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  2. phkrause

    The Holocaust

    The Woman Who Hid 100 Jews in Her Attic Tina Strobos was born in Amsterdam in 1920 to a socialist, atheist family that treated resistance as second nature. They were freethinking activists with generations of women who had sheltered refugees long before the Nazis darkened Europe. https://aish.com/the-woman-who-hid-100-jews-in-her-attic/?
  3. Trump Voters Horrified by His Giant Cash Grab The president has made billions while Americans suffer in a cost-of-living crisis. Two people who voted for Donald Trump in 2024 have blasted the president for how much he has enriched himself while in office. The two individuals were interviewed by MS Now’s Laura Barrón-López about their reaction to the revelation that Trump’s income soared by $2.2 billion in 2025, including more than $1.4 billion from his family’s cryptocurrency ventures. Speaking at the sparsely attended Great American State Fair in Washington, D.C., Barrón-López asked whether it is “appropriate” for the president to make so much money while in the White House. “I actually don’t, no. I don’t think that’s appropriate,” one man, whose name was not given, replied. “If you’re in office, take your salary. Your investments are in the hands of third parties that you don’t have influence over.” A woman standing next to him added, “I think you should just concentrate on being the president. I think he has enough money already.” After playing the clip, Deadline: White House host Nicolle Wallace repeated the woman’s belief that Trump “has enough money already.” “I do too, but those folks are people who voted for Donald Trump 18 months ago,” Wallace said. Trump, who has an estimated net worth of more than $6 billion, made improving the economy and tackling the cost-of-living crisis two of his main 2024 campaign promises. However, the 80-year-old president has only exacerbated the financial hardships facing millions of Americans during his second term because of policies such as his sweeping tariffs and the war in Iran, which sent gas prices soaring. At the same time, a 927-page document released by the U.S. Office of Government Ethics revealed that Trump earned more than $2.2 billion last year from his various businesses and investments. That includes more than $1.4 billion from his various cryptocurrency ventures, with digital assets overtaking real estate as the Trump family’s main source of income. Last year, Trump raked in more than $500 million from World Liberty Financial, a crypto venture he co-founded with his sons, as well as another $635 million from the sale of his $TRUMP meme coin. Speaking to reporters as he showed off the new Air Force One plane gifted to him by the Qatari royal family, Trump defended how much he has enriched himself while in office and insisted he does not make his own investment decisions. “You know why I’m profiting? Because the stock market’s going up. Everybody’s profiting,” Trump said. “How’s your 401(k) doing? It’s up about 85 percent. Thank you, President Trump. So we’re all profiting,” he added. “I’m profiting because I have a lot of money and a lot of cash, and I give it to institutions [to invest on my behalf]. I don’t know if they know what they’re doing or not, but they buy a vast array of things.” The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment. https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-voters-horrified-by-his-giant-cash-grab/?
  4. Trump Secretly Orders Mass Arrests After ICE Disasters Federal agents have detained more than 10,000 people in five days. Donald Trump secretly ordered a surge in immigration arrests that has seen more than 10,000 people detained in just five days. The clampdown marks a change of gear for a president, 80, whose high-profile enforcement operations last year descended into chaos and bloodshed. Border Patrol and ICE agents shot at least 14 people between September 2025 and February 2026, among them two U.S. citizens killed in Minneapolis. They were Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother shot dead by ICE agent Jonathan Ross on Jan. 7, and Alex Pretti, also 37, and a VA intensive care nurse, who was thrown to the ground and shot by Border Patrol agents at a protest weeks later. Agency leaders