Welcome to the World Cup. Maybe.
Plus: Inflation is back. Trump loves it. Europe is seeing other people. ICE gets checks without balances. Surveillance, but make it wearable. And ancient Rome was under the school the whole time.
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The US bombed Iran again — the second strike in two days — but don’t worry, this is still technically a ceasefire.
Asked about new inflation numbers, the president said, “I love the inflation,” then promised prices would fall when the war ends. Which, naturally, is imminent.
Congress just handed ICE a mountain of new money with no new guardrails. The White House put a UFC octagon on the lawn. Ivanka and Jared are trying to turn protected Albanian land into a luxury resort they claim to have “discovered” from a yacht.
It’s all giving big late-empire energy, if the late empire had a merch table.
So, the gaslighting continues. But the people are noticing.
The president’s poll numbers have cratered, a handful of congressional Republicans have begun the ancient ritual of expressing concern, and even some MAGA podcasters are hedging their bets — while in certain conservative comment sections, the mood has migrated from “own the libs” to something closer to, “Why does my grocery bill look like this?”
The problem isn’t that Americans don’t see it. The problem is that the man in the White House seems increasingly unbothered by reality. The alarms are going off and the president is giving them a thumbs up. Here’s some more reality: Nothing that produces this many alarms is ignored forever.
In today’s newsletter: Summer travel, reconsidered. Europe has thoughts about America — and they’re not great. World Cup tickets: necessary, not sufficient. Primary night sorted out who’s in, who’s out, and who’s blaming Epstein. What Bill Gates told Congress about Jeffrey Epstein. WIRED found something strange inside Meta’s smart glasses. And the Roman villa that’s been under a high school this whole time, exactly like the students kept saying.
Here Are Your Headlines:
Brace Your Wallets: Inflation hit 4.2% in May, the highest in over three years, according to new economic data. Before the Iran conflict, it sat at 2.4%; three straight months of rising energy prices have pushed it up. Analyst Steven Rattner called this “an entirely self-inflicted wound caused by Trump’s war on Iran.” Inflation outpaced wage gains — meaning real wages shrank — and consumer sentiment hit a new all-time low. Core inflation, which excludes energy and food prices, rose 2.9%.
Stay Put: The data has a message for anyone considering summer travel: How about a staycation? Airline fares are more than 26% pricier than last year, partly because of rising fuel prices. And it’s more than just flights. Public transportation costs are up almost 17% and gas is about $1 more per gallon compared to last year.
With Friends Like These: Just 11% of Europeans in 15 countries consider the US an ally, down from 22% in November 2024. A majority doubt the US would come to their aid if they were attacked. According to the European Council on Foreign Relations, which conducted the poll, this distrust is driven by the Trump administration’s aggression in the Middle East, criticisms of NATO, and Trump’s threats to withdraw troops from Europe and take Greenland. Most people think relations will improve after Trump leaves office, but believe Europe should increase defense spending and reduce its dependence on US military hardware.
Own Goal: Global anger is building over the Trump administration’s punitive immigration practices for the World Cup. Dozens of fans from Scotland to Morocco to Jordan report last minute visa denials, sometimes just hours before their flights, with their World Cup tickets already purchased. Residents from four countries competing in the tournament are subject to Trump’s travel ban. US officials denied entry to an award-winning referee from Somalia who says he had all the right paperwork. (The administration claims he has terror ties.) Officials also denied entry to the Iraq team’s photographer and questioned a player for hours before letting him enter. Iran says the US revoked its entire ticket allocation — the tickets it received for its own fans — on top of already denying entry to more than a dozen staff and officials. And the International Sports Press Association claims “many” journalists from Iran and across Africa have been denied the multi-entry visas they need to follow their teams across the three host countries. FIFA’s controversial president Gianni Infantino’s spent months flattering Trump — telling Americans to “support what [Trump] is doing because it’s looking good” and infamously awarding Trump FIFA’s newly created Peace Prize, among other actions. Infantino, who also visited the Oval Office more than any other world political leader this term, repeatedly dismissed concerns about the Trump administration’s immigration policies, insisting “everyone will be welcome” and the “process will be smooth.” Now FIFA is shrugging, claiming visa decisions are entirely up to the US.
Score: Unionized stadium workers at SoFi Stadium in LA, one of the host stadiums, announced they reached a contract deal averting a strike. Workers won pay raises, job protections — and the right to strike if ICE or CBP activity threatens worker safety. “We’ve seen what happened in Minneapolis,” one worker said. “So there’s real fear.”
Fair Warning: The EU warned Albania’s government that a controversial luxury development backed by Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump could kill the country’s bid to join the European Union. The development, and policy maneuvers that enabled it — which are now under investigation by Albania’s anti-corruption prosecutors— may violate the EU’s environmental rules. Prosecutors recently froze the bank accounts of a company tied to the development.
More Results: Tuesday’s primary results teed up major battles in California, Maine, and Nevada, and showed Trump’s grip on Republican voters is holding.
Maine Man: Progressive veteran and oyster farmer Graham Platner won the Democratic Senate primary with more than 71% of the vote, despite a long list of controversies. In his victory speech, Platner acknowledged the baggage directly: “Any of those who feel let down or disappointed or disillusioned, it is my job to earn your trust, faith, and support.”
Not Quite: In South Carolina’s Republican gubernatorial primary, Trump-endorsed Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette came out just barely ahead with less than 29% of the vote. State Attorney General Alan Wilson, who hