German coalition announces sweeping reform package on pensions and tax rates

POLITICS GERMANY
Richard Connor with dpa, Reuters
16 hours ago

After its first year in office, Germany's coalition government plans to push through sweeping changes with the stated goal of reviving a sluggish economy. The plans met with a mixed reaction.

Germany's chancellor, Friedrich Merz, said his conservative Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union (CSU) bloc and the center-left Social Democrats (SPD) had approved a "catalog of significant reforms" to "modernize" the economy and restore competitiveness.

Powerful general appears in public as Iran prepares for Khamenei’s dayslong funeral

By NASSER KARIMI and JON GAMBRELL
Updated 12:18 AM PDT, July 3, 2026

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — A powerful general who leads Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard emerged publicly for the first time in months as Tehran prepared Friday for the dayslong funeral for the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

What to know about the Society of St. Pius X, the schismatic group excommunicated by the Pope

July 2, 2026 2:26 PM ET
By Noah LaBelle

ÉCÔNE, Switzerland (RNS) — A group of traditionalists directly defied Pope Leo XIV by ordaining four new bishops without his consent, calling it their "sacred duty" during a ritual-laden ceremony at the society's seminary in the Swiss village of Écône.

When US Saved Iran's Abbas Araghchi, Mohammad Ghalibaf From An Israeli Kill Plot

Edited by: Sanstuti Nath, July 03, 2026
Araghchi and Ghalibaf have been the key officials negotiating with various countries in the region to reach a framework agreement with the US that sought to open the Strait of Hormuz and set the outline for follow-on talks on Tehran's nuclear program.

Washington: The United States has reportedly asked its allies in the Middle East to warn Iran about a possible Israeli plot to assassinate negotiators Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Abbas Araghchi during the delicate ceasefire talks, which began in early April. According to a New York Times report, Washington was concerned that an Israeli effort to kill Iran's foreign minister and Parliament speaker would doom the negotiations to reach an interim peace deal and lead to renewed fighting in the Gulf region.

Professor denounces mass AI fraud on an exam at Brown University: ‘Academic integrity is at risk’

The renowned economist Roberto Serrano has ‘overwhelming evidence’ that his students cheated. He thinks the time has come for an in-depth debate so the technology does not signal the end of higher education

MANUEL G. PASCUAL - JUN 27, 2026 - 23:30 CDT 

The temptation to use artificial intelligence (AI) to cheat is shaking up elite universities in the United States. Professor Roberto Serrano, who is the Harrison S. Kravis University Professor of Economics at Brown University, has detected a massive fraud in one of the classes he teaches, ECON 1170, an advanced undergraduate course in mathematical economics. He has conclusive evidence that at least 50 students cheated on the March midterm exam, making it the biggest known scandal at Brown and in the entire Ivy League, which brings together the East Coast’s eight most elite private universities, including Princeton, Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth College and the University of Pennsylvania.

'Stellar death is not the end': James Webb Space Telescope glimpses the fate of the solar system in a weird exoplanet orbiting a dead star

An illustration of the exoplanet WD 1856 b orbiting its dead star (Image credit: Robert Lea)

News By Robert Lea

Published 10 hours ago

"It's like using a time machine to peer into the distant future of our solar system."

Astronomers have used the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to observe an oddball gas giant exoplanet orbiting a dead star, a white dwarf, located some 80 light-years away. This "life after death" system gives scientists a portentous vision of what the solar system may look like in around 6 billion years after the sun has exhausted the hydrogen in its core, shed its outer layers, and left behind a smoldering white dwarf stellar remnant.

Watch: Trump’s Dystopia Takes Over the National Mall

National Guard troops stand on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, near the reflecting pool. Rahmat Gul/AP

 Politics  6 hours ago 

A week of absurdity at the reflecting pool and the Great American State Fair

Jeremy Schulman

Senior News Editor

Bio | Follow

Get your news from a source that’s not owned and controlled by oligarchs. 

Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily.

“Loitering is not permitted in this area,” an audio recording sternly warns, as uniformed National Guard troops patrol Washington’s iconic, algae-plagued reflecting pool. “Please proceed to a designated location.”

Journalist Amanda Moore’s dystopian video, shot last weekend just steps from the Lincoln Memorial, instantly went viral—a perfect 8-second encapsulation of American democracy under Donald Trump. Amanda has spent the past 18 months documenting the chaos and brutality of the administration’s militarized takeovers and immigration raids in cities across the country. Her footage has been shocking, often horrifying. But it’s never before been quite so absurd. (Well, maybe once.)

The key ways Trump’s financial interests intersect with government policy

Nation & World Politics

July 1, 2026 at 8:46 pm

By BEN PROTESS, Andrea Fuller and Eric Lipton

The New York Times

When President Donald Trump’s annual financial disclosure was released Tuesday, it showed that he reaped at least $2.2 billion from his various businesses last year, a singular haul for a president. Many of the gains stemmed from ventures that intersect with his administration, posing unparalleled potential conflicts of interest.

