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Zero harm or distress here my friend.

Of course He did. God came to save us - God didn't come to "try" to save us. I'm still waiting for someone to explain to me where Scripture teaches that God put Himself on probation to slog it out with Lucifer with the outcome being undetermined. This concept is alien to Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy and Protestantism. It's only present in Islam and Restorationist groups such as the Christadelphians, Jehovah's Witnesses and Seventh-day Adventists. Granted that Arius (famous for Arianism) believed this.

🚀 Musk's market Photo illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios. Photo: Brandon Bell/Getty Images Wall Street analysts published a slew of bullish reports on SpaceX today as Elon Musk's rocket, communications and AI conglomerate joins the Nasdaq-100 Index. Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan Chase all issued "buy" or equivalent ratings on the space behemoth, Bloomberg reports. At the same time, analysts acknowledge the company could spend more than it takes in for years to come. 📈 Why it matters: SpaceX joining the Nasdaq-100 should be a boost for the stock because of the large number of funds that track the benchmark. 🔮 While Wall Street sets eye-popping price targets on the stock, analysts don't have crystal balls. Plus, sell-side analysts often skew bullish. But SpaceX shares kept falling today and are now just under the $150 price where shares started trading last month. Bloomberg gift link.

AI safety retreat Illustration: Allie Carl/Axios Even as AI models grow more powerful, the companies behind them are weakening key safety commitments, Axios' Ina Fried reports from a Future of Life Institute report. "AI companies are sprinting toward a cliff," FLI chair Max Tegmark said in the institute's release. "Despite acknowledging the great risks of artificial superintelligence, they continue racing to build it." 🚧 The reviewers said Anthropic, OpenAI, Google DeepMind and Meta had weakened earlier commitments to pause development if the systems neared certain danger thresholds. 📊 The rankings: Anthropic took the lead in the Institute's latest AI Safety Index — but received only a C+ overall. OpenAI and Google DeepMind both scored Cs. At the bottom were xAI, DeepSeek and Mistral, all receiving failing grades. ⚠️ Companies are weakest on existential safety, per the report. It comes a day after UN Secretary-General António Guterres issued a blunt warning: "We may be the last generation able to set the terms on which humanity and machines coexist." The fine print: The grades are based largely on public policies, research, reporting and company disclosures. The institute has long advocated aggressive action against catastrophic AI risk. 👀 What we're watching: How the recent attention toward Anthropic's Mythos and OpenAI's GPT-5.6 impacts the conversation around safety practices. Read the report ...

Judge rejects Justice Department attempt to get names of 2020 election workers in Fulton County ATLANTA (AP) — The U.S. Department of Justice cannot have the names and personal contact information for every person who worked during the 2020 election in Georgia’s Fulton County, a federal judge ruled Tuesday. https://apnews.com/article/2020-georgia-election-workers-trump-justice-department-22ed0f675d7793a272c9acb6048a4417?

35 Hidden Windows 11 Features Microsoft Never Told You About Stop settling for the default Windows experience. These 35 hidden features unlock smarter workflows, better customization, and surprisingly useful tools already built into Windows 11. https://www.pcmag.com/explainers/35-hidden-windows-11-features-microsoft-never-told-you-about?

Lionel Messi leads Argentina to 3-2 comeback victory over Egypt and spot in World Cup quarterfinals ATLANTA (AP) — It was another World Cup epic from an Argentina team that simply doesn’t know when it’s beaten. https://apnews.com/article/argentina-egypt-world-cup-score-5129f0693b78e1ca7efeee87c46cc4cb?

IOC eases path toward Russia returning with full team at 2028 LA Olympics GENEVA (AP) — Russia moved closer Tuesday toward having a full team with its national flag and anthem at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. https://apnews.com/article/ioc-olympics-russia-2028-822fc74919e9092d551f0c575408bf8d?

Reform UK’s Farage says he’ll quit as lawmaker and seek reelection amid donation allegations LONDON (AP) — Reform UK leader Nigel Farage announced Tuesday that he will quit his seat in Parliament and seek reelection in an effort to clear his name over financial allegations linked to millions of dollars’ worth of donations. https://apnews.com/article/nigel-farage-reform-uk-future-donations-scandal-5875dcf037074b013117833f35ab17a3?

