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Bombshell Poll Raises Eyebrows in Crucial Senate Race One of the president’s enemies is gaining ground. A new poll shows one of Donald Trump’s most despised political foes overtaking the Trump-backed MAGA candidate in a crucial Senate race. Democrat James Talarico, 37, has given Democrats their strongest shot in years of flipping a U.S. Senate seat in Texas, where he’s facing Republican Ken Paxton, 63, the state’s controversial attorney general. A New York Times poll taken last month showed him neck and neck with Paxton, a Trump ally who spoke at the “Stop the Steal” rally in D.C. before the Capitol riots of Jan. 6, 2021, and was backed by Trump over incumbent Sen. John Cornyn. However, a Fox News poll aired on Thursday shows the Democrat leading Paxton by 3 points, 51-48, and gaining ground among key constituencies—heralding a potential upset that could help Democrats gain control of the Senate in November’s midterms. The poll also shows Talarico, who is a student at a Presbyterian seminary as well as a politician, winning 68 percent of independents, 98 percent of Democrats and about a quarter of non-MAGA Republicans. Fifty-nine percent of Democrats polled said they were extremely motivated to vote, compared to 52 percent of Republicans. Only 47 percent of Republicans said they were interested in the election, compared to 53 percent of Democrats. Talarico is the preferred choice among white evangelical Christians, white men without a college degree, rural voters, regular worship attenders, men, and voters ages 65 and older. Talarico is also popular with Black voters, a turnaround after claiming only a fifth of Black votes in Houston and Dallas in a contentious primary win in March over U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett. He also polled well with moderates, voters under age 30, Hispanic voters, women and voters with a college degree. Paxton defeated Cornyn for the Republican Senate nomination in May after winning Trump’s endorsement despite a string of controversies including longstanding securities fraud charges, impeachment in the Texas House of Representatives, and a messy divorce in which he was accused of adultery. “Although Paxton dominated Cornyn in the GOP primary, that bruising contest left scars,” Republican pollster Daron Shaw, who conducts Fox News polls with Democrat Chris Anderson, said on Thursday. He said Paxton has “considerable work to do with non-MAGA Republicans and independents, and that undoubtedly requires aggressively tying Talarico to the Democratic Party’s far left.” The poll found 59 percent of voters overall—and 36 percent of Republicans—believe Paxton lacks the character to serve as a senator. Despite the figures, Paxton’s team said the “only poll that matters” will be on Nov. 3. “Talarico’s campaign will end up exactly where every Democrat before him has ended up in Texas: a pipe dream,” Nick Maddux, a senior adviser to Paxton, said in a statement. The Daily Beast has contacted Paxton’s team for comment. Trump christened Talarico “Talafreako” during his speech at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner last week. The president said Talarico “hates guns, hates oil, hates sex, hates women, and says he is a ‘Christian who hates Christianity.’ Other than that, I think his platform is quite good.” He added, “And that means he’s not going to do very well against Ken Paxton, who hopefully in Texas is going to win.” Dipping into one of his trademark vintage pop culture references, the 80-year-old president again compared Talarico’s appearance to that Alfred E. Neuman, the Mad magazine mascot introduced in 1954. In a Truth Social tirade in May Trump said Talarico might be “the worst TEXAS candidate I have ever seen.” As part of the rant, Trump claimed Talarico “believes there are 6 genders” and “was a big Mask Wearer until recently.” He also claimed that he was a “Vegan who dislikes meat.” Earlier this month, Paxton abandoned his own press conference when he was grilled on the latest controversy surrounding him. The New York Times reported this month that Paxton had expanded his real estate holdings, which are worth an estimated $9 million. His latest real estate transactions included the purchase of three condominiums worth $1.6 million at a luxury resort in Utah. An angry Paxton stormed out of the press conference insisting that he only wanted to answer questions on law enforcement, rather than his personal finances. https://www.thedailybeast.com/bombshell-poll-raises-eyebrows-in-crucial-senate-race/?

Trump Sends Ice Maiden to Clean Up His Embarrassing Mess “A lot is stalled in the Senate… what can we do?” President Donald Trump’s problems with Congress have gotten so bad that he sent his chief of staff to Capitol Hill to clean up the mess. Senate Republicans have handed Trump, 80, a headache even his sleepless nights can’t match. They have stalled his latest obsession, the SAVE America Act; refused to eliminate the filibuster; failed to advance a budget package; and two of them are stalling on his attorney general nominee. Trump appears to have realized his usual playbook—public attacks, pressure campaigns, and political arm-twisting—isn’t breaking through. So he dispatched his chief fixer, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, 69, to the Hill on Wednesday for meetings with GOP leadership, according to Politico. According to people familiar with the discussions who spoke with Politico, Wiles’ message was that the White House recognizes the Senate is stuck and wants to find a way forward. One source told the outlet that the meeting was supposed to signal to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, 65, and GOP Whip John Barrasso, 74, that the administration was looking for solutions amid stalled priorities: “A lot is stalled in the Senate… what can we do?” “Thune basically said: ‘I want to move the president’s agenda whenever it has the votes,’” the source told the outlet. Another person familiar with the meeting described the conversation as “candid,” but said it did not produce any major breakthrough. A White House official told Politico that the meeting was part of a “regular” effort to advance the president’s agenda. Thune’s reported reaction is hardly surprising given the tensions that have been building between the Senate majority leader and the president in the past months. Thune has repeatedly warned that there are not enough votes to pass the SAVE America Act, which would introduce mandatory ID and proof of citizenship for voters, while Trump has pushed to cancel a planned five-week August recess until the bill and the elimination of the filibuster are passed. Trump doubled down on that demand in a Truth Social post Monday, writing: “John Thune should not allow the United States Senate to ‘leave town’ until it passes The Save America Act or, far better still, TERMINATES THE FILIBUSTER.” He added: “Republicans can then quickly pass everything they ever dreamed of, including a full and deep throated SAVE AMERICA ACT, the Budget, and the ever looming Debt Ceiling disaster, 1929!” Speaking in the Oval Office on Wednesday, Trump criticized Thune’s handling of the restrictive voting bill, saying it was “too bad for him and too bad for the Republican Party. He’s got the votes. He should get it done.” But Thune has continued to push back, arguing that he supports advancing Trump’s agenda when there is a realistic path to success. “If I thought there was a path to getting a result, I’m all for it,” he said, while voicing frustration over the president’s demands: “Show me how this ends. What’s the picture of victory at the end?” Last Thursday, 28-year-old White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt joined Trump’s pressure campaign against Thune, warning at her press briefing that the president’s “patience is running out” with Senate Republicans over their repeated failure to move the SAVE America Act. “The House did its job, the Senate needs to do its job too,” she said. Thune fired back, suggesting the White House’s frustration was misplaced. “Maybe she or somebody else ought to get on the phone and get the votes. Right? It’s 50 around here,” the Senate majority leader said, according to The Hill. The MAGA world has also erupted into a blame game, targeting “establishment” Republicans for blocking Trump’s agenda, particularly the passage of the flagship election bill that would impose new proof-of-citizenship requirements for voter registration and other election rules that could make it harder for some eligible Americans to vote. Conservative lawyer Mike Davis attacked Thune, calling him “a pussy” and accusing him of hiding behind the need for 60 votes to pass the bill. Davis claimed the measure could move with a simple 51-vote majority, a reading of Senate procedure that doesn’t match reality. Under current Senate rules, the SAVE America Act would need 60 votes to overcome a filibuster unless Republicans first change the rules to eliminate the legislative filibuster—a move neither party has been willing to make. “You can’t show how high the importance of this issue is to the president other than bringing in Susie,” a former Trump adviser told Politico. Wiles has often been tasked with cleaning up the president’s messes and has reportedly tried to steer Trump’s focus toward affordability issues ahead of the November midterm elections. “If there is an ability to land it, the president is certainly putting pressure on Susie to land it. It’s still an uphill battle,” the adviser added. The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment. https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-sends-ice-maiden-susie-wiles-to-clean-up-his-embarrassing-mess/?

