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I found this Short video helpful in understanding the process.

Well, this is the stated agenda. But some may have other ideas. I know there is a large number in NAD who want change, but outside of NAD I have not heard any talk of a change. I hope there is a change in leadership. It would be good for the church. Here in SSD, we have a fairly new president. Roger Caderma elected at June 2022 GC. He is a Filipino from the fastest growing area of the Philippines in Mindanao. The two previous Presidents were not Filipino and were promoted to the GC. SSD includes the southeast and southern Asian countries of Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam. About 75% of the membership is Filipino. This pastor is a ball of fire. His main strategy in PH is to split the Unions, and Conferences. This is working very well. Much better than I would have predicted. Growth outside of PH is going well too. If we had a GC president like him, whoa, that would be great.

Why only US foods. We will continue to poison the rest of the world, but stop poisoning USA. Very sad.

North Korea will open its biggest tour site next week, though it still largely blocks foreigners SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea next week will open a signature coastal tourist site that it says will usher in a new era in its tourism industry, though there is no word on when the country will fully reopen to foreign visitors. https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-tourism-coast-kim-jong-un-c26f24ea0f149b7153ddcf98397c07b5?

Nestle says it will remove artificial dyes from US foods by 2026 Nestle said Wednesday it will eliminate artificial colors from its U.S. food and beverages by the middle of 2026. https://apnews.com/article/nestle-artificial-colors-dyes-534843becc89b62d8ac548f81338ec1b?

UK says it will buy F-35 jets capable of carrying nuclear bombs THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The United Kingdom will buy 12 U.S.-made F-35A fighter jets capable of carrying nuclear bombs and will join NATO’s shared airborne nuclear mission, in a major expansion of its nuclear deterrent, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Wednesday. https://apnews.com/article/uk-nuclear-weapons-f35-jets-nato-c8b609a34c84ba7b5d786307f141bb01?

The US and Iran have had bitter relations for decades. After the bombs, a new chapter begins For nearly a half century, the world has witnessed an enmity for the ages — the threats, the plotting, the poisonous rhetoric between the “Great Satan” of Iranian lore and the “Axis of Evil” troublemaker of the Middle East, in America’s eyes. But now comes a new chapter in U.S.-Iran relations, whether for the better or the even worse. Read more. Why this matters: In the first blush of a ceasefire agreement, even before Israel and Iran appeared to be fully on board, Trump exulted in the achievement. “God bless Israel,” he posted on social media. “God bless Iran.” He wished blessings on the Middle East, America and the world, too. This change of tone, however fleeting, came after the intense U.S. bombing of Iranian nuclear-development sites this week, Iran’s retaliatory yet restrained attack on a U.S. military base in Qatar and the tentative ceasefire brokered by President Donald Trump in the Israel-Iran war. When it became clear that all hostilities had not immediately ceased after all, he took to swearing instead. “We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don’t know what the f— they’re doing,” he said on camera. In that moment, Trump was especially critical of Israel, the steadfast U.S. ally, for seeming less attached to the pause in fighting than the country that has been shouting “Death to America” for generations and is accused of trying to assassinate him. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Iran’s Supreme Leader makes first public statement since ceasefire declared in Israel-Iran war Analysis: A battered Iran faces an uncertain future after its grinding war with Israel Middle East conflict highlights how vastly the global energy supply has changed in recent years

