Polls

Most and least stressed cities

WalletHub released its report on 2026's Most & Least Stressed Cities in America, as well as expert commentary, to show where people are struggling and may need assistance. WalletHub compared more than 180 cities across 39 key metrics. The data set ranges from average weekly work hours to the unemployment rate to divorce and suicide rates.
 

Most Stressed Cities	Least Stressed Cities
1. Detroit, MI 2. Baltimore, MD 3. Cleveland, OH 4. Memphis, TN 5. Shreveport, LA 6. Gulfport, MS 7. Philadelphia, PA 8. Jackson, MS 9. Akron, OH 10. St. Louis, MO	173. Burlington, VT 174. Sioux Falls, SD 175. San Jose, CA 176. Irvine, CA 177. Overland Park, KS 178. Lincoln, NE 179. Fargo, ND 180. Bismarck, ND 181. South Burlington, VT 182. Fremont, CA

Best vs. Worst

• Rapid City, South Dakota and Honolulu, Hawaii, have the lowest unemployment rate, which is five times lower than in Detroit, Michigan the city with the highest.
   
• Fremont, California, has the lowest divorce rate, which is 4.4 times lower than in Cleveland, Ohio, the city with the highest.
   
• Cheyenne, Wyoming, has the lowest share of adults in fair or poor health, which is 3.1 times lower than in San Antonio, Texas, the city with the highest.
   
• Columbia, Maryland, has the highest median annual household income (adjusted by cost of living), which is 3.3 times higher than in Detroit, the city with the lowest.

 To view the full report and your city’s rank

Trump's war on public media

Democratic Values - Since Donald Trump gutted funding for public media, nearly 600 public media employees have been laid off, including experienced and respected journalists at NPR. PBS eliminated 15 percent of its workforce. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting shut down entirely. Congress is considering legislation that would restore funding and provide struggling stations with a critical lifeline... Tell Congress to support legislation restoring funding for public media now.

Photos of past Independence Day celebrations 

European leaders deal with Trump

Alternet -  A new report about French President Emmanuel Macron described an unusual moment while he was visiting the United States and the American president had a complete meltdown. A Wall Street Journal report revealed the scrambling that unfolded as it appeared the U.S. was breaking up with Europe.

 Macron made it clear to the leaders, "We are drawing a line here."

 …The Prime Minister of Belgium lamented that Europe risked becoming “a miserable slave” to the U.S….

 The Journal explained that, in its research, it was "able to review detailed notes taken by some participants as well as classified assessments that European intelligence agencies gave leaders struggling to navigate the new Washington."

 One of those from Southern Europe read: “You are not dealing with an administration that has processes; you are dealing with a single volatile individual.”

 ….It described a "succession of leaders" that came to the White House using the same talking points in an effort to "mold" Trump. During one such visit with Macron, the men were together for hours and Trump appeared open to his ideas until there was an outright meltdown in the Oval Office.

 "They used a tablet to dial into a video call led by Justin Trudeau. But as the Canadian prime minister was talking, Trump, frustrated with a technical issue that prevented him from chiming in, lobbed the device over the Resolute Desk and onto the floor," the Journal wrote of an official present at the time.

Some Republicans say it’s time Trump changed course on the SAVE America Act

MS Now - For months, President Donald Trump has relentlessly pressed Congress to pass the SAVE America Act. An increasing number of Republicans say it’s time for him to change course.  “He wants to go it alone, his way to the highway, and it don’t work,” Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., who’s retiring at the end of the year, told MS NOW. “He’s trying to pound the square peg through the circle, and it doesn’t work.”

 After two failed votes in the Senate, unheeded calls to nuke the filibuster and countless attacks from Trump, Republican holdouts haven’t budged. Instead of forcing Democrats into politically difficult votes ahead of the midterms, Republicans have spent months highlighting their own divisions — with little to show for it.

 Another House Republican, who requested anonymity to discuss the internal dynamics of the debate, said Trump just can’t change the reality of the Senate.

 “The Senate does not have the votes to pass it, and no matter how much everybody wants to push on it, it’s not gonna move through the Senate unless through reconciliation,” the member said. “And that’s just a reality.”