👋 Good morning! Welcome back. In today's edition: The USMNT's unceremonious exit, Wimbledon quarterfinalists, MLB All-Stars, a historic and star-studded Golden Boot race, DPD (Dollars Per Dog), and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports...     ⚽️ ELIMINATED END OF THE ROAD FOR THE USMNT (Jamie Squire/Getty Images) Despite showering in the glory of topping the group and winning a knockout game in front of an adoring and electric home crowd, the U.S. journey ends in the same place as it did in its last three attempts: the Round of 16. Red, white, and bruised: A calamitous American defensive performance, married with a mostly toothless attack, granted Belgium a 4-1 win on Monday in Seattle, sending the Red Devils into the quarterfinals and relegating the red-card drama of the previous 36 hours to a historical footnote. There was exactly one highlight for the Stars and Stripes, as Malik Tillman's 31st-minute free kick tied the game at one goal apiece and made him the first player in over 40 years to score on two direct free kicks in a single World Cup. But the joy was (extremely) short lived. Belgium regained the lead two minutes later on a goal that, like their first one, exposed more about the Americans' deficiencies than Belgium's talent. The third goal, on a disastrous sequence by goalkeeper Matt Freese, effectively ended the game before the fourth put it on ice. What they're saying: "We were not the same team that during the tournament showed quality — a very bad day," said coach Mauricio Pochettino. "It was unlike any other performances we've had this summer, to be honest," added left back Antonee Robinson. "It's hard to say where it went wrong." Complicated legacy: At its best, this American contingent reached heights of quality rarely seen in U.S. Soccer history. And yet, the ultimate result was unchanged, underscoring the size of the gap that they've only partially closed to date. This USMNT rallied a nation behind their footballing cause with bravery; but, in their unceremonious exit, failed to show the same swashbuckling confidence that previously suggested times had changed. Unlike the gallant underdog effort of a 2014 USMNT woefully deficient in talent against a superior Belgium side, this was a game that, based on form, appeared tantalizingly winnable. That the U.S. never came close to doing so leaves a bitter aftertaste from an otherwise sweet experience. The result also exposed a simple truth, succinctly stated by Yahoo Sports' Steven Goff: "The U.S. is a good team, but it's not a really good team." Take me home: The next time the U.S. is eligible to host the World Cup is in 2038, 12 long years away. Perhaps a new generation will rise, inspired by this one, to lift the trophy on American soil. Like many before them, though, the legacy of this USMNT awaits definition by those who will follow in a trail they helped to blaze. (Yahoo Sports) More from Monday: Spain have yet to concede a goal in this year's tournament, as a stoppage time winner from Mikel Merino clinched a 1-0 victory over Portugal and a place in the quarterfinals for La Roja. They'll join France, Morocco, Belgium, Norway, and England, with the two remaining spots to be decided in today's Round-of-16 action. Siuuu you later: Portugal's defeat ended 41-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo's accomplished but ultimately unfulfilled World Cup career. Though Ronaldo never captured the elusive title that finally found his chief rival in 2022, he recorded his share of history, appearing in six World Cups and scoring in all of them. Happy trails, CR7…   🎾 WIMBLEDON AND THEN THERE WERE EIGHT (Matthias Hangst/Getty Images) The quarterfinals are (nearly) set at the All England Club, where nine men and eight women remain in contention for the Wimbledon Championships. Men: No. 1 Jannik Sinner vs. Jan-Lennard Struff; No. 3 Félix Auger-Aliassime vs. No. 7 Novak Djokovic; No. 9 Flavio Cobolli vs. Arthur Fery*; No. 6 Taylor Fritz vs. No. 2 Alexander Zverev or No. 13 Jiri Lehecka (Zverev was up two sets when play was suspended on Monday due to darkness). Women: No. 4 Jess Pegula vs. No. 7 Coco Gauff; No. 10 Karolína Muchová vs. No. 14 Naomi Osaka; No. 12 Marta Kostyuk vs. No. 13 Jasmine Paolini; No. 9 Linda Nosková vs. No. 25 Elise Mertens. Goliaths bare their teeth: As you can see above, just two unseeded players are still alive, both on the men's side (Struff and Fery). Indeed, this is the first time since 2007 that all eight women's quarterfinalists are seeded. Having said that, one of those women did pull off a pretty major upset… Naomi Osaka reacts after clinching her biggest victory in years. (Cameron Spencer/Getty Images) Here comes Osaka: Osaka stunned top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets on Sunday to reach her first-ever Wimbledon quarterfinal, earning her first win over a world No. 1 since 2019. It was probably her biggest victory since coming back from maternity leave at the start of the 2024 season, and it came with an added measure of revenge, too. Sabalenka had eliminated Osaka in the Round of 16 three times this year, including last month at Roland Garros, before she finally flipped the script on Sunday with her own Round of 16 victory over the Belarusian. And today the four-time major champion will get a chance for a little more revenge, facing the 10th-seeded Muchová less than two weeks after the Czech defeated her via walkover in the final at Bad Homburg. The other side: Sabalenka's loss snapped not only her streak of reaching 14 straight major quarterfinals, but also her arguably even more impressive streak of winning at least one set in 121 consecutive Grand Slam matches. That is by far the best mark by any player this century, man or woman (Roger Federer is second, at 99). Speaking of Federer… The Swiss legend's record for the most matches won by a man at Wimbledon (105) was broken on Sunday by Djokovic (106). If the Serb can win three more, he'll equal Federer's record of eight Wimbledon titles and, of course, break a tie with Margaret Court for the most Grand Slams ever won (25). *Hometown hero: Fery, a 23-year-old Wimbledon local, is the first British wildcard (man or woman) to reach the quarterfinal of any major in the Open Era. The world No. 114 has already guaranteed himself a payout ($480K) worth more than half of his career earnings to date ($868K).   ⚾️ MIDSUMMER CLASSIC MLB ALL-STAR ROSTERS REVEALED (Joseph Raines/Yahoo Sports) The rosters for the 96th MLB All-Star Game were revealed on Saturday ahead of the Midsummer Classic, which will take place at Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park a week from today. AL starters: C Shea Langeliers (ATH), 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr.* (TOR), 2B Ernie Clement (TOR), 3B Junior Caminero (TB), SS Bobby Witt Jr. (KC), OF Mike Trout (LAA), OF Aaron Judge (NYY), OF Byron Buxton (MIN), DH Yordan Alvarez (HOU) NL starters: C Drake Baldwin (ATL), 1B Freddie Freeman (LAD), 2B Ozzie Albies (ATL), 3B Max Muncy (LAD), SS CJ Abrams (WSH), OF Brandon Marsh (PHI), OF Juan Soto (NYM), OF Andy Pages (LAD), DH Shohei Ohtani (LAD) Notes: The reserves and pitchers were also announced on Saturday, yielding a crop of 65 All-Stars who got the nod for next week's game. Team-by-team breakdown: The Dodgers, Braves and Phillies led the way with five All-Stars each, followed by the Yankees (4), Rays (4), Blue Jays (4), Guardians (3) and Tigers (3). Ten other teams had two All-Stars, and 12 had just one apiece. Most appearances: Trout leads all players with 12 All-Star nods, followed by Freeman (10), Chris Sale (10), Aroldis Chapman (9), Bryce Harper (9) and Judge (8). Fewest appearances: There are 26 first-timers, including five starters (Langeliers, Clement, Baldwin, Marsh, Pages) and four rookies (Detroit INF Kevin McGonigle, Cincinnati INF Sal Stewart and Cleveland's LHP Parker Messick and 2B Travis Bazzana). Bryce's "Legendary"status: Harper's selection came via commissioner Rob Manfred's "Legend Pick." The host team's most famous player didn't otherwise earn the spot, but was certainly deserving, as he's top 10 in the NL in HR (20), RBI (57), BB (57) and OPS (.895). *Vladdy sits out: Vlad Jr., voted as a starter despite being mired in a career-worst season (4 HR, .693 OPS), has opted to skip the game to recuperate from a lower back issue. A's 1B Nick Kurtz, crushing the ball to the tune of 20 HR and a .928 OPS, will replace him as a starter. (Hassan Ahmad/Yahoo Sports) Further reading: Contreras, Turang and Wheeler headline All-Snub Team (Jordan Shusterman, Yahoo Sports)   💯 STAT SHEET BIG NUMBERS Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring his first of two goals in Sunday’s victory over Brazil. (Al Bello/Getty Images) ⚽️ 7 goals Argentina's Lionel Messi, France's Kylian Mbappé and Norway's Erling Haaland are tied for the lead with seven goals apiece at the 2026 World Cup, marking the first time in the tournament's history that three different players have scored at least seven goals. And all three have at least one game left to add to their tallies! Embarrassment of riches: What a treat this World Cup has been, giving us a Golden Boot race led by arguably the three best players in the world, all of whom have led their teams deep into the tournament. And it's not just the trio above: English superstar Harry Kane is right behind them with six goals, and France's Ousmane Dembélé, the reigning Ballon d'Or winner, has four. ⛳️ 5 wins Just three golfers have won at least five times on the PGA Tour since the start of 2024: Scottie Scheffler (14 wins), Rory McIlroy (6) and Chris Gotterup, whose fifth victory came on Sunday at the John Deere Classic, where he overcame a five-stroke deficit with a scorching 9-under 62 to finish one stroke ahead (-20) of Max Homa (-19). Rapid rise: The 26-year-old Maryland native turned pro in 2022 and earned his first win in 2024, but he was still ranked just 191st at the end of that year. In the past 12 months he's leveled up in a huge way with 10 top-five finishes and four wins — including three this year — to climb to No. 7 in the world. Next up, he'll look to defend his Scottish Open title this weekend. Chapman salutes the dugout after breaking the record. (William Liang/AP Photo) ⚾️ 1,364 strikeouts Aroldis Chapman fanned his 1,364th career batter on Friday, breaking a tie with Hoyt Wilhelm for the most strikeouts by a reliever in MLB history. Boston's 38-year-old closer has continued the career resurgence that saw him finish seventh for the Cy Young last season, as he's currently sporting a 2.36 ERA with 18 saves (in 20 chances) for the Sox. Speaking of dominant southpaws: Atlanta's Chris Sale made some history of his own over the weekend, becoming the 10th pitcher to strike out at least 500 batters with three different teams (White Sox, Red Sox). The other nine: Nolan Ryan, Roger Clemens, Bert Blyleven, Gaylord Perry, Curt Schilling, Dennis Eckersley, Zack Greinke, A.J. Burnett and Gerrit Cole. 🏊‍♀️ 2:01.65 Summer McIntosh broke the longest-standing individual world record in women's swimming on Sunday at the Canadian trials, posting a time of 2:01.65 in the 200m butterfly to eclipse the previous record of 2:01.81 set by China's Liu Zige back in 2009. The 19-year-old superstar, a four-time medalist at the 2024 Olympics, now holds four long-course world records. End of an era: This was the last women's record standing from swimming's short-lived "super-suit" era in the late-2000s, when high-tech polyurethane swimsuits yielded a surge of record-breaking performances before being banned in 2009. Consider this: 98% of all swimming medals won at the 2008 Beijing Olympics — and 23 of the 25 world records broken there — were by athletes wearing those super suits.   📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: TUESDAY, JULY 7 Messi has scored in a World Cup record eight consecutive games. Will he make it nine today against Egypt? (Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images) ⚽️ World Cup, Round of 16 The quarterfinals will be set this evening after Argentina takes on Egypt in Atlanta (12pm ET, Fox) and Switzerland faces Colombia in Vancouver (4pm, Fox). Fresh blood: Argentina — the defending and three-time champion — is the only team playing today that has made regular trips to the World Cup quarterfinals. Egypt has never reached the last eight, Colombia has reached once (2014) and Switzerland hasn't been there since 1954. 🎾 Wimbledon, Quarterfinals The quarterfinals begin today at the All England Club, where No. 1 Jannik Sinner and Jan-Lennard Struff get things started on Court 1 (8am, ESPN2) and No. 4 Jess Pegula takes on No. 7 Coco Gauff in an all-American clash on Center Court (8:30am, ESPN). Up next: No. 10 Karolína Muchová and No. 14 Naomi Osaka play on Court 1 following the Sinner-Struff match, and No. 3 Félix Auger-Aliassime faces No. 7 Novak Djokovic on Center Court following the Pegula-Gauff match. More to watch: ⚾️ MLB: Yankees at Rays (6:40pm, TBS) … Tampa (52-36) has taken a 3-game lead over New York (50-40) atop the AL East as the Yankees have lost nine of their last 11. 🏀 WNBA: Wings at Liberty (8pm, ESPN) … Fourth-place Dallas and fifth-place New York have the same 13-8 record. 🚴 Tour de France: Stage 4 (7:10am, NBCSN/Peacock) … The first stage to both start and end in France will go 113 miles from Carcassone to Foix on the southern tip of the country. Got plans tonight? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events in your city.   ⚾ ALL-STARS MLB TRIVIA Trout rounds the bases after hitting a home run last month. (Melina Pizano/Getty Images) Mike Trout is just the third player in American League history to be elected as an All-Star starter by the fans at least 11 times. Question: Can you name the other two? Hint: Orioles, Royals Answer at the bottom.   🌭 DOLLARS PER DOG CHESTNUT KEEPS THE CROWN (Anna Connors/AP Photo) Joey Chestnut won his record-extending 18th Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest on July 4 in Brooklyn's Coney Island, consuming 66 dogs to retain the Mustard Belt by a healthy margin — perhaps the only healthy thing about the event. Full belly, full wallet: Chestnut earned $10,000 for the victory, or $151 per dog. That only slightly outpaced his career DPD (dollars per dog) of $149, earned after pocketing $180,000 and consuming 1,206.5 hot dogs across his 18 victories. This story originally appeared in Monday's edition of Yahoo Sports Biz. Subscribe here to receive our new newsletter in your inbox every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.   Trivia answer: Cal Ripken Jr. (17 fan-vote elections) and George Brett (11)

