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I decided to celebrate America’s 250th a little early; specifically, at the 45-minute mark of the US Men’s World Cup knockout win against Bosnia and Herzegovina, when Folarin Balogun scored a go-ahead goal. Balogun was born in the US to Nigerian parents who were visiting Brooklyn. They “were living in London, but visited New York when his mother was seven months pregnant. However, on their intended return flight, airline staff refused his mother permission to fly due to safety concerns over the advanced state of her pregnancy at that time.” They made their way back to London when their new baby was two months old. 24 years, 11 months, and 28 days later, Folarin Balogun scored for the US. A Nigerian birthright American who grew up in England puts the USA up by a goal? With all due respect to baseball, hot dogs (which were German and Austrian immigrants), and apple pie, it doesn’t get much more American than that. As a bonus, Folarin even has the word gun in his name! Stories like this one are exactly what make America great—along with the messy and often brutal fight to maintain that greatness. It’s not just about who’s winning games or who’s scoring goals. It’s about what makes a World Cup in America something wholly unique, and yes, uniquely great. It’s about this headline from the NYT (Gift Article): In the United States, Every World Cup Team Is a Home Team. As you’re enjoying your 4th of July hot dogs, be sure to remember how America’s sausage was made.
+ “Melting pot, tapestry, mosaic, kaleidoscope, salad bowl. Every cliché is true.” How a Nation of Immigrants Traces Its Roots.
+ “President Trump has spent years telling the world that America is closed and other countries don’t matter. The American people spent this summer proving him wrong.” The World Cup Shows What’s Great About America.
+ This World Cup isn’t all about America’s traditional values. It’s about some new ones, too. USMNT proves it’s built different with first World Cup knockout win in 24 years. “They have won three matches in a single World Cup. While that is common for the powerhouses of soccer, sometimes in the group stage alone, the U.S. had never before accomplished that. Heck, before this summer, it had won nine World Cup matches in its history. In other words, this is not a normal World Cup for the U.S. Then again, this is not a normal U.S. team.”
+ If I don’t see you at the Travis/Taylor wedding, have a great holiday weekend. NextDraft, like the US Men’s team, will be back at it Monday!
2
Vote Moat
Immigration isn’t the only core American value being attacked these days. Among the other ones: Voting. NYT (Gift Article): The Many Ways Trump Is Trying to Tip the Scales for the Midterms. “The relentless assault by the president on the electoral process — both administratively and rhetorically — is likely to sow doubt and lay groundwork for extensive challenges to election results. Agencies and officials across the federal government have, at the direction of Mr. Trump, undertaken dozens of actions grounded in novel strategies and aimed at insulating Republicans from potential losses in November.”
3
Desperate Measurements
“According to some measures, A.I. is contributing to high unemployment rates among new graduates and might already have destroyed tens of thousands of jobs. Other sources suggest companies might actually be adding workers as a result of the technology. A.I. might be contributing to the U.S. inflation problem, or part of the solution to it. It might be responsible for a recent pickup in productivity growth, or might be playing virtually no role — or the productivity boom itself might be a mirage. Researchers can’t even agree on basic questions like how many companies are using A.I. or which workers are most vulnerable to the disruptions it could cause.” A.I. Is Reshaping the Economy. Good Luck Measuring How.
+ “OpenAI has proposed giving the Trump administration a 5% stake in the company as part of a broader arrangement in which leading U.S. artificial intelligence firms would cede similar equity to the government through a sovereign wealth fund vehicle.”
4
Pens and Swords
“I went through the magnetometer to enter the National Mall for President Trump’s Great American State Fair this week, putting my pens, notebook, phone and wallet on the table for inspection. ‘You have to throw away these pens,’ the guard said ... It’s unclear who I would have attacked with my Bic ballpoint, anyway. The musicians who were slated to perform at the fair backed out because of the partisan tenor, and several states also declined to participate. There were no lines to get in when I arrived, and the crowd inside appeared to number in the high two figures. Acres of green lawn were vacant, and three huge tents for concessions were empty. ‘You’re my first customer,’ said the vendor when I bought a $5 bottle of ice water.” Dana Milbank: Trump’s Nutty State Fair Hijacked the Fourth of July. And My Pen.
+ “’It’s as if there were a natural disaster, and we’re looking at the damage after a hurricane. Or think of Manhattan after the World Trade Center was hit by an act of terrorism,’ Charles A. Birnbaum, the president of the Cultural Landscape Foundation, told me. ‘If you were just to parachute into Washington, you’d say: Gosh, what happened here?‘ Happy birthday, America.” The Atlantic (Gift Article): The Capital Is a Mess.
+ OK, in fairness, there are differing perspectives on the big birthday bash in DC. For example: “The woman in the yellow jersey may have said it best when she clapped her hands and shouted to her friend marching by: ‘Everything’s O.K.! Lookin’ good, lookin’ good!’ It was a grand day for the ... parade in the nation’s capital today, and it was a grand parade celebrating the diversity that is America. It was warm under a hazy sun but not one of Washington’s blistering summer days, and 500,000 people, according to the official estimate, turned out to see more than 50 bands, GO floats and 90 marching units.” Oh, wait, this isn’t from the 250th, it’s from the 200th. If you’re feeling a bit bicurious, here’s a look back. 500,000 View Capital’s Bicentennial Parade. That event didn’t devolve into an authoritarian-esque, ego-driven campaign rally. In fact, Gerald Ford didn’t even attend. He was playing golf.
5
Extra, Extra
Different Sides of the Same Coin: “Morten Christensen made a big bet on digital tokens sold by the Trump family’s World Liberty Financial last year, hoping that a surge in value might be enough to help him retire. Instead, the value of those tokens tanked. While Christensen and many like him lost big, the president made a fortune, netting $800 million from that crypto project.” WSJ (Gift Article): Trump Made $1 Billion on Crypto Deals While His Fans Lost a Fortune. (Tying the corruption to affordability seems to be a possible sweet spot for midterm messaging.) I covered Trump’s crypto haul yesterday. “Donald Trump finally found a business he could succeed at. Presidential Corruption.” You’ve been Crypt Off.
+ Standing Guard: “Rescuers pulled a 43-year-old security guard alive from a collapsed basement early Thursday, ending a grueling days-long operation that became a symbol of hope after the devastation of twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela eight days earlier.”
+ Putin Attacks Kyiv: “Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described the assault as a ‘night of horror’ and referred to Russian President Vladimir Putin as a ‘war criminal.’ ‘Putin can only wage a vile and terroristic war against civilians, women, and children. Because in his war against Ukraine’s Defense Forces he cannot achieve a single result.” Russia Launches Drone and Missile Attack on Kyiv.
+ Excommunication Breakdown: “An estimated 16,500 people gathered in Ecône for the ceremony, including members of New Force, an Italian neofascist political party, and National Future, a new far-right force threatening the Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni’s chances of winning a second mandate in general elections next year.”