Sunday, July 5, 2026

Jürgen Klopp and Germany: A partnership long in the making


 SPORTS GERMANY Jonathan Harding 07/03/2026  July 3, 2026

In one of the worst-kept secrets in football, the former Dortmund and Liverpool coach looks to be on the verge of becoming Germany's new boss.

Image: Markus Ulmer/Ulmer/Teamfoto/IMAGO

Jürgen Klopp is the overwhelming favorite to be Germany's new head coach. In recent years, the charismatic 59-year-old was seen as the ideal candidate. In recent weeks, he has been the boss in waiting. With Julian Nagelsmann's departure now confirmed, Klopp's arrival looks a formality, especially after the German FA (DFB) announced talks had begun and that Klopp had shown a "willingness" in principle to take up the job.

Trump reached out to Infantino and had Balogun reinstated for the ultimate comeback against Belgium

July 5, 2026
That's why Trump is so dangerous.
He never plays by the rules!

A major controversy regarding the 2026 World Cup arose on Sunday when it was revealed that President Trump personally intervened to have U.S. striker Folarin Balogun reinstated for the team’s round-of-16 game against Belgium after receiving a red card in the last round.

According to sources, Trump reached out to FIFA president Gianni Infantino last week, asking him to reconsider Balogun’s automatic one-game suspension and succeeded.

Jake Wallis Simons: Trump has been fooled by the Turkish cuckoo in the Nato nest

What has happened to Turkey under Erdogan is a tragedy. A pro-Western country has fallen to Islamism

Published 05 July 2026 9:00am BST

If a Soviet tyrant wants his Black Sea Fleet to easily reach the Mediterranean, he must sail it into the narrow Bosphorus Strait, through the Sea of Marmara and along the Dardanelles Strait. In other words, he must direct his warships through Turkey’s backyard.

In first, government vows to disobey High Court ruling, setting up constitutional crisis

The Times of Israel

Cabinet declares ruling allowing a key broadcast media regulator to operate without a quorum to be ‘unlawful’; opposition accuses government of ‘violating rule of law’

By Jeremy Sharon 

Today, 7:16 pm

For the first time in Israel’s history, the government openly declared on Sunday that it will not respect a High Court of Justice ruling, escalating its feud with the judiciary to constitutional crisis levels.

Cottrell is making plans for Nigel, cause Nigel needs his helping hand

Source: The Independent &
The Sunday Times
July 5 2026

Farage Turmoil Deepens as New Financial Allegations Spark Standards Calls

Speculation is accelerating around Nigel Farage’s future as leader of Reform UK, after fresh allegations revive questions about whether he failed to properly declare benefits—including help with staffing, security, and accommodation—connected to his political work. According to Political Editor of The Independent, David Maddox, and The Sunday Times, the controversy centers on claims involving George Cottrell, a longtime aide to Farage known as “Posh George,” who has also been described in reporting as having a longstanding role in funding Farage’s political operation and in providing access to housing. Farage has denied the latest allegations, while senior Reform figures have accused the media of running an establishment conspiracy designed to undermine him.

As many Iranians feel betrayed by Trump, Big Brother's absence from his dad's funeral in Tehran leaves no doubt on who's really in charge

July 5, 2026
Source: CNN

A central question surrounding the funeral of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is whether his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, will appear to lead the prayers for his father. Mojtaba is believed to have sustained serious injuries, possibly even losing a limb, in an attack that also claimed the lives of his mother and wife. Since the war began, he has remained hidden, rarely showing his face or using his voice, choosing instead to communicate with his supporters through written statements. Yet, whether the big Brother is still alive or dead may hold little significance, as the real power in Iran lies with the ruthless apparatus of the Guardian Council and the Revolutionary Guard, despite the symbolic importance of the Supreme Leader's position to the public.

Saturday, July 4, 2026

Scientists may have finally solved the black hole information paradox

Science News from research organizations
Date: July 4, 2026
Source: Institute of Experimental Physics SAS


Summary: Researchers have proposed that black holes stop evaporating at the last moment, leaving behind tiny remnants that preserve all the information they contain. The same seven-dimensional geometry behind this idea could also help explain why elementary particles have mass.

DOGE self-deletes on July 4th. The grand experiment fell apart long before that.

Tech mogul Elon Musk’s band of Silicon Valley disruptors has already moved on as DOGE’s charter is scheduled to expire

By Kevin Bogardus and Scott Waldman
07/04/2026
President Donald Trump’s cost-cutting commission that once plunged the government into chaos is nearing its destiny — becoming a former federal initiative.
Up for debate: how and when the end will truly come for the Department of Government Efficiency, which triggered thousands of federal employees to leave their jobs and voided billions of dollars in government contracts.

Trump's new take on 250 years of American expansionism

An 1811 drawing depicts Louis and Clark's exploration of the American frontier. Getty Images

23 hours ago
Anthony Zurcher
North America correspondent
In the 250 years since the US declared its independence from Great Britain, the nation has grown from a sparsely populated collection of settlements scattered along the Atlantic coast into a global power spread over the breadth of a continent and beyond.