MAGA Star Flees Stage After Trainwreck Speech to Home Crowd An audience member called the Republican a “political cretin.” MAGA Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has been furiously booed off stage by an angry right-wing audience in his home state. Ramaswamy was speaking at the Young Americans for Liberty conference in his hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio, on Wednesday when he enraged members of the conservative student activist organization. Ramaswamy was scheduled to start at 8.20 p.m. and finish at 8.50 p.m before YouTuber and firearms manufacturer Brandon Herrera. However, the 40-year-old pulled the plug after just 14 minutes, as documented by a video of the full speech posted on social media. The divisive Republican was booed and heckled as soon as he walked on stage. Ramaswamy did not address the awkward entrance initially as he launched into his speech, promising to do things “a little differently” from normal political speeches. In between being rampantly heckled over issues including Israel, Ramaswamy told the YAL audience that the “real divide” in America was not between Republicans and Democrats, but “winners and whiners.” At one moment after being heckled, he says to one, “You want to give a speech...? Well, you can get on when they give you a slot, alright? So, until they do, can sit down.” Talking about the chance to Make America Great Again, he taunted the crowd by asking, “Are you in the camp of people in this country who want to win? Or are you in the camp of people who want to whine?” “What does winning look like?” one crowd member screamed back. “That choice belongs to you,” Ramaswamy continued unsuccessfully. “It belongs to us, it belongs to We the People.” He continued, “And the truth of the matter is, you know, no matter what happens in whichever direction we go, people in my generation have already made it. We’re gonna be fine. It’s gonna be your generation...that pays the price.” That comment saw the audience erupt in anger, with one person shouting, “We don’t want to hear your bulls--t talking points. You’re a political cretin and you need to get the f--- outta here!” Ramaswamy then attempted to continue, telling the crowd, “If you believe that the government is the source of actually creating a solution to your problems, go ahead and clap your hands. If you want the government to print money from on high and give it to you and penalize the people you don’t like, then go for it.” Seconds before his abrupt exit, the Republican asked if anyone still believed in free enterprise and capitalism and “actual liberty.” When some audience members cheered, Ramaswamy told those who applauded, “You’re gonna be carrying the rest of this room on your back... I hope for the rest of them, that you are successful and can actually create wealth and create success, instead of villainizing it.” He then said “Peace out, see you guys,” before leaving to a sea of deafening boos. The latest New York Times/Siena College poll has the race for Ohio governor as a dead heat, with both Ramaswamy and Democratic candidate Amy Acton at 47 percent each. Donald Trump won the state in the 2024 election with 55.1 percent of the vote, compared to Kamala Harris’ 43.9 percent. The Daily Beast has contacted Ramaswamy’s office and YAL for comment. Ramaswamy was the youngest presidential candidate in the 2024 Republican primaries, but withdrew his bid and endorsed Donald Trump. The president has since endorsed him in his race to become governor of Ohio. He was reportedly ousted from DOGE by his co-captain Elon Musk in January 2025. The Republican is no stranger to being booed. In December 2023, he was booed at least four different times during the fourth Republican debate stage, after attacking rivals Chris Christie and Nikki Haley. He called former South Carolina Gov. Haley “the only person more fascist” than the Biden administration. At the time, Christie called Ramaswamy “the most obnoxious blowhard in America.” Ramaswamy was also booed at the Libertarian Party Convention in May 2024 in Washington D.C. after talking how he had “gotten to know Donald Trump over the course of the last several years.” After being booed, he noted “Y’all get to speak your mind, I respect that.” Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to make clear where Ramaswamy was speaking. https://www.thedailybeast.com/maga-star-vivek-ramaswamy-flees-stage-after-trainwreck-speech-to-home-crowd/? ps:Maybe they're wising up! But I doubt it!!

Anthropic says its AI models hacked 3 organizations during testing Anthropic said its artificial intelligence models hacked into three other organizations during testing, just days after ChatGPT maker OpenAI raised concerns over AI controls after it disclosed its rogue models hacked another company. https://apnews.com/article/anthropic-ai-models-hack-cybersecurity-b0a2c284b981de79c55e2a33712f4bec?

Colin Gray, who gave his son the gun used in Georgia school shooting, is sentenced to 15 years A man who gave his son the gun he used to kill two students and two teachers at Apalachee High School in Georgia was sentenced Thursday to 15 years in prison. https://apnews.com/article/apalachee-georgia-school-shooting-colin-gray-5a466d925a4525aa1a51ed9c48e6ec97?

Quake survivors in southwestern Japan sleep in cars in sweltering heat as death toll rises to 34 YATSUSHIRO, Japan (AP) — Thousands of survivors of a powerful earthquake in southwestern Japan spent Friday in crowded shelters or sleeping in cars as they faced shortages of water and fuel and punishing summer temperatures that stoked fears of heat-related illness. https://apnews.com/article/japan-earthquake-kumamoto-mall-factory-b0d6e9cd8f27b09590bbe49f4a701eb6?

