MOTHERLAND is one of @washingtonpost's top 10 books of the year! washingtonpost.com/books/202…

250 years after July 4, 1776, the successor of King George III pays taxes and publishes his returns. The successor of George Washington does not. bbc.com/news/articles/c8x215…

Russia launched its second major air attack on the Ukrainian capital in less than a week, striking Kyiv early on Monday with missiles and suicide drones on the eve of the Nato summit in Turkey. ft.trib.al/p7A90dr

NATO didn't always have an annual summit, not even during the Cold War. Now, in the age of Trump, NATO insiders are wondering if these annual summits are doing more harm than good—and if it's time to stop having them so often. My latest. puck.news/nato-summit-goers-…

At least nine civilians dead in yet another Russian ballistic missile salvo on residential areas of Kyiv. Putin knows that Ukraine is short of Patriot interceptors and so focuses on murdering the residents of Kyiv in their sleep. (Photos by the State Emergency Service.)

The US has long used its influence & moral standing to urge other countries to fight public corruption. But Trump's own self-enrichment has undermined our stature. Now, he is setting a new standard that could embolden kleptocrats, @jasondhorowitz reports nytimes.com/2026/07/02/world…

T, it’s done. Balogun’s red card ain’t gonna be a problem no more

The irony of Trump calling FIFA to overturn a red card for Balogun because he knows the U.S. can’t win without Balogun, who only qualifies for the U.S. team because of birthright citizenship, which Trump just tried to overturn.

BREAKING: The White House called FIFA’s Gianni Infantino to review Team USA’s Folarin Balogun’s red card, AP source says. apnews.com/article/falorin-b…

Is it time to cancel the annual NATO summit? “Why would you torture yourself?” one former NATO ambassador wondered this week. “NATO didn’t always have an annual summit. Why are we putting ourselves through this?” My latest. puck.news/nato-summit-goers-…

This image is from today. A Black woman sits on the DC metro as masked white nationalists prepare to march on our nation's capital. This is America's 250th anniversary. REUTERS/Cheney Orr

EXCLUSIVE: U.S. officials believed Israel was plotting to kill Iran's top negotiators Gen. Ghalibaf and foreign minister Araghchi as Tehran and Washington were negotiationg. Assassinating them would derail peace talks. w/ @julianbarnes nytimes.com/2026/07/02/us/po…

The NATO Summit, which became a yearly event after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, has since devolved into an annual display of Trump-induced disunity. So why keep doing it every single year? @juliaioffe reports: puck.news/nato-summit-goers-…

[new background loading]

💀

“Make up a random number of minutes for injury time. Now, ignore the amount of minutes you picked. Lull the team in the lead think it’s over and give the other team a chance to score. Goal, good. Now, go check the VAR booth to extend the drama and we eat more TV time. Overturn the goal and add 7 minutes to the initial random number of minutes you picked. Ok end it.“

VAR is ruining soccer. Fight me.

I love Modrić, I really do.

One of the worst Russian missile and drone attacks on Kyiv ever, with 74 missiles and 496 drones, indiscriminate as always. Several residential buildings collapsed, 13 people confirmed killed, many more missing and still trapped under the rubble as rescue operations go on. Unable to advance on the frontline, faced with the blockade of Crimea and a fuel crisis at home, Putin is doing what he still can: killing Ukrainian civilians. 📸 Ukraine state emergency service

There are precedents, they just aren't American. EG, Trump has gained in a little over 1 year about as much as Nigerian president Sani Abacha gained in 6. Trump still lags behind Mobutu of the Congo, Indonesia's Suharto, and Russia's Putin among history's top kleptocrats.