Latest news with #Fourth
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Why Did Mamdani Win the Mayoral Primary? It's Probably Not That Complicated.
Sign up for the Surge, the newsletter that covers most important political nonsense of the week, delivered to your inbox every Saturday. Hello! You're reading the Surge, a weekly list of the most important players in what McKinsey & Company has told us to call 'the politics space.' (The recommendation cost $2 million dollars.) I'm Ben Mathis-Lilley, filling in for a few months for Jim Newell, and boy, was it hot out this week or what? I spent a lot of time, personally, putting little sticky weatherstripping bands around air conditioners. 'Frost King,' now there's a brand name that hits it right on the head. Hope whoever came up with that one got a nice bonus and a vacation somewhere warm (but not too warm, ha ha!). Oh, and speaking of summer stuff—the Surge will be off next weekend, for the Fourth. Anyway, it was a pretty eventful week! Republicans got a great excuse to abandon some bad ideas, a political dynasty was dumped in the East River, and Pete Hegseth got mad about mountains. But first—and with the full knowledge and awareness that we are not the first to say it—you don't mess with the Zohran. Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old state legislator, is the presumed winner of the New York City Democratic mayoral primary. Back in January, he was polling at around 2 percent in a race whose initial front-runner, Andrew Cuomo, had vastly more name recognition and money than any other candidate. Mamdani still trailed Cuomo by 8 points in an average of the last polls conducted before Election Day on Tuesday—but when Wednesday morning dawned, he was leading the former state governor by 7 percent and Cuomo had conceded. (The mayoral primary uses 'ranked choice' ballots whose official tallies won't be finished until next week.) How did he get this done as a self-described democratic socialist, critic of overpolicing, and supporter of Palestinian causes in a city that, reputation for leftism aside, has spent most of the last 30 years electing staunchly pro-Israel 'law and order' mayors? Basically, by walking around the city for months on end talking to people (and making charming videos of himself talking to people) about the high cost of living and what he would do about it. Crazy stuff! Sometimes, hard work and common sense pay off. Friday was the final day of the Supreme Court's session, and with the sense of dramatic timing and flair that scholarly jurists are known for, they saved the worst for last. The headliner was a 6–3 ruling, written by Amy Coney Barrett, declaring that judges are overstepping their authority when they issue nationwide injunctions, even if it's to stop a policy that violates the Constitution. Since Trump took office, numerous lower court judges have blocked his actions with such injunctions—including three who put a stop on his executive order decreeing that citizenship may not be issued to newborns whose parents are not legal U.S. residents. (The consensus for the past 120-odd years has been that the 14th Amendment says anyone born on U.S. soil is a citizen.) The Trump administration appealed those rulings, and presented them to the Supreme Court as a chance not to weigh in on the constitutionality of his executive order itself, but to decide whether nationwide injunctions themselves are unlawfully rude and nasty. Guess what they decided? What a fortunate coincidence for the GOP that these six justices, appointed by Republican presidents, discovered that injunctions are illegal during this particular term, rather than the prior one in which a number of liberal policies were blocked by nationwide orders issued by conservative federal judges! And, one person who's definitely stoked that courts have lost their biggest tool to restrain the executive is Donald Trump. After much hemming and hawing, Donald Trump ordered a bombing raid against three underground Iranian nuclear research sites last Saturday. The bombs hit their targets, and Iran's 'retaliation' was essentially a symbolic gesture that did not inflict any casualties. But the question of whether the mission was a success hinges on how much of Iran's nuclear equipment and uranium were actually destroyed. At first, a leaked preliminary assessment by the Defense Intelligence Agency speculated that the country's nuclear program had only been set back by 'months.' This was followed, later in the week, by analysis that suggested the damage may have been much more significant—but in the interim, Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth absolutely lost their minds about the suggestion that the operation had been anything but an 'unbelievable victory.' The president said journalists were 'scum' for writing about the DIA assessment—i.e., reporting on the government's own evaluation of how it did—while Hegseth, befitting his background as a Fox News himbo hype man, gave a press conference in which he called the bombing 'the most complex and successful military operation in history.' Step aside, evacuation of Dunkirk: Compared to dropping bombs on three targets in a country with no air defenses to speak of, you are garbage. But yeah, saying these