TFI Daily News

The Art of the Deal (Politico) After a weekend of stops and starts, the signals from U.S.-Iran peace talks turned more positive on Monday, with both sides hailing progress across multiple fronts. Most notably at the negotiations in Bürgenstock, Switzerland, VP JD Vance announced that Iran had agreed to allow inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency back into the country to look at nuclear sites. This is still just the start of a long and perilous process to hammer out the stickiest nuclear issues in negotiations, which could be derailed at any moment by an uptick in Israel-Hezbollah fighting or a Trump Truth Social post. Back in Washington, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent took the next step of issuing a two-month sanctions waiver for Iranian oil sales, as had been laid out in the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding. Longtime Iran watchers know that the IAEA and sanctions news both constitute an approximate return to the shape of the Barack Obama Iran deal that Trump ended in his first term. As CNN’s Andrew Kaczynski and Jennifer Hansler report, Trump, Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio for years all opposed Iranian sanctions relief. But the administration argues that this deal is stronger and Tehran is now weaker.

World Cup visitors cut costs the American way (Washington Post) He’d already spent a grand on tickets, plus hundreds more on flights and lodging, so by the time Edwin Hernandez arrived from Ecuador for the World Cup, he was determined to minimize expenses. That usually meant eating at McDonald’s or Subway. But hours before Sunday’s match, Hernandez allowed himself a small luxury, making his way to Pat’s King of Steaks, the world-famous cheesesteak shop, only to find a line of yellow Ecuador jerseys snaking through the patio. Soccer fans from around the world have poured into the United States for the World Cup. And no matter where they went, they engaged in the most America-circa-2026 pastime there is: looking for cheap food. For visitors who have plunked down thousands on travel, not to mention the most expensive tickets in World Cup history, food is one cost they can control. Bankers from Mexico City, who each paid $500 for a France-Senegal ticket, found salvation at Chick-fil-A and Joe’s Pizza. A father from Paris traveling with his two young kids, raved about the fried rice at a New York City Chinese food joint. From street tacos to bodega burgers, ramen bowls to Times Square pizza, they’ve tried it all, so long as it’s all cheap and, hopefully, cheesy.

Staggering amounts of fentanyl hit streets as the DEA watched and took no action, records show (AP) Even as it battled the deadliest drug epidemic in American history, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration permitted hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills to hit the streets of New Mexico between 2023 and 2025, according to three current and former DEA agents and government records reviewed by The Associated Press. DEA agents repeatedly monitored shipments of fentanyl pills—but did not seize them—as federal prosecutors sought to bring bigger criminal cases against traffickers of a synthetic opioid that the White House last year designated a “ weapon of mass destruction.” Agents and experts, however, said the tactic amounted to a gamble with public safety. “We poisoned our community to make cases,” DEA Special Agent David Howell told AP in a series of interviews in New Mexico. “Through our own willful blindness, we get to say, ‘We don’t really know what happened to the drugs.’ But we 100% got people killed.”

Owning a home is getting more expensive in every way (WSJ) A home buyer in 2019 could expect to spend about $20,000 a year on basic homeownership expenses: mortgage payments, property taxes, insurance, maintenance and repairs. By 2025, that annual bill had topped $28,500, according to data from Intercontinental Exchange and home-services marketplace Angi, keeping many would-be buyers out of the market.

Trump-Backed Outsider Appears to Win Colombian Presidential Race (NYT) Abelardo De La Espriella, a criminal defense lawyer with no previous political experience, appeared headed for a razor-thin victory on Sunday in Colombia’s presidential election, in a potential win for his fervent supporters, the global right and President Trump, who had endorsed him. Mr. De La Espriella—who transformed himself from sharply dressed Miami lawyer to populist in a soccer jersey and a straw hat—won 49.7 percent of the vote with more than 99 percent of the votes counted, according to preliminary official results. Iván Cepeda, a leftist senator and a longtime human rights advocate received 48.7 percent. His victory would return Colombia to conservative rule after four years under Gustavo Petro, the country’s first leftist president. It would also advance Latin America’s broader shift to the right.

Starmer Announces Resignation as Prime Minister (NYT) Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain announced his resignation on Monday, bowing to a mutiny inside his party and a challenge to his leadership of the country. Mr. Starmer said he would remain as prime minister until a new party leader is selected, by September, rather than fight to remain in the job he won almost two years ago. His decision clears the way for Britain’s seventh prime minister in a decade, extending a period of political turmoil for the country since it voted to leave the European Union in 2016. The most likely replacement for Mr. Starmer is Andy Burnham, whose resounding victory last week in a special election energized his bid to oust the prime minister. Burnham will face the same challenges that Starmer did, including rising global energy prices and strained public finances.

France cancels events and restricts alcohol consumption amid brutal heatwave (Guardian) Authorities in France have placed more than a third of the country under a red heat alert, cancelled some outdoor sports events and restricted alcohol consumption at the nationwide Fête de la Musique event amid a brutal heatwave forecast to push temperatures above 40C. Level 1 or 2 heat alerts were issued on Sunday for about 53 million people, just over 75% of the population. A record 35 of the country’s 96 mainland departments were put on danger-to-life red alert, with another 45 under an orange warning.

Ukrainian attacks prompt Russian-held Crimea to halt civilian gasoline sales (AP) Officials in Russia-occupied Crimea suspended civilian gasoline sales Sunday as Ukraine ramped up attacks on fuel supplies on the Black Sea peninsula. Gov. Sergey Aksyonov, the Kremlin-appointed head of Crimea, said that overnight Ukrainian strikes killed four people and wounded 28 others. He did not specify the target of the attack. He later wrote on social media that local gas stations would halt all sales to non-state companies and individuals for an undefined period. Ukrainian forces have repeatedly targeted fuel supplies to Crimea in recent weeks, triggering the worst energy crisis in the region since it was annexed by Russia in 2014.

Cambodia cracked down on scams costing Americans billions. It created a new crisis (NPR) All over Phnom Penh are vestiges of the multibillion-dollar online scam industry, which thrived here for more than half a decade until a recent government crackdown. There are luxurious high-rise towers overlooking the Mekong River, where entire floors are now deserted following police raids that cleared out the illicit operations hidden there. Disintegrating cardboard boxes and bits of Styrofoam litter the entrance of a branch of Prince Supermarket, after its parent company—the massive Cambodian conglomerate Prince Holding Group—was slapped with U.S. sanctions for allegedly running industrial-scale scam compounds. But the crackdown has created a secondary crisis: thousands of stranded foreign workers transported to Cambodia by the online scam operators and forced to work as hostage employees are now roaming the streets of Phnom Penh, after being freed when the scam operations closed. NGOs, including Amnesty International, say many of the workers are victims of human trafficking. They are now at the center of a silent humanitarian crisis in Cambodia, aid workers say, left with few options and abandoned amid the highly-publicized government crackdown.

While the World Scrambles for Oil, China Sits on Full Tanks (NYT) While the United States and Iran haggle over reopening the Strait of Hormuz and restoring oil exports from the Persian Gulf, China, the world’s largest oil importer, is not expected to quickly ramp up purchases from the region. China finds itself in a very different position from much of the world, which is emerging from the war in Iran with depleted oil supplies. The crude stockpiles held by the country’s state-owned energy companies remain nearly full. China cut its daily oil imports by roughly a third during the war. China was able to reduce imports so sharply in part because it had been buying more oil than it needed before the war. For years, it accumulated inventories whenever prices were low as part of a broader push to strengthen national self-reliance and improve its ability to withstand supply disruptions.

Taiwan begins 5-day military drill with tanks patrolling streets (AP) Taiwan kicked off a five-day set of military drills on Monday aimed at boosting the island’s combat readiness in case of a Chinese military attack. In the city of Taoyuan, home to the island’s largest international airport, tanks drove down city streets and highways, videos and photos of the exercise showed, as armored vehicles from the Army’s 269th Infantry Brigade conducted combat readiness patrols. The Immediate Combat Readiness Exercises are meant to test how rapidly military units can deploy.

2 students in custody after shooting at high school in Philippines kills 3 (AP) Two students armed with hand guns opened fire in a high school in the central Philippines on Monday, killing three fellow students and wounding another seven, police said. The suspects, aged 14 and 15, were arrested. The suspects and the victims were students of the San Jose National High School in Tacloban city, where the mid-morning shooting happened, regional police chief Brig. Gen. Jason Capoy said. An investigation was underway to determine the cause of the shooting in the government-run school, which has more than 1,500 students. Capoy said that the suspects, who were close friends, said in initial questioning that they were bullied in school.

Israeli strikes leave Lebanon’s ancient coastal city of Tyre shaken (AP) The dust has barely settled in Tyre after weeks of Israeli airstrikes on the ancient city along Lebanon ‘s Mediterranean coast. Despite the relative calm, life remains largely at a standstill. A new ceasefire between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group is in effect. But previous ceasefires have broken down. Over 4,000 people in Lebanon have been killed in Israeli strikes since the latest Israel-Hezbollah war began in March. Large swaths of southern Lebanon have been left in ruins, including Tyre. “Every day they tell us there’s a truce or ceasefire. Where is this truce? We can’t see it,” said Ali Bazzi, 31, who lives alone on a tour boat that belongs to family friends. His home in Toura, several kilometers away, was destroyed by an Israeli strike. For months, Bazzi has been sleeping on a mattress on the deck, and selling sandwiches at a small stand a few steps away to earn money. He said he woke one night to the sound of a drone hovering over the port and worried it had come for him.

US-Iran talks continue after Trump’s threats  (AP) Negotiators from the U.S. and Iran were set to engage in a second day of talks Monday to solidify a permanent end to the war between the countries, after a first day of mediation began with a rocky start. The first full day of talks between the U.S. and Iran, who were accompanied by Qatari and Pakistani officials, was jolted by blistering statements from U.S. President Donald Trump, who from thousands of miles away from the Swiss negotiating venue was firing off comments that offended the Iranians. Iranian state media said talks had paused after the “publication of an insulting message by the U.S. President.” Trump also continued to issue warnings against Iran on social media, posting as negotiators worked: “Iran must immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble. If they don’t, we’ll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!!”