have now ordered top ICE officials to throw more of their officers into rounding up immigrants marked for deportation, according to the New York Times, which obtained internal documents and spoke to federal officials. The White House wanted more arrests, three officials with knowledge of the conversations told the paper. They were told 2,000 detentions a day was the new benchmark. According to its own figures, that appears to have worked. Daily arrest numbers have roughly doubled from the 1,000 picked up each day earlier this year. Agents have seized people at routine immigration check-ins, during traffic stops, and out on the street. Detentions peaked on Saturday, when more than 2,400 people were taken in a single day, according to the Times. The detained population inside ICE facilities has jumped by nearly 4,000, to more than 63,000 as of Tuesday. But this time, as the eyes of the world are trained on the U.S. during the soccer World Cup, there is no fanfare. Last year’s operations were announced in advance and defined by officers pouring into Democratic-run cities. In the summer of 2025, the so-called “commander-at-large” Gregory Bovino racked up more than 5,000 arrests in Los Angeles and over 3,000 in greater Chicago, a campaign that was quickly buried under courtroom humiliations. It all fell apart in Minneapolis, where Operation Metro Surge collapsed amid the deaths of Pretti and Good, and ended with the resignations of Bovino and the then-DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, 54. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, 48, who replaced Noem, has pledged a quieter enforcement drive since. “We are going to take a different approach that can be more effective and less public-facing,” Mullin said, although this week has seen him make a number of gaffe-strewn media appearances to mark 100 days in charge of DHS, some of which contained questionable data. The perceived go-slow that followed Minneapolis had infuriated the president’s MAGA base. Arrests had slumped to as low as 1,200 a day, a fraction of Deputy White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller’s stated goal of 3,000 detentions daily—a target the agency has never hit. The renewed push suggests Trump wants to at least attempt to deliver on his signature promise of mass deportations. It comes days after the Supreme Court handed him a mixed result, expanding his power over immigration policy while blocking his bid to end birthright citizenship. In South Texas, Nigerian nun Sister Letty Ugboaja, a local nurse, was arrested on her way to church on Sunday morning, according to her colleague Sister Norma Pimentel. She was released the same day after congressional officials intervened. “It took her a while to be able to talk—she was crying,” Pimentel told the Times. Immigration lawyers report the same pattern across the country. In Utah, attorney Ysabel Lonazco said one client, a man who had overstayed his visa, was picked up while driving over the weekend. “People don’t want to leave their houses,” she said. “They are afraid to drive to do their grocery shopping.” DHS defended the sweep. “Our message is clear: If you come to our country illegally, we will find you, we will arrest you and we will deport you,” department spokeswoman Lauren Bis said in a statement. The Daily Beast has contacted the White House and the Department of Homeland Security for comment. https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-quietly-orders-mass-arrests-after-ice-disasters/?
  5. 16 children rescued from Ohio home were ‘almost feral,’ authorities say HAMDEN, Ohio (AP) — Sixteen children from the same family who were rescued from a dilapidated home in rural Ohio were living in wretched conditions with human waste all around, confined to just one room over much of the past four years, authorities said Wednesday. https://apnews.com/article/children-abuse-home-deplorable-ohio-099cda8f0014adde4b87a7e86aeefe5f? The Onion’s new parody of Alex Jones’ Infowars starts with $100,000 to Sandy Hook families The satirical news site The Onion isn’t waiting to take possession of Infowars to launch a parody of Alex Jones ’ conspiracy platform. https://apnews.com/article/infowars-alex-jones-newtown-shooting-onion-e38e5447435e6dc117e1ce996a58ac5c?
  6. phkrause