kinds of ludicrous things is now the most important job requirement for being in the Cabinet. While Zohran Mamdani deserves credit for defeating Andrew Cuomo, someone else who deserves a lot of credit for it is, well, a certain Mr. Cuomo. Having resigned the governorship in disgrace after a state report found he'd sexually harassed 11 women (he denies wrongdoing), Cuomo saw an opening to run for mayor of New York, once #MeToo had died down. He campaigned on the premise that the city (which he does not seem to live in) is a disaster of crime and disorder which needs to be flooded with police. Never mind that crime is going down in New York, and its current mayor is himself a conservative Democrat who has already raised policing levels. There's always money in the banana stand of fearmongering 30-second TV ads about the subway—or so Mario Jr. thought. With confidence in this plan, bolstered by a wave of donations and endorsements from establishment figures and entities who figured his restoration was inevitable, Cuomo basically didn't bother to do much other campaigning at all. And while he may still try to run in the general election as an independent to appeal to high earners who are concerned about Mamdani's position on eating the rich, he faces very long odds in doing so. Every four years, according to prophecy, a woman named Elizabeth 'Danger' MacDonough will make the Surge. Why? Because Elizabeth 'The Midnight Strangler' MacDonough is the Senate's 'parliamentarian.' That means she is responsible for issuing rulings on whether certain types of legislation can be included in the budget bills that the chamber allows itself to pass via 51-vote majorities rather than the 60-vote 'filibuster-proof' majorities required for other bills. And every four years, typically, a new presidential regime and its congressional allies try to cram a bunch of stuff that they want to do (but couldn't get 60 votes for) into the budget. That's when MacDonough comes down from the highlands, holding an armful of knives, and starts a-cuttin'. This week, the provisions in Republicans' 'One Big, Beautiful Bill' that she ruled ineligible include a major cut to Medicaid funding that would have affected rural hospitals, as well as an effort to sell off millions of acres of public lands, including those in national forests. Senate Majority Leader John Thune quickly said that he would respect MacDonough's rulings (certainly not a given for them!). This could have something to do with the fact that even before she issued them, a fair number of Republicans themselves were gently suggesting to their colleagues that shutting down rural hospitals while selling off the national forests might be best described as 'political suicide.' Thanks for stopping by the news cycle, Elizabeth MacDonough, and we look forward to hearing from you in 2029 to get your thoughts about whether budget reconciliation is the appropriate venue for President AOC's imposition of transgender sharia law. Over yonder in California, the Marines and National Guard are still hanging out waiting for (who else?) federal judges to decide whether their deployment is legal or not. In the meantime, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom is passing the time by filing (what else?) a federal lawsuit accusing Fox News host Jesse Watters of defaming him. Amid protests against ICE raids in Los Angeles, Trump said in the Oval Office on June 10 that he'd talked to Newsom 'a day ago,' i.e., June 9, when they had in fact not spoken since 1 a.m. Eastern on June 7. Watters, though, said on the air that Newsom was the one lying when he said he hadn't spoken to Trump on June 9. In a letter to Fox, Newsom's lawyers said he will dismiss the suit if he is given an on-air apology. Meanwhile, the president of the University of Virginia is resigning in order to resolve a federal 'investigation' into whether the school had illegally promoted diversity, while Harvard, which is in a similar position, has itself sued the feds. Our point is, given that every conflict in the United States is now resolved via standoffs in which dueling federal lawsuits are used as leverage, Surge readers should look into getting a lawyer. It had been a while since the U.S. threatened to impose huge tariffs on one of its allies via a semi-coherent social media post, hadn't it? That was kind of more of a spring trend. Well, it's back: Late Friday, Trump wrote on his Truth Social site that, because of a 'digital services' tax that Canada is about to start collecting from tech companies, he's decided to end trade negotiations with the country and will shortly be announcing a unilateral tariff (or another unilateral tariff, we suppose) on Canadian goods. It was, depending on how you count things, the sixth time he's changed his position on a matter of U.S.–Canada trade policy since February. Earlier this week, in fact, the Wall Street Journal reported that the digital services tax was not expected to be the subject of negotiation between the countries until next year. As of press time, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney had not commented on the matter; we hope that he eventually says he is sorry for what he did to so suddenly upset Mr. Trump (assuming he ever learns what that was).