Congress wonders as the Iran war draws to a close: Was it worth it? (AP) The question hangs in the halls at the Capitol: Was it worth it? Congress, which never authorized the war against Iran yet never fully objected to it, now must grapple with the consequences of President Donald Trump’s nearly four-month conflict: the lives lost, the billions spent and the national security fallout that has reordered the political dynamics in the Middle East. Ask senators what they think about the deal Trump struck to end the war, and they do not search too far for words. “Pathetic. Failure. Inevitable conclusion of a combination of never making the case to the American people, flawed strategic vision, lack of grasp of the regional dynamics,” said Delaware Sen. Chris Coons, a Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “How many ways, can I say, bad, bad, bad?” Asked whether Trump should get credit for ending the war now, Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) said, “That's like literally an arsonist starting a fire and getting credit for running out of the burning building.”

Economic anxiety (WSJ) America’s economic anxiety is rising up the income ladder. A new Wall Street Journal poll finds that even those who consider themselves among the wealthiest classes in America carry high levels of concern about their current finances, the years ahead and the prospects for their children. More than 40% of Americans who call themselves upper class or upper-middle class say they haven’t saved enough money to retire comfortably. Only about 40% say their financial security is where they thought it would be at this point in their lives. Nearly three in five say they are strained by high gasoline prices. Those in the wealthiest classes have lost faith that an economy that has benefited them can lift future generations. Some 86% of people who call themselves upper class or upper-middle class say they lack confidence that life for their children will be better than theirs has been. That’s up from 64% in a 2019 survey and shows a level of pessimism that matches the views of less-fortunate groups.

No End in Sight for U.S. Military Mission Along Border With Mexico (NYT) For more than a year, the Pentagon has deployed about 9,000 active-duty troops along nearly 2,000 miles of the southwest border to confront illegal migrants, smugglers and drug cartels. The troops are still there—at a cost of tens of millions of dollars each week—even though the Trump administration months ago largely achieved its goal of slashing illegal crossings. Some members of Congress have questioned whether the patrols are the best use of active-duty troops who would otherwise be training for deployments to Eastern Europe, the Middle East or the Indo-Pacific region. Lawmakers and independent analysts have voiced concerns that the border missions will distract from training, drain resources and undermine readiness.

Trump’s escalating rhetoric shows a Cuba invasion could be imminent (Axios) President Trump said Thursday on “The Axios Show“ that “it’s possible” a potential Cuba invasion would resemble the swift capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January. Trump wants to project U.S. military power across the Western Hemisphere. Trump also acknowledged the Iran conflict is taking longer to resolve because Iran has a “more powerful“ military and is far away. He suggested Cuba could be easier to overpower.

Bolivia’s president declares a state of emergency as road blockades choke supplies (AP) President Rodrigo Paz on Saturday declared a state of emergency that gives the military broad power to remove road blockades that have put a stranglehold on fuel and food supplies in Bolivia’s seat of government and other major cities. A wave of protests over the last five weeks has called for Paz to step down over austerity measures imposed by the government, including the cancellation of fuel subsidies, and other issues. The demonstrations have unleashed violent confrontations between dynamite-wielding demonstrators and riot police, leading to at least 365 arrests and 37 injuries, according to authorities. At least 17 people have died, most of them linked to a lack of medical care caused by transportation disruptions, according to Bolivia’s ombudsman’s office and human rights organizations.

Britain Is Set to Test How Far Charisma Can Shift Electoral Dynamics (NYT) If Andy Burnham’s election to Parliament on Thursday results in him becoming Britain’s 59th prime minister in the weeks ahead, it will test the power of personality over policy. Mr. Burnham, the 56-year-old former mayor of Greater Manchester, is a Labour Party politician, just like Prime Minister Keir Starmer. They both speak often of the importance of adhering to “Labour Party values.” They disagree in some areas about what that means, but so far there’s little to suggest that a Burnham government would differ drastically in policy terms from Mr. Starmer’s. But many Labour Party lawmakers—spooked by how deeply unpopular Mr. Starmer has become among voters—appear convinced that Mr. Burnham, who is seven years younger, more charismatic and offers a more authentic personal style, will be able to shake the party, and the country, out of its doldrums. Tim Bale, a professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London, said, “Things have looked so bleak for so long for the government, [they are] hoping by sheer force of personality Burnham can persuade people to give the party a second look, a second chance.”

Trump deepens the dustup with Italy’s Meloni, who says his ‘unprovoked attacks are senseless’ (AP) President Donald Trump on Saturday lashed out at Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, insisting that she asked “over and over” for a photo with him at the recent Group of Seven summit and criticizing what he said was Italy’s lack of cooperation during the Iran war. The remarks deepen the spat that began this week with the Republican president’s interview with an Italian broadcaster, during which Trump claimed Meloni “begged” for the photo during the G7 meeting in France. Meloni has called that “completely fabricated.” The dustup led Italy’s foreign minister to cancel a planned trip to the United States as Meloni’s government lined up in her defense. “Italian Prime Minister Gigiorgia Meloni asked, over and over, for a picture with me during the G-7 meeting in France,” Trump wrote on his social media platform. He continued: “She is doing poorly in Italy with her level of popularity, possibly because she turned down the United States of America, a Country that truly loves and protects Italy, when it came to denying Iran from obtaining or developing a Nuclear Weapon (But so did NATO, for that matter!).”

Luxury Kushner Project Collides With Albanian Discontent (NYT) For more than three weeks protesters have gathered peacefully in Tirana, the capital of Albania, cheered on by Americans who see them as plucky warriors against President Trump, Israel and the greed of the “1 percent.” The protests were set off by public outrage over violent security guards at the site of a planned coastal development financed by Mr. Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and investors from the Gulf with an estimated cost of more than $4 billion. For Americans on the left, Albanians are resisting Trump family corruption and so-called billionaire vultures. Conspiracy theorists on the right are embracing a different theory; they see pushback against Israel and supposed plans for what they call a “new Epstein island” off the southern coast of one of Europe’s poorest nations. Albanians actually taking part in the protests, however, beg to differ. “Nobody here is protesting against Trump or Israel,” said Elis Kodra, 33. “We are protesting against everything else,” he added, complaining that Albania has been ruled since the collapse of Communism 35 years ago by the same self-serving politicians who rotate in and out office, give state contracts to their friends in business and pay little attention to the economic and other grievances of ordinary citizens.

U.S., Qatar Work to Give Iran Access to Billions of Dollars in Frozen Cash (WSJ) The U.S. is working with Qatar on a plan to make billions of dollars in frozen funds available to Iran for humanitarian spending, another early financial incentive under the recently signed deal to end the war, people familiar with the matter said. The plan, which isn’t yet completed, is aimed at giving Iran access to the spending power of some of its estimated $100 billion in cash frozen worldwide, beginning with $6 billion held in Qatar. Under the deal, Qatar would allow purchases of food, medicine and other humanitarian goods ordered by Iran’s central bank with money drawn from frozen Iranian assets, mainly cash from oil sales that has been locked up overseas by sanctions, the people said. The facility could provide a template for dealing with other pools of frozen Iranian cash around the world.

Tyre in southern Lebanon marks Muharram holy month after destruction from Israel-Hezbollah war (AP) Wearing a yellow scarf showing her son killed fighting for Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, Iman Dilbani wept during a religious sermon Friday in the battered southern city of Tyre during the Islamic holy month of Muharram. Tyre, Lebanon’s fourth largest city, has been devastated by the Israel-Hezbollah war that reached a reported ceasefire Friday, with damaged buildings and structures reduced to rubble seen on almost every street following intense Israeli airstrikes. After Hezbollah fired rockets toward northern Israel on March 2 in solidarity with its ally Iran, Israel launched massive aerial bombardments that regularly struck Beirut and flattened large areas of southern and eastern Lebanon. Over one million Lebanese remain displaced, and Israeli ground forces invaded the country, controlling swaths of southern Lebanon. Almost 4,000 people have been killed in Israeli strikes.

Israeli strikes in Gaza kill 6, including 2 children and an Al Jazeera cameraman (AP) Israeli strikes in Gaza on Saturday killed at least six people, including two children and a cameraman with broadcaster Al Jazeera, according to Palestinian health officials. Despite an October ceasefire between Israel and the militant group Hamas, the enclave has seen near-daily Israeli attacks that have killed over 1,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

Sunday is the longest day of the year for half the planet (AP) This is the sun’s time to shine: Sunday is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. Sunday is the solstice, marking the start of astronomical summer north of the equator. It’s the opposite in the Southern Hemisphere, where it is the shortest day of the year and winter will start. The word “solstice” comes from the Latin words “sol,” for sun, and “stitium,” which can mean “pause” or “stop.” The summer solstice is the end of the sun’s annual march higher in the sky, when it makes its longest, highest arc. The bad news for sun lovers: It then starts retreating and days will get a little shorter every day until late December.

New Strait of Hormuz Closure Announcement Threatens the Slow Uptick in Traffic (NYT) Shipping numbers in the Strait of Hormuz have been on a slow climb since the United States and Iran agreed to a preliminary deal this week to end the war and reopen the vital waterway. But traffic was suddenly jeopardized on Saturday, when Iran’s military said it was shutting the strait once again. The closure came as U.S. Central Command announced a milestone, saying 55 commercial ships transited the strait on Saturday. That would be the largest number of ships to cross in a day since Iran effectively closed the strait early in the war—though it’s still far below the 130 daily prewar average. Throughout the war, Iran has used the strait—a critical route for the world’s oil and gas supplies—as one of its largest sources of leverage, and even the threat of renewed fighting has been enough to throttle shipping.