Senate struggle over Medicaid cuts threatens progress on Trump’s big bill One key unsettled issue stalling progress on Donald Trump’s big bill in Congress is particularly daunting: How to cut billions from health care without harming Americans or the hospitals and others that provide care? Read more. Why this matters: Republicans are struggling to devise a solution to the health care problem their package has created. Already, estimates say 10.9 million more people would be without health coverage under the House-passed version of the bill. GOP senators have proposed steeper reductions, which some say go too far. A number of GOP senators, and the hospitals and other medical providers in their states, are raising steep concerns that the provider tax changes would decimate rural hospitals. In a plea to lawmakers, the American Hospital Association said the cuts won’t just affect those who get health coverage through Medicaid, but would further strain emergency rooms “as they become the family doctor to millions of newly uninsured people.” RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Trump administration sues all 15 Maryland federal judges over order blocking removal of immigrants A judge resisted Trump’s order on gender identity. The EEOC just fired her Federal judge orders Labor Department to keep Job Corps running during lawsuit Trump judicial nominee Bove denies advising Justice Department lawyers to ignore court orders New Social Security Commissioner faces pointed questions about staffing, privacy CDC nominee Susan Monarez sidesteps questions about disagreements with RFK in Senate hearing Kennedy’s new vaccine panel alarms pediatricians with inquiries into long-settled questions Trump gets ‘golden share’ power in US Steel buyout. US agencies will get it under future presidents Trump affirms his commitment to NATO’s Article 5 pledge for mutual defense Bipartisan bill aims to block Chinese AI from federal agencies UN faces dwindling clout and financial uncertainty after Trump cuts A look at the major players in the crypto industry and their ties to Trump Trump’s latest rejection of intelligence assessments reflects a long distrust of spy agencies Trump representative Kari Lake on Voice of America’s fate: ‘Scrap the whole thing and start over’ Wisconsin Supreme Court refuses to hear a challenge to the state’s congressional district boundaries Ohio plans swift appeal as court declares private school voucher system unconstitutional Trump administration says California must bar trans girls from girls sports California official criticized for appearing to call on gangs to intervene in immigration raids

Democrats fret about national fallout after Mamdani stuns in New York City The stunning success of Zohran Mamdani in the primary race for New York City mayor has exposed anew the fiery divisions plaguing the Democratic Party as it struggles to repair its brand nearly half a year into Donald Trump’s presidency. Read more. Why this matters: A fresh round of infighting erupted among Democratic officials, donors and political operatives on Wednesday. Many progressives cheered the emergence of the young and charismatic Mamdani, whose candidacy caught on with viral campaign videos and a focus on the cost of living. But the party’s more pragmatic wing cast the outcome as a serious setback in their quest to broaden Democrats’ appeal and move past the more controversial policies that alienated would-be voters in recent elections. Indeed, Wednesday’s debate was about much more than who would lead America’s largest city for the next four years. Giddy Republicans viewed Mamdani’s success as a political gift that would help shape elections across New Jersey and Virginia this fall and into next year’s midterms. Trump took aim at Mamdani on social media, calling him “a 100% Communist Lunatic.” RELATED COVERAGE ➤ See how every neighborhood in New York City voted in the Democratic mayoral primary Who is Zohran Mamdani? State lawmaker seeks to become NYC’s first Muslim and Indian American mayor Mamdani claimed victory over Cuomo. His next obstacle: Mayor Eric Adams, the Republicans and more ps:Not sure why they're having an uproar?? Look at the other candidates, Cuomo for one!!!!!

“You’re Already Approved”: How One Tennessee Company Sets a Debt Trap Borrowers say the lending company Advance Financial encouraged them to borrow back the value of almost all of the payments they made, tearing a hole in the safety net the law tried to create. https://www.propublica.org/article/flex-lenders-reborrow?

A New Trump Plan Gives DHS and the White House Greater Influence in the Fight Against Organized Crime The Trump administration has launched a major reorganization of the U.S. fight against drug traffickers and other transnational criminal groups, setting out a strategy that would give new authority to the Department of Homeland Security and deepen the influence of the White House. https://www.propublica.org/article/stephen-miller-trump-dhs-fbi-doj-war-on-drugs?

Her Family Needed Housing. They Spent Months in New York Hotels, Left to Fend for Themselves. Jasmine Stradford sat on her porch near Binghamton, New York, with toys, furniture, garbage bags full of clothing and other possessions piled up around her. She and her partner were being evicted after falling behind on rent. https://www.propublica.org/article/new-york-homelessness-hotels?

Senators Demand Investigation Into Canceled VA Contracts, Citing “Damning Reporting From ProPublica” The senators are calling for a federal watchdog to investigate the Trump administration’s killing of hundreds of VA contracts. Among their concerns: ProPublica revealed DOGE used artificial intelligence to mark contracts as “munchable.” https://www.propublica.org/article/doge-veterans-affairs-ai-senator-investigation? Congress Is Pushing for a Medicaid Work Requirement. Here’s What Happened When Georgia Tried It. GOP lawmakers want to nationalize Medicaid work requirements to offset Trump’s proposed tax cuts. Yet Georgia’s example shows that this could threaten health care for nearly 16 million Americans and cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. https://www.propublica.org/article/georgia-medicaid-work-requirement-big-beautiful-bill?