 Yet another House GOP lawmaker was more succinct: “Republicans — those of us who can do math — would like the president and other members to recognize that there isn’t a path forward.

Florida Republican says deporting Haitians would be ‘huge mistake’

The Guardian - Carlos Giménez, a Republican congressman from Florida, broke with the Trump administration on Sunday, calling on the White House to reconsider its push to eliminate temporary protected status (TPS) for Haitian migrants.

Returning about 350,000 Haitians to their chaotic, dangerous homeland would be a grave error, Giménez said, after the US supreme court’s ruling that the Trump administration could cut off temporary legal protections.

He said: “[TPS] is meant to safeguard those who are either fleeing countries that are failed states and are at risk of going back to them or countries that really can’t handle them right now, as is the case with Venezuela that has suffered a natural disaster.”

The ruling gave the green light to plans to end TPS for more than 350,000 Haitians and 6,000 Syrians. TPS allows people to live and work in the US if the Department of Homeland Security deems their home countries unsafe due to war or natural disasters.

Middle East

NPR - Netanyahu has been seeking a face-to-face meeting with Trump for some time but has been repeatedly turned down, a source familiar with the matter who was not authorized to speak publicly tells NPR. The prime minister wants to discuss U.S. approval for potentially taking military action against Iran if necessary. Netanyahu is currently on the defensive regarding the interim deal between the U.S. and Iran, NPR's Carrie Kahn says. It has been unpopular and perceived as too lenient toward Iran. Netanyahu, who faces elections this fall, has had to defend his relationship with Trump, Kahn adds. It's unclear when Netanyahu will meet with Trump at the White House. The 60-day deadline to finalize the details of the preliminary peace plan is about a month away.

Washington experience may not help a state run

Roll Call -   While Republicans and Democrats battle for control of Washington this year, Washington has become a scarlet letter for members of both parties vying to be their state’s next governor. Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet was just the latest member of Congress to fail in a gubernatorial attempt when he lost the Democratic primary Tuesday to state Attorney General Phil Weiser, 55 percent to 45 percent.

This cycle’s bipartisan club of gubernatorial losers from D.C. already included Republican Reps. Dusty Johnson of South Dakota, Randy Feenstra of Iowa and Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman of South Carolina. While there were unique dynamics in each race, including varying levels of involvement by President Donald Trump, House members falling short in their bids for governor is an emerging trend.

…Of course, there are some places where a House member will be successful, such as Arizona, where Rep. Andy Biggs appears poised to secure the GOP nomination later this month. But that would come at the expense of fellow Republican Rep. David Schweikert, a primary opponent.

Immigration

MS Now -  The plan wasn’t working. Less than a year into President Donald Trump’s second term, his administration’s signature initiative — facilitating the mass deportation of “millions and millions” of immigrants, as he once put it — had become a political liability. A surge of federal agents to Minnesota proved to be the apex of a flashy, combative strategy that tried to steamroll any opposition — and failed.

But now, according to The New York Times, the seeming lull in arrests that followed the winter’s chaos has given way to a renewed effort to round up as many immigrants for deportation as possible — without drawing the same level of attention. The shift shows both the limits that the administration has faced in its deportation spree and its determination to continue apace despite the president’s approval ratings on immigration tanking. Without the same amount of spotlight-seeking from immigration officials, however, the White House hopes to deny opponents the clear targets to organize against that last year’s deportation campaigns provided….

Unlike previous demands from White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, it seems that ICE has been on track to hit those numbers. Over the course of last week, according to the Times, federal officials detained more than 10,000 people — and intends to keep that pressure going….

The new surge also comes after yet another influx of cash from Congress for ICE and the Border Patrol. The Times reported that “top ICE officials were told to make sure that as many officers as possible were working seven days a week, and to put 80 percent of their officers on arrest operations.”

The media is not the best source of support for major improvements

Sam Smith – I got involved in progressive journalism in the 1960s not just because of the wrong doings of the political right but because of an appealing assortment of reforms the good folks were pushing. What I find strange about our current state of affairs is that, while Donald Trump is properly criticized, the advocacy of new approaches is nowhere near as powerful as it was, say in the 1960s.