Our Allies Are Wondering Whether Supporting the American War Machine Is Worth It (NYT Magazine) The toll of the war with Iran was felt heavily at U.S. bases across the Middle East, which were thought to offer regional allies a security guarantee, assuring them of their safety under the American protective umbrella. The Iran war has exposed the fragility of that promise. The Navy’s base in Bahrain was hastily evacuated before an Iranian attack damaged it. The Combined Air Operations Center at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar is now reportedly inoperable. “This chain of bases across the Middle East were really effective—it was like having a string of pearls surrounding Iran,” says Vali Nasr, a political scientist at Johns Hopkins University. But, he adds, “The way in which the U.S. was not able to defend them, and the way that they were damaged, has a nonmonetary cost to it that is quite significant.” Around the world, at least 51 nations host American military bases. But after this war, friendly nations are weighing the risks of supporting the American war machine. “For any patriotic citizen of Qatar or any other Gulf country, the question arose over whether hosting U.S. military bases was worth it,” Maryam Al-Kuwari, a scholar of international relations at Qatar University, wrote in a briefing paper for her policy institute, the Arab Center. U.S. diplomats in Bahrain have warned of an emerging perception, fueled in part by Iranian social media bots, that the Americans left the nation alone to defend for itself. The war has enabled the rest of the world to clearly see what the White House cannot acknowledge: The United States is no longer the world’s unquestioned hegemon, and the promise of its protection is not absolute. The war in Iran marks the end of any lingering illusions of American omnipotence.

A New Air Force One, via Qatar, Nears Its First Presidential Flight (NYT) President Trump unveiled on Friday the red, white and blue 747 Boeing jetliner donated by the government of Qatar that will serve as the new Air Force One, closing the chapter on the aircraft that had carried presidents for more than three decades. The donated luxury jet, which prompted scrutiny from lawmakers, replaces two baby-blue planes that served as the presidential planes since 1990 and have been suffering from maintenance problems. Mr. Trump argued that the new plane, painted with the words “United States of America,” was needed after he noticed that other nations had planes that looked better than Air Force One. He said he expected the new Air Force One to lead a flyover of Washington on July 4, trailed by F-22 and F-35 military aircraft.

Cuba pushes through sweeping free-market reforms in biggest economic shift since the revolution (AP) Observers on Friday called Cuba’s new free-market reforms the most sweeping economic overhaul of the island’s communist economy since the Cuban revolution, as the grandson of former President Raúl Castro said in an interview that Cuba must seek to move its economy forward. The 176 measures aim to further decentralize Cuba’s state-run economy, which has been left gasping by a tightened embargo under President Donald Trump. Under the island’s current economic model, the government largely determines what is produced, who produces it, the prices at which goods are sold and how the country’s resources are allocated. The plan includes more space for private businesses, imports and exports without state intermediation, free hiring of personnel, authorization for private banks and investment by Cubans abroad. It even permits fast-food chains to establish themselves on the island.

Massive fire destroys resort in Dominican Republic and forces evacuation of almost 1,700 tourists (AP) A large fire almost completely destroyed a luxury resort in the Dominican Republic on Friday, forcing the evacuation of almost 1,700 tourists, authorities said. Local media reported an Italian tourist died in the fire and several other tourists required medical assistance. The Viva Dominicus Beach by Wyndham resort is located in Bayahibe, a popular destination for U.S. and international tourists on the Dominican Republic’s southeastern coast. Authorities reported about 1,690 tourists had to be evacuated from the resort to other hotels and nearby housing facilities because of the massive blaze.

Two trains collide north of London, killing at least 1 person and seriously injuring dozens (AP) Two trains collided north of London on Friday, killing a driver and seriously injuring dozens of people on board. Both trains were traveling south to London St. Pancras station when they collided outside the town of Bedford around 5:15 p.m., according to information on rail tracking websites. The East of England Ambulance Service later said that 11 people had very serious injuries, 22 were seriously injured and 56 had minor injuries.

Moscow Refinery Blast May Have Been Caused by Friendly Fire, Video Suggests (NYT) The dramatic explosion of a fuel storage facility in Moscow on Thursday may have been caused not by a Ukrainian drone but instead by a Russian air defense missile, an analysis of social media videos verified by The New York Times indicates. The blast became the defining image of Ukraine’s largest-scale drone attack on the Russian capital since the start of the war. The Russian authorities said they had shot down 992 Ukrainian drones across the country on Thursday, in addition to those that reached their targets. The roof of the storage silo flew high into the air, appearing to surf atop a plume of black smoke before plummeting to earth as the installation in southeast Moscow became engulfed in fire. The possibility that the explosion was a self-inflicted “friendly fire” incident highlighted the difficulties that Russian air defenses are facing as Ukraine increases the scale of its drone attacks to break through a layered shield of systems designed to protect the capital.

War-weary Iranians see glimmers of relief as Trump deal takes shape (Washington Post) In Iran, a war-weary population met with cautious relief the news of diplomatic progress between their government and the Trump administration as an initial agreement took shape. Even as their government, and President Donald Trump, vie to hold up the agreement as evidence of victory, many ordinary Iranians say the war has yielded nothing but devastation. Over five weeks of active combat, U.S. and Israeli airstrikes hit more than 13,000 military, industrial and political targets in Iran, damaging or destroying thousands of structures and killing more than 1,700 civilians, including more than 150 children at a school on the war’s first day. While the onslaught failed to topple the Iranian government, it did compound the country’s economic crisis, punishing a civilian population already mired in years of hardship. Inflation has grown to more than 70 percent and the country’s currency, the rial, is trading at over 1.8 million to the U.S. dollar, one of multiple record lows set in recent years.

U.S. intelligence warns Israel is likely to undermine Iran peace deal (Washington Post) U.S. intelligence agencies have warned the Trump administration that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is likely to take steps that will undermine President Donald Trump’s effort to reach a lasting peace deal with Iran, as the Israeli premier faces intense political pressure to continue waging his country’s war in Lebanon, current and former U.S. officials said. The analysis comes at a moment of growing tension between Netanyahu’s government and Trump administration officials, who have publicly warned Israel against launching attacks against Hezbollah that might derail Trump’s deal.

Israeli envoy and UN official clash at hearing on children in conflict (Reuters)—Diplomatic niceties broke down at the United Nations on Friday when Israel’s ambassador and the U.N. secretary-general’s special representative for children ​and armed conflict became embroiled in a furious shouting ‌match at a public hearing. At a meeting in New York to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, the Israeli envoy, ​Danny Danon, demanded the resignation of Pramila Patten, who produced ​a report that blacklisted Israel for such alleged abuses, accusing her of bias. Frazier, Malta’s former U.N. ambassador, issued her report this week on behalf of U.N. chief Antonio Guterres warning ​that Israeli settler ​groups could be ⁠added to a global blacklist for violations against children as the U.N. chief voiced alarm at what ​he called a “staggering” rise in violations against Palestinian children. Israel ​itself ⁠already features in that report’s so-called list of shame annexes for alleged violations.

Israel and Hezbollah agree to halt fighting, officials say, as US-Iran talks hang in the balance (AP) Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group agreed Friday to halt the heavy fighting in southern Lebanon that had threatened to unravel an interim agreement between the United States and Iran to end their war, officials said. Neither Israel nor Hezbollah immediately confirmed the truce. It came after a heavy exchange of fire killed 47 people in Lebanon and four Israeli soldiers. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to keep Israeli forces in southern Lebanon until the threat is eliminated. Hezbollah has refused to halt its attacks unless Israel commits to withdrawing from Lebanon, which Iran says is also a condition of the deal.

Pentagon Tells Lawmakers It Needs $80 Billion for Iran War and Other Bills (WSJ) The Pentagon needs $80 billion to cover costs from the Iran war as well as other non-war-related bills, Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg told lawmakers in phone calls this week, according to people familiar with the discussions. Lawmakers have been pressing the Trump administration to provide a comprehensive price tag for the war, which started Feb. 28. Among lawmakers’ concerns is that the military depleted valuable munitions that might be needed to confront threats elsewhere around the world. Pentagon leaders have said they could start running out of money for operations this summer unless Congress passes a new wartime spending bill, warning that the services will have to cut back on training exercises and other priorities because of the war in Iran and troop deployments along the U.S. southern border.

Those World Cup Tourists Loving American Food? They’re Not All What They Seem. (NYT) Last week, the governor of New Jersey and the state’s official account both retweeted an X post with a video of “World Cup tourists” at a deli in Bergen County, discovering the glories of a chicken parm hero. The clip has been watched millions of times since then, one of many examples of foreign soccer fans greeting their first tastes of American cuisine with childlike wonder. There’s one problem with the story. The traveler in the video, an Englishman named Daniel Tooke, ate the hero in April. By June 11, when the World Cup began, Mr. Tooke had been back home in Norwich for weeks. At least Mr. Tooke is a real person. The same can’t be said for some other supposed World Cup tourists whose reactions to the eating and drinking rituals of the United States have beguiled the country. The Italian man whose awe-struck reaction to free Coke refills (“I can refill this 1,000 times!”) has become one of the most popular examples of the trope is a persona played by a TikTok comedian named Fabio Farati. His video, first posted last year, is one of hundreds along the same lines that he’s produced since 2018, dramatizing his encounters with ranch dressing on pizza and fried chicken on pasta.

Remnants of Tropical Storm Arthur flood homes and force evacuations in Gulf states (CBS/AP) The remnants of Tropical Storm Arthur battered parts of the southeastern United States with drenching rains and strong wind on Thursday, tearing through buildings, flooding homes and launching water rescues along the Gulf Coast. Arthur was the first tropical storm of the season in the Atlantic basin, and although it was quickly downgraded within a day of forming, the lingering system created dangerous conditions in Louisiana and Mississippi. In one rural Louisiana parish, more than 2 feet of rain fell in 48 hours.

Inflation pain could linger even after the Iran war ends (ABC News) In an ideal scenario, the Iran war is over, the Strait of Hormuz is completely reopened, energy prices and inflation fall sharply and American wages rise. That's according to Mark Zandi, the chief economist for the global financial research firm Moody's Analytics. But the reality is the signs on the horizon indicate those conditions aren't likely to be fully realized anytime soon, Zandi told ABC News, which will mean more financial pain is in store for American consumers already struggling to cover their basic living costs. "I think under the most likely scenarios for how things unfold, I'd buckle up," Zandi said.