Trump announces a deal for Hamas to disarm in Gaza President Donald Trump announced Thursday what he said was an agreement that would also include Israel withdrawing its forces from Gaza, but hurdles and uncertainty remain. Read more. Why this matters: The White House announcement comes nine months after a U.S.-brokered ceasefire was signed. Negotiations between Israel and Hamas had largely deadlocked over the implementation of its second phase, including the disarmament of Hamas and the reconstruction of Gaza. On Friday, a Hamas official said they have reached an agreement on disarmament. Israel didn’t give an indication that they had agreed. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Israelis worry about weakening connection with younger Jewish Americans Palestinian authorities ask US Supreme Court to halt $656M judgment pending appeal Major oil companies reap massive profits as US and Iran fighting drives energy prices higher

Trump administration ends Medicare drug subsidy Around 25 million older adults with Medicare Part D prescription drug plans could face steeper monthly costs in 2027 after the Trump administration concluded a temporary subsidy program that has helped offset premiums for the past two years. Read more. What to know: The program was initially implemented by the Biden administration in 2024 to lower patients’ Part D prescription drug costs in response to effects of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. While federal officials insist the financial impact on Medicare beneficiaries will be minimal, Democrats slammed the move as part of a pattern of federal attacks on healthcare affordability. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Senate committee advances nomination of Dr. Erica Schwartz to be Trump’s CDC director Trump floats pulling Blanche’s nomination for attorney general to avoid conceding to GOP demands US cites ‘unauthorized travel’ to end DACA status for a mother of 3 deported to Mexico Scouting America drops diversity initiatives from event after pressure from the Pentagon Democratic candidates grapple with past stances on defunding the police ahead of key midterm races Mandela Barnes drops out of the Democratic primary for Wisconsin governor Trump-branded commemorative passports will become available across the US

July 31, 2026 By Sam Sifton Good morning. President Trump said his “Board of Peace” had reached a disarmament deal in Gaza. “For the first time, Hamas officially has committed to an actionable plan for relinquishing all its weapons, which will be followed by Israeli withdrawal from Gaza,” the board said. Neither side commented publicly. We have more news below. I’m going to start with the United States Coast Guard. The New York Times In the surf Dave Philipps, who covers the United States military and veterans for The Times, has spent the past few years focused on the brain injuries suffered by members of elite and specialized units. He’s written about artillery crews who repeatedly fire high-powered cannons and about SEALs who do the same with shoulder-fired rockets. He’s written about what happens to the brains of fighter pilots who catapult from aircraft carriers, and to those of fast-boat crews who pound across the ocean. And now he’s turned his attention to the crews of Coast Guard rescue boats, who work and train in heavy, crashing seas in order to save lives. They’re called surfmen, and their work is among the most challenging and dangerous jobs in the service. It is work that comes at a cost, Dave reports. They take a beating from the ocean. Many veteran surfmen experience headaches, memory lapses, anxiety attacks, nightmares, mood swings and cognitive problems that can be symptoms of brain injuries. “A 20-foot wave breaking on you is like being in a car crash,” a surfman named Aaron Harris told him. “If you are out training in big surf, that’s like 20 car accidents a day.” Harris was on the boats for 22 years, before retiring in 2024. The surfmen are alone, Dave discovered. The Coast Guard has no regular testing protocol for brain injuries. It delivers no formal briefings on the dangers of pounding waves. The website it maintains on brain injuries is more than 10 years old. Dave found that many of the links that appear under a heading reading “Where to get help” are inactive. The surfmen suffer, and their families suffer, and the results can be fatal. Brett Bonner, 1982-2025 Brett Bonner served in the U.S. Coast Guard for 21 years. Mike Belleme for The New York Times Dave’s story explores the life and death of a surfman named Brett Bonner, who saved hundreds of lives during his 21 years driving rescue boats. Bonner developed post-traumatic stress disorder during his service, and his life unraveled after he retired in 2022. Here’s Dave: He struggled to make decisions. Even ordering at a drive-through was overwhelming. He grew paranoid. He was sure his father-in-law, who lived next door, was out to get him and punched him over a minor disagreement about new closet doors. In February 2025, Bonner shot himself. His wife and four children saw it happen. He left no note. Bonner’s eldest child, Kayleigh, is now 18. After her father’s death, she did something remarkable. Seeking some understanding of what had happened to her dad, and whether it had anything to do with his work in the unrelenting surf, she decided to send questionnaires to as many surfmen as she could locate. Her survey asked 36 questions about their time in the service and their health during and after it. Jenna Bonner, left, and her daughter, Kayleigh Bonner, 18, Mike Belleme for The New York Times Nearly 80 active and retired surfmen responded, and a vast majority reported symptoms similar to her father’s. They had headaches. Sleeplessness. Their memories were shot. Anxiety stalked them. Their moods swung, hard. Some were getting worse. “My brain has started to fail me. I feel it, I see it,” one responder in his early 50s wrote. “It is difficult to do things that used to be natural to me.” “It has been a struggle for me to keep my life together,” another in his mid-40s wrote. Kayleigh wrote up the results of her study as a senior-year high school research project. It earned an A. (I’d have gone A+.) Dave reports that she plans to share her findings with the Coast Guard. Breaking the cycle Yesterday I reached out to Dave to ask him what to make of his reporting. Not just about the Coast Guard surfmen, but also about the Navy pilots and boat skippers and SEALS and Army mortar soldiers and all those who’ve been exposed, repeatedly, to concussive blasts in service to the nation, and who’ve been left with injured brains. Here’s what he told me: I think the big takeaway is that these injuries are preventable. There never needs to be another story like Brett Bonner’s, even if we will always need Coast Guard crews to brave rough waters. On these motor lifeboats, most of the damaging exposure occurs during training, not in emergencies. The same is true in the rest of the military. That is both infuriating and a stroke of good luck, because training is a controlled environment. We can change it to limit damage. If anything is going to change, though, the first step is recognizing that there is a problem. That has been tricky because these types of brain injuries develop slowly and often resemble other mental health problems. For decades the military has been stuck in a cycle where it doesn’t see these injuries as a problem, and therefore isn’t on the lookout for them. I hope the reporting The Times has done can break that cycle. Please read the complete article here. I’ve only scratched its surface. (Not a subscriber? Not a problem. The click is free.) THE LATEST NEWS Europe On Ceuta. Antonio Sempere/Associated Press Spain mobilized its military after thousands of migrants crossed — some swimming — to Ceuta, a Spanish-governed peninsula on Morocco’s coast. Climate change is an important factor in Europe’s wildfires. So is the continent’s shift away from farming, experts say. A wildfire on the Greek island of Crete has forced thousands of people to flee and killed two firefighters, the latest in a series of blazes that have charred Europe this summer. On Crete. Costas Metaxakis/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images War in Ukraine Russia pounded Ukrainian cities with a barrage of missiles and drones that killed at least eight people. With the attacks, Russia set a record for the country’s ballistic missile attacks in a single month. During the assault, a Russian missile crashed in Poland. The episode raised the possibility of a confrontation with NATO. Trump Administration Simon Ducroquet/The New York Times An appeals court is still considering the legality of President Trump’s White House ballroom project. Yet construction is racing ahead, as these photos show. The Trump administration exempted natural diamonds from its latest batch of tariffs, after negotiations and a gift to Trump of a ring encrusted with 321 diamonds from a trade group in Belgium. Trump says he may temporarily withdraw his nomination of Todd Blanche to be attorney general. Two Republicans have threatened to block Blanche’s confirmation. More on Politics Jim Vondruska for The New York Times Elon Musk says that he plans to spend at least $100 million on the midterm elections to help Republicans. Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he supported reparations for some Black New Yorkers but said it was too early to commit to direct cash payments. Texas parents are suing to remove Ten Commandments posters from classrooms. Other Big Stories Anthropic revealed that its artificial intelligence systems broke into computers at three outside organizations, heightening fears about the technology’s safety. U.S. economic growth slowed in the last quarter, pulled down by the higher prices and supply chain disruptions caused by the war in Iran. The father of a teenager who killed four people at a Georgia high school was sentenced to 15 years in prison over his son’s attack. The son was sentenced to life earlier this week. OPINIONS Maggie Haberman spoke to Ezra Klein about DOGE, Iran and her new book with Jonathan Swan on Trump’s second term, “Regime Change.” Vivek Ramaswamy could be the Republican Party’s future. But first he has to win, Lydia Polgreen writes. Deeply reported journalism needs your support. The Times relies on subscribers to help fund our mission. Become a subscriber today. MORNING READS We’ve made these links free for you. Scott Semler for The New York Times Semi-sweets: Candies marketed as “better-for-you” have taken over grocery stores and found their way into gyms and supplement shops. But are they actually healthy? T.S.A. surprise: Officers at an Alabama airport discovered five Civil War-era cannonballs inside a passenger’s checked luggage. It’s a … whale: A drone off the coast of Australia captured what is believed to be the first-ever aerial footage of a humpback whale giving birth. See the video. Your pick: The most clicked story in The Morning yesterday was about toxic wastewater bubbling out of the ground in Ohio. TODAY’S NUMBER An Airbus plane. James D. Morgan/Getty Images 22 — That is how many hours it could take to fly nonstop between Sydney and London when Qantas launches a new flight next year, aboard specially manufactured Airbus jets. The route would become the world’s longest commercial flight. SPORTS FIFA announced plans to allow private investment in its tournaments. In response, European nations threatened to boycott the World Cup. W.N.B.A.: The Seattle Storm co-owner Celeste Keaton was suspended and fined by the league after an exchange with two teenage girls regarding transgender athletes. RECIPE OF THE DAY Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Cyd Raftus McDowell. Kristina Felix’s recipe for spicy tuna and avocado tostadas is aces high, a cross between tuna salad and guacamole that makes for a perfect dinner on a hot summer night. Kristina uses canned tuna in oil for the protein, which makes the dish cheap and accessible. But if you happen to run in tuna-fishing circles and someone gives you a fat loin off a fish caught earlier that morning? Use that instead and experience nirvana. ON COMEDY Mary Beth Barone in “Galaxy Brain.” Netflix The comic Mary Beth Barone has a new special out on Netflix, “Galaxy Brain.” Jason Zinoman, our comedy critic, calls it “darkly ironic, a pleasingly prickly hour, equal parts wry and righteous.” She ends the performance, Jason writes, by calling for a grass-roots women’s movement to win the next election: Step 1: On dating apps, stop swiping right on men with more conservative politics. “I did the math,” she said. “If every single woman has sex with about 1,000 moderates” — Barone pauses, clenches her fists intensely and flashes the most deluded-looking smile of the show — “we might be able to win this thing!” More on culture Flaco’s back! Alissa Wilkinson reviews the director Penny Lane’s new documentary, “Wild Inside,” a collective tribute to a celebrity owl and the city that loved him. Sadie Stein, an editor on our Book Review, reread the Laura Ingalls Wilder “Little House” series she’d taken in as a child. Once a Pa supporter, she now finds herself firmly Team Ma. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS Move to Fremont, California. By one account, it is the happiest city in America. Stay hydrated and you’ll reduce your headache risk. Cop a squat on the sidelines of Junior’s next soccer game in this excellent camping chair tested by the peripatetic seating investigators at Wirecutter. Take our news quiz. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was toughen. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Crossplay and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times and me. I’ll be on vacation for the next two weeks, experiencing a life of magic and chores. My colleagues will write to you while I’m gone. Stay frosty. — Sam Correction: We wrote yesterday that the Washington Dulles International Airport is in Washington. It is actually in Virginia. 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