    Russia Invades Ukraine

    Russian attack kills at least 17 in Kyiv Authorities said the attack on the capital with missiles and drones damaged buildings and civilian infrastructure across the city. Read more. Why this matters: Russia has intensified its attacks on Kyiv in recent weeks, even as Ukraine’s own long-range drone campaign against Russian military sites and energy facilities has caused fuel shortages, frustrating Russians and putting pressure on President Vladimir Putin. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ WATCH: Rescuers pull the injured from rubble in Kyiv Photos show aftermath of attack overnight Ukrainian drone attacks on oil refineries plunge Russia into a summer fuel crisis Russia waged drone campaign in Europe and likely launched drones from shadow ships, report says
  7. Crypto, real estate, watches: How Trump made over $1 billion last year President Donald Trump’s latest financial disclosure report showed he took in about $1.2 billion last year from various crypto holdings, overshadowing a real estate business that brought him fame and helped propel him to the nation’s top office. Read more. Why this matters: Running over 900 pages, the mandatory annual report showed Trump struck several new veins of wealth last year, raising questions about whether he is profiting from his high office. The White House has repeatedly said that Trump has acted only in the public interest, never gets involved in a family business run by his two oldest sons and has zero conflicts of interest. The rise of crypto in his portfolio was done in just over a year, a stunning development sped along by his own friendly policies toward the industry and help from billionaires and other actors with important business before the presidency. The report also shows Trump took in tens of millions from new property holdings in countries eager to please a man with power over where to deploy the U.S. military and how much to charge in tariffs. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Trump flies on new Air Force One worth $400 million gifted by Qatar How the Supreme Court became a pivotal force in Trump’s immigration agenda AP’s long-time Supreme Court reporter reflects on front-row seat to legal history Trump embraces ‘Great Equivocator’ role, sending mixed signals that vex markets and allies Judge orders Pentagon to lift policy that journalists be accompanied by an escort US and Iran hold separate meetings in Qatar and agree to continue discussions Ex-CIA Director John Brennan seeks court order requiring records from investigations be preserved Americans step out for their nation’s 250th in a proud moment sown with division and doubt Medicare is now covering some GLP-1 weight loss drugs for $50. Here’s what to know
  8. July 2, 2026 By Sam Sifton Good morning. Russia mounted a large-scale missile and drone assault on Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, overnight. It was a deadly show of force after weeks of Ukrainian attacks within Russia. There’s more news below, including a look at the legacy of Sandra Boynton’s picture book “Hippos Go Beserk!,” which is about to turn 50. But first, let’s look at some maps. The New York Times An American mosaic All the clichés are true. America is a melting pot. It’s a tapestry. It’s a collage, a quilt of innumerable colors, as you can see in this amazing map. It shows how people describe their ancestry or family origin to the Census Bureau: “Blend them — as 340 million Americans do — and we arrive at a jumbled, overlapping, story-filled infinity.” The map’s worth exploring. You’ll find a pocket of Greeks in Tarpon Springs, Florida. That’s because in the early 1900s, Greek divers came from the Dodecanese islands and transformed the sponge industry along the Gulf Coast. Those neighborhoods of Portuguese and Cape Verdeans in and around New Bedford, Massachusetts? They’re whaling heirs, the offspring of people who first arrived on ships in the 1800s. Look at the Basque in Boise, Idaho. They left the mountains of France and northern Spain to seek gold in the American West. Their families are still here. Vietnamese refugees settled near New Orleans and Houston to do as they had done back home, netting shrimp for the market. All those Scandinavians in Minnesota and North Dakota? Cold winters didn’t bother them. They put down roots and started to farm. I found a sizable population of Dominicans on the west side of the island of Nantucket. And a big hub of Ecuadoreans in East Hampton. Those are people who came seeking work, serving the wealthy. Larry Buchanan, one of the visual journalists who worked on the project, told me to zoom in on Springdale, Arkansas. There’s a neighborhood there that’s 41 percent Marshallese. They call it “Springdale Atoll.” (The islanders came to work in the city’s poultry plants.) Albert Sun, a data reporter and graphics editor who was also on the team, grew up in the Detroit suburbs alongside a lot of Chaldeans — Iraqi Christians who came to the area to work on the assembly lines at Ford. He’d always assumed Chaldeans were everywhere. Look at the map he built. That’s a nope. And here are the Houston suburbs, an absolute kaleidoscope: The New York Times The nation’s story The map tells the story of immigration in America. The team writes: Over 250 years, the country has absorbed more than 100 million people. We can trace the pressures that pushed and pulled them here — and the policies that welcomed certain groups while keeping others out — through the patterns in where their descendants live today. Just peel back the layers. You’ll find the descendants of Italians who started coming to New York at the end of the 19th century. Also the African American descendants of enslaved people in the South who began to move north in the 20th. Here are the families of Mexicans who lived on our southwestern border long before it was a border at all. Chinese are present on the map, largely in Chinatowns on the two coasts, though newer arrivals are spreading beyond those historical boundaries. And the Native Americans who were already here when people from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales showed up? The Iroquois, Navajo, Inupiat, the Chickasaw and others? You can still see their presence, too. We are in the midst of a reckoning over immigration to the United States, and the Trump administration has been aggressive in its desire to deport people who are in the country illegally and to limit the pathways to legal immigration. But the country is experiencing a declining population and work force. And the factors that make immigrants want to come here remain strong. It will be interesting to see what these maps look like in the future. Go read the whole story. It’s by Albert, Larry, and Jeff Adelson. And explore the map they built. (Start by searching for your hometown, then let your