Le Pen says she’ll run for French presidency next year despite court-ordered monitor PARIS (AP) — Far-right leader Marine Le Pen says she’ll run for the French presidency next year despite being sentenced Tuesday to wear a court-ordered electronic monitor for embezzlement. https://apnews.com/article/france-le-pen-macron-bardella-verdict-election-dcd2a305d01a87f13f1d7c81dffeee90?

A proud history and a cloudy future: Congressional Black Caucus hit by Supreme Court ruling WASHINGTON — The long, often agonizing struggle for Black political clout in Washington faces a new, uncertain and potentially troublesome chapter. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/07/07/repub/a-proud-history-and-a-cloudy-future-congressional-black-caucus-hit-by-supreme-court-ruling/?

Florida suit against college accreditation process dismissed again A federal appeals court affirmed Monday dismissal of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ 2023 challenge to the college accrediting process, which he believes enforces diversity and related interests he considers “woke.” https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/07/06/florida-suit-against-college-accreditation-process-dismissed-again/?

Why Trump’s Jaw-Dropping World Cup Fix Is Only the Corruption Iceberg’s Tip Trump’s World Cup intervention is just one layer of a system that rewards power, money, and self-interest. It is tempting to think that just because Donald Trump is by far the most corrupt public official in the history of the United States, and his administration is unquestionably the most corrupt ever, that somehow the corruption problem in Washington begins and ends with them. That would be a huge mistake. I have lived in Washington for 33 years. My first job in D.C. was even before I moved here, when, for a couple of years during the Carter administration, I was the press secretary for a congressman. I came to D.C. an idealist. My idealism was fostered by the wholesale swallowing of jingoistic propaganda from my school years and from my immigrant father. The idealism was then, in turn, wrapped in a protective coating of naivete and further buffered by a remarkable degree of ignorance. So much for the East Coast cynicism of which I’ve always been so proud. But here’s the deal: After decades in Washington, it is crystal clear to me that what distinguishes the city and defines its culture more than any other trait, and now does so to a greater and greater degree yearly, is its corruption. Washington is, at its core, a machine in which power is recycled into money. Power is made into money, money is then translated into more power, which in turn becomes more money. It is the formula that keeps the ecosystem of Washington alive, and ensures that it serves fewer and fewer of us at the expense of more and more of us. But the corruption is about more than money. It is about placing the self-interests of the powerful ahead of judgment, ethics, morality, decency, and all the other qualities that we ought to expect in public servants. It is about placing serving self-interests ahead of public service. Much of the corruption is, however, invisible. Indeed, it has been institutionalized to such a degree that it is not just normalized, it’s mechanized, routinized, baked into the cake. Appropriations processes, the way officials are recruited for jobs, and even how think tanks operate, rationalizing the unthinkable in exchange for donations, are all part of these corrupt processes. In fact, baked in the cake is not a bad metaphor, as corruption in Washington is, as it turns out, perhaps a 700-layer cake ranging from straight-on grift of the free airplane type to hard-to-see chicanery of the crypto kind, to respectable forms of thievery like the budget process, to lobbying to think tanks, to the various forms of self-interested hobnobbery going on at Georgetown cocktail parties. What’s more, the very fact that the corruption is endemic‚ embedded in the culture and the processes of Washington, means that it functions as a kind of defense system. Everything is normalized by actually being normal. People are numb to it because it is part of the air they breathe and their daily rituals: corruption in who you know and chat with in the car pool line at your kids’ private school, corruption playing golf, corruption as S.O.P. in every moneymaking business in town, corruption as the way our campaign finance system works, corruption as the rationale behind who secrets are shared with, and who are left out in the cold because they can’t be trusted. You may think I am exaggerating. If anything, I’m understating the scope, depth, pervasiveness, and perniciousness of the problem. It just takes a quick scan of the headlines to reveal that virtually every story about Washington today contains a corrupt subtext. That may be obvious when our felon president—convicted of fraud, a pathological liar—gets on the horn with the head of one of the world’s most corrupt organizations, FIFA, to fiddle the rules around a red card in the World Cup. It’s pretty transparent in that case; more so if you remember FIFA head Gianni Infantino gave Trump the ridiculous FIFA Peace Prize. Or if you know the history of corruption inquiries into FIFA, or you remember that FIFA is a tenant, for no apparent reason, at Trump Tower in New York. It’s also obvious when Trump touts, publicly—as he did on Monday—all that he has done for the crypto business, even as revelations swirl about the billions he has made off of crypto, and the billions investors in his crypto ventures have lost, and all the crypto-friendly regulations he has passed. Trump is really the godfather of the crypto boom in the U.S. and I use the term primarily in the Mario Puzo sense. It’s a huge con and our president is rigging the rules, firing crypto investigators, doing all he can to cash in on the highly suspect form of finance. And we probably don’t know the half of it. What international and domestic side deals has the president struck in crypto? We’ll probably never know.You see corruption when Trump flies around on Grift Force One. When entities his family owns benefit from a UFC fight night on the South Lawn or off the 250th birthday celebration of America or