Church of England apologises for role in forced adoptions (Guardian/AP) The Church of England has made a long-awaited apology for its role in forced adoptions after the second world war. Hundreds of thousands of children were forcibly separated from their mothers in the UK between the 1940s and the 1980s. Survivors testify to suffering abuse, neglect and lifelong trauma. Anglican mother and baby homes were part of a network of institutions where unmarried women were sent to give birth in secret before being compelled to hand their babies over to married couples for adoption. Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally, the first woman to lead the church and the person seen as the spiritual leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion, issued the apology as the church released a report on conditions at the homes from 1949 to 1976. Many women and girls were forced to do menial labor as a form of “correction” for having children out of wedlock, and their babies were sometimes described as commodities available to meet the demand for adoption, the report found.

Russia threatens escalation after Ukraine hits Moscow with largest-ever drone attack (CNBC) Russia has pledged to carry out frequent and “massive group strikes” against Ukraine shortly after Kyiv launched a barrage of drones on Moscow, triggering a huge explosion in one of the Russian capital’s key oil refineries. Ukrainian forces conducted a large-scale attack against Moscow on Wednesday evening and Thursday, heavily targeting a major oil refinery located on the south-eastern outskirts of the city. Nearly 200 drones were reportedly used in the attack, marking Ukraine’s biggest-ever air raid on Russia’s capital. Authorities said 16 people had been injured, while four Moscow airports temporarily grounded flights. Columns of black smoke were seen billowing from Gazprom’s Moscow Refinery on Thursday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the strikes on Moscow were in response to attacks from Russia on a historic monastery complex in Kyiv earlier in the week.

Germany and Poland sign a new defense deal as the balance of power in Europe shifts (AP) Germany and Poland signed a new defense agreement on Wednesday, putting aside their complicated past to strengthen European military cooperation amid heightened tensions with Russia and growing uncertainty over U.S. engagement in Europe. “We are not forgetting the past,” Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said in Warsaw during a press conference with his German counterpart, Boris Pistorius. “But the politics of the future, development and security are our obligation.” As the U.S. weighs a partial drawdown of its military presence in Europe, Poland is keen to ensure that major European allies take a greater role in defending the continent’s eastern flank.

Outrage in Italy after Trump says Meloni 'begged' for photo op (AFP) Italy reacted angrily on Friday after reported comments by US President Donald Trump mocking Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, with the foreign minister cancelling a planned US visit. Meloni said she was “frankly stunned” by Trump’s comments to Italian channel La7. According to a written transcript of the phone interview provided to AFP by the network, he said Meloni “begged me for a picture” at the G7 summit this week and he agreed only because he “felt sorry for her”. He also suggested that Meloni was probably “happy that I talked to her, I didn’t have to talk to her”. Meloni called what Trump said “made up”, adding: “Neither I nor Italy ever beg.” “I don’t know why the president of the United States behaves this way with his own allies,” the far-right leader wrote on X. “I can only say that it’s a pity he doesn’t show the same determination with enemies of the West, with enemies of the United States, with leaders with whom, instead, he is far more accommodating,” she said.

Afghanistan Issues Ban on Smartphones for Civil Servants and Military (NYT) Afghanistan’s leader has ordered all civil servants and members of the country’s armed forces to stop bringing their smartphones to work as of Wednesday, the latest restriction on individual freedoms imposed by the Taliban government. Some government agencies have scrambled for alternatives, reverting to regular cellular calls instead of WhatsApp, which they overwhelmingly rely on as they try to keep a country of 45 million running amid economic isolation, devastating aid cuts and a conflict with neighboring Pakistan. Afghanistan’s highest court issued the order, but it did not provide a justification for it. Civil servants, police officers and education professionals in five provinces confirmed the authenticity of the ban and said that it had begun taking effect in their offices. Those caught using their smartphones will have them smashed and face punishment, according to a copy of the order circulating online.

Do it at home too, women tell Japanese fans who cleaned World Cup stadium (BBC) For years, Japanese football fans have won praise for cleaning up stadiums after World Cup matches. But this time, they’re catching heat at home. When photos emerged this week of Japanese fans combing the stands with trash bags after a match, some saw a double standard: men who clean after themselves in public while leaving the burden at home to their wives. A Japanese poster went viral soon after, juxtaposing a man picking litter at the stadium with the same guy reclined on a sofa at home, using his phone near a basket of laundry while his wife did the dishes. Cleanliness and cleaning up after oneself in public places is deeply ingrained in Japanese culture. In terms of time spent doing housework, however, Japanese men rank the lowest among highly-developed countries.

Stranded ships have begun transiting the Strait of Hormuz, maritime data company says (AP) Major shipowners have begun moving vessels through the Strait of Hormuz since the U.S. and Iran signed an interim agreement to end their war, maritime data company Lloyd’s List Intelligence said Thursday. In a media briefing, Richard Meade, editor in chief of Lloyd’s List, said for the first time in 110 days, ships owned by major companies were crossing the strait after effectively being marooned there since February. Phillip Belcher, marine director of Intertanko, a trade group for global independent tanker owners, said the main central route of the Strait of Hormuz was still closed and has an estimated 80 mines that need to be cleared. But ships have been passing through the smaller northern route, which goes through Iranian waters, and the southern route, which goes through Omani waters.

Over 1,000 people killed during Gaza ceasefire, Palestinian authorities say (NPR) Israeli operations in the Gaza Strip have killed 1,005 Palestinians since a ceasefire was reached between Israel and the militant group Hamas last October, the Gaza Health Ministry said Wednesday. There were 253 children and 121 women among the 1,005 killed. The enclave has seen near-daily strikes, as well as shelling and gunfire along the boundary that divides Gaza into Israeli and Palestinian-controlled zones.

Trump Demanded Iran’s ‘Unconditional Surrender.’ But Iran had a secret weapon. (NYT) It was less than 15 weeks ago when President Trump, at the height of his bravado about how the war with Iran would end, declared “there will be no deal with Iran except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER.” When the text of the deal intended to wind down the conflict was finally released on Wednesday, it read nothing like a surrender document. Instead, the Iranians emerged from a confrontation with the world’s most powerful military having not only survived, but with much to celebrate. It starts with the resumption of Tehran’s ability to reap billions of dollars in oil sales, lifting pressure on the struggling regime. It also suggests that, over time, Iran may negotiate some permanent way to exercise sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz. And the memorandum describes a pathway in which Iran could begin receiving billions of dollars in assets that have been frozen for years.       It was Mr. Trump himself who offered what may be the most cleareyed answer about why he needed to end this war so fast. He didn’t want comparisons to Herbert Hoover, he told reporters. “He was always the one I didn’t want to be,” Mr. Trump said of the 31st president, who presided over the market crash that ushered in the Great Depression. “I didn’t want to see economic catastrophe.” Later he noted that if the war continued, the world would have begun to run out of oil stockpiles. That combination—economic chaos and disrupted oil markets—is exactly what the Iranians viewed from the opening days of the war as their most potent weapon. They executed on that vision with precision, closing the strait and blowing up petrochemical facilities, desalination plants, hotels and air bases across the Gulf. And by the president’s own testimony, it worked.

The Iran War has altered the world order (NYT) No matter what happens, the war has permanently altered the world order, reports Patricia Cohen, who covers the global economy. For one thing, the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz has changed where nations buy their energy and what kinds of energy they’re buying. In some places, like South Korea and Japan, there’s been a turn toward coal, which pollutes the atmosphere. In others, it’s likely to propel a turn toward renewable sources like nuclear, wind and solar. China’s a big beneficiary of that because it’s so far ahead of the rest of the world in developing those energy technologies. That’s the second big change: Beijing is even more important on the world stage. “China looks to be an out-and-out winner,” concluded analysts from a global energy consulting firm. Third, safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz may never truly return. Iran wants to impose a fee on ships that sail through the narrow waterway, which could violate international agreements. But even if it doesn’t, Tehran has demonstrated that it can disrupt trade there any time it wants to. Shipping companies don’t like the uncertainty. Finally, the World Bank says that growth of the global economy is slowing. Separately, inflation is starting to roar.

A city’s push for facial recognition on public buses ignites debate over security and privacy (AP) Officials in Kansas City, Missouri, are preparing to equip some public buses with facial recognition cameras capable of detecting whether a passenger appears on a list of banned riders or missing persons. Supporters and opponents alike view the effort as a major litmus test for tapping the AI-powered software on a U.S. public transportation system, positioning Kansas City as the latest epicenter in a fierce debate over whether the safety benefits of artificial intelligence are worth the privacy costs. “The idea of running face recognition on a camera that is pointed on live spaces in public is a line that until recently has never really been crossed in the last 25 years,” said Jay Stanley, senior policy analyst for the Project on Speech, Privacy and Technology at the American Civil Liberties Union. “It may be used for a very narrow watch list today, but there are very good reasons to think it’ll expand over time,” he said.

Two sides of a political chasm share one fear in Colombia’s presidential race: A return to the past (AP) The memories of Colombia’s six decades of armed conflict are still like open wounds etched on its victims’ bodies and minds. For Blanca Nubia Monroy, it’s a black-and-white scale of justice tattooed on her forearm, identical to the one used to identify her 19-year-old son’s body after he was kidnapped and killed by Colombian soldiers in 2008. For Sigifredo López, it’s flashbacks from the seven years he was held captive by guerrillas in the South American country’s dense jungles and the trauma of surviving after his companions were massacred in 2007. Both have radically different views of who should win Colombia’s presidency on Sunday. But their fear is the same: Returning to a more violent past. The armed struggle between Marxist guerrillas, Colombian military forces and right-wing paramilitaries has resulted in more than 10 million people—one in five Colombians—becoming victims of conflict, according to a government registry documenting killings, kidnappings, forced displacement and more.

Pentagon chief lashes out at NATO allies and announces a review of US forces in Europe (AP) U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth lashed out at NATO allies on Thursday, announcing a six-month Pentagon review of American forces in Europe that will depend on how fast they take responsibility for their own security. Hegseth lambasted European allies for failing to provide U.S. forces access to bases in Europe to launch attacks on Iran, calling it “shameful.” Hegseth said earlier Thursday that America’s allies in Europe must take the lead on the defense of their own continent and help turn NATO into “a read hard-line military alliance.”