curiosity guide you. We’ve made both these links free for you, along with a few others in the newsletter, so long as you log in.) The pieces are part of a suite of stories The Times is running on the occasion of the nation’s 250th birthday. We’ll be looking at more of them in this newsletter over the holiday weekend. Watch for those! THE LATEST NEWS Politics Doug Mills/The New York Times President Trump introduced his new Air Force One jet — a Boeing 747-8 that the Qatari royal family gave the United States last year, now painted red, white and blue. See it take off. Of at least $2.2 billion that Trump made in office last year, more than $600 million came from the $TRUMP memecoin, which left hundreds of thousands of investors with losses. New York Times/Siena polling of six battleground states shows a close Senate race. In the video below, our chief political analyst, Nate Cohn, walks through the findings. Click to watch. The New York Times War in Ukraine At least 17 people were killed in Russia’s latest assault on Ukraine’s capital, officials say. Across both sides, more than 2 million troops have been killed or wounded since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, according to a new study. Russia’s toll is heavier: 1.4 million troops killed or wounded. With many hospitals in Ukraine destroyed, doctors are delivering babies underground. The most clicked link in The Morning yesterday was about a prom in Kyiv disrupted by the war. War in the Middle East American and Iranian negotiators held indirect talks in Qatar. Officials in Saudi Arabia have grown unhappy with Trump, viewing him as unreliable and, on occasion, a risk to Gulf Arab nations. The funeral of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei begins tomorrow and will run for six days. Tens of millions are expected to turn out for ceremonies in Iran and Iraq. Other Big Stories ICE has detained at least 10,000 people in the past five days. The agency has roughly doubled its number of daily arrests. A memo from the N.Y.P.D. outlined preparations for Taylor Swift’s wedding events this weekend. Here’s what we know. (This link is free). A rebel Catholic group consecrated four bishops in defiance of Pope Leo XIV, putting them in line for excommunication. IT’S ALIVE? The New York Times Scientists have long dreamed of creating life from scratch. They’re getting pretty close. Blending dozens of ingredients, researchers synthesized cells that look and act like living ones — except these cells were built, not born. Whether they are “alive” is debatable. But they demonstrate most hallmarks of life: They feed, grow, reproduce and compete with one another for food. Read more about the breakthrough. OPINIONS Do you want to discuss the World Cup like a lifelong fan? Roger Bennett has the definitive illustrated guide. Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, but Black Americans made its rhetoric of freedom and equality real, Jamelle Bouie writes. (This link is free.) Deeply reported journalism needs your support. The Times relies on subscribers to help fund our mission. Become a subscriber today. MORNING READS Gabriela Bhaskar/The New York Times Discofoot: It’s soccer, but set to disco. Doctor chatbot: One of the first tasks medical students learn to do is summarizing a patient exam. Will giving that task to A.I. change how doctors think about diagnoses? TODAY’S NUMBER 135,000 — That is how many fans will fit in the world’s largest soccer stadium, under construction in Hanoi, Vietnam. The Vietnamese government is leaning on big projects to make up for potential economic slowdowns caused by the war in the Middle East. SPORTS Folarin Balogun Gabriela Bhaskar/The New York Times The United States played brilliantly in a 2-0 knockout win over Bosnia and Herzegovina last night. But the American striker Folarin Balogun drew a red card that will keep him out of the next match, against Belgium. Belgium won against Senegal in the final minute of extra time, with a penalty kick. Here’s a breakdown of how the Belgian squad matches up against the Americans. England escaped a massive upset against the Democratic Republic of Congo when its captain, Harry Kane, scored twice late in the second half. RECIPE OF THE DAY Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich On days when the humidity’s near triple digits and the sun appears to be seven feet away, I like a cold dinner, with a cold beer. If you’re of the same mind, try Melissa Clark’s recipe for a rice noodle salad with salted peanuts and herbs (Put your beer in the freezer while you make it, so it’s flecked with ice when you eat.) The dressing is bonkers good — I’d double it. If you have any left over you’ll find a use for it in coming days. THE DIVORCE CRUSADER Adina Sash Ahmed Gaber for The New York Times Adina Sash is a Jewish activist better known as Flatbush Girl, the online handle she uses in her highly specific form of influencing. She wields her 100,000 followers to mount pressure campaigns against men in the Orthodox Jewish community who refuse to permit their wives a “get,” allowing a religious divorce. “She combines the passionate intensity of an activist with the attention economy savvy of an influencer,” writes Joseph Bernstein, who covers the collision of digital subcultures and politics. “And she brings that combination of stridency and digital spectacle to bear on an ultra-Orthodox world that uses shame as a powerful tool of coercion, and in which women have very little power.” (This story is free to read.) More on culture Sandra Boynton’s first board book for children, “Hippos Go Beserk!,” is approaching its 50th birthday. We take a look at her legacy and offer a guide to her essential books. The new techno rave club scene in Europe? It’s in Warsaw, reports Christine Chung, a Travel reporter who is no stranger to the dance floor. “We have something absolutely fresh,” one music journalist there told her. “We have lots of young energy.” THE MORNING RECOMMENDS The New York Times Plan a fantasy wedding for Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. It is like a game to us. Find a new workout. We can help. Slather yourself with body lotion after you shower. (Your skin will thank you, and your dermatologist, too.) The epidermal enthusiasts at Wirecutter found six of the best. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangrams were hiccuped and hiccupped. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Crossplay and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times and me. Have a wonderful long weekend with my colleagues. I’ll be back on Monday. — Sam Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Host: Sam Sifton Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Brent Lewis, Lara McCoy, Karl Russell Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Editorial Director, Newsletters: Jodi Rudoren
  9. michae1

