“The FBI says it has [stolen] more than 600 drones near FIFA World Cup sites after authorities determined the devices violated restricted airspace since the tournament began on June 11. The total number of [stolen] drones nationwide has doubled in less than two weeks. The FBI, along with accredited operators from local and state law enforcement around the country, is monitoring drone activity near World Cup competitions and related fan fest events.” (07/04/26)
“U.S. power grid operator PJM, the nation’s largest covering much of the East Coast and Midwest, on Friday ordered customers in emergency electricity-reduction programs to curb their use, as it battled generator outages, overloaded transmission lines and surging air-conditioning demand during a prolonged heat wave. In an emergency alert, activated in line with utilities’ conservation programs, PJM said the order applied to industrial and residential electricity users with contracts that pay them in return for mandatory consumption cuts during emergencies. … The power grid operator serves 67 million people in the Mid-Atlantic, South and Washington, D.C., areas. Even before this week’s heat wave, it had been straining to overhaul a system pushed to the brink by surging energy demand from data centers and electric vehicles.” (06/03/26)
“After months of speculation and predictions, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce were married as they celebrated their wedding with hundreds of guests Friday at Madison Square Garden in New York City. A representative for Swift confirmed in a statement provided to CBS News that the two were married in a ceremony officiated by comedian Adam Sandler. He was described by the representative as a ‘friend’ of the couple. … The duo announced their engagement last August in a joint Instagram post captioned: ‘Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married.'” (07/04/26)
“Tens of thousands of far-left [sic] protesters flooded the streets and clashed with police in the Germany city of Erfurt on Saturday as they protested the conservative [sic] Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. Videos showed police beating back agitators with batons and deploying anti-riot ordnance as the demonstrators chanted against the country’s conservative [sic] Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in a massive political rally. Police said over 30,000 people attended the demonstrations, according to the Associated Press (AP), and people could be seen carrying signs reading ‘Stop AfD Nazis’ and ‘For Diversity, Against Nazis.'” (07/04/26)
“Pope Leo XIV on Saturday visited Italy’s Lampedusa island, a major port of call for migrants risking the perilous crossing from Africa, in a stark message to US and EU leaders. The Catholic Church’s first US pope, who has clashed with the administration of President Donald Trump over its treatment of migrants, is marking July 4, the United States’ 250th anniversary of independence, on a migration frontline. … After praying at the unmarked graves of shipwreck victims, the 70-year-old stood alone on the island’s rocky shoreline, buffeted by the wind as he looked out to sea, where countless migrant boats have been lost to the waves. He spoke to a migrant family before taking the children by the hand and standing along with their pregnant mother at the ‘Door of Europe’, a monument dedicated to people who risk everything in search of a better life.” (07/04/26)
“The Trump administration officially launched ‘Trump Accounts’ on July 4, which have been set up for parents to save money for their children. The accounts, which include $1,000 for each child who is born between Jan. 1, 2025, and Dec. 31, 2028 — President Donald Trump’s current term in office — can now be set up by parents after their authorization in last year’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill.’ The federal savings program is available for any child under 18, and can accept up to $5,000 in contributions per year, although the $1,000 seed funds for the accounts are only available to children born during Trump’s current term.” (07/04/26)
“Turkey has reportedly blocked an American LGBTQ+ cruise from docking at two of its ports, citing ‘moral values’ in the latest sign of the Islamist-run government’s increasingly hardline stance toward the LGBTQ+ community. The ‘Athens to Venice’ voyage organized by Los Angeles-based Atlantis Events was scheduled to stop in the western Turkish port of Kuşadası on July 7 before continuing to Istanbul. Instead, the cruise will now visit Cairo, Egypt, and the Greek island of Crete, according to CNN, which first reported the ban.” (07/04/26)
“Paul Pelosi, husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, is suspected of crashing into a parked car and leaving the scene over the Fourth of July weekend, law enforcement officials said Saturday. The Napa County Sheriff’s Office said that on Friday in Yountville, California, a witness reported a brown convertible striking a legally parked, unoccupied vehicle, stopping briefly and driving away. The parked car sustained major rear damage.” (07/04/26)
“Right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori has been declared the winner of Peru’s tight presidential election, nearly a month after the vote took place. The 51-year-old won 50.135% of voters’ support in the runoff, held on 7 June, to 49.865% for left-wing candidate Roberto Sánchez – a margin of less than 50,000 votes, figures certified by Peru’s electoral court show. It is the fourth time the daughter of disgraced former President Alberto Fujimori has sought the South American nation’s presidency, promising this time to oversee a crackdown on organised crime.” (07/04/26)
“The founder of a prominent underground church in China has been released after months in detention, his family and a Christian rights group said. ChinaAid said Pastor Jin Mingri, also known by his English name Ezra Jin, landed in Los Angeles on July 4 after being held in detention centres in the southern Chinese city of Beihai since October. … Jin founded Zion Church in Beijing in 2007 and became one of the most recognisable figures in China’s underground Christian movement. The Zion Church is among the largest underground or house churches in China that are unregistered with authorities. They defy a requirement that believers worship only in registered congregations.” (07/05/26)