Western Europe Braces for Another Round of Heat (NYT) Just two weeks after an unusually early and severe heat wave, Western Europe has been hit by another round of scorching weather, with temperatures expected to reach 113 degrees Fahrenheit by the weekend. Hot, dry air from North Africa has formed a dome over the Iberian Peninsula, trapping and pushing heat toward France, Switzerland, Italy and Germany, where temperatures of 95 degrees Fahrenheit or higher are expected to persist through next week. The high temperatures are a shock to residents, and also to many tourists who had avoided traveling in July and August because of the heat and expected milder conditions in Western Europe so early in the season. One of the biggest challenges of dealing with the summer heat is the rarity of air-conditioning in Western Europe. Traditionally mild summer conditions and strict building regulations make installation both difficult and costly. Outside four- and five-star hotels, a few modern developments, and some museums and restaurants, most places simply do not have it.

Moscow hit by largest Ukrainian attack since start of Russia's full-scale war (BBC) Moscow has come under the largest Ukrainian attack since the start of the full-scale war, with close to 200 drones hitting targets around the Russian capital and setting columns of thick smoke billowing high into the sky. Seventeen people were wounded in the Moscow region, according to local governor Andrei Vorobyov. Almost 1,000 drones and four Ukrainian cruise missiles were intercepted and destroyed across the country in 24 hours, Russia’s defence ministry was quoted as saying. An oil depot was struck in the southern Rostov region, where one person was killed. Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv had once again hit the Moscow region with “long-range sanctions”—a euphemism for Ukrainian long-distance strikes on Russia. “It’s time to end this war, and Russia must take the necessary steps in diplomacy,” he added. “We don’t want this war and have never wanted it,” Zelensky said. “But if Ukraine burns, your Moscow will burn too.”

Heat in India’s textile factories stifles workers (AP) For dozens of workers at a textile manufacturer on the edge of Surat, the blazing temperatures and high humidity on a recent afternoon were amplified by steam, radiating heat and chemical smells that emerged from the heavy machines that dominate nearly every inch of the low-ceilinged factory floor. The machines, called stenters, roared like engines, boilers hissed and drum washers released clouds of steam. The sound was relentless, the air heavy. “The heat does make us weak. We sweat a lot. Some people feel dizzy, unwell,” said Soni Pande, a 27-year-old worker and single mother. Like most other parts of the country, Surat is witnessing rising day and nighttime temperatures and longer summer months in part due to climate change, and workers say the heat inside factories is unbearable at times. The problem has proved stubborn, because even when factories install cooling equipment, the effects can be limited. And faced with losses due to United States tariffs and supply disruptions caused by the Iran war, factory owners seem less willing or able to invest the thousands of dollars needed to install and maintain cooling systems.

JD Vance tells Israel ‘you can’t kill your way out’ of security problems (Al Jazeera) United States Vice President JD Vance has been defending the memorandum of understanding to end the US-Israeli war with Iran, responding to criticism of the deal from members of the opposing Democratic Party and Republicans alike. But Vance reserved some of his harshest criticism for Israel, whose leaders have continually pushed Washington to continue the war. He pointed to criticism of the deal from Israeli officials, including far-right ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir. “And I guess my response to them would be: What is your exact proposal? You’re a country of nine million people. You can’t just kill your way out of solving every single national security problem that you have,” he said. “Too many people have been killed,” Trump said from the G7 Summit in France. Speaking of Lebanon, he said, “You don’t have to knock down an apartment house every time you’re looking for somebody, because there are a lot of people in those apartment houses, and they’re not all Hezbollah.”

Israeli military strikes in southern Lebanon in intense fighting as US-Iran talks postponed (AP) Israel’s military said Friday its forces struck targets throughout southern Lebanon overnight as Hezbollah reported intense fighting in the area, threatening the nascent agreement between Iran and the United States to end their war. Talks planned for Friday in Switzerland between Iran and the United States, which Vice President JD Vance had been scheduled to attend, found themselves postponed as the fighting intensified. Meanwhile, the death toll in Lebanon rose sharply. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported at least 18 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes, which the Israeli military said were ongoing. Israel, meantime, said four of its soldiers had been killed in fighting in southern Lebanon, including a lieutenant colonel. An explosive drone attack hurt another five, it added.

Israel seized more land from neighbors since 2023 than it has in decades (AP) Over the past two and a half years, Israel has taken control of swaths of Gaza, Lebanon and Syria that amount to its biggest expansion of militarily occupied lands in decades. It is an area larger than many major cities—roughly 1,000 square kilometers (386 square miles)—and Israel has said it plans to stay indefinitely. The land seizures began in the aftermath of Hamas’ 2023 cross-border attack, which ignited wars on multiple fronts. The Israeli military took over large portions of Gaza as part of a broad invasion, and later seized control of chunks of Lebanon and Syria. Israel calls these areas “buffer zones” and says they are needed to prevent future attacks by militant groups. In Gaza and Lebanon, Israeli land seizures and evacuation warnings have pushed out more than 3 million people, and troops have demolished towns and neighborhoods, creating large depopulated zones.

US and Iran sign initial deal to end war, ease sanctions and open strait as nuclear talks continue (AP) President Donald Trump signed an agreement with Iran on Wednesday that calls for Tehran to dilute its stockpile of highly enriched uranium and waives U.S.-backed sanctions on the country, immediately allowing Iran to sell its oil freely in a major concession from Washington, according to details released by both countries. The initial deal to end the war takes “immediate effect” after leaders from both countries signed it, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who helped mediate the agreement, said online. The agreement calls for a permanent end to hostilities and starts a 60-day negotiating clock to reach a final deal on the future of Iran’s nuclear program, though Trump left the door open to resume attacks.

A Situation In The Situation Room (Axios) It appears that there’s a leak in the most important room in America. The Situation Room is a command center located in the White House’s West Wing, where intelligence officers monitor global events around the clock, and where the nation’s leaders gather to hold emergency meetings during times of crisis. Normally, recording devices aren’t allowed in the Situation Room, but the Trump White House is now worried that the room’s security has been breached after New York Times reporters appear to have obtained audio recordings of Situation Room meetings for their upcoming book, “Regime Change.” The Times reporters published two articles related to conversations supposedly held in the Situation Room in order to drum up publicity for their book: one touched on a meeting about Trump’s role in the Epstein files, and another detailed a conversation between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding their war with Iran. Axios has reported that Trump is “furious about the blow-by-blow accounts,” but it’s unclear whether the reporters actually have recordings of the conversations or if they’re just publishing “reconstructed” dialogue from sources’ accounts of Situation Room meetings.

Deadly B-52 Crash Highlights Age of Bomber Fleet (NYT) In the 10 years or so that Jeromy Smith worked as a flight test engineer at Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California, his wife said, he spoke over and over about the job’s risks. “He loved his work—as a child, he knew he wanted to go into aeronautics,” Lauren Smith, 30, recalled in an interview on Tuesday about her 32-year-old husband. But as the father of two young children, he also understood the danger inherent to frequent test flights in military aircraft. On Monday, his worst fears came to pass with the crash of a B-52 bomber shortly after takeoff from the base. The aircraft burst into flames, and all eight crew members were killed in the conflagration, which was visible across the Mojave Desert for miles. B-52 bombers, which have been in use by the U.S. military since the 1950s, are known for their immense size, reliability and safety, but also for their advanced age. The test flight on Monday had been part of an Air Force initiative to upgrade the plane’s outdated radar and other avionics.

Most Americans see freedoms under threat but core to nation’s identity, AP-NORC poll finds (AP) Most Americans believe civil liberties like the right to vote are under threat, according to a new AP-NORC poll, while also continuing to agree that the rights expressed in the nation’s founding documents are still core to American identity. The survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that most Americans across demographics believe the right to vote, the right to free speech and freedom of religion are integral to the country. But it also reveals deep anxieties about the nation’s trajectory on the cusp of a summer filled with celebrations of the country’s semi-quincentennial birthday. “Our idea of rights has been very consistent in this country until the last few years,” said Louise Rochon, 85, of Connecticut. “Now, they’re all under threat. Every single last one of them.” About two-thirds of Americans view the right to vote as under some threat, with about one-third saying voting rights are under “major threat.” Additionally, nearly half of Americans say freedom of speech is under major threat, followed by about 3 in 10 who said the same about gun rights and religious freedom.

Argentina is defending its World Cup title, and its fans are as obsessed as ever (AP) As reigning champions Argentina returned to the World Cup stage Tuesday, there was no drive too long and no ticket too pricey for its most fervent fans. Three fans bicycled nearly 11,000 miles (17,700 kilometers) from South America to Kansas City, Missouri—without tickets in hand. One group drove 20 hours, living off sandwiches to save money. Daniel Otero, a 73-year-old attending his seventh tournament, is shelling out around $100,000 so he and his two sons can watch the team play over the coming weeks. The obsession was rewarded in Kansas City as the team made opened its World Cup defense, defeating Algeria 3-0. Scoring all three of those goals was the legendary Lionel Messi who, turning 39 next week, could be playing in his last World Cup.

UN chief visits Haiti, where a new international force will be deployed to help fight gangs (AP) U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres visited Haiti on Tuesday, where surging gang violence has left more than 1 in 10 people homeless. New statistics released by the U.N. reveal that 2,300 people have been killed across Haiti so far this year, with another 100 kidnapped, while 1.5 million have been displaced. Among those abducted is James Boyard, cabinet director of the Defense Ministry, who was kidnapped last week in one of the few relatively safe areas of the capital. Guterres’ one-day visit to Port-au-Prince comes after more than 30 people were killed, injured or missing last weekend in Cité Soleil, a seaside slum, according to Cooperative for Peace and Development, a local human rights organization. His convoy sped past a neighborhood once fully controlled by gangs that left in their wake decimated car dealerships, abandoned homes and dozens of concrete buildings pockmarked with bullet holes. Guterres’s first stop was the headquarters of the new gang-suppression force, which the U.N. Security Council approved in September. It replaces a U.N.-backed mission led by Kenyan police that aimed to help Haiti’s National Police fight gangs but remained underfunded and understaffed.