    The Beast Revelation

    The following is an exchange of ideas on a popular forum. I thought that it was quite indicative of the state of the Christian mind today. BH said: "In no reality does Hamas represent those who have not taken the brand. They are murderers, liars, they kill babies, rape women and call it divine, they manipulate the media to make themselves look better than they are, and those who live in darkness believe in media manipulation. I am sorry to tell you this, but your mind is in darkness, and the light of the Lord Jesus is far from your perception. My answer follows. Christians are deceived by their own interpretations. They believe in them so firmly that when the true meaning is presented, it is completely rejected. The Lord said that He would do a work in our day, which, even if it were told, would not be believed. Your problem goes back a long way. It begins with one failed interpretation after another. What I find so astonishing about this topic is that no matter how many times I am right, Christians will always deny what I have presented. In your world, you are waiting for some kind of mark that will be implemented worldwide. I have discussed this in the letter. The first thing you need to know is who is being talked about. If you say "all people", then you will already be starting from a false premise. Then, you'll need to imagine a series of circumstances to match your conclusions. The most revealing of your interpretations is that you say nothing. You do not provide any details, and it is always coming soon. What bothers me the most is that you hide the real answers. It is a total shame that a person spends his whole life learning his beliefs, and when the time comes to apply the meanings, has no idea. The Lord said to watch. You have failed in this undertaking. You did something though, you interpreted. Now you are waiting for your ideas to come true, which will never happen. This paragraph is not part of the original response. It is easy to discern from B.H.'s commentary a certain set of beliefs. What he believes is that Hamas could not be the one that did not accept the mark because they are terrorists. Meaning that the mark will be implemented on a different group. A group that does not commit terrorist acts. Who is this group? If you've been following these teachers for years, the answer is clear. All those who have not accepted the mark are Christians. Christians will not accept the mark because they do not want to worship the beast, even under the penalty of not being able to buy or sell. This is the set of beliefs that B. H. holds as truth while he disputes me, that I should accept as true, which he does not even realize has been corrupted. False teachings that have been accepted by the majority have turned the true meaning of Revelation 13 into a polar opposite. Why would anyone consider what I have to say when such false teachings are so widely believed? I just wanted to emphasize this point because it's a blinder over the eyes of anyone interested in Bible prophecy. michae1
  10. phkrause

    Earthquakes/Tsunamis

    Venezuela rescues Rescue efforts remain underway a week after twin earthquakes struck Venezuela, as new questions emerge about the true scale of the disaster. Authorities raised the official death toll to nearly 3,000 on Wednesday, but one forensic pathologist told CNN she believes the government's figure is a vast undercount. Read more.
  11. Today
  12. phkrause

    Middle East War

    Peace talks Qatar says indirect US-Iran talks have made "positive progress," offering a hopeful sign for diplomacy. Meanwhile, the US Navy is searching for a crew member after a helicopter made an emergency landing Wednesday in the Arabian Sea, underscoring the ongoing risks troops face even as talks halt fighting. Read more. Gaza faces uncertain future as Palestinians and Israelis mark 1,000 days of war It’s the 1,000th day since a Hamas-led attack on Israel sparked the war in Gaza. Other conflicts have emerged in the region, and fragile ceasefires show scars of persistent attacks. Both Israelis and Palestinians are weary of the strain. https://apnews.com/article/gaza-palestinian-israel-thousand-days-war-ceasefire-f81c32c32a96cd7dd7952ef9b70b06b3?
  13. Trump's wealth President Donald Trump on Wednesday took his first flight aboard the new Air Force One, a luxury Boeing jet donated by the government of Qatar. The aircraft, an unconditional gift estimated to be worth about $400 million, has raised legal, ethical and national security concerns. It comes as Trump faces renewed scrutiny over claims that he is profiting from the presidency after new financial disclosures showed his wealth has soared since retaking office and his Florida resorts have posted record-breaking revenue gains. Read more. ANALYSIS: Will Trump pay a political price for his rising wealth?
  14. 📊 Wide support for youth social media bans Data: Pew Research Center. Chart: Danielle Alberti/Axios Americans' support for youth social media bans stretches across age groups and partisan lines, a new Pew survey finds. 56% of U.S. adults support social media bans for kids under 16, compared to 21% opposed. 👨🏻 Slicing by age, people 30-49 show the strongest support (63%). That's also the group most likely to have kids covered by such a ban. 🧒 More adults with children under 18 support a ban (65%) than those without kids (52%) — suggesting parents may see more harms than non-parents. Pew surveyed 9,750 U.S. adults from May 26 to June 1. Explore the data.
  15. Under the heat dome Data: Global Forecast System; Map: Erin Davis/Axios Over 142 million Americans are under extreme heat warnings as the eastern half of the country keeps roasting under a "heat dome." ☀️ The National Weather Service's latest forecast calls for peak heat indices of 100-115 degrees "across portions of lower Mississippi Valley into the Northeast." "The combination of daytime heat and little overnight relief ... will lead to widespread areas of major to extreme HeatRisk from the Midwest to the East Coast." ⚠️ Threat level: The elderly, outdoor workers, people with preexisting health conditions and those without adequate cooling are all at risk of heat-related illness. "Heat dome," explained. Heat wave Today marks the peak of a dangerous heat wave as the hottest air shifts into the Mid-Atlantic and East Coast ahead of the July 4 weekend. Temperatures are forecast to climb into the upper 90s and low 100s from Washington, DC, to Boston, with humidity pushing "feels like" temperatures as high as 110 degrees or more. See the latest US heat risk forecast.
  16. phkrause