from Pentagon or foreign contracts (like the recent Kazakh tungsten mine revelations). Trump family members getting a sweet deal on land for a resort in Albania? So corrupt that people turn out in the streets to protest. The fact that other members of his administration are also cashing in is a further illustration of the problem. But so too are what we learn about who is giving gifts to Supreme Court members or about the pervasiveness of insider trading from Congress to Trump (trading millions in the hours before he changes trade policy, for example). But, again, there are more layers to the corrupt culture of D.C. Trump barely works and spends many millions golfing on the public’s dime. He allocates funds for his pet D.C. projects outside of legal channels. But what about how the GOP is protecting members of Congress who make up its slim margin of control when they are clearly guilty of ethics violations or even crimes? Or when they, like New Jersey Rep. Tom Kean, just don’t show up for work for half a year? Or when you have a prominent Republican like Mitch McConnell whose staff feels no compulsion to let his constituents know whether, say, he is even still alive. Democrats can be guilty, too. They’ve got plenty of insider trading stories on their records. But they also have contributed to the culture of corruption by trying to cover up or downplay obvious, egregious ethical problems with candidates like Graham Platner, the Maine Senate wannabe whose candidacy is now circling the drain. Good people lent him their reputations and then, when it became clear he was abusing their trust, were slow to call him out because of how it might have reflected on them. And I’ll tell you, for me, another level of the corruption was found in this fairly innocuous social media post by the staid and respected Center for Strategic and International Studies. They published a report and a long social media thread assessing U.S. defense spending. The social media post began by saying: “At about 4.6% of GDP, the budget request of $1.5 trillion for FY 2027 marks a notable increase in defense spending. But a state of wartime footing also demands an ecosystem of competitive, innovative firms that can quickly field & sustain military systems in large quantities.” Pretty bland stuff. It then goes through a variety of points about what is needed to put the United States industrial base on a “wartime footing.” It talks about what might ensure we can produce the weapons we “need.” It then concludes by saying: “Defense spending is rising, munitions production agreements are being signed at historic scale, and novel public-private investment structures are taking shape, but the U.S. industrial base has a long way to go to achieve resilience.” Measured tones. Formal analytical language. But nowhere does it point out that we have no reason to have an industrial base on a “wartime footing,” that no other country in the world takes this approach, and that even in the long history of obscene U.S. defense budgets, this $1.5 trillion budget request is egregiously over-the-top insanely wasteful and unjustifiable—many multiples of every other country, multiples of all major powers added together. It does not note that such spending is crazy as deficits skyrocket or cuts are being made in social spending to provide more benefits to billionaires. It does not mention that what this budget is proposing is obscene, reckless and a threat to every American. No. It normalizes it. It whitewashes the administration’s bats–t crazy defense request and validates it. It even suggests, ludicrously, that the administration’s plans may not go far enough. That is corruption, too. It will cost Americans more than the stealing of even master criminals like the Trump Crime Family. It looks like a fact-based academic assessment, but it is paid for by corporate and personal donations from entities that benefit from its recommendations. (As often happens with think tank reports.) That includes Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Boeing, and General Atomics. The people who write the report are part of an information and career ecosystem in which they benefit from doing what has been done since Dwight Eisenhower first warned of the military industrial complex in 1961. Some of these forms of corruption are visible. Others come to light periodically, when there are scandals or people see laws are being rewritten to serve billionaires and corporations at the expense of the majority of Americans. We are inured to others and barely notice. Some are intentionally invisible but just as damaging to our national interests. Periodically, the corruption in D.C. grows so extreme that change is called for. Think of Teddy Roosevelt and the trustbusters at the end of the period of the robber barons. Or more recently, think of post-Watergate, post-Vietnam, when people were so eager for a big change they elected a president few had heard of before 1976. That was a Georgia farmer, Sunday school teacher, former naval officer, and governor who seemed like the perfect anti-Washingtonian, anti-Nixon. A man of faith and ethics. Jimmy Carter. My sense is that given the extremes of visible corruption today, we are reaching another such inflection point and that as a consequence, we will be seeking a next president who is seen as not part of the D.C.’s corrupted culture; someone who is rather distinguished by his or her character, ethics, and values in much the same way that Trump is known for his absence of all those things. We need someone to clean house. Not a charlatan fake “common man” who, upon examination, has all the sleazoid traits we despise about D.C. like Platner. But someone who appears capable of recognizing and calling out the problem, holding offenders accountable, and overseeing meaningful reforms. Whomever she or he is, the odds are that, like in 1976, we don’t know their name right now. But one thing is certain: it is ever more likely that they are another of the usual suspects, another creature inside the Beltway swamp that the slime monster who is our president has only made many quantum levels worse. https://www.thedailybeast.com/why-trumps-jaw-dropping-world-cup-fix-is-only-the-corruption-icebergs-tip/?