Brain activity under anesthesia challenges what we know about consciousness

Science News

from research organizations
Date: June 28, 2026
Source: Baylor College of Medicine

Summary: The unconscious brain appears to be far more capable than scientists once believed. Researchers found that patients under general anesthesia could still process language at a sophisticated level, distinguishing nouns, verbs, and adjectives while listening to stories. Even more remarkably, neural activity showed signs of predicting upcoming words before they were heard. The results challenge traditional ideas about consciousness and hint at new possibilities for brain-computer interfaces.

Mark Carney has given Canadians something to celebrate

The prime minister’s foreign policy reset meets domestic headwinds

By Stephen R. Nagy, Contributing writer
Jun 30, 2026

Every July 1, fireworks illuminate the skies across Canada. This year, however, the country marks Canada Day with a revitalized sense of pride. Prime Minister Mark Carney has restored a measure of dignity, intellectual seriousness and technocratic competence to the nation’s highest office.

MAGA pol brags about going to eat steak and lobster - and doesn’t care much that Americans can’t afford it

‘

INDEPENDENT UK EDITION

Affordability? What’re you talking about?’ Texas Republican Troy Nehls said

Brendan Rascius in New York
Wednesday 01 July 2026 

A MAGA lawmaker boasted about plans to feast on steak and lobster when asked about rising living costs, while also claiming that Americans who can’t afford such indulgences may not work as hard as he does.

The Dubliner Chronicles: How the Scots Captured Boston's Heart

Story by Yiannis Damellos

Sources: Boston Globe, The Irish Times, The New York Times

Prologue

The first time I heard the tale of The Dubliner was from an Irish colleague at work, and I was so impressed that I decided to look it up in the Bostonian press and write a little piece about it. I believe that football can bring people together, but this is a World Cup story, which is a Nations' Cup, making it challenging to convince the Scots or the Irish to put aside their historical grievances with the British Empire in order to enjoy a bloody tournament.

Trump made more than $1 billion in crypto ventures last year, financial disclosure shows

MS NOW

The 927-page disclosure covering 2025 shows the president reported billions in income from digital assets, legal settlements and real estate.
Jul. 1, 2026, 9:10 AM EDT
By Ebony Davis and Soorin Kim

President Donald Trump reported more than $1.4 billion in cryptocurrency-related income in his latest annual financial disclosure released Tuesday, with digital assets emerging as the largest source of his personal earnings during his second term.

Bryan Adams - '51st State' (Official Lyric Video)

 

The 51st State

"Play It Loud"

Lyrics and Music by Brian Adams

Never thought I’d see the day

Never though I’d see the plan Where everything could get harder For the working man

It’s easier together We’re way better hand in hand But the 49th parallel Has become a line drawn in the sand.

Israel Just Triggered One of the Largest Non-Nuclear Explosions in the History of Modern Warfare

July 1st, 2026

A massive explosion rocked the southern Lebanese village of Majdal Zoun, shaking the area so powerfully that it triggered seismic monitors and was heard across the border in Israel. The Israeli military described the detonation as a "precise strike" aimed at destroying a 200-meter-long Hezbollah tunnel. However, footage from the scene showed widespread destruction, with homes leveled in seconds, raising concerns about the nature of the strike.

On Canada Day, Trump refuses to renew USCM trade pact he once championed as his signature deal

July 1st, 2026

Despite pressure to renew it, Trump and US officials have chosen to keep the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) under strict conditions of annual reviews rather than committing to another long-term renewal. The deadline for the three countries to decide the future of the trade pact was this Wednesday, Canada Day, a decision built into the USMCA that is set to expire in 2036.

Ride On, Sandriders of the Left and Bring Down The House of Trump!

Opinion

By Yiannis Damellos

July 1st, 2026

If you think Colorado was just a win, stay tuned—you ain't seen nothing yet!

The House of Trump is feeling the heat. For the first time in a decade, the message from the American Left is truly resonating, capturing the public's imagination and steering political dynamics in the US. The recent primaries in Colorado and New York City mark a pivotal moment for the Democratic Party, demonstrating that it’s no longer enough for politicians to simply label themselves as liberals who may occasionally align with progressive identity issues. Today’s crucial issues—like paying rent, buying a home, securing a decent salary, living in a clean environment, stopping the wars and keeping corporate donors at bay—are now at the forefront of the Democratic agenda. The outcomes in places like Colorado and New York reflect not just the candidates themselves but also a clear demand for accountability and genuine representation of the party's core supporters.

Iran's top negotiator says country ready for war as peace talks inch along

By Alex Sundby, Frank Andrews

Updated on: June 30, 2026 / 7:03 PM EDT

What to know about the Iran war today:

• Iran's top negotiator told state television that the country is ready for war if the U.S. doesn't fulfill its commitments.
• Iranian and U.S. officials have traveled to Qatar, but aren't expected to hold direct talks.
• An agreement signed four days ago between Israel and Lebanon links an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon to the Iranian-backed group Hezbollah being disarmed. Analysts say that could mean Israel occupying southern Lebanon indefinitely, which could continue hampering efforts toward a full U.S.-Iran peace deal.