We need to create a vision of the good as well as condemnation of the evil. One reason this hasn’t happened well so far is that the conventional media is far more accepting of the right  than it should be. It  even sometimes condemns the sensible as “socialism” in a country that already has Social Security, Medicare and other reforms that haven’t hurt conventional businesses in the slightest.

Because large media largely defines journalism there has been a little noted drift towards institutions controlled by large media corporations telling how we think about political issues. This post is a rare exception:

Major media can be very useful in uncovering the evils of politicians like Trump but don’t count on big support for the best reforms.

 12 Native American words that you use daily without even knowing it

Via Suzie Rizzio

Donor and Welfare states

10 ways to improve things

Robert Reich -  1. Subject Supreme Court justices to term limits. Limit the terms of justices to 18 years, after which time they must move to courts of appeals or district courts. Justices already on the high court can remain only until they’ve been there for 18 years. Those who are beyond this limit must immediately move to other courts. (Another reform is to expand the number of justices, but FDR tried this and it proved so politically unpopular that he had to abandon it.)

2. Prevent conflicts of interest. End the exemption of the president and vice president from conflicts of interest laws. Require all federally elected officials to put their investments into blind trusts. Prohibit all trading of specific shares of stock.

3. Stop a president from using the Justice Department. Prohibit a president from having any involvement in decisions about whom to prosecute. Require congressional review of any pardons or commutations.

4. End gerrymanders. Require states to create independent commissions to draw congressional district lines.

5. Revive voting rights. Reenact Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act (which barred voting practices or procedures that discriminate on the basis of race, color, or ethnicity) and Section 5 (which required jurisdictions with a history of racial discrimination in voting to obtain federal approval before changing any voting laws or procedures).

6. Protect press freedom and independence. Amend the Sherman and Clayton antitrust acts to bar large corporations, or any person already owning major media, from purchasing major media networks or platforms.

7. Protect the freedom of inquiry. Bar the executive branch from conditioning research or other educational grants to universities on any ideological litmus test. Researchers should be free to pursue truth.

8. Get big money out of politics. Establish public matching funds for small-dollar donations for all federal elected offices. Encourage states to grant corporate charters only on condition that corporations refrain from political activity (as Hawaii has done and Montana is considering, and hopefully California will do). Pursue a constitutional amendment to reverse Citizens United and establish Congress’s authority to limit big money in politics.

9. Tax large aggregations of personal wealth. Enact a wealth tax. Eliminate the “stepped-up basis at death” rule that allows large fortunes to be transferred from one generation to the next without paying taxes on capital gains.

10. Eliminate the Electoral College. Pursue a constitutional amendment to eliminate the Electoral College and base the selection of president and vice president on whichever ticket wins the overall popular vote. In the meantime, seek a compact among states (and the District of Columbia) to award all their electoral votes to whichever presidential ticket wins the overall popular vote.

The decline of socializing

Axios - Americans are spending less time socializing than they did 20 years ago — and the trend cuts across every generation, Axios' Erica Pandey writes from the new American Time Use Survey.

• Our growing isolation is a fundamental shift in the way we live with implications for everything from what we believe to how long we live.

🚨 Average time spent socializing per day has fallen from 45 to 35 minutes over the last 20 years.

• The decline is steepest among young people: 15- to 24-year-olds went from spending an hour a day hanging out with others to 35 minutes.

Sociologists and psychologists point to several trends driving this phenomenon in what Substack writer Derek Thompson dubbed "The Anti-Social Century."

1. We're all on our smartphones, often interacting through screens instead of face-to-face. Teens spend an average of 4.8 hours a day on apps like TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat, according to Gallup.
2. The shift to remote work — and life — during the pandemic has persisted.
3. Longer-term trends are reshaping daily life in ways that make retreat easier. Homes are bigger and more comfortable, with larger TVs. Most restaurants are on food delivery apps, making it easier than ever to stay in.

☕ Also contributing to the trend is the decline of gathering spaces, Axios' Avery Lotz writes.

• In a 2025 report, University of Colorado Boulder researchers uncovered widespread closures of all kinds of hangout spots — from libraries to coffee shops to museums — in the last decade or so.
• Churches are also shuttering at unprecedented rates, Axios' Russell Contreras reports.  Share this story.