Two Funerals and A Birthday

Story by Yiannis Damellos
July 4th 2026
Independence Day
As millions gather in Iran to mourn the loss of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the ripple effects of his assassination echo far beyond Tehran, reaching all the way to Washington, D.C. On the same weekend that Iran's streets are filled with the grieving supporters of a theocratic regime, America celebrates a milestone: 250 years of independence and freedom. Yet, amidst the patriotism, there looms a second funeral—a somber reflection on the state of freedom under the Trump administration.

What are meme coins and how has Donald Trump made millions from his own?


By
Fergus Gregg
Topic: Cryptocurrency
17 hours ago

US President Donald Trump has made $US1.4 billion ($2b) from cryptocurrency in the past 12 months. $US635 million came from celebration coins royalties and $US236m came from cryptocurrency "token sales", while the rest of his income came from assorted cryptocurrency wallets. His celebration coin income is linked to meme coins he launched before returning to office, namely $TRUMP.

Meta Paid Hundreds of Contractors to Pretend to Be Teenagers While Barraging Its Competitors’ AI With Disturbing Content




Behind the Scenes
"Surely we are going to get in trouble for doing this?"
By Frank Landymore Published Jul 4, 2026 9:02 AM EDT

Meta conducted a secretive program that directed hundreds of contractors to pose as teenagers while bombarding its competitors’ AI models with disturbing prompts ranging from suicide to cannibalism.

U.S.A.I.D. Cuts Killed People. That’s the Truth.

Opinion
July 1, 2026
Opinion Columnist

Elon Musk is newly minted as humanity’s first trillionaire, but the world’s richest man seems grumpy. And he definitely is not a fan of mine.

“Kristof is lying through his teeth,” he announced on social media this week.

I got on his nerves for pushing back at his claims that his demolition of the United States Agency for International Development last year did not cost lives. The fracas began after Representative Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, said that Musk had “possibly sentenced to death” a large number of children, and Musk retorted that it was “time to sue this liar.”

Tankers U-Turn in Hormuz, With Some Taking Iran Route Instead


Weilun Soon
Sat, July 4, 2026 

(Bloomberg) -- At least eight ships attempting to leave the Persian Gulf along the Omani coast turned back between Friday and Saturday, in the latest sign that reopening the Strait of Hormuz remains complicated by Iran seeking to assert its control over the key waterway. Some of the vessels continued with their transits by switching to a route closer to Iran.

Friday, July 3, 2026

The rise of democratic socialists and what it means for the party

July 2, 2026 4:47 AM ET
Heard on Morning Edition
A Martínez
7-Minute Listen
Transcript
NPR's A Martínez speaks with Brad Lander, Democratic nominee for New York's 10th Congressional District, about the rise of democratic socialists in the Democratic Party.

Michael Jochum: Prayers for the Wicked


From Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Progressives page on Facebook
Author: Michael Jochum 

Not Just a Drummer: Reflections on Art, Music, Politics, Dogs, and the Human Condition

Every morning I scroll through social media and inevitably stumble across another carefully crafted prayer for Donald Trump, usually wrapped in a Bible verse and decorated with enough patriotic imagery to wallpaper a megachurch. The irony would be hilarious if it weren’t so tragic. Somewhere along the way, the golden calf wandered out of the Book of Exodus, put on a red tie, boarded Air Force One, and convinced millions of people that idolatry was suddenly a Christian virtue.

Morning Coffee: How the most interesting woman at JPMorgan was abruptly axed + An "aggressive, clever" private equity boss got drunk and behaved badly, but it's ok

18 hours ago

We have long observed that Marianne Lake at JPMorgan is an interesting person. With her flat English estuary accent, she is an anomaly in the upper echelons of Wall Street. She started in the middle office and she became JPMorgan's CFO. She's a single mother with three children born through a surrogate. She's been described as "fearless" by juniors.

Last Thursday, though, the Financial Times reports that Lake was 'abruptly axed.' After 26 years at JPMorgan and with an alleged $50m of deferred stock accumulated, she was reportedly given three days' notice that Doug Petno and Troy Rohrbaugh were being elevated above her as heir apparents to JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon. At 6.45am last Thursday, the FT says Lake invited employees working directly with her to join a call at 7.30am. She told them she was leaving. She was 'emotional '; they cried. She hasn't been seen in the office since.

Coffee linked to significant new side effect, says massive study

Story by Thomas Westerholm • 1mo • 3 min read
Your morning cup of coffee might be doing you more good than just waking you up—according to a new study, coffee also has a positive impact on the a person’s microbiome, improving the health of the gut-brain axis
Researchers from the University College Cork in Ireland examined how regular consumption of coffee—both caffeinated and decaffeinated—affects the gut microbiome.