Ecuador declares new state of emergency (Drop Site News) Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa declared a new 60-day state of emergency across 10 provinces and several additional municipalities on Tuesday, suspending constitutional rights and authorizing security forces to conduct searches of private homes without a judicial warrant when organized crime is suspected, according to Anadolu. The decree cites 879 homicides between May 1 and June 12 in the affected areas, which include key cocaine trafficking routes linking Colombia’s border to Ecuador’s Pacific ports. Homicide and crime rates in Ecuador have risen to the highest in South America.

A far-right backlash is surging in Latin America as crime fears fuel Bukele-style crackdowns (AP) At the start of this decade, Latin America was hurtling to the left. Progressives, seizing on public outrage over entrenched inequities exacerbated by the pandemic, swept to power in many of the region’s biggest economies, including Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Peru. A political backlash is brewing, though. Although homicide rates have broadly declined across Latin America compared to a decade ago, spikes in some countries and a regionwide rise in other crimes, particularly extortion, have created the conditions for conservative populists to score votes by promising strong-arm tactics against crime and immigration. Stump speeches casting migrants as criminals and pitching heavy-handed security strategies popularized by El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele, have won conservative candidates U.S. President Donald Trump’s backing and fired up their disaffected electorates.

AI executives gather at G7 as Europeans seek checks on American dominance (AP) Top artificial intelligence executives are gathering Wednesday in France against a backdrop of growing calls for tech sovereignty in Europe, fueled by concerns about American dominance in the industry. The wars in Iran and Ukraine have dominated discussions at the Group of Seven summit of major industrialized nations this week but AI will have its moment on the meeting’s final day. In Europe the distrust of American companies dominating AI and other tech ecosystems has shown up at the European Commission, which unveiled a tech sovereignty package this month with plans to boost homegrown AI. According to Zach Meyers, director of research at CERRE, a Brussels-based think tank, “There is a general anxiety about the state of Europe, the fact that we’re relying on other countries for quite important strategic infrastructure and a desire to do something about it, whatever that is.”

2 Christian communities navigate life in southern Lebanon (AP) In the predominantly Christian towns of Marjayoun and nearby Qlayaa in southern Lebanon, daily life continues in the shadow of a war that devastated many surrounding Shiite villages during months of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. While the two towns largely escaped the widespread destruction seen elsewhere along the border, residents remain surrounded by villages still bearing the scars of airstrikes, shelling and ground combat. Home to about 2,000 to 2,500 residents each, Marjayoun and Qlayaa have become pockets of relative stability in a region grappling with conflict. Yet life remains challenging. Electricity and water shortages are common, economic conditions have worsened, and access to specialized medical care is limited, often requiring long journeys for treatment.

Trump goes after Netanyahu as he pursues deal with Iran (AP) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told President Donald Trump last year that he was the “greatest friend Israel ever had in the White House.” Now, as Trump tries to finalize a deal to end the war with Iran, he’s unloading on Netanyahu with rhetoric that no other American leader has dared to use publicly. He claimed credit for Israel’s existence—“without me, there would be no Israel”—and cursed his judgment in interviews. He even described him as “crazy.” Netanyahu’s tenure as prime minister spans four U.S. presidents, and he’s frustrated all of them at one point or another. But none has voiced that as openly as Trump, who started the conflict in tandem with Netanyahu. The tension comes as Trump criticizes recent Israeli attacks in Lebanon, which threatened to jeopardize negotiations between Washington and Tehran. There has long been a bipartisan consensus around supporting Israel in Washington, but that has frayed in recent years. Liberals have been increasingly outraged by Israel’s treatment of Palestinians, especially during the war in Gaza, and conservatives have questioned the importance of longstanding American support for Israel.

In Gaza, orphaned children navigate grief while trying to hold on to childhood (AP) Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has left tens of thousands of Palestinian children without one or more of their parents, adding to what UNICEF has said is the conflict’s “unconscionable” toll on the territory’s youth. The loss is among the war’s most lasting consequences, depriving children, many of whom are already traumatized, wounded or living in dire conditions, of the nurture and care provided by mothers and fathers as they negotiate their place in the world. As of earlier this year, nearly 59,000 children had lost at least one parent, UNICEF said, with around 2,700 having lost both their mother and their father. Gaza’s society is rooted in extended family networks, with many relatives living together or in the same neighborhoods. Amid the devastation, relatives and other caregivers have tried to give the orphaned children some semblance of a normal childhood.

Initial deal to end US-Iran war moves toward formal signing despite lingering questions (AP) An initial agreement between the United States and Iran to extend their shaky ceasefire inched toward a formal signing despite questions Monday over the fate of Tehran’s nuclear program and an offensive by Israel in Lebanon that could prolong the fighting and scuttle the deal. The agreement signed electronically Sunday is meant to provide a meaningful truce in a monthslong war that has killed thousands across the Middle East, including the top leaders of Iran’s theocracy, and raised the prices of fuel, food and other basic goods far beyond the region. But logistical and military challenges underscored the fragile nature of the deal, which was set for a ceremonial signing Friday in Geneva.

Higher prices for gas, groceries and flights will outlast the Iran war, experts say (AP) A tentative deal to end the Iran war makes it reasonable to ask how soon prices will drop for gasoline, groceries, airline tickets and other items that got more expensive during the conflict. Not so fast, experts say. Even after oil starts flowing again from the Middle East, it could take a while for consumers to see a difference at local fuel pumps, supermarkets and other places they shop, according to economists and industry analysts. Fighting over the Strait of Hormuz disrupted not only supplies of crude and refined fuel but also the supply chains for fertilizer, food and even footwear. Businesses expect higher costs to linger. “It is not clear, despite three months of war, that anything has been achieved that makes the American consumer better off,” Brett House, an economist who teaches at Columbia Business School, said. “In fact, by almost any measure, not just the American consumer, but the world, is worse off as a result of this attack.”

College sticker prices hit a new high at elite schools (Independent) A small group of American universities is crossing a threshold that once seemed absurd: $100,000 for a single year as an undergraduate. At least 16 institutions are now approaching or exceeding that figure when tuition, fees, housing and other miscellaneous costs are combined, according to a recent analysis by New York Magazine. The list—corroborated by data obtained by CNBC—is dominated by elite, high-demand schools, including the University of Chicago, Georgetown University and Wesleyan University. College costs have surged in the past 40 years but the leap to six-figure price tags—both a financial and psychological milestone—raises new questions about how colleges set prices, who ultimately pays and whether the higher education market is nearing a breaking point.

Cuba quantifies impact of US oil blockade on children’s health and daily life (AP) Some of Cuba’s sickest people are feeling the effects of the U.S. energy blockade, with surgeries delayed, kidney dialysis treatments disrupted and children with cancer facing a higher risk of death, according to a report published Monday by Cuban state-run media. The survival rate for children with cancer has fallen to 65% from 85% before the energy restrictions began in January, according to the report released by Cubadebate. It also said 100,000 children younger than 7 are no longer receiving the daily liter of milk previously provided by the state and that the country’s 16-vaccine immunization program for infants is “at risk.” Additionally, it said, another 100,000 Cubans are on waiting lists for surgery and the treatment schedules of nearly 3,000 patients requiring kidney dialysis have been disrupted. Regarding medication, 300 of the 395 essential medicines produced on the island are unavailable due to a lack of chemical components required to manufacture medications.

Surging Chinese exports threaten Europe’s economy, raising concern at G7 summit (AP) For eight years, the United States has waged economic war on China, slapping big taxes on Chinese products before they enter America. But the campaign hasn’t dented China’s industrial prowess. The world’s second biggest economy is exporting more products than ever. It’s just redirecting them away from the U.S. tariff wall and toward more open markets in Europe and elsewhere in Asia. The shift in Chinese trade risks creating a European sequel to the China Shock that wiped out hundreds of thousands of factory jobs in the American heartland in the 2000s and contributed to the political upheaval that put Donald Trump in the White House twice. Despite U.S. sanctions, China last year notched a record global trade surplus—an astonishing $1.2 trillion. China’s trade practices will be near the top of the agenda this week as leaders of the G7 rich democracies gather in Évian-les-Bains, France.

At G-7, allies plan for a world less reliant on the U.S. (Washington Post) At this week’s Group of Seven summit, President Donald Trump will find America’s closest allies in a new posture: increasingly willing to tell him no. After years of tariff threats, diplomatic whiplash and public confrontations, many world leaders have concluded that Trump is not an interruption to the international order but a feature of it—a reordering likely to endure regardless of who sits in the Oval Office. Rather than simply accommodating Trump, they are increasingly preparing for a future in which the U.S. is a less predictable partner and Europe is less inclined to follow America’s lead. Many of the leaders gathering here share some of America’s broader goals, but they are also increasingly willing to resist U.S. pressure. Yet even as European leaders prepare for a future less reliant on Washington, they remain eager to avoid an open rupture with Trump. “Historians will point to Greenland as a point when the transatlantic alliance began to break, when the divorce really started to happen,” said Max Bergmann, director of the Europe, Russia and Eurasia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Ukraine Targets Moscow Oil Facility With Drones as G7 Leaders Meet (NYT) As the Group of 7 leaders gathered Tuesday for a summit focusing in part on Russia’s war in Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukrainian drones had targeted an oil refinery in Moscow, about 10 miles from the Kremlin. Moscow’s mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, said that the city had come under attack by dozens of drones, at least one of which struck the Moscow Oil Refinery. The Moscow Oil Refinery supplies more than a third of the city’s fuel demands, along with jet fuel and other petroleum products, according to industry publications. A day earlier, Russia bombarded the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and other cities with a missiles and drones that killed at least 11 people and injured dozens more. Some of Ukraine’s most cherished cultural institutions, including the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, one of the holiest cathedrals in the Eastern Orthodox church, were damaged in the strikes.

