple gospel accounts, the first to encounter the risen Jesus. If the site is Magdala, its archaeology reveals a building she may have known, and a place where her community would have gathered to read Torah and discuss the law. https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/people-cultures-in-the-bible/jesus-historical-jesus/synagogues-jesus-and-mary-magdalene-knew/? Solomon’s Temple Destruction Gives Clues to Modern Science Dates and places are not known definitively for much of what is described in the Hebrew Bible. However, the sacking of Jerusalem and destruction of Solomon’s Temple by Nebuchadnezzar (2 Kings 25, 8-9), is broadly accepted by scholars as having happened in 586 B.C.E. Because the date and the historicity of the event is well-established, it provides a valuable anchor for scientific inquiry. https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/solomons-temple-destruction-gives-clues-to-modern-science/?

Hurricanes use stifling defense to blank Golden Knights 3-0 in Game 6 and win the Stanley Cup LAS VEGAS (AP) — Carolina spent the first part of the Stanley Cup Final surviving, finding ways to overcome deficits and play a high-scoring game that didn’t fit the Hurricanes’ typical style. https://apnews.com/article/hurricanes-golden-knights-score-stanley-cup-3877d81383e8dfa19c7f118bd7751962?