The Failed Developer Behind ICE’s Billion-Dollar Prison Deals Last summer, business was looking bad for hotshot Boston developer James Grossmann. His flashy new construction company, Rise Construction Management, had begun to spiral into financial ruin. That June, a bank sued Grossmann when he failed to repay a $25 million loan — just one of a mounting number of lawsuits he and his firm were facing from frustrated creditors. https://www.levernews.com/the-failed-developer-behind-ices-billion-dollar-prison-deals/?

THIS DAY IN HISTORY July 31 1975 Labor leader Jimmy Hoffa is reported missing On the morning of July 31, 1975, James Riddle Hoffa, one of the most influential American labor leaders of the 20th century, is officially reported missing after he failed to return home the previous night. Though he is popularly believed to have been the victim of a Mafia hit, conclusive evidence was never found and Hoffa’s fate remains a mystery. read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 1970s 1973 Delta Flight 723 crashes in fog at Boston Logan American Revolution 1777 Marquis de Lafayette becomes a major-general without pay Natural Disasters & Environment 1715 Hurricane sinks Spanish treasure ships Religion 1556 Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuit order, dies Space Exploration 1964 Ranger 7 photographs moon World War I 1917 Third Battle of Ypres begins in Flanders World War II 1941 Preparations for the Final Solution begin