6.7 magnitude earthquake shakes part of Indonesia, causing scattered damage (AP) A 6.7 magnitude earthquake shook part of central Indonesia’s Sulawesi island Tuesday, causing scattered damage and rattling residents of a city devastated by a quake and tsunami eight years ago. The strong shaking sent people fleeing into open areas in and around Palu, a city of about 400,000 people and the capital of Central Sulawesi province. Several hospitals evacuated patients, some with IV drips, outdoors as a safety measure. Images from the area showed heavily damaged structures with partially collapsed roofs, shattered walls and debris scattered across the streets. The National Disaster Management Agency said information on the damage, possible casualties and displaced people was still being gathered.

Mines in the Strait (Reuters) While the United States and Iran are reportedly approaching a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, it will realistically be some time before the number of ships that pass through the Strait daily—currently around 12 to 15 vessels per day—recovers back to the 120 to 140 vessels from before the war began. One reason is mines, which naval forces have placed at some locations in the Strait. An operation by conventional minesweepers and underwater drones to clear the Strait could take 40 to 50 days before the insurance, shipping and oil companies are satisfied that it’s sufficiently safe to sail. Given that a supertanker and its cargo of crude oil are worth about $300 million, war risk underwriters can understandably get skittish at even a whiff of mines.

Interim US-Iran peace deal sparks anger among Israelis, who lash out at Netanyahu (AP) Israelis from across the political spectrum reacted angrily Monday to the news of an initial deal between the U.S. and Iran, calling it a disaster for Israel and directing their fury at one man: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israeli leader said at a news conference Monday that “with an agreement, without an agreement,” he would continue fighting to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, which Tehran has long maintained it isn’t trying to do, saying its nuclear program is for civilian purposes. Critics say Netanyahu led President Donald Trump into the war with Iran while overpromising what it could achieve, and Trump now might be dragging Israel out of the conflict before it feels ready. They say the prime minister misjudged Trump’s appetite for a protracted conflict, was outflanked by Iran in negotiations and grew increasingly sidelined by the region’s other major players.

Can you believe your eyes? (NYT) Hany Farid, 60, is the world’s leading expert in spotting deepfake images and video on the internet. A professor, Farid has built a career out of his ability to differentiate visual reality from fakery. Every day he gets requests from governments, from journalists, from law enforcement and others hoping for his help in understanding what’s a real image and what’s a fake, whether a voice is a person’s or an A.I. clone’s. Farid’s done the research to show that most people cannot tell the difference between the real and the fake. And now he’s becoming one of them. He spends hours and hours on this work: watching videos, geolocating, seeking inconsistencies, doing math. It used to be that he was proud to discover the rare fake in a world of reality. Now it’s the opposite. And the deepfakes are slowly breaking him. “I don’t trust anything,” Farid said. “Every image I see, I’m drawing lines for shadows and doing geometry in my head, trying to figure out what I’m looking at. It’s over. Within a year or two, our whole visual system will be utterly useless.”

U.S. and Iran Reach Agreement to Reopen Strait and Begin Nuclear Talks (NYT) The United States and Iran declared on Sunday that they would cease hostilities for the next 60 days, the first major agreement between the two nations since the start of a war that has gripped the Middle East since late February. For now, however, they left unresolved the critical issue of whether and how Iran would agree to strict limits on its nuclear program. Leaders of the two nations proclaimed that they had reached the agreement after an intensive flurry of last-minute negotiations complicated by an Israeli airstrike earlier in the day on a Hezbollah stronghold near Beirut. The framework commits both governments to halting military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon, and immediately reopening the Strait of Hormuz, allowing the free flow of oil and other products from the Middle East into global markets.

Israelis denounce Trump’s deal with Iran (Washington Post) A “catastrophe.” A “bad deal.” An agreement that “throws a lifeline to the murderous regime in Tehran.” Among Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s supporters and critics alike, in the press and on social media, the mood was clear as Israelis woke up Monday to news of a peace agreement between the United States and Iran: President Donald Trump’s deal is not one that many in Israel like. The question now is whether Trump’s deal is one that Netanyahu will stomach—or one he will seek to derail. Trump in brief expletive-punctuated interviews Sunday already accused the Israeli leader of jeopardizing the accord. In the first official Israeli comments after the announcement of the deal, Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel won’t withdraw from land seized in Lebanon as the interim deal is pending. Katz said Israel plans to stay “indefinitely” in lands it holds in Lebanon, as well as Syria and the Gaza Strip. Over the past 2 1/2 years, Israel has taken control of areas in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria amounting to 1,000 square kilometers (386 square miles) of territory.

For His 80th Birthday, Trump Brought a Cage Match to the White House Lawn (NYT) President Trump’s 80th birthday Ultimate Fighting Championship stunt on the South Lawn of the White House on Sunday night was a mass-media spectacle unlike any in the history of the presidency. Mr. Trump sat ringside beside his wife, Melania Trump, as fighters whaled on one another inches away inside an eight-sided cage wrapped in cryptocurrency advertisements. All five of his children and nearly all his grandchildren sat around him. Thousands more were there on the lawn beneath a 600-ton steel-arch contraption called the Claw. The White House loomed dramatically over a fighting pit packed with billionaires, cabinet members and Republican lawmakers. It was all such an astonishing sight for so many reasons: The use of the trappings of the White House for violent cage fighting. The corporate sponsorships. Much of the White House was given over to this production. Fighters were filmed walking out through various rooms inside the residence and warming up, barefoot, in the Indian Treaty Room of the Old Executive Office Building across the way.

Most AAPI adults say the US is no longer a great country for immigrants, new poll finds (AP) Many Asian American and Pacific Islander adults have experienced or witnessed some degree of upheaval because of the Trump administration’s heightened immigration policies, a new AP-NORC/AAPI Data poll finds, while most say the U.S. is no longer the land of opportunity for immigrants. A new poll released Monday from AAPI Data and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows about half of AAPI adults say they—or someone they know—have been detained or deported within the last year, started carrying proof of immigration status or U.S. citizenship, upended travel plans or significantly changed their routines because of immigration status.

San Andreas Fault stress hits 1,000-year high, raising quake risk (USA Today) Tectonic stress along Southern California’s San Andreas and San Jacinto fault systems has reached—and in some areas exceeded—the highest levels seen in the past 1,000 years, according to new research led by Earth scientists at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Researchers say the system is not showing signs of an imminent rupture, but is operating under unusually high stress in a long-term seismic cycle that could support large earthquakes, including multi-fault events. Lead author Liliane Burkhard, a research affiliate at the University of Hawaiʻi’s Institute of Geophysics and Planetology and scientist at the University of Bern, said the system is highly stressed after more than 160 years since the last major rupture.

Starmer says Britain will ban under-16s from using a range of social media apps (AP) Britain will ban under-16s from using a range of social media apps, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Monday, calling it “a big moment for our country.” The move makes the U.K. part of growing global movement to tighten online safety for children. Australia, Canada, Brazil and Indonesia have introduced legislation or announced age-based restrictions or requirements for children’s access to social media. France, Spain, Denmark, Thailand and South Korea are among others studying or developing similar approaches.

Trump goes to the G7 summit (Politico) “Trump is poised to face a swirl of questions from allies about the status of the Iran deal and his day-after plan,” POLITICO’s Myah Myah writes. “Administration officials told reporters this weekend that as soon as it’s signed, the U.S. will shift its focus to demining the strait” (and will probably ask G7 countries for help). But Trump’s relations with G7 leaders have probably never been this bad. His relationship with Macron has always been tempestuous, and hit new lows after Trump mocked the French president over an apparent spat with his wife. Once-warm friendships with a trio of Europeans—British PM Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian PM Giorgia Meloni—have all but disintegrated over their respective criticisms of the war. And don’t forget he just abruptly decided to leave last year’s G7 in Canada after a single day.

Deadlocked Wars: How Major Powers Misread the Regions They Attacked (NYT) President Trump and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir V. Putin, both resist the idea that ostensibly weaker powers fought them to a stalemate. Iran and Ukraine have pushed back robustly against this “might makes right” mentality, with top officials adopting an even more defiant tone in recent days. In an open letter to Mr. Putin this month, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine derided Mr. Putin for clinging to power as he aged. “You did not expect full-scale resistance from Ukraine, and you did not foresee that things would go this far,” Mr. Zelensky wrote. After Iran unleashed a missile barrage against Israel last week in retaliation for attacks against Hezbollah in Lebanon, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of Parliament and Iran’s top negotiator, threatened more. “Until there is a sincere commitment to restoring trust, Iran’s response will not change,” he wrote on X. “Both conflicts have produced a similar outcome: a weaker power has trapped a stronger one in a costly confrontation,” Fiona Hill, who ran Russian and European affairs at the National Security Council during the first Trump administration, wrote in a policy paper for the Brookings Institution this week. “Like Putin, Trump did not have a plan for what would happen next.” The root of the issue is that both presidents sparked wars with limited understanding of the opposing side, Ms. Hill said.

Switzerland Rejects Measure to Cap Its Population at 10 Million (NYT) Swiss voters defeated a nationwide ballot initiative on Sunday to limit the population to 10 million people. The vote rejected what would have been one of the most drastic measures taken by a European country to stem the arrival of new immigrants. Final returns, which came in quickly after polls closed at noon local time, showed the measure failing, with about 45 percent in favor and 55 percent opposed. Federal officials announced on Sunday afternoon that the initiative had failed. The measure’s support was heaviest in rural states, and its opposition was strongest in cities and in border regions, including the French-speaking areas in the west.

Some Chinese youth turn to virtual parents (BBC Chinese) During mealtimes, Vincent Zhang, a tech worker in Shanghai, has a habit of whipping out his phone to check on his “virtual parents”: a middle-aged couple online, armed with an endless stream of warm words for their imaginary child. Many call the couple mum and dad, telling them about their lives and asking for birthday blessings. With nearly two million followers on Douyin—China’s version of TikTok—Pan Huqian and Zhang Xiuping are among a niche group of content creators called “virtual parents”. They have exploded in popularity, drawing young Chinese followers who feel increasingly squeezed between the pressure of succeeding and the expectations of their families. “My parents are never the ones who tell me not to drive myself too hard or that I am already good enough,” says 33-year-old Vincent. “But virtual parents will ask me whether I am happy today.”