Axios
16 hours ago
- Climate
- Axios
Where and when fireworks are banned in Utah
Fireworks have already caused one wildfire this summer in Utah, as the state is expected to get hotter and drier in the week before the Fourth of July. The big picture: The holiday brings twice as many wildfires to Western states as any other day, according to researchers in California and Idaho. July is a double-whammy in Utah, with Pioneer Day celebrations typically eclipsing those on the Fourth. Driving the news: A wildfire sparked Wednesday by fireworks forced more than 100 people to evacuate Cedar Hills in Utah County, fire officials said. The latest: Thanks to recent dry weather, state and federal officials will implement heightened fire restrictions throughout Utah starting Saturday. Fireworks are always banned on federally owned land — and that ban now extends to all land outside any city's limits. Campfires are restricted to approved campsites in most of the state. See guidelines from Utah Fire Info for firearms, smoking, metalworking and motorized equipment. What's next: The National Weather Service predicted temperatures 5 to 10 degrees higher than normal heading into the holiday week. There may be showers in northern Utah as the holiday approaches, but the forecast calls for mostly sunny skies. Be smart: In Salt Lake County, fireworks are permitted only in certain neighborhoods, mapped here. Violations carry fines up to $1,000. How it works: Fireworks are illegal to use statewide except July 2-5 and July 22-25, from 11am to 11pm, with hours extending to midnight on July 4 and 24. Fireworks are also allowed on New Year's Eve and Lunar New Year.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Who is Fourth Nattawat Jirochtikul? Thai star spotted with BTS' J-Hope, GOT7's BamBam & 'Squid Game's Gong Yoo at Paris Fashion Week
Paris Fashion Week 2025 just got a K-pop makeover! Some of the biggest names in Korean music - including BTS' J-Hope, NCT's Yuta, EXO's Kai, and GOT7's Jackson Wang, Mark Tuan, and BamBam - made high-profile appearances, turning heads both on and off the runway. It wasn't just K-pop idols; actors from across Asia - including Korea, Thailand, and beyond - also made their presence felt. While fans celebrated these brand ambassadors attending the fashion capital and blending music stardom with luxury style, one particular image grabbed everyone's attention. It was a picture posted by Thai actor Fourth Nattawat Jirochtikul which has since gone viral. Fourth Nattawat Jirochtikul's picuture with BTS' J-Hope Captioning it "core memories," the Thai star shared photos with BTS' J-Hope, GOT7's BamBam, and Squid Game actor Gong Yoo from Paris Fashion Week. He also posted several solo shots, including ones with Pharrell and Jackson Wang. The pictures quickly went viral, especially those featuring the BTS rapper. Who is Fourth Nattawat Jirochtikul? Born on the 200th anniversary of King Rama IV, Fourth Nattawat Jirochtikul is already one of Thailand's brightest young talents. At just 21, he's juggling a flourishing entertainment career, law school, and a fashion label - all with ease and charm. He first made headlines in 2019 after winning Thailand School Star, a GMMTV talent search. His Muay Thai performance stole hearts, and the win kickstarted his acting career. Breakout role: 'My School President' Fourth rose to mainstream fame through the popular BL series My School President, playing Gun, the passionate lead singer of a school band. Paired with Gemini as Tinn, the student president, the series was a hit, drawing millions of viewers and cementing their status as a fan-favorite duo. More than an actor: Music takes center stage In 2024, Fourth made his solo debut as a musician under RISER Music. His first single, Candidate (a playful pun on Can-I-Date), topped YouTube's trending chart and earned "Best Music Video" at the 2024 Asian Television Awards. He's also contributed to the OST of My School President with beloved tracks like Let Me Tell You. A Law student as well Despite his success in entertainment, Fourth is serious about education. He gained admission to Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Law and is focusing on Business and Technology Law - perfectly aligning with his real-life experience managing brand partnerships and IP. Launching Nu Mo Ne In 2023, Fourth added "fashion entrepreneur" to his resume with the launch of Nu Mo Ne, a clothing brand that blends cozy loungewear with bold, playful Thai aesthetics. His latest line, Fate & Destiny, is filled with zodiac signs, lucky charms, and a healthy dose of fan-service flair. A multifaceted star From winning hearts on-screen to topping music charts and running his own label, Fourth is more than just a rising actor—he's a multifaceted talent shaping the future of Thai pop culture. Whether it's drama, music, fashion, or academics, he's proving you don't have to pick just one dream. For all the latest K-drama, K-pop, and Hallyuwood updates, keep following our coverage here.