White House Lays Out Bonkers Examples for New Battle Trump goons turned to Mickey Mouse to make a point about “restoring truth and sanity.” The White House escalated its attacks against one of the country’s most storied museums in a bizarre series of posts about cartoon characters, musical instruments, and the Dixie Chicks. The White House Rapid Response account posted a thread accusing the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History of filling a family institution with what it called “sick, explicit content.” The thread was produced alongside a 162-page White House report, compiled by the Domestic Policy Council under former Trump speechwriter Vince Haley, accusing the museum of abandoning objective scholarship in favor of “extreme political activism.” It also objected to video clips of drag queens, images of nude women, the iconic 2003 Entertainment Weekly “Dixie Chicks Come Clean” cover, and a copy of Girl Germs, a feminist zine created by University of Oregon students in 1990. “A magazine promoting ‘female masturbation,’” the White House complained, referring to the cover, which features two females in a romantic tangle. The administration also took issue with the museum’s contextualization of American cultural icons. It objected to descriptions of Mickey Mouse as having ties to the “vestiges of longstanding traditions of blackface minstrelsy,” the ukulele as “a product of U.S. imperialism,” and Wild West shows as turning the “subjugation of Indigenous people into theater.” Cultural historians have long made similar arguments about all three. The founding of America also came in for complaint. The White House objected to Christopher Columbus being described as a “murderer,” “slaver,” and “thief,” the Pilgrims being called “colonizers,” and Thanksgiving being linked to a “National Day of Mourning.” Historians widely agree that Columbus participated in the enslavement of Indigenous people, the Pilgrims did establish an English colony, and many Indigenous activists have observed a National Day of Mourning on Thanksgiving since 1970. The White House also took aim at the Benjamin Franklin exhibit, complaining that 20 percent of the space was devoted to enslaved people and that visitors were asked whether Franklin conducted electric shock experiments on enslaved people, which it said was done “with zero evidence.” Franklin did own enslaved people earlier in his life before freeing them and becoming an abolitionist and president of the Pennsylvania Abolition Society. There is no credible historical evidence that he used enslaved people in his electrical experiments, though it is known that he experimented on people generally. The administration also objected to the museum celebrating Angela Davis, whom it described as “a Marxist who ran for VP as a Communist in 1980” and who “called for abolishing police and jails.” Davis was acquitted on all charges following a highly publicized 1972 trial connected to a 1970 courthouse attack. Supporters regard her as a major figure in the civil rights, Black liberation, and feminist movements. The White House also flagged other exhibits as objectionable: a “crotch harness,” a “trans nonbinary” person’s “chest binder,” and pages from a 6-year-old girl’s diary in which she prays “every night for my penis to grow.” “This sick material is sexualizing kids,” the White House wrote. The Smithsonian rejected the White House’s characterization, saying it has served the public through independent, nonpartisan scholarship for more than 180 years. Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch defended the museum’s role in helping Americans understand the “complexity and nuance” of the nation’s history. The report follows Trump’s executive order seeking to eliminate federal support for what he calls “divisive narratives” at the Smithsonian. The White House thread concluded by declaring the findings proof of “Radical Left ideological capture of the Smithsonian—which the Trump Administration is rightfully correcting.” https://www.thedailybeast.com/white-house-lays-out-bonkers-examples-for-new-battle/? ps:How pathetic this administration is, to think they can change history!!!!!