What’s a Pig Butchering Scam? Here’s How to Avoid Falling Victim to One. Thousands have lost huge sums after being lured into fraudulent online investment schemes by seemingly attractive strangers who strike up online conversations with them. Here’s a guide to spotting the telltale signs. https://www.propublica.org/article/whats-a-pig-butchering-scam-heres-how-to-avoid-falling-victim-to-one?

How Foreign Scammers Use U.S. Banks to Fleece Americans Brian Maloney Jr. was flummoxed when he was served with a lawsuit against his family’s business, Middlesex Truck and Coach, in January. Maloney and his father, also named Brian, run the operation, located in Boston, which boasts that it can repair anything “from two axles to ten.” A burly man in his mid-50s who wears short-sleeved polo shirts emblazoned with the company name, Maloney Jr. has been around his dad’s shop since he was 8. The garage briefly surfaced in the media in 2012 when then-presidential candidate Mitt Romney made a campaign stop there and the Boston Herald featured Maloney Sr. talking about how he had built the business from nothing in a neighborhood he described as having been a “war zone.” https://www.propublica.org/article/pig-butchering-scam-cybercrime-us-banks-money-laundering?

Lawrence O’Donnell Savages Trump’s ‘Warrior’ Brag With His Vietnam Record The president said he and his allies “feel like warriors” after bombing Iran. MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell mocked Donald Trump for saying he feels like a warrior by referencing the last-minute medical diagnosis that kept him out of the Vietnam War. Speaking at a NATO summit in the Netherlands on Wednesday, Trump floated bringing back the title “Secretary of War”—a Cabinet position abolished in 1947—for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth “for a couple of weeks” because “we feel like warriors.” He spoke in the same speech about his operation to bomb three nuclear facilities in Iran, insisting the targets had been “obliterated” after a leaked report from his own intelligence community suggesting the strikes had a more limited impact. “Of course Donald Trump feels like a warrior,” O’Donnell said on The Last Word on Wednesday night. “Donald Trump, who evaded military service during the Vietnam War because he claimed his foot hurt—the same foot on which he spent the rest of his life playing endless miles of golf, and never limping.” Trump had five deferments during the draft in the 1960s—four of which were for education, according to the New York Times. When he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in the spring of 1968, he became eligible for the draft. But he was ultimately exempted from military service for a fifth time in the fall on medical grounds after being diagnosed with bone spurs—a buildup of calcium on the bone—in his heels. In 2018, the daughters of a podiatrist in Queens who rented his office from Trump’s father, Fred Trump, claimed their late dad had made the diagnosis as a “favor” to Trump Sr. Donald Trump had previously said a doctor gave him a “very strong letter” about the bone spurs, which he in turn gave to draft officials, but said he couldn’t remember the doctor’s name and failed to provide documentation to the Times relating to the exemption. “There is no reason to believe that Donald Trump wasn’t perfectly healthy enough to serve in the military during the war of his youth,” O’Donnell said. “But like most men who were eligible to serve in the Vietnam War at that time, Donald Trump was terrified of being sent to the jungles of Vietnam and becoming another statistic in the American military body count that was far greater than all of the wars—the American wars of the 21st century—combined.” “And so Donald Trump, who only had to choose which ridiculous hat to wear when he went to the Situation Room to be a spectator during his war in Iran, now feels like a warrior,” O’Donnell went on. “The war that Donald Trump experienced in that air-conditioned room, where he didn’t even have to loosen his necktie, makes Donald Trump feel like a warrior. The biggest crybaby in the history of American politics now feels like a warrior. The man who spent every single day of his political and presidential life complaining that he is being treated unfairly now feels like a warrior.” The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment. https://www.thedailybeast.com/lawrence-odonnell-savages-donald-trumps-warrior-brag-with-his-vietnam-record/?

Man vs. machine Residents in Santa Monica, California, say the flashing lights, backup beeps and horns on Waymo robotaxis are keeping them up at night. They’re also vexed by the vehicles’ human attendants, who work in large lots located in residential areas and loudly vacuum the taxis between fares. After receiving numerous complaints, Waymo purchased quieter vacuums and limited the late-night use of the lot that was drawing the most complaints. However, some locals said the company — and the city — haven’t done enough. And since none of the current laws or regulations apply to these situations, a handful of folks are fighting back by protesting with standoffs.