    FIFA men's World Cup 2026

    ⚽️ U.S. survives a man down U.S. midfielder Malik Tillman celebrates the Americans' second goal against Bosnia-Herzegovina in Santa Clara last night. Photo: Charlotte Wilson/Getty Images The U.S. beat Bosnia-Herzegovina 2-0 last night for its first World Cup knockout-round win in 24 years, Axios' Bob Gee writes. The U.S. showed grit and resilience playing a man down after losing striker Folarin Balogun, the team's leading scorer. Balogun was issued a red card in the second half after he inadvertently landed on a Bosnia defender's heel, meaning he must sit out the next game. Midfielder Malik Tillman sealed the win in the 82nd minute with a free kick that curled over the Bosnian wall and past goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj. Next up, the Americans face Belgium in Seattle on Monday. Read on. Team USA The USA defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 on Wednesday to advance to the World Cup Round of 16, earning its first knockout-stage victory since 2002. The historic win now sets up a highly anticipated clash with Belgium on Monday in Seattle. Catch up here. Malik Tillman of the US celebrates after scoring the team's second goal. (Carlos Barria/Reuters) FOLLOW ALONG: Sign up for The Beautiful Game, CNN Sports' daily World Cup newsletter
  17. 🤖 Fable's story continues Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Stock: Getty Images 📱 "Oh how I have missed you fable!" Axios' Andrew Kay typed in. "We have so much to catch up on … " Anthropic's Fable 5 AI model is back online after the Trump administration lifted an export control, Axios' Madison Mills and Ina Fried report. 👩‍💻 It's the most powerful publicly available AI tool — so capable that the U.S. government decided that Anthropic had to add further safety measures before making it broadly available. Queries that it deems to pose security or safety risks may be routed to less powerful models. The block raised big questions over how and when the Trump administration will step in to regulate AI rollouts. Go deeper.
  18. OpenAI floats 5% stake for public Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios As OpenAI prepares to go public, the AI giant wants to give the American public an ownership slice of up to 5% to help democratize the benefits and riches of the humanity-rattling technology. Under an idea CEO Sam Altman has floated to the Trump administration, Americans would directly hold equity (stock) in the top AI companies. We're told this wouldn't be a sovereign wealth fund, where the government owns the equity and decides what to do with it. The Financial Times reports today that Altman has suggested a 5% stake in early conversations with the administration. President Trump has embraced public stakes in U.S. companies. Last month, after Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) proposed a one-time 50% tax on the stock of the largest AI companies, Trump said a public partnership with AI companies could be "a beautiful thing." The proposed arrangement would include America's other leading AI labs handing over a similar stake, but it's not clear they would. As a mechanism, OpenAI has floated an arrangement similar to the Alaska Permanent Fund, which provides residents with a dividend from the state's oil and mineral wealth.
  19. The court reigns supreme The Supreme Court spent its latest term sidelining Congress and amassing power for itself and the presidency, Axios' Andrew Pantazi writes. After the term that ended this week, Congress can no longer insulate regulators from the president, limit political parties' spending, or require race-conscious voting districts. The justices overturned precedents, second-guessed Congress and brushed aside facts found by lower courts. Georgetown Law professor Steve Vladeck tells Axios: "The real headline of the current term is, 'Supreme Court rules for itself, 6–3.'" ⚖️ Some of the court's most notable recent decisions: Choosing which parts of the FTC to keep (the powers Congress gave it) and which to shed (the independence Congress designed). Making it nearly impossible to use the Voting Rights Act to challenge maps diluting Black and Latino voting power. Striking down limits on coordinated political party spending (which it had upheld in 2001). Curbing Congress' power to make state officials pay damages for violating federal funding laws. Letting President Trump keep withholding $4 billion in congressionally appropriated foreign aid, at least for now. Reality check: The president didn't win everything this term. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote all three major rulings against Trump: blocking emergency tariffs, sparing Fed governor Lisa Cook (for now), and rejecting the executive order ending birthright citizenship. What's next: Trump's biggest defeat doubled as the term's loudest warning. Four justices were willing to say that Trump's birthright citizenship order didn't violate the 14th Amendment, which grants citizenship to all those born in the country. Georgetown's Vladeck says the fact that a position deemed "outlandish as recently as a decade ago" got four votes will "embolden" the next wave of once-fringe constitutional arguments. Go deeper.
  20. We have that happen all the time (think tithe, woman's ordination, authority of SOP), especially when it comes to the belief of the GodHead. I tend to stay away even from the word 'Trinity' as that is tainted with the Church of Rome serpentine words, which they can define to their own liking, so leaves me uncomfortable to say the least..
  21. phkrause