Trump Trolled With Brutal Two-Word Message After World Cup Defeat The president’s explosive intervention in the tournament blew up in his face. Belgium hit Donald Trump with a brutal two-word jab after blasting Team USA out of the FIFA World Cup despite the president’s interference. “Overturn this,” the Belgian national team, known as the Red Devils, posted on their official X account after their 4-1 triumph Monday night knocked the U.S. out of the tournament. Trump had called FIFA President Gianni Infantino only days earlier to ask the soccer suck-up to review the red card from a match last week that had seen Team USA star striker Folarin Balogun slapped with a one-game ban. The presidents are close. Infantino awarded Trump FIFA’s inaugural Peace Prize last December—having invented it to curry favor with the president after his Nobel Peace Prize snub. Balogun received the red card during the tie against Bosnia and Herzegovina last Wednesday. He was sent off in the 64th minute after trampling Bosnian player Tarik Muharemovic’s ankle as the two chased a loose ball. The U.S. won 2-0. The White House spent the following day frantically speaking with lawyers, digging into the rules, and consulting the men’s national team before Trump placed the call. FIFA announced on Sunday that, for the first time since 1962, the red card would not result in a suspension, clearing Balogun to face Belgium. The president confirmed on Monday before the evening match that he’d intervened with Infantino, taking credit for the reversal while insisting he hadn’t dictated the outcome. “All I did was ask for a review—I didn’t say, ‘You have to do this,’” he told reporters. He admitted that prior to Balogun’s suspension, “I didn’t know what the hell a red card was.” That admission did not keep him from declaring the referee who made the decision was “a little bit suspect” and urging journalists, without elaborating, to “check his past.” He also thanked FIFA on Truth Social for “reversing a great injustice.” The backlash has proven fierce. UEFA, Europe’s governing soccer association, said FIFA had “crossed a red line” and called the decision “unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable.” The Royal Belgian Football Association sought an explanation for the “incomprehensible and unjustifiable” decision ahead of kick-off on Monday. FIFA decided to treat that request as a formal appeal, then declared it inadmissible because Belgium wasn’t the team playing the U.S. at the match in question. The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment on this story. https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-trolled-with-brutal-two-word-message-from-belgium-after-us-world-cup-defeat/?

Trump, 80, Unravels Over New Obsession in 1AM Meltdown The president laid out what he believes is the “Number One Priority” for Congress in a social media tirade. Donald Trump went on a late-night rant demanding that Congress push through a third mammoth reconciliation bill alongside his stalled SAVE America Act. In a Truth Social post just before 1 a.m. ET, the 80-year-old president pushed for a so-called “Reconciliation 3.0” to provide a $350 billion cash injection for defense spending. Trump, who is traveling to Ankara, Turkey, for a NATO summit, also renewed his calls for lawmakers to pass his endorsed legislation requiring proof of citizenship for voter registration and largely banning mail-in ballots in elections, which does not have enough support in Congress. “The United States Military has never been stronger, or more powerful. No other Nation can do what we do (It’s not even close!). This year we set even more Historic Recruiting Records, months ahead of schedule. Morale has never been higher. Our Military’s unmatched POWER was on full display during our Celebration of 250 Years of American Independence and, like our Country, the WAR DEPARTMENT has never been ‘HOTTER,’” Trump wrote. Trump added that the country needs to “keep it that way” and urged the House and Senate to make passing Reconciliation 3.0 and the SAVE America Act the “Number One Priority” when Congress returns to session. “The SAVE AMERICA ACT, which everyone is asking for, paired with the full funding of our Great Department of War, can be passed very quickly, ensuring that the United States of America stays FREE for Generations to come,” Trump added. The proposed “Reconciliation 3.0,” which seeks $350 billion in new defense spending, is the third major funding package Trump has pursued during his second term. The first was his One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law by Trump in June 2025, followed by a $70 billion immigration and border security package. The president was only able to get the second funding package through Congress after Senate Republicans stripped plans to add an additional $1 billion for security related to the president’s White House ballroom vanity project. Leading Senate Republicans have previously expressed doubt that Congress will pass another major spending bill this term. During a June 9 hearing, Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins said it would be a “terrible risk” to pursue a third spending package. At the same hearing, Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, also said it was “safe to conclude there will not be another reconciliation bill.” Those remarks came just days before McConnell was hospitalized after being found unconscious and requiring CPR at his Washington, D.C., home. Trump’s obsession with a third reconciliation bill comes as the president’s repeated attempts to get his SAVE America Act through Congress continue to fail. The bill, which aims to overhaul the election process, has raised concerns among critics that the president hopes to use the legislation as a pretext to meddle in November’s midterm elections, where Republicans are widely expected to suffer heavy defeats. https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-80-unravels-over-new-obsession-in-1am-meltdown/?