Miami Herald
5 days ago
- Lifestyle
- Miami Herald
Firing up the Fourth: Instacart's Independence Day favorites
Firing up the Fourth: Instacart's Independence Day favorites As backyard grills fire up and coolers get packed for long afternoons in the sun, the Fourth of July remains one of America's most festive and flavorful holidays. Instacart dug into purchase data from 2024 to highlight what people may add to their carts to create the ultimate Independence Day spread. From must-have snacks to grill-side essentials, here's what's heating up for the holiday! America's most popular Fourth of July foods When it comes to prepping for the big day, Americans go all-out on cookout classics. Topping the list of items that surged in share of orders is the essential barbecue side dish: canned baked beans, which saw 4.2 times more orders than the yearly average. Following closely behind are hot dog buns, watermelons, hamburger buns, and hot dogs, all showing massive spikes in popularity. Digging deeper, here are the food and beverage categories that saw the biggest spikes in orders relative to their yearly average: Athena melons (6.3x more) and Rainier cherries (9 times more), the sweet, summer fruits soared compared to their average order rate, peaking around the food cake (5.6 times more) showed a strong seasonal surge, given it's the perfect base for an American flag-themed (5.4 times more), piña colada (5.6 times more), and frozen nonalcoholic cocktail mixers (6.1 times more) spiked significantly as Americans beat the heat with tropical-inspired drinks, frozen slushies, and poolside keep coolers perfectly chilled,ice blocks see a surge (5.8 times more),as well as fun treats to beat the heat like alcoholic ice cream and popsicles (4.9 times more). The seasonal items that surge in popularity around the Fourth show that as the weather heats up, consumers crave light and refreshing food and drinks. Methodology: Instacart calculated the daily order share to the yearly average order share for each category in 2024. Peak patriotic purchases Beyond making meals, Instacart customers are getting everything else they need for a memorable holiday. For example, Fourth of July decor and flags saw order increases of over 65 times and 30 times, respectively. Other festive additions include: Grills (21 times more than average): How else will all of the burger-flipping get done?Kiddie Pools (20 times more than average): Summer isn't complete without a splash for kids, and kids at heart!Cornhole (14 times more than average): A backyard classic that brings the right level of competitive spirit and can accommodate a drink in one (8.4 times more than average): What's a barbecue without the unmistakable scent of summer cookout in full swing? Methodology: Instacart calculated the share of orders that every category appeared in for every day during 2024, and found the categories that had their highest order share at some point between June 28 and July 4, 2024. State-by-state chip contenders Chips are more than just a side - they're a Fourth of July staple. Whether paired with burgers, dips, or enjoyed straight from the bag, chips play an important role in holiday spreads. And while everyone loves a good potato chip, distinct chip preferences emerge across different regions of the U.S.: Utz ruled the mid-Atlantic and parts of the South, taking top honors in the Carolinas, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and surprise here: Hawaiian Kettle Style Potato Chips were the go-to in-you guessed it-Hawai'i, where they were over 2,500% more likely to be purchased than the national up in New England, Cape Cod Chips came out on top in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and true to their Rocky Mountain roots, Coloradans scooped up Boulder Canyonchips, which were picked up 525% more often than the national average, to pair with their favorite dips. A campfire classic It wouldn't be a summer celebration without s'mores. Orders containing both graham crackers and marshmallows surged nearly 200% above the yearly average during the week ending on July 4. It's safe to say that the combo of campfires and s'mores is a quintessential summer favorite. Spritz into summer As temperatures rise, so does the demand for one of summer's most stylish sips: the Aperol Spritz. Aperol and prosecco were purchased together 158% more often than average during the week of the Fourth of July in 2024, marking the peak of spritz season. Trend alert: According to Instacart data, summer spritzes are gaining a lot of momentum, with the share of orders containing prosecco and Aperol rising 13% from 2023 to 2024. Whether you're firing up the grill, reaching for your favorite regional chips, or toasting with a spritz, these data-driven trends offer a flavorful snapshot of how Americans come together to celebrate summer's biggest holiday. This story was produced by Instacart and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. © Stacker Media, LLC.