Mississippi execution A 79-year-old man who was convicted decades ago of kidnapping and murder was executed on Wednesday in Mississippi. Richard Gerald Jordan was sentenced to death in 1976 for kidnapping and killing Edwina Marter, a bank loan officer’s wife, in a violent ransom scheme. He was the longest-serving man on the state’s death row. “It should have happened a long time ago,” Eric Marter, son of the victim, told AP before the execution.

Classified info The Trump administration plans to further limit its sharing of classified information with Congress after the leak of an early intelligence assessment that said its attack on Iran wasn’t as successful as President Donald Trump claimed. Although White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt originally blamed the leak on "an anonymous, low-level loser in the intelligence community,” the administration now believes the report was leaked after being posted to a system used for sharing classified intelligence with Congress, a senior White House official said. The Senate will receive a briefing on Iran today; the House briefing will be held on Friday. This is not the first time the White House has kept Congressional leaders — particularly Democrats — in the dark about classified matters. Although Trump and his team reportedly contacted top Republicans before the US strikes, some key Democrats were not informed until after the attack. Judges sued The Trump administration has become so frustrated with the federal judiciary blocking its efforts to deport immigrants without due process that it is trying a new tactic: suing all 15 federal judges in Maryland. Last month, Chief Judge George L. Russell III signed an order blocking the administration from immediately removing from the US any immigrants who filed paperwork with the Maryland district court seeking a review of their detention. The administration claims the order violates a Supreme Court ruling and impedes President Trump’s authority to enforce immigration laws. Now, the administration wants all of the Maryland judges to recuse themselves so a federal judge from another state can hear the case. James Sample, a constitutional law professor at Hofstra University, described the lawsuit as further erosion of legal norms by the administration. Immigration A federal appeals court has ordered the Trump administration to “facilitate” the return of a Salvadoran man who was deported last month just 30 minutes after the same court ruled he shouldn’t be removed from the US. Jordin Melgar-Salmeron, 31, is at least the fourth individual to be wrongly removed from the US, despite court rulings or protected status. In court documents, the US government acknowledged that a “perfect storm of errors occurred to allow for Petitioner’s untimely, and inadvertent, removal, despite the Government’s assurance and the eventual stay order.”