    This Day in History

    THIS DAY IN HISTORY July 2 1964 President Johnson signs Civil Rights Act U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson signs into law the historic Civil Rights Act in a nationally televised ceremony at the White House. read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 19th Century 1865 Salvation Army founded 21st Century 2021 U.S. withdraws from Bagram Air Force Base in Afghanistan American Revolution 1776 Continental Congress votes for independence from Britain Arts & Entertainment 1997 “Men in Black” premieres in theaters 1977 “Gonna Fly Now (Theme From ‘Rocky’)” is the #1 song on the U.S. pop charts 1992 Stephen Hawking breaks British bestseller records Civil War 1863 Fighting continues at the Battle of Gettysburg Cold War 1947 Soviet Union rejects Marshall Plan assistance Crime 1881 President James A. Garfield shot Exploration 1937 Amelia Earhart disappears Middle Eastern History 1990 Pilgrim stampede kills 1,400 Slavery 1839 Mutiny on the Amistad
  22. phkrause

    The Vatican & The Pope

    Vatican excommunicates schismatic bishops and priests, and warns their followers VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican responded aggressively Thursday to a traditionalist group that consecrated bishops without the pope’s consent, declaring the Society of St. Pius X had formally broken with the Catholic Church. It excommunicated its bishops and priests, and warned its faithful that they too face the harshest sanctions in the church. https://apnews.com/article/vatican-traditionalist-pope-latin-st-pius-6570c6bcc0784f4b9229e20bdec4e5aa?
  23. phkrause

    FIFA men's World Cup 2026

    U.S. beats Bosnia-Herzegovina 2-0 to advance to round of 16 and keep its World Cup dreams alive SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Malik Tillman stepped up for a free kick with a bloody sock and a new right boot after being stepped on by an opponent as the United States scrambled to protect a one-goal lead, down a man in a World Cup knockout round. https://apnews.com/article/world-cup-usmnt-bosnia-score-b78bdf42bf14d604d7b466aa58d33324?
  24. If an acquaintance at your church asked you to accompany them to share the gospel with a coworker who’d expressed deep guilt for his sins, would you go? All Christians should jump at that chance. Let’s say you go. Russ, your acquaintance, shares the gospel. The coworker expresses a desire to believe in Jesus but throughout the conversation voices skepticism about some Christian beliefs. What are your thoughts as Russ addresses these concerns? https://www.icr.org/article/15965
  25. phkrause