Trump, 80, Humiliated With His Own Dance After U.S. World Cup Loss Players were spotted after winning the game with an eyebrow-raising move. Donald Trump has been personally trolled on U.S. soil by the team that ended America’s World Cup assault. The 80-year-old president personally intervened after Team USA superstar Folarin Balogun was handed a red card that ruled him out of Monday’s knockout game against Belgium, played in Seattle. After Trump contacted FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who invented a Peace Prize for Trump last year after he was snubbed by the Nobel committee, the suspension was dramatically overturned. It is the first time since 1962 that FIFA had overturned a suspension in the World Cup and led to accusations of political interference and corruption. However, despite Balogun being controversially cleared to play, the American team was soundly beaten, 4-1. Footage widely posted on X shows Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku leading his team to imitate Trump’s awkward dance style after he scored the final goal in the match. The players formed a circle on the sideline and pumped their fists in and out, while keeping their feet planted on the ground, in a brief victory dance to reference the U.S. president. Trump’s dance routine involves keeping the feet stationary while clenching the fist and swaying the hips side to side. He most frequently busts the move to the Village People’s “YMCA.”The Belgian soccer federation had expressed its fury at the “incomprehensible and unjustifiable” decision and the Red Devils’ social media team joined in the trolling with a post on X showing Lukaku celebrating his goal and the caption: “Overturn this.”# The president was also mocked by his estranged niece Mary after the World Cup loss, as the term “Trump curse” began trending on X. “The best US men’s team ever loses to Belgium,” Mary posted on X. “If they’d advanced, there would have been an asterisk next to their victory because of Donald’s interference.” She added, “He casts a shadow over everything. He can only win if he cheats, and he thinks that applies to everybody else.” She ended her post by imitating her uncle’s regular sign-off: “Sad.” Morning Joe co-host Jonathan Lemire wrote after the loss, “It’s as if Belgium had motivation to humiliate the U.S. tonight.” Progressive news outlet Meidas Touch also highlighted the “Trump curse.” “Sports fans are calling it the Trump curse,” the outlet claimed, before listing the connection between sporting events Trump attended where a team he either supported or predicted would win actually lost, from the Super Bowl to the NBA finals. Trump did not attend Monday’s game in Seattle, and was headed for a NATO summit in Turkey. Speaking after the game, U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino said the team did not approach the match as they had other games in the World Cup. He also admitted, “We were never in the game.” “Everyone saw from the beginning that we did not connect with the game. We were never in the game,” he said. “It was really tough from the beginning,” said Pochettino. “I congratulate Belgium. They were better than us. It wasn’t our day.” Trump is yet to comment on the U.S. loss. The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment. https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-80-humiliated-with-his-own-dance-after-us-world-cup-loss/?

US loses and integrity of World Cup questioned as Trump, FIFA defend actions surrounding star US player’s suspension Folarin Balogun’s presence on the field for the United States against Belgium had a seismic impact on the world of soccer, but he ultimately played a forgettable role in the Americans’ 4-1 loss in the World Cup round of 16 on Monday. Read more. Why this matters: The striker was shown a red card during the U.S. victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina, but FIFA lifted his suspension for Monday’s match after President Donald Trump intervened on Balogun's behalf. FIFA’s decision prompted soccer leaders to question the integrity of the World Cup, with European soccer body UEFA saying FIFA “crossed a red line” and Belgium’s soccer federation contesting Balogun's eligibility. FIFA’s disciplinary committee defended its decision Monday. Trump on Monday called the referee’s decision a “horrible” call while admitting he was confused about the rules and punishment surrounding red cards. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ US eliminated in 4-1 loss to Belgium Trump says World Cup referee’s red card call was ‘horrible’ but insists he left outcome to FIFA WATCH: Emotional rollercoaster for US fans Photos of the US match

Hamas dissolves its government in Gaza to transfer power to a UN-backed committee DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Hamas militant group said Monday it had dissolved its government in Gaza and is preparing to transfer power to a technical committee backed by the United Nations as part of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal. https://apnews.com/article/israel-gaza-palestinians-hamas-war-government-146f9a609580d4c8c42ab35fbe60d5b3? US launches new strikes against Iran after three ships were hit in Strait of Hormuz DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The U.S. military launched new strikes against Iran early Wednesday, hours after three merchant ships were struck in the Strait of Hormuz, in the latest exchange of fire to threaten the interim deal to end the fighting between the two countries. https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-israel-war-oil-4732228810c9839a1258309ad43b8289?

US support for Israel slips as Democrats grow more critical, AP-NORC poll finds After decades of reliable bipartisan backing for Israel, a new AP-NORC poll reveals a dramatic erosion of support for the longtime U.S. ally, with rising opposition from Democrats and signs of division among Republicans. About one in three U.S. adults — including roughly half of Democrats — believe that Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians during the war in Gaza. It’s an accusation that’s been leveled by some human rights organizations and vehemently denied by Israel and the United States government. Read more. Why this matters: About 58% of Democrats now say the U.S. is “too supportive” of the Israelis, up from 45% in an AP-NORC poll from January 2024 when former President Joe Biden was in office. That includes 51% of Jewish Democrats in the new poll. Only about 2 in 10 Republicans say that the United States is “too supportive” of the Israelis, although Republicans under 45 are more likely to say this. The poll’s findings arrive at a moment when a once-consensus foreign policy issue is increasingly polarizing Americans along partisan and generational lines, driven by criticism for Israel’s conduct nearly three years after the outbreak of its latest war with Hamas in Gaza.

Democrats begin pulling Graham Platner endorsements after sexual assault allegation A woman who previously dated Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner said he drunkenly forced her to have sex after she told him to stop, according to a Politico report released Monday. Read more. What to know: Platner denied the allegation, but said he would be considering next steps for his campaign. “Regardless of the inaccuracy of the reporting but mindful of the political reality it will inflict, we’re taking the time to reflect on the best path forward,” he said in a video released on social media. Platner won the Democratic nomination last month, setting himself up to face Republican Sen. Susan Collins, who has beaten back previous attempts to dislodge her from the seat that she’s held for nearly three decades. Although Platner has long been controversial, the sexual allegation sparked a flight away from the candidate, including prominent supporters, throwing a must-win race for Democrats into turmoil.

Microsoft cuts Microsoft says it is eliminating about 4,800 jobs — or about 2.1% of the company’s global workforce — with its Xbox gaming unit among the hardest hit. The job cuts come as Microsoft faces pressure to establish itself as a major player in artificial intelligence, while companies like Anthropic and OpenAI are increasingly tailoring their AI tools for business use and productivity. Read more.