Tens of thousands of migrants voluntarily leave after crossing into Spanish territory of Ceuta CEUTA, Spain (AP) — Tens of thousands of migrants who crossed into Spain’s tiny Ceuta territory returned voluntarily to Morocco on Friday, a day after the influx triggered chaos in the North African city and reignited the immigration debate in Europe and beyond. At least 57 migrants died on the journey. https://apnews.com/article/spain-ceuta-migration-66839d113f24ba80d08b36d2b337201c? At least 18 die after thousands breach border between Morocco and Spanish territory of Ceuta The border crisis boiled over Thursday and overnight. Spain’s state broadcaster RTVE broadcast images of burned cars on the Moroccan side of the border after reported clashes. Read more. What to know: Rachid Sbihi, who leads a local workers association representing Civil Guard officers described the situation as a “serious humanitarian crisis.” It was not immediately clear what prompted so many migrants to cross to Ceuta. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Photos of migrants crossing WATCH: Spain deploys military to Ceuta What to know about Ceuta

Hobbie, The Romans didn't observe Sunday as a holy day any more than they observed Saturn's day (Saturday) as a holy day. In addition to this St. Justin Martyr was beheaded in Rome between 162 - 168 (for being a devout Christian unwilling to deny Christ) with most historians believing it happened in 165 under the prefectural term of Junius Rusticus - which was 107 years before Constantine was even born. If devout Christians were participating in Christian Mass on Sunday and being killed for their faith prior to Constantine doing what you said he did for the reasons you say he did how do you explain this?

Well if one looks, the Emperor Constantine decreed that dies Solis Invicti (‘sun-day,’ or Day of Sol Invictus, Roman God of the Sun) would be the Roman day of rest throughout the Roman Empire. In antiquity, Sunday was a special day in the heathen calendar, dedicated to the sun god. If you look to see what was sun worship Britannica gives this: Also known as: solar deity, sun god, sun goddess sun worship, veneration of the sun or a representation of the sun as a deity, as in Atonism in Egypt in the 14th century bce. Although sun worship has been used frequently as a term for “pagan” religion, it is, in fact, relatively rare. Though almost every culture uses solar motifs, only a relatively few cultures (Egyptian, Indo-European, and Meso-American) developed solar religions. All of these groups had in common a well-developed urban civilization with a strong ideology of sacred kingship. In all of them the imagery of the sun as the ruler of both the upper and the lower worlds that he majestically visits on his daily round is prominent. The sun is the bestower of light and life to the totality of the cosmos; with his unblinking, all-seeing eye, he is the stern guarantor of justice; with the almost universal connection of light with enlightenment or illumination, the sun is the source of wisdom. These qualities—sovereignty, power of beneficence, justice, and wisdom—are central to any elite religious group, and it is within these contexts that a highly developed solar ideology is found. Kings ruled by the power of the sun and claimed descent from the sun. Solar deities, gods personifying the sun, are sovereign and all-seeing. The sun is often a prime attribute of or is identified with the Supreme Deity.

I was thinking of that text too. Why did they prefer the swine? What was the alternative?

Now a question that poses itself is whether this is place the evil angels feared to be sent to this place of darkness to such a degree that they thus asked to be sent into the swine on the hill.. Matthew 8:31-32 So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine. And he said unto them, Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine: and, behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters. Mark 5:12-13 And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea.

🍔 1 for the road: Big Mac Index hits 40 Cover: The Economist The Big Mac Index — a clever project from The Economist that compares prices of McDonald's burgers in different countries — is turning 40. The index was created in 1986 as a thought experiment and has remained a semi-serious fixture for the magazine. 💡 How it works: McDonald's makes the Big Mac in a near-identical way everywhere, so its price acts as a rough gauge of whether a currency is undervalued or overvalued. Right now, the index shows the euro is overvalued against the dollar, while China's yuan and Japan's yen are undervalued. Interactive explainer ($).

🦾 Charted: Microsoft's $450 billion jump Data: FactSet. Chart: Matt Phillips/Axios Microsoft's surge in market cap yesterday — $450 billion — was apparently the biggest one-day gain in stock market history, according to a Bloomberg analysis. The company's stock rose 16% after its latest earnings report showed strong growth from its Azure cloud computing business — a sign that AI investments are paying off, Axios' Emily Peck writes.

💵 New data: What CEOs can't ignore Data: Brunswick Group and Echelon Insights. Chart: Sara Wise/Axios CEOs face an increasingly skeptical American public that's laser-focused on affordability and fairness, Axios' Shane Savitsky writes from polling by the Brunswick Group and Echelon Insights, provided first to Axios. 41% of Americans surveyed said a topic linked to affordability (cost of living, the economy, jobs) is the biggest issue facing the country right now. Asked what they'd tell CEOs about life in America today, a quarter of respondents pointed to high costs. 23% cited greed or inequality. Full results ..