Newsweek
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
The 1600: Trump Weighs U.S. Options
The Insider's Track Good morning, I have an addendum to my presidential platform of adding more three-day weekends to the calendar. Juneteenth, which is tomorrow, is almost exactly two weeks from July 4. Rather than get a random Thursday off and then another day or two for the Fourth, we call the whole 16-day period "American Freedom Weeks." An extended federal holiday meant to celebrate all of our victories of independence, from the end of slavery to our split from the British. I'm talking a real, European-style holiday. Think Italy in August, everything shuts down. Just two weeks of cookouts, parades, concerts and hanging out to kick off summer. I really think I could win 400 electoral votes strictly on my "more days off" platform. OK, so it's certainly looking like we're about to white-knuckle it through another military adventure in the Mideast. Yeehaw! My thinking is based mostly on my belief that Trump knows he badly needs a W on the board, and he sees bombing Iran as the path of least resistance to get one. His foreign policy is a hot mess, he's not getting any wins in Ukraine or Gaza anytime soon. He gave up on the Houthis. Iran is his chance for a big show of force, and Americans love war. I honestly don't know if there's more to it than that. But you can sort of tell the way the wind is blowing by looking at how JD Vance is twisting himself in knots trying to justify our involvement in precisely the kind of conflict he made a name for himself denouncing.... like spending yesterday replying to randos on Twitter to split hairs about how uranium enrichment works. I consumed an unhealthy amount of conservative media yesterday to try to understand this cleave within the party over our all-but-ordained involvement in this war, and I was actually shocked at how the hawks seem in control of the narrative. I would have thought for sure that the MAGA-isolationist wing of the GOP would be throwing its weight around a bit more in the court of public opinion. Tucker and Bannon, and even dare I say Marjorie Taylor Greene, seem to be the lone voices of caution. There's something particularly grotesque about watching the Senate Warmonger Caucus of Ted Cruz, Tom Cotton and Lindsey Graham take up residency on cable news to spout off about how Iran is a direct threat to Americans, and how in Graham's words, "we have a chance to take out the regime." Who's we, kemosabe?! It ain't your nonexistent kids who are gonna be fighting if we get dragged into another hot war over there. And see how the narrative is shifting in real time? I thought this was about taking out Iran's nuclear program, and now all of a sudden we're talking regime change? So we're gonna decapitate the government of a country with 90 million people and just hope for the best? Did I hallucinate the Iraq War or something? The Bush "smoking gun in the form of a mushroom cloud" argument wasn't that long ago. Meanwhile, the Democrats are nowhere to be found. Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries—two men who've never passed a camera they wouldn't talk into—haven't made a peep. A smart opposition party would be out there trying to steal back the anti-war messaging that MAGA coopted and is now about to lose the moral high ground over. Or they could just continue with the "Taco Trump" taunts and see how far that gets them. The Rundown What seemed impossible just weeks ago—Tucker Carlson agreeing with Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez co-sponsoring a resolution with Thomas Massie—is now unfolding. The recent escalation between Iran and Israel has upended traditional political alliances in Washington. Foreign policy hawks are teaming up with pro-Israel Democrats to support military action, while MAGA hardliners and progressive Democrats are unexpectedly aligned in opposing U.S. involvement in another Middle East conflict. Read more from Newsweek's Jesus Mesa. Also happening: Israel-Iran conflict: Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned that any U.S. military intervention amid the ongoing Iran–Israel conflict would bring "irreversible repercussions," declaring that Iran "cannot surrender" under external pressure. Here's more from his televised address. E. Jean Carroll: On the eve of her book release, E. Jean Carroll stepped into Newsweek's Manhattan office in a muted olive-green jumpsuit, shimmery brown blazer and cream lace-up combat boots. With her signature blond bob in place, she restated her mission: to make President Donald Trump "so mad" by spending the $83.3 million she's owed in the lawsuit settlements on causes he hates. Read the story. This is a preview of The 1600—Tap here to get this newsletter delivered straight to your inbox.
