Περί Στωικισμού και Λήθαργου

Σκεπτόμενος... Τους Πολέμους του Μάρκου Αυρήλιου και του Ντόναλντ Τραμπ

Τίμοθι Σνάιντερ / Substack / 27 Ιουνίου 2026
Μετάφραση, Επιμέλεια: Γιάννης Δαμέλλος

Καθώς ο Ντόναλντ Τραμπ ανακοίνωνε τον αλαζονικό του πόλεμο ενάντια στο Ιράν, εγώ διάβαζα για μια άλλη αυτοκρατορική εκστρατεία, πολύ πιο παλιά, εναντίον ενός αρχαίου ιρανικού φύλου.

Στα τέλη του δεύτερου αιώνα μ.Χ., η Ρωμαϊκή Αυτοκρατορία αντιμετώπισε εισβολείς που είχαν διασχίσει τα σύνορα της στον ποταμό Δούναβη και είχαν φτάσει ακόμη και στις Άλπεις στη βόρεια Ιταλία. Μεταξύ αυτών ήταν οι Ιάζυγες, ομιλητές μιας ιρανικής γλώσσας, που κατάγονταν από την ουκρανική στέπα.

Of Stoicism and Stupor

Thinking about...
The Wars of Marcus Aurelius and Donald Trump
Timothy Snyder
Jun 27, 2026

As Donald Trump announced his whimsy war in Iran, I was reading about another imperial campaign, long ago, against an Iranian people.

In the late second century AD, the Roman Empire confronted armies that had crossed the border at the Danube River and even broached the Alps in northern Italy. Among them were the Iazyges, speakers of an Iranian language, who hailed from the Ukrainian steppe.

National Weather Service Warns of 'Extreme' 115-Degree Heat Through July 4 Weekend for 18 U.S. States - See the Map

Jessica McBride

Sun, June 28, 2026 at 11:52 AM PDT

3 min read

Key takeaways

• The National Weather Service is warning at least 18 states in the eastern U.S. of an extreme heat wave with temperatures soaring over 100 degrees.
• The heat wave is expected to start on Sunday, June 28, 2026, and linger through the July 4 weekend, with heat indices potentially reaching 115 degrees.
• The NWS advises staying hydrated, limiting outdoor activities, and checking on vulnerable individuals to stay safe during the extreme heat wave

A new report finds few sunscreens meet safety standards

Updated: 12:04 PM PDT Jun 27, 2026 Editorial Standards ⓘ
Sandee LaMotte, CNN

It’s time to stock up on sunscreen, but few choices on store shelves today are both safe and effective, according to an annual report by the Environmental Working Group, or EWG, a nonprofit health and environmental advocacy organization.

NASA races to save Swift telescope from falling back to Earth

The $30 million salvage operation gets underway as soon as this week.
By MARCIA DUNN 

AP Aerospace writer
June 28, 2026, 5:20 AM

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA is racing to save an aging telescope from falling back to Earth with a daring rescue mission. The $30 million salvage operation gets underway as soon as this week with the planned launch of a robotic lifesaver.

U.S.-Iran ceasefire could go up in flames

8 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Barak Ravid

This is more fire than cease:

• Over the past few days, tension between the U.S. and Iran has been escalating with another exchange of strikes on Saturday. President Trump threatened on Truth Social to resume the war and "complete the job."

Canada advances to World Cup Round of 16 for first time after beating South Africa 1-0 in extra time (photos)

Vancouver, BC

June 28, 2026 - 2:22 pm PT

Los Angeles, CA - It may not have been the most exhilarating football game of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but it nevertheless marked a significant moment in Canadian history! Canada, having already made waves by advancing past the group stage for the first time ever, pushed into uncharted territory by defeating South Africa 1-0 in this tense knockout round!

Explained: Why America’s car market is shrinking

A Bain & Company analysis warns the US auto market could lose more than 2,000,000 units by 2040 as falling birth rates, soaring vehicle prices, changing consumer habits and robotaxis reshape the future of car ownership.

By CNBCTV18.com
June 28, 2026, 8:55:29 PM IST (Updated)
3 Min Read

The US automobile market could be headed for a prolonged period of decline as falling birth rates, rising vehicle prices and changing consumer preferences erode demand over the next 15 years, according to a report by consulting firm Bain & Company, CNBC reported.

One Name at a Time: How Die Zeit Built a Searchable Database of Nazi Party Members

by Hanna Duggal, June 26, 2026

In the final days of World War II, as the German Reich collapsed, Nazi officials ordered the destruction of millions of party membership cards. The vast card index documenting membership across Germany survived largely because a paper mill operator, Hanns Huber, chose to hand the records over to the advancing US forces rather than pulp them.

“It Was Completely Shocking to Me”: Archaeologists Discover the Earliest Monumental Egyptian Hieroglyphs Written 1,000 Years Before the Pyramids

Christopher Plain·June 22, 2026
A joint expedition to the ancient Egyptian city of Elkab has unearthed several previously unknown ancient rock art inscriptions, including what the team believes are the earliest known monumental Egyptian hieroglyphs.