    Jerome Odenthal

    Sorry for your loss! I'm guessing that's your husband? If not I apologize! Will put your family in my prayers!
  26. Coordination Rules Everything Around Me (Dan Brandenburg / Getty)   View in browser No sooner had the Supreme Court issued its opinion in a big campaign-finance case yesterday than my inbox began filling up with nongovernmental organizations and Democratic leaders decrying the ruling. In the case, National Republican Senatorial Committee v. Federal Election Commission, the justices struck down a law limiting the amount of money that political parties can use for coordinated spending on candidates. On first glance, the ruling is yet another in a string of cases in which the Court’s conservative majority has overturned laws that try to regulate the flow of money in politics, citing the right to free speech. “Today’s ruling is a win for billionaire donors and special interests who want more influence over the GOP agenda and an invitation for corruption,” the leaders of the Democratic National Committee, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee thundered in a statement. Michael Waldman, head of the left-leaning Brennan Center for Justice, took a similar line: “Today’s campaign finance ruling is part of the Roberts Court’s 16-year drive to destroy anti-corruption laws.” The Elias Law Group, a top Democratic law firm, said that the decision “needlessly overturns its own precedent to destroy a long-standing pillar of federal campaign finance law.” The bleakest predictions about the decision may yet come true—contemporary American politics seldom disappoints pessimists—but I think another interpretation is more likely. NRSC will help empower the political parties, reduce the appeal of super PACs, and potentially even improve transparency, all of which are positive changes. The conservative majority may have unintentionally stumbled into a good result for election law, at least within the bounds of the deeply broken status quo. The law in question is, like all campaign-finance rules, arcane. Individuals are permitted to give only a set amount to candidates, and the statute was designed to keep donors from funneling greater sums by passing them through the parties. It set a limit on how much parties can spend in coordination with candidates—$65,300 in most House races in 2026. Meanwhile, the Court has issued many decisions demolishing existing campaign-finance laws over the past couple of decades, including Citizens United v. FEC, which struck down limits on outside spending, as did a lower court with its decision in SpeechNOW.Org v. FEC, which paved the way for super PACs, both in 2010. That shift means that far more money is sloshing around, but instead of going to parties, it’s going into independent groups such as super PACs, which have comparatively little regulation or disclosure rules. The idea that political parties should be stronger may be counterintuitive to most Americans, who hold both the Democratic and Republican Parties in low esteem. But many political scientists have argued that one reason American politics is such a mess is that the party organizations have been weakened for decades, through steps that include the deregulation of campaign-finance and also “good governance” reforms such as choosing candidates via transparent primaries rather than in smoke-filled rooms. Weak parties are less able to squash candidates whose positions come from the fringes of their coalitions, or massively wealthy candidates—or both, in the case of Donald Trump, whom the GOP establishment disdained but proved powerless to stop in 2016. “Unlike Superpacs, the political parties are accountable to the voters,” Rick Pildes, a professor at the New York University School of Law, told me in an email. “They aggregate a broad array of interests, unlike ideological Superpacs; the money to parties is fully transparent, unlike Superpacs; and political parties are the major vehicle through which voters get messages about a governing agenda.” He added, “Even if you believe there’s too much money in politics, it’s better to have that money flow through the political parties than these unaccountable, outside groups that are often narrowly focused.” Lifting the ban on coordination won’t eliminate super PACs, which raised $5 billion in the 2024 election, but it will make them less alluring to donors. Money can be used more efficiently if it’s going directly to a party and candidate, rather than to a super PAC that is legally barred from coordinating with a candidate. One reason Democrats reacted angrily to the ruling is that, in the immediate term, the GOP will likely benefit. (This is also the reason Republicans brought the suit.) Bloomberg notes that Republican committees have more money in their coffers than their Democratic counterparts do, even as many Democratic candidates are out-raising their opponents. In the long run, though, both parties will benefit. Like a huge majority of Americans, I would prefer a far more restrictive campaign-finance regime, one that made money less important, thus freeing elected officials of the need to spend astonishing amounts of time fundraising, and reduced the political sway of billionaires and wealthy special interests alike. This spring, The New York Times reported that one-fifth of federal-campaign donations in 2024 came from billionaires and their immediate family members—a total of more than $3 billion. But the current Supreme Court has demonstrated that it will strike down almost any law that attempts to restrict this type of spending as an infringement on the First Amendment—as it did in this case. Bruce Cain, a political scientist at Stanford, wrote in an email that he agreed with the “core argument” of the NRSC ruling, but added, “The problem of mega-donors and independent spending will not go away because of this decision.” In its other recent jurisprudence, he said, “the Court has ruled that independent spending cannot corrupt the way a direct contribution can. This is a ludicrous legal assumption, but it will not be changed soon.” NRSC v. FEC does nothing to fix these broader systemic problems with money in elections, but it’s a baby step toward a more functional politics. Related: Trump exposes the holes in campaign-finance laws. (From 2018) Small donors still aren’t as important as wealthy ones. (From 2016)
  27. phkrause

    1 for the road

    1 for the road: Death of the disc Photo: Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images PlayStation physical game discs will be a thing of the past by 2028, the gaming giant announced today. 💿 Physical media, like cartridges and discs, ruled gaming for generations until digital stores allowed people to download games, Axios' Herb Scribner reports. 🥊 Eliminating physical discs will lower production costs — a small reprieve for an industry rife with layoffs and developmental challenges. Today's announcement states that all "new games will be available on PlayStation Store and at retailers in digital formats only." This won't affect games that are already released or will be releasing prior to January 2028. 🎮 Farewell to scratched disc frustration! Go deeper.
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