Science

NPR - After Trump's reelection, an increasing number of U.S. scientists are seeking job opportunities abroad. An analysis by the journal Nature revealed that in the first quarter of 2025, U.S. scientists submitted nearly a third more international job applications than in the same period in 2024. In March 2025, a survey of more than 1,600 scientists in the U.S. found that 75% were considering leaving the country. These departures are partly a response to changes the Trump administration made to federal funding for scientific research in the U.S.

Even potato chips are a problem

The Guardian -   The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has upgraded a recall of several popular brands of potato chips to its most serious level because of the risk of salmonella contamination. Manufacturer Utz issued a voluntary recall in May for varieties of its Zapp’s and Dirty potato chips products, citing the possible presence of salmonella in dry milk powder sourced from a third party used to make a seasoning ingredient. An estimated 650,000 bags of chips with best by dates ranging from 27 July to 31 August were believed to be affected.

 In its most recent weekly enforcement report, published on Friday, the FDA gave the recall a Class 1 designation, its highest level.

 The classification is issued for “a situation in which there is a reasonable probability that the use of, or exposure to, a violative product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death,” according to the administration…

 …. The affected products are: Zapp’s Brand Bayou Blackened Ranch Potato Chips (1.5oz), Zapp’s Brand Bayou Blackened Ranch Potato Chips (2.5oz), Zapp’s Brand Bayou Blackened Ranch Potato Chips (8oz), Dirty Brand Salt and Vinegar Potato Chips (2oz), Zapp’s Brand Salt and Vinegar Potato Chips (1.5oz), Dirty Brand Maui Onion Potato Chip (2oz), Zapp’s Brand Big Cheezy Potato Chip (2.5oz), Zapp’s Brand Big Cheezy Potato Chip (8oz), and Dirty Brand Sour Cream and Onion Potato Chips (2oz).

National parks another victim of Trump

The Guardian -  This weekend, hundreds of thousands more will pour into national parks across the country to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the US, looking to connect with nature and experience part of the nation’s shared heritage. “There is nothing so American as our national parks,” Franklin D Roosevelt said during a 1934 radio address, championing how the mountains, glaciers, lakes and trees had been pulled from “private exploitation”. 

But as the US memorializes its history, the hundreds of places safeguarded by the National Park Service (NPS) face an uncertain future.  Protections and federal support for parks have eroded under the Trump administration, which has cut millions of dollars from the NPS budget and slashed staffing levels. Overcrowding in nature areas has threatened ecosystems and increased hazards for visitors, while extreme conditions fueled by the climate crisis create more dangers for the landscapes and those who love them.

The Hill -   A federal appeals court reversed a lower court’s order requiring the National Park Service (NPS) to restore signs and exhibits that were removed by the Trump administration. The 1st Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday halted the ruling, which would have restored park materials that the administration says were purged as part of the administration’s effort to get rid of materials that “disparage” Americans.

 The judges determined that the Trump administration “made a strong showing that the harms that the district court relied on” to order the restoration of the materials did not meet the standards for an injunction.

Middle East

MS Now - (Not) war and (not) peace: The Iran war has entered a new phase centered on the fight to control the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. has already failed to achieve the goals that Trump set at the outset of ending the Iranian regime or restricting its nuclear capabilities, argues political science professor Nicholas Grossman. But the conflict isn’t over, either, despite an ambiguous memorandum of understanding that didn’t resolve the core issues. Both countries have made conflicting claims about what the agreement means, and attacks have continued. But time is on Iran’s side as the U.S. and other countries could soon run out of oil reserves. Read more.

White nationalism parades in DC

Sam Smith - One of the things that pleased me  as a DC native was how we handled ethnic variety better than much of the rest of the country.  I was an advisor to Marion Barry when we were both in our 20s and assisted the late Julius Hobson. I later figured out that one big factor was that whites and blacks in DC found issues in common, including unwanted freeways and much wanted home rule. 

DC was way ahead of much of America on ethnic issues, which is one reason I didn't move to my also beloved Maine until my seventies. And a major reason I was so shocked to see the film today of hundreds of white nationalists parading in my home town. 

It has long bothered me that the media hasn't given DC credit for its handling of ethnicity, and it still troubled me to see the white nationalist demonstration. This is not the DC I lived in.

