Maureen @MLGoley

Michel Nkuka Mboladinga, known as Lumumba Vea, gained fame during the Africa Cup of Nations for posing as a statue of Congo’s assassinated independence leader Patrice Lumumba for the entirety of games Lumumba was an activist who helped to end Belgium’s colonial rule over Congo in 1960. He became the newly independent country’s first prime minister and was seen as one of Africa’s most promising leaders, but he was assassinated within a year during a struggle against a Belgian-backed secessionist movement in the mineral-rich Katanga region. A Belgian court in March ordered a 93-year-old former diplomat to stand trial for the slaying. Etienne Davignon, who previously denied wrongdoing, is the last living among 10 Belgians suspected of involvement in the killing and has been charged with “participation in war crimes” for his role in the “unlawful detention and transfer” of Lumumba. Find out about Lumumba Vea's appearance at the World Cup ⤵️ telegraph.co.uk/football/2026/…

There has been speculation about what may have caused or contributed to the blue coating problems at the DC Reflecting Pool. According to Scientific American reporter Adam Kovac, one possibility could be the presidential motorcade driving on the pool during construction.

Trump says he cut drug prices "400, 500, 600, 700, 800%," which is not mathematically possible

Yesterday’s abrupt retirement announcement by Gen. Chris Donahue, the Commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa (USAREUR-AF) and NATO’s Allied Land Command, was made at the request of the Pentagon under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, people familiar with the matter tell The Wall Street Journal. Prior to this announcement, many believed Donahue was on a fast track to become Vice Chief of Staff of the Army, having led the Army’s Delta Force commandos in Iraq and Syria when it took the fight to Islamic State militants and was the “last man out” when the troops he commanded at the 82nd Airborne Division were called in to secure the 2021 evacuation of U.S. personnel and Afghan allies from Kabul, Afghanistan. General Donahue’s removal is said to be part of an ongoing push by Hegseth to put his imprint on the military’s leadership, while squeezing out officers with track records of battlefield valor and command experience in favor of less accomplished political loyalists, officers that fully support both himself and President Trump.

On this fourth anniversary of Dobbs, it’s important to remember that the work isn’t done. We have to keep pressing forward.

"The hardest decision we had to make in completing this report was.. not to name the Palestinian children, whose deaths, injuries & suffering we describe.. we didn't name them because we feared the consequences for their families" He means Israel would go after them too.

A particularly rough day for Trump endangers his support at home and abroad Just filed ====> youtu.be/04063jNnOQk?is…

¡Familias con niños de 2 años: este viernes es la fecha límite para solicitar el programa gratuito de 2-K! telemundo47.app.link/PWFqdjyef4b Las familias elegibles podrán solicitar hasta el 26 de junio a través de myschools.nyc/en/ o los centros de bienvenida familiar.

Tension between Trump & Louisiana Sen Bill Cassidy resulted in a verbal confrontation Wednesday. Reports say the spat reached a point where another senator had to “pull him (Cassidy) back down into his seat." The Irish in him? Where has it been the last 12 yrs? #USDemocracy audacy.com/wwl/news/local…

CHAOS on Capitol Hill as Trump ABANDONS GOP Lawmakers youtu.be/f5UqxD3Na-o?si… via @YouTube #USD #DV1 #USDemocracy Why Trump cancelled singing of the Housing Bill. Donald Trump is afraid Republicans will work with Democrats on other important legislation that will help the people of the United States. To Trump, there is no great sin or affront to himself than Congress enacting bi- partisan legislation If Republicans start doing their job by passing meaningful legislation with Democrats, Trump’s hold on the GOP will be greatly diminished

The traffic jam to leave Crimea on the last road out has turned into a parking lot, with cars starting to run out of fuel. Sevastopol, Crimea's largest city, is without power. Electricity has been knocked out for half of Crimea. All the roads, bridges, and the ferry have been disabled or are under too great a threat to use. All fuel sales have been suspended. Crimea's tourism industry has collapsed. Strikes against Russian airfields, administrative centers, air defense, and energy infrastructure have been carried out by Ukraine's elite Alpha Unit. The systematic dismantling of Russian civil and military systems in Crimea will either lead to complete abandonment of their position or a poorly-supplied force without the fuel and munitions to sustain a long fight. Crimea, already strategically vulnerable, is now isolated, and it's only going to get worse. The war started in Crimea. Now it may end there too.