Written over 1,000 years before the Great Pyramid of Giza was constructed, these ancient Egyptian writings, discovered by archaeologists from Yale University and the Royal Museums of Art and History (Brussels), laid the foundation for the later, better-known hieroglyphic writing system.

Billionaire Leon Black Subpoenaed After Dodging Epstein Questions

Edith Olmsted  June 26, 2026/2:54 p.m. ET

The House Oversight Committee is going after Leon Black after he refused to answer questions or properly explain his $158 million in payments to Jeffrey Epstein

Billionaire investor Leon Black received two subpoenas Friday after he refused to answer questions about NDAs he’d allegedly signed with women in Jeffrey Epstein’s orbit.

Trump Is Clearly Rattled by What Mamdani Just Did in New York

President Trump seems agitated after Zohran Mamdani’s big wins in New York this week—from DSA election victories to the rent freeze

Edith Olmsted

June 26, 2026/2:54 p.m. ET

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

President Donald Trump spoke at the Faith & Freedom Coalition policy conference in Washington, D.C. on Friday, but seemed hyperfixated on something that has nothing to do with neither faith nor freedom: New York City’s rent freeze.

The Supreme Court’s Era of Meaningless Rights

The Supreme Court is not saying people don’t have certain rights, just that no courts can help them when those rights are violated.

The six Republican appointees on the Supreme Court have made one thing clear: People may have rights, but in many cases they have no way to enforce them. Four decisions released this week have that paradox at their core.

Death toll in Venezuela quakes tops 1,400 as rescuers race to pull out survivors

 Live  Updated  20 minutes ago  BBC  NEWS 

Summary

• The death toll from Venezuela's earthquakes is now 1,430, with 3,238 injured, according to lawmaker Jorge Rodríguez
• He describes the incident as "the most disastrous event this republic has suffered in the last 123 years"
• Rescuers are racing to pull out survivors as the 72-hour window nears its end
• One family is anxiously listening for signs their loved one survived, telling BBC Mundo they heard him "groan" under the debris
• A newborn baby is among the survivors rescued from the rubble - watch the emotional moment
• Acting President Delcy Rodríguez says she is hopeful that teams will find survivors
• The quakes, with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, hit less than a minute apart while most were home for a national holiday - how locals are describing the scenes

Central Europe sizzles as heat records are smashed in Switzerland, Denmark and Czech Republic

By KIRSTEN GRIESHABER, SYLVIA HUI 

and JOHN LEICESTER
Updated 11:18 AM PDT, 

June 27, 2026

BERLIN (AP) — Temperatures soared to record highs from Switzerland to the Czech Republic and Denmark on Saturday, as a heat wave that baked western European countries this week moved to central and eastern parts of the continent.

Unusually high temperatures were recorded even in the Nordic countries not known for sweltering summers. Denmark’s Meteorological Institute reported a record 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 degrees Fahrenheit) in Ødum north of Aarhus — the warmest day since records there began in 1874.

Israel’s Vance problem is bigger than JD Vance

Story by Felicia Schwartz, Alex Gangitano 

and Dasha Burns 

3h • 7 min read

When American and Israeli warplanes struck Iran on Feb. 28, Israeli officials let themselves believe the alliance was entering a golden age. Four months later, they are bracing for a future where Israel stands more alone than ever.

The vice president of the United States set the stage last week, telling Israel it has almost no friends left in the world, and that it should think hard before turning on the one it has.

Iran’s strikes did more than $400 million in damage to the US Fifth Fleet’s headquarters — damage the Pentagon hadn’t acknowledged

National Security Journal
Story by Steve Balestrieri
Jun 26 • 4 min read • Updated 23h ago


Key takeaways

• Massive Damage: Iranian missiles and drones caused over $400 million in damage to the US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain, hitting command buildings and satellite communications terminals.
• Troop Safety Prioritized: CENTCOM moved most personnel out before attacks; only two fatalities occurred despite 8,000+ missiles and drones launched by Iran.
• Strategic Shifts: The US is considering relocating or rebuilding bases, possibly moving some westward to Israel, and reassessing its military presence in the Gulf due to vulnerabilities exposed by the strikes.Navy Aircraft Carrier

Scientists decipher new secrets from ancient scrolls scorched by Vesuvius eruption: "Finally able to read them"

World

By Kerry Breen

Updated on: June 26, 2026 / 9:55 AM EDT /

CBS News

A University of Kentucky project using artificial intelligence to help decode an ancient Roman mystery has led to a major discovery, researchers announced Thursday.

In 79 A.D., the eruption of Mount Vesuvius buried the Roman city of Pompeii and the nearby town of Herculaneum. During a dig in Herculaneum in the 18th century, archaeologists found 1,800 papyrus scrolls in an intact ancient library, deep under the site of a villa that was destroyed by Vesuvius' eruption. But reading them was impossible: The scrolls are brittle and charred, and unravelling them turns them into ash.