Polls

Fact Post - One year ago today, Trump and Republicans passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, cutting healthcare by $1 trillion. Since then:

—The average cost of healthcare has doubled

—4.2 million Americans lost ACA coverage

—3.8 million Americans lost Medicaid coverage

—Nearly 500 hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes have closed

Meanwhile. . .

 The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston ordered Thursday that the federal government does not have to return signs to national parks and monuments by the end of this week, including ones on climate science and Indigenous history in places like Acadia National Park. Federal officials were ordered last month to restore the signage by July 3, including dozens of Acadia’s displays on warming oceans and Wabanaki heritage.

Voting

 Newsworthy News -  The Supreme Court just wiped out one of the last brakes on big money in elections, giving political parties and their donors far more power over who runs — and who wins.

The Court struck down federal limits on how much parties can spend in direct coordination with their candidates, in a 6–3 ruling along ideological lines.

Republican committees and the Trump Justice Department argued the limits violated free speech, and the federal government refused to defend its own law.

Good news

Climate change

 Inside Climate News - The number of accidents involving releases of dangerous chemicals rose by 57 percent between 2021 and 2025, from 83 to 131, according to an analysis released Monday by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, a nonprofit that works with former government officials.

Injuries or deaths from accidents also rose, from 60 to 89 over the same five-year period, the analysis found. Incident reports released by the Chemical Safety Board (CSB), an independent agency that investigates chemical accidents, show that more than 650 accidents occurred between April 2020 and May 2026, with 103 resulting in fatalities, 355 causing injuries and 314 doing “substantial property damage.”

Close to 150 million people live within 3 miles of these facilities. Historically underserved and overburdened populations, including people who identify as Black and Latino, are at greatest risk of exposure to an accidental release.

Donald Trump

Trump: If we pass the SAVE Act, Republicans won't lose an election for 100 years.

The Guardian -  Donald Trump has kicked off America’s 250th birthday weekend with an extraordinary partisan attack on the “communist menace” in America, framing its supporters as “the enemy of July 4th 1776”... Trump also tied his anti-communist rhetoric to the anti-immigrant theme that fuelled his election. “As we approach this magnificent anniversary, we see our American identity under a renewed attack,” he said.

“A generation after we fought and won the cold war against the menace of communism, there is now a resurgence of the communist menace in our land, including from newcomers to our country who embrace ideas totally opposed to our way of life and our great success.”

He described communism as a greater threat to American liberty than the first and second world wars and the September 11 2001 terrorist attacks. “It’s the enemy of the constitution,” he declared. “Above all, it’s the enemy of July 4th, 1776 … Communism is the exact opposite of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It’s death, tyranny and the pursuit of evil.”

JD Vance

Headline USA -    JD Vance pulled in as much as $7.4 million during 2025 from royalties on his bestselling book combined with returns from investments and his venture capital enterprise, the Wall Street Journal reported after reviewing his most recent financial disclosure.

The vice president keeps drawing considerable sums from “Hillbilly Elegy” while also profiting from a portfolio that includes real estate holdings and exchange traded funds, Tuesday’s federal filing showed.

Donald Trump’s 2025 haul vastly outpaced what his vice president brought in. The president made more than $1 billion through cryptocurrency transactions alone per his own disclosure. Vance filed 17 pages of financial information compared to Trump’s 927 page submission.

Meanwhile. . .

InfoGram - Donald Trump is going to lift the ban on mailing handguns directly to homes. That helps GrabAGun, the online gun store his son has a stake in. He’d rake in billions. Newsworthy News -  Twin earthquakes devastated northern Venezuela, damaging nearly 60,000 buildings and leaving thousands missing. MS NOW - Trump is scheduled to fly to South Dakota on the $400 million jet gifted by the government of Qatar, just one high-profile part of the grubbiest presidential cash grab in 250 years of American history. He is clearly pleased that the plane was ready in time for the country’s semiquincentennial celebration. NPR - Swimply, an Airbnb-style company, is letting people rent out pools and other private spaces, such as tennis and basketball courts. The company says private pool reservations have topped 275,000 this year, up 50% from last year.