🗳️ Exclusive: Tracking online voter registration Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Stock: Getty Images The Trump administration has a new tactic for trying to isolate cases of alleged voter fraud — digging into the IP addresses of those who went online to register to vote, Axios' Brittany Gibson writes. The FBI recently obtained the IP address of someone who registered online in South Carolina, according to documents first shared with Axios. Why it matters: The bureau's request for the address, which state and local officials complied with, offers a glimpse of how federal authorities are stepping up their probe of voter rolls and registration practices under pressure from President Trump. It's unclear how often the FBI plans to take the extraordinary step of seeking IP addresses. But its push in South Carolina has broad implications nationwide: 43 states allow some form of online voter registration. An IP address would show a user's geographic location and service provider, but not their specific identity. It could tell whether the user was outside a state or even the U.S., for example. The big picture: As the bureau investigates South Carolina, ICE has been requesting voter data in Texas and North Carolina. The Justice Department, meanwhile, is trying to obtain voter rolls from states that have resisted sharing registration information, and is suing 30 states and D.C. for that access. Keep reading.

📉 Trump's second-term low Data: Silver Bulletin. Chart: Noah Bressner/Axios President Trump's net approval rating slipped to the lowest level of his second term yesterday, according to data from Nate Silver. ⛽ Trump's ratings improved earlier this month before dipping again over the last couple of weeks — a decline Silver notes coincides closely with rising gas prices and the resumption of the Iran war. The president's latest numbers: 38.2% approve and 58.8% disapprove, for a -20.6% net approval rating. More numbers.

🤖 Digital world disruption Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios Axios CEO Jim VandeHei writes in his weekly C-Suite newsletter: The way information shows up online is changing lightning fast, starting with the total collapse of Google Search as we know it. Why it matters: Google has basically stopped sending people to websites (including our site) for answers and information. Instead, it's using AI to answer them on its platform, in its words. 🧮 By the numbers: Chartbeat data shared with Axios shows Google Search traffic to publishers fell 34% over the past year. That pain is regressive. Over the past two years, small publishers lost 60% of referrals from search overall, medium publishers 47%, large publishers 22%. At the same time, LinkedIn, Reddit and other massive platforms are getting jammed with AI-created content, making it harder to stand out — or decipher real from fake. Substack announced a partnership with AI-detection software Pangram, specifically calling out LinkedIn while arguing that "platforms that reward fakeness will create a race to the bottom." 👓 What we're watching: Online businesses are already anticipating the shift to an LLM, ChatGPT-like world. It starts with GEO (generative engine optimization) — the term for shaping how content shows up inside LLMs like Claude and ChatGPT. This is the modern version of SEO. It's early, and it's a black box.

⚠️ Anthropic's AI breach Illustration: Allie Carl/Axios Some of Anthropic's most powerful models — including Mythos 5 and an internal research model — gained unauthorized access to real-world systems during pre-deployment cybersecurity testing, Axios' Sam Sabin writes. Why it matters: Anthropic's disclosure — a little over a week after OpenAI first revealed similar testing incidents — fuels concerns about what the world's most powerful AI models will do when guardrails come off. Anthropic said in a blog post that three of its models compromised real-world systems belonging to three organizations after a misunderstanding between the company and one of its testing partners left the evaluation environment connected to the internet. The incidents — which involved Opus 4.7, Mythos 5 and an internal research model not intended for general release — happened during evaluations run with a third-party testing partner. Anthropic reviewed more than 141,000 cybersecurity evaluation runs after OpenAI disclosed that several of its models accessed Hugging Face, a widely used platform for hosting AI models, during testing. 🔬 Between the lines: Unlike OpenAI's incident, Anthropic said its models did not exploit a zero-day vulnerability to gain internet access. Instead, internet access was available because of the testing environment's configuration. Similar to the OpenAI case, Anthropic was evaluating its models without the additional safeguards it deploys on publicly available models. Those guardrails would have blocked these behaviors, Anthropic said in its report. Anthropic explains: Incidents 1-3 ...

US stocks rise to finish a wild July as Amazon soars, Apple sinks and inflation worries worsen NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks rose Friday to finish a wild July for Wall Street as Amazon leaped, Apple sank and rising oil prices worsened worries about inflation staying high. https://apnews.com/article/stock-markets-rates-korea-ai-oil-e31b3a442bcb957a53f1823ef21e73e8?

Hanna-Barbera pitched The Flintstones to networks for 8 weeks before it was finally picked up. It became the first-ever animated show to air during primetime. James