The White House looks like shit.. The East Wing has been bulldozed. The lawns looks like they were used for a Demolition Derby. The Kennedy Center is under a tarp. The Reflection Pond is disgusting and fenced off. Trump has turned the Capitol into a shithole.

“It seems like the default answer to any problem is fire someone.” Mark Hertling and Ben Parker react to Hegseth’s spree of firings on Command Post.

Trump is holding the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act hostage because he doesn't care about YOU.

For generations, Mississippians have gathered at the Neshoba County Fair to talk about our state's future. It was a tremendous honor to be part of that tradition today. One day, my own little girls, Luci and Madi, are going to ask me what I did in this moment, and I want to tell them I did everything I could to help write a new chapter for our state. Now let's go show the world Mississippi Matters.

Sen. Graham (2015): "Does anybody really believe the Iranians will take the billions of dollars that we're about to give them and build hospitals and schools?…Until they stop their provocative behavior, I think we'd be nuts to give them more money and more capability."

@Tim_Walz He actually said this to Speaker Johnson

Early voting begins today in Arizona! There are important primary races up and down the ballot, so make sure to mail back your ballots by July 14 or go to the polls by July 21. Need more information? ➡️ Arizona.Vote

President Trump ratcheted up tensions with Senate Republicans after abruptly canceling plans to sign a landmark housing affordability bill. He's trying to force action on the voting bill known as the SAVE Act. @GeoffRBennett speaks to @AndrewDesiderio for more.

BREAKING: NO JET FOR YOU! Jamie Raskin reminds Trump that the Constitution’s ban on gifts does NOT contain an exception for $400 million Boeings! Queried on the matter by PabloReports on the steps of the Capitol, Rep. Jamie Raskin pushed back on the idea that Donald Trump could walk away from office with control over the luxury jet gifted by Qatar, pointing to a part of the Constitution that MAGA Republicans suddenly seem reluctant to discuss. Asked whether Trump gets to keep the aircraft after leaving office, Raskin's answer was simple. "No, he does not. You know why? Because the Constitution says he can't do it." It's worth noting that Raskin isn't some pundit offering an opinion. He's a former constitutional law professor and ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, making him one of the people in Congress most qualified to explain what the Constitution actually says. The committee handles constitutional questions surrounding presidential power and accountability. The issue isn't hypothetical. Trump has repeatedly defended accepting the plane and has said it would eventually be transferred to his presidential library after he leaves office. Critics argue that it amounts to keeping control of a $400 million gift from a foreign government. Congress never approved that arrangement. The irony is that MAGA keeps describing the aircraft as a "gift" that saves money. Even setting aside the constitutional questions, the plane still has to be rebuilt to Air Force One standards, estimates for which have ranged as high as $1 billion – hardly "free." Raskin pointed to the Constitution's Foreign Emoluments Clause, which prohibits presidents from accepting gifts, payments, offices, or titles from foreign governments without congressional consent. The plane doesn't belong to Trump, Raskin insisted. If he wants to keep it, he has to do what every other president has done and ask Congress. To make the point, Raskin brought up Abraham Lincoln, someone Trump likes to compare himself to. During the Civil War, Lincoln received elephant tusks from the King of Siam and still asked Congress whether he could keep them. Congress said no, and the gift went to the State Department. Lincoln asked permission over elephant tusks. Trump wants to let slide a $400 million jet with at least that much investment by taxpayers in renovations. Raskin said that if Trump refuses to follow the constitutional process, Congress can take possession of the aircraft and determine what happens to it, including returning it to Qatar. This issue is remarkably simple. If a foreign government gives a president a $400 million aircraft, does the Constitution apply? We agree with Raskin. There is no rational argument that it doesn’t. He can't have it.