June 26, 2025 Good morning. Here’s the latest news to start your day: The C.I.A. director said U.S. strikes had “severely damaged” Iran’s nuclear program, after President Trump denounced reports about another agency’s initial assessment. NATO countries promised a big increase in military spending, pleasing Trump. Antigovernment protesters battled the police in Kenya. At least 8 people were killed. A Kenyan Olympic champion will attempt today to become the first woman to run a sub-four-minute mile. Plus, the Bezos wedding is beginning. We have more on that below. But first, we look at the state of the economy. Your questions about the economy In a recent newsletter, we asked readers for your questions about the economy. You wondered about tariffs, real estate, Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” and more. Today, reporters at The Times answer. The bill and the economy I’ve read about how the bill could hurt the economy. But are there any parts of it that mainstream economists believe will help? I’m specifically curious about any new provisions, not extensions of expiring policies. — Kerry Bloomfield from Minneapolis Ben Casselman, The Times’s chief economics correspondent, writes: Yes, there are some parts of the bill that economists think would be good. Many endorse a provision that would let businesses deduct costs of building new factories, which could encourage new investment. Other provisions — such as imposing stricter work requirements for public benefits like Medicaid — win support from economists who lean conservative but aren’t outside the mainstream of the profession. Still, as your question suggests, economists across the ideological spectrum say the overall bill would hurt, in part because of its cost. It would add trillions of dollars to the debt at a time when economists worry about the risks posed by the country’s record debt levels. What, exactly, are the tax breaks I keep hearing about in the “big, beautiful bill” that will favor the most wealthy? — Molly from Illinois Andrew Duehren, who covers taxes, writes: There are a few. First of all, much of this tax bill is dedicated to extending tax cuts that Republicans first put in place in 2017. So without this bill, Americans who earn more than $626,000 would face a 39.6 percent tax rate instead of 37 percent. Another measure in the bill would extend a deduction for owners of many businesses. Americans making more than $1 million reap the lion’s share of this tax break. Then there is the estate tax, the levy collected on rich Americans’ assets when they die. Under the bill, the tax would kick in only for Americans worth more than $15 million. Without the bill, the level would drop to $7.14 million next year. What is happening with the housing market? I’ve been told for years that it’s a bad time to buy, which is confusing and distressing as a wannabe first-time homeowner. — Kaitlyn from Portland, Ore. Nikita Stewart, The Times’s real estate editor, writes: Kaitlyn, there’s a saying in residential real estate: Date the rate; marry the house. Rates can be lowered, but the amount you spend on a house is permanent. Still, this is not a great time for buyers. As of Wednesday, a 30-year fixed mortgage rate was 6.81 percent. And from what I can see in Portland, buyers are in a competitive market, despite those rates. The advice of real estate agents is to perhaps look at more affordable suburbs. Think about how much space you need. Can you live in smaller quarters to make homeownership more affordable? If that is a nonstarter, go back to the thought of dating and marrying. Can you find a reasonably priced home now and simply refinance your mortgage in the future? The size of government DOGE says it cut a great deal of wasteful spending. So how is it possible that the bill in Congress would increase the debt? Where is all that “saved” money going? — Erica from Austin, Texas Tony Romm, who covers economic policy, writes: The simple answer is that the House tax bill is much, much higher than the amount saved by DOGE. We don’t have a precise accounting of the cuts achieved by Elon Musk and his team of young aides. But Musk said in April that the group would save about $150 billion by the end of the fiscal year. (My colleagues later found big errors in his figure.) Still, the House-passed tax bill is expected to add $3.4 trillion to the debt within the next decade. The Senate’s current version has not been calculated yet. Sources: Congressional Budget Office (historical); Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (projections) | By The New York Times There’s a lot of talk about Medicaid cuts. But how would the proposed bill affect Medicare? — Laura Classen from Delaware Margot Sanger-Katz, who covers health care policy, writes: The bill makes only a few changes to Medicare. The biggest one affects immigrants. Currently, those with lawful status become eligible for Medicare at 65 if they pay into the system for 10 years, the same way citizens do. The current bill would limit this benefit to immigrants with green cards and those from Cuba. The most dramatic change to Medicare probably won’t happen. A 2010 measure says that laws that increase the federal deficit automatically trigger cuts to government programs, including Medicare. Congress will almost certainly waive the rule before those cuts kick in. Trump and trade Who collects the tariffs Trump imposes? How much has been collected since he took office? Where does the money go? — Kathryn Anderson from Salvisa, Ky. Ana Swanson, who covers trade, writes: U.S. Customs and Border Protection collects tariff revenue when goods come into the country, often by automatically debiting importers’ bank accounts. The money goes into a general fund controlled by the Treasury Department that pays for lots of different government expenditures. In May, the Treasury took in more than $22 billion in tariff revenue, a record high. That’s more than double the monthly figure during the Biden administration — but still far less than what the government takes in through taxes. Source: U.S. Treasury Department | Data is monthly. | By The New York Times What are some ways Americans have been hurt by Trump’s tariffs? Am I just living under a rock to not have noticed any impact on my budget or spending yet? — Susie Prussack from Spokane, Wash. Lydia DePillis, who covers the economy, writes: Susie, I’m sure you’re not living under a rock. It’s true that tariffs have not made products, on average, more expensive — inflation has fallen slightly over the past few months. One reason may be that companies stocked up on imports before the new duties hit. They say they’re holding off as long as they can before raising prices, hoping Trump will strike trade deals and tariffs will plunge. Still, consumers may notice price hikes on some goods, such as strollers and other baby gear, that mostly come from China. And economists still think the tariffs will lift prices if they stay in place long enough. Do you have questions about the news for The Morning? Ask us here. THE LATEST NEWS Middle East Trump and his secretary of state, Marco Rubio, continued to insist that U.S. strikes had destroyed Iran’s nuclear program. The administration suggested an initial report of less-severe damage was outdated. Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has not appeared in public or been heard from in nearly a week. Political insiders are worried. Trump’s name may soon be emblazoned on the tallest hotel in Tel Aviv. NATO Trump has pushed NATO countries to spend 5 percent of their economic output on the military. The NATO summit said they would, in a statement that left wiggle room. Britain said it would buy a dozen F-35A stealth jets, which could let its military fire nuclear weapons from the air. New York Mayor’s Race Zohran Mamdani ran as a democratic socialist in the primary for New York mayor. That label has grown more popular in recent years: Here’s what it means. Many young Muslims love Mamdani, and some convinced their parents to vote for him. Mamdani succeeded as an outspoken critic of Israel in the city with America’s largest Jewish population. That reflects a shift in Democratic politics, including among some Jews. A prominent New York Jewish leader, Rep. Jerry Nadler, has now endorsed him. Late night hosts joked about the idea of a millennial mayor. More on Politics Usha Vance Emily Elconin for The New York Times Who is Usha Vance, really? The Times spoke to her old friends. Some said she must be appalled by Trump’s White House, but others said she likes the glamour and influence. The United States will stop funding Gavi, which helps buy vaccines for children in poor countries. The Trump administration’s funding cuts derailed a potential breakthrough in the fight against H.I.V. Other Big Stories After a drone attack. Finbarr O’Reilly for The New York Times Russia’s Shahed attack drones are 11 feet long and weigh more than 400 pounds. For Ukrainians, they’re the stuff of nightmares. An engine on an American Airlines flight caught fire just after it left Las Vegas. The plane landed safely 10 minutes later. A British man was charged over an attempted mock wedding with a 9-year-old at Disneyland Paris. TOXIC HOMES IN L.A. By The New York Times The homes that survived the Los Angeles fires did not escape unscathed. In many, toxic smoke seeped in through vents and under doorways. Industrial hygienists found alarming levels of carcinogens and poisons in every room of the home pictured above. Yet insurance companies often don’t test for toxic chemicals. Or they cover only limited tests that overlook many harmful substances. Read the full investigation. THE MORNING QUIZ This question comes from a recent edition of the newsletter. Click an answer to see if you’re right. (The link will be free.) Three nations sent astronauts to the International Space Station for the first time. They are: China, France and Egypt Hungary, India and Poland Indonesia, Colombia and South Africa Germany, Mexico and Kazakhstan OPINIONS L.G.B.T.Q. activists broke an unspoken golden rule: Leave children out of it, Andrew Sullivan writes. Here’s a column by Nicholas Kristof on America’s role in fighting world hunger. The Times Sale: Our best rate for readers of The Morning. Save now with our best offer on unlimited news and analysis as part of the complete Times experience: $1/week for your first year. MORNING READS In Burlington, Vt. Kelly Burgess for The New York Times Go, Green: This Vermont soccer club, which draws sellout crowds, is devoted to cutting carbon emissions. Unlettered: Men have stopped reading fiction. Some are trying to change that. Your pick: The most-clicked story in The Morning yesterday was about women joining the “We Do Not Care” club. Lives Lived: The astrophysicist Fred Espenak created maps and charts showing where best to witness the breathtaking choreography of celestial bodies, earning the nickname Mr. Eclipse. He died at 73. SPORTS N.B.A.: The Dallas Mavericks picked Cooper Flagg No. 1 in the draft. It wasn’t a surprise. Business: The Los Angeles Dodgers owner Mark Walter is buying the Los Angeles Lakers at a record-setting $10 billion valuation. Read about the deal. ARTS AND IDEAS In Venice. Luigi Costantini/Associated Press Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez are getting ready to marry in Venice — a city that centuries ago set the standard for ostentation. Emma Bubola, a Times reporter who’s from the region, writes about the reaction there: For many of the people who have made the uncommon choice to stay in an impractical city rendered almost unlivable by tourism in the easyJet age, the event was a climax of the city’s betrayal, an American-size display of its contradictions. It was the capitulation of Venice’s identity, they said, reduced to a glittery backdrop for the family photos of the world’s new oligarchy. More on culture On the first episode of “Cannonball,” a new culture podcast from the Times, host Wesley Morris explores his (slightly fraught) love of Bruno Mars. After a backlash, Sabrina Carpenter changed her album cover, The Cut reports. “Here is a new alternate cover approved by God available now,” she wrote, adding a white heart. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Julia Gartland for The New York Times Add spinach to cooked chickpeas. Read a great summer novel. These are the ones our readers are most excited about. Try to protect your privacy online (even if it’s hard). GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was nonbelief. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Sports Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Desiree Ibekwe, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch

THIS DAY IN HISTORY June 26 1948 U.S. begins Berlin Airlift On June 26, 1948, U.S. and British pilots begin delivering food and supplies by airplane to Berlin after the city is isolated by a Soviet Union blockade. When World War II ended in 1945, defeated Germany was divided into Soviet, American, British and French zones of occupation. The city of Berlin,... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 1990s 1993 President Clinton punishes Iraq for plot to kill George H.W. Bush 21st Century 2003 Former U.S. Senator Strom Thurmond dies Ancient Americas 1541 Francisco Pizarro, conqueror of the Incas, assassinated Arts & Entertainment 1975 Sonny and Cher’s divorce becomes final Civil War 1862 Rebels strike Union at the Battle of Mechanicsville Inventions & Science 1956 Congress approves Federal-Aid Highway Act 1959 St. Lawrence Seaway officially opened 1974 Pack of chewing gum becomes first-ever item scanned with a UPC barcode LGBTQ+ History 2003 Lawrence v. Texas is decided 2015 Same-sex marriage is made legal nationwide with Obergefell v. Hodges decision Natural Disasters & Environment 1807 Lightning strikes gunpowder factory in Luxembourg, killing hundreds U.S. Presidents 1844 President John Tyler weds his second wife 1963 John F. Kennedy claims solidarity with the people of Berlin World War I 1917 First U.S. troops arrive in France World War II 1945 United Nations Charter signed