A rare posthumous trial shows how slowly justice moves in Japan (CNN) When a Japanese court granted Hiromu Sakahara a retrial, there was no defendant in the dock celebrating the prospect of freedom. Instead, family members gathered around his grave to share news that he had longed to hear in life after a decades-long fight for justice. Sakahara died in 2011 while serving a life sentence for murdering a store manager in the rural town of Hino in 1984—based on a confession that he said was forced. A rare posthumous retrial is expected to begin soon, but the long delays in Sakahara’s case added momentum to calls for reform to speed up the excruciatingly long process people must go through to seek redress in Japan. Sakahara first filed for a retrial in 2001. Even after his death a decade later, his family kept pushing for a new hearing. Part of the problem in Japan is the lack of legal representation for those brought in for questioning over an alleged crime. Japan hasn’t made access to lawyers during interrogations an absolute right. Japan’s legal system has also been criticized for handing prosecutors too much power.

The economy in the occupied West Bank is being dismantled, report says (AP) The economy in the West Bank is teetering toward collapse as Israel maintains a web of restrictions that limit opportunities for Palestinians living under long-term military occupation, according to a new report from a leading conflict tracker. The International Crisis Group says that Israeli measures restricting movement, withholding revenue and taking land are not only crippling the Palestinian economy but also fueling deep instability. It says Israeli policies suggest a concerted effort to “advance Israel’s own declared goal of extending its control and preventing a Palestinian state from emerging.” The roughly 3.4 million Palestinians living in the West Bank today face roughly 30% unemployment and have seen their economy contract substantially since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.

Canada’s Carney says middle-power countries shouldn’t compete for favor with the US (AP) Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney continued his efforts to pivot away from the United States and align with Europe, meeting with the leader of Ireland on Saturday ahead of the upcoming G7 summit and saying middle power countries shouldn’t compete for favor with America. Carney said that Canada and the European Union have a combined population that is more than twice that of the United States, with a similarly sized economy and a collective defense budget that is twice that of China’s. He said smaller nations can multiply their strength by partnering with like-minded allies. “In a world of great power rivalry, middle powers have a choice—to compete for favor or to combine to create a third path with impact,” Carney said at Trinity College in Dublin. He made similar comments at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, which became a symbol of middle-power resistance in January, when he declared the global rules-based order over and condemned coercion by great powers on smaller countries.

Trump at 80: A President ‘Really Uncomfortable’ With Aging (NYT) He stays up late, phoning lawyers and lawmakers, while posting up to 150 times a night on Truth Social. His mornings involve calls with world leaders about the war in the Middle East, or talks with landscapers about replanting a bothersome tree. When he arrives in the Oval Office, his unstructured days unfold like a time-lapse video, with people zipping around him as he stays seated at the center of the frame. As President Trump turns 80 on Sunday, he is so intent on projecting an image of relentless energy that he has installed a massive, mixed martial arts octagon on the South Lawn to mark the occasion. After watching the fight, Mr. Trump will depart Washington in the middle of the night and cross an ocean for a diplomatic summit in France. It is a schedule that seems devised to ward off questions about age and stamina as he begins his ninth decade. But even for a president known for imposing his own reality on every situation, Mr. Trump is facing scrutiny over his age that has grown more intense with each passing year. A Reuters/Ipsos poll taken in February showed that nearly six in 10 Americans think Mr. Trump is growing more erratic. And the oldest president ever to be inaugurated and his advisers spend a lot of time hitting back at people who have drawn a different set of conclusions about his health based on what they believe they can plainly see.

Wages Are Falling. Wealth Is Surging. No Wonder Americans Are Unhappy. (NYT) Two events from the past week help crystallize this strange, contradictory moment for the U.S. economy. On Wednesday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the surge in energy prices had wiped out a year and a half of wage gains for the average American worker. On Friday, the public-markets debut of SpaceX made Elon Musk the world’s first trillionaire. That stark juxtaposition helps explain why many Americans, in survey after survey, say they no longer believe the U.S. economy is working for them. A few people are getting fabulously, unimaginably wealthy at the same time that entire generations of families worry they will never be able to afford to buy a house, raise children or enjoy a comfortable retirement. Inequality is hardly a new feature in America. But the explosion of wealth at the very top is without precedent in U.S. history. At the height of the Gilded Age at the end of the 19th century, the richest handful of Americans had a net worth equivalent to about 3 percent of the country’s annual economic output, according to data compiled by the French economists Gabriel Zucman and Emmanuel Saez. Today, the fortunes of the same 0.00001 percent—about 20 individuals—make up roughly four times as large a share, equivalent to 12 percent of annual output.

US strike against Tren de Aragua leader in Venezuela (AP) The U.S. military attack in Venezuela Friday that killed the leader of the Tren de Aragua gang reflects a strategic shift by U.S. President Donald Trump toward direct U.S. involvement in the war on drugs that began earlier this year, with a special focus this time on gaining access to Venezuela’s lucrative mining sector, analysts told The Associated Press. Trump announced Friday the death of gang leader Hector Rusthenford Guerrero in an airstrike on his compound in rural Venezuela. He has long accused Guerrero’s organization, also known as TDA, of terrorizing communities across the United States, where it has been linked to extortion rackets, drug trafficking and illegal immigration. The group was listed as a foreign terrorist organization by the State Department last year. Venezuela’s government said in a statement Friday that it worked with the U.S. to kill the gang leader, also known as El Niño Guerrero, and described the airstrike as part of a “joint operation” to fight organized crime.

Record number of young people in England fear long-term unemployment (Guardian) Young people in England are increasingly “losing faith in their futures” according to a report, as record numbers fear long-term unemployment. Analysing survey data, including from the Office for National Statistics, the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) said 16- to 21-year-olds were less confident about being successful than a decade ago. Younger people are also less convinced than their older counterparts that hard work will be rewarded, the IPPR said. Just one in four 16- to 29-year-olds agreed with the statement that “everyone has a fair chance to go as far as their talent and hard work will take them”. Policymakers have become increasingly concerned about the challenges facing young people, with the number of people aged 16 to 24 who are not in education, employment or training (Neets) recently exceeding 1 million for the first time in a decade.

Germany and Japan Are Rearming Again, 80 Years After World War II (NYT) In 1940, the imperial regimes of Germany and Japan joined what would be known as the Axis powers, bound by mutual opposition to the United States. They fought a world war, and they lost it, and their populations spent the next 85 years with shrunken militaries and a heavy reliance on their former enemy, America, for security. Now, both countries’ wariness of America has resurfaced, alongside heightened fears about a surging world power, China, and an aggressive Russia. Tokyo and Berlin are rushing to rebuild their militaries. And, once again, they are strengthening ties. Their cooperation is expected to gather momentum at the meeting of the leaders of the Group of 7 nations in Evian, France, this week. It already includes sharing know-how, technology and weapons, like drones and helicopters, critical to the countries’ respective efforts to rearm. It is hardly an Axis redux. This time, Japan and Germany are banding together from a defensive posture, with Berlin supporting Ukraine’s defense against Russia, and Tokyo wary of threats posed by China and North Korea. They are joining other like-minded “middle powers,” like fellow Group of 7 members Britain, Canada and France—their enemies in World War II. And they are casting themselves as champions of international law and institutions that serve as bulwarks against the bullying behaviors of the world’s most powerful countries.

Downtown Geneva boards up as drastic security tightens ahead of anti-G7 protests (AP) Scores of shops and businesses in downtown Geneva boarded up their storefronts with wooden panels ahead of planned anti-G7 protests on Sunday. French and Swiss authorities have imposed extensive security measures as U.S. President Donald Trump and other leaders attend a G7 summit of leading industrialized nations starting on Monday. There are concerns the gathering could trigger violent unrest. The June 15-17 summit of some of the world’s richest nations being held in the French town of Evian-les-Bains, on Lake Geneva, is meant to discuss the Middle East, Ukraine and global economic imbalances.

Ukraine’s drone commander wants to cut Crimea off from Russia (Reuters) Deep in an underground bunker, where walls of screens stream live data from across the battlefield, the commander of Ukraine’s drone forces is poring over terabytes of information to ​map out his next campaign: cutting Crimea off from Russia. Ukraine’s escalating drone strikes across Russian-occupied parts of the country have disrupted military logistics and fuel supplies, prompting authorities last month to introduce fuel rationing in ‌Crimea. Robert Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, said the campaign has reduced the traffic using the Novorossiya highway—a critical Russian military supply route through occupied southern Ukraine to Crimea—by more than two thirds over the past month. “We will isolate Crimea in the near future,” Brovdi told Reuters in his cramped cubicle inside the bunker.

With a Deal Seemingly Close, the U.S. Faces an Iran More Willing to Withstand Pressure (NYT) The United States and Israel went to war in Iran seeking regime change. Nearly four months later, there has been regime change, but not the kind they wanted. The Islamic Republic 3.0, as some call it, is now less a theocracy and more a military junta dominated by the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. Washington and Jerusalem also went to war to eradicate Iran’s nuclear program and end the threat it poses. So far, this conflict has only produced a wounded Iran more willing to take risks and more likely to persist in its goal of advancing its nuclear program. In the course of this war, Iran has gone from appearing weak and defenseless to a regime not only surviving, but also retaining important military and nuclear abilities. Iran’s extensive security apparatus seems firmly in control of all aspects of governing, society and foreign policy.

Lebanese army withdraws from southern village after Israeli troops advance nearby (AP) The Lebanese army on Saturday withdrew its troops from a base in a southern Lebanese village after Israeli troops advanced in an area nearby, a military official said. Israel’s military appears to be trying to make as many gains as possible in case a U.S.-Iran agreement is reached to end the war in the region, which is likely to include Lebanon. The departure from the army barracks in Kfar Tebnit came as the Israeli military issued an evacuation warning for about 20 locations, including the southern city of Nabatiyeh and nearby villages. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported airstrikes on Saturday on different villages near Nabatiyeh. It added that Nabatiyeh was subjected to artillery shelling on Saturday.