🤖 AI power cheat code Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios One of the easiest ways to minimize AI's environmental impact may be to move where the processing is done, Axios' Ben Berkowitz writes from new academic research conducted with Qualcomm. Why it matters: Running AI on devices instead of in the cloud could slash the power consumption of queries by about 90%, the study finds. The big picture: The AI boom is creating huge demands for power. One oft-cited rule of thumb says querying an AI model consumes about 10 times the power of a Google search. 💡 How it works: Researchers at U.C. Riverside ran a series of experiments comparing the performance of various generative AI models. Running any of six different models on the phones consumed anywhere from 75% to 95% less power, with associated sharp decreases in water consumption and overall carbon footprint.

📢 Trump fights to control Iran narrative President Trump is going to extraordinary lengths to defend his claim that U.S. airstrikes "obliterated" Iran's nuclear program, determined to cement the operation as a defining victory of his presidency, Axios' Barak Ravid writes. Why it matters: Trump has staked his credibility — and major parts of his foreign policy legacy — on the success of Saturday's military intervention, which punctuated decades of U.S. debate over the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran. Trump has treated the leak of an initial Pentagon battle damage assessment as an act of sabotage, and launched an aggressive campaign to discredit the report as preliminary, inaccurate and already outdated. Critics have accused Trump of politicizing intelligence and pressuring officials to make an assessment that may be premature — or at least more nuanced than the president claims. What's happening: Trump announced that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and top Pentagon officials will hold a "major news conference" at 8 a.m. ET today to laud the "Great American Pilots" who carried out "a perfect mission." The administration has accused the media of unpatriotic behavior for reporting skeptically on the Iran strike, even while acknowledging the initial assessment from the Defense Intelligence Agency was real. 🔎 The FBI has launched an investigation into the breach, and the administration plans to limit sharing classified information with Congress to crack down on leakers, as Axios first reported. At Trump's NATO press conference in the Netherlands, he publicly reprimanded the analysts who prepared the report — claiming it "wasn't finished" and should have been withheld until they actually "knew the answer." Keep reading.

> US stock markets close mixed (S&P 500 -0.0%, Dow -0.3%, Nasdaq +0.3%) (More) | Nvidia shares notch record high for the first time since January (More) > Federal Reserve proposes loosening key rule regulating the quantity and quality of capital banks should keep against their investments; original rule stems from 2008 financial crisis to ensure stability of big US banks (More) > Bumble to lay off about 30% of its workforce, or roughly 240 employees, as the dating app seeks to return to growth; shares close up 25% on the news (More) 529 accounts: This morning's 1440 Business & Finance email covers the ins and outs of the popular college savings accounts. Email comes out at 8:30 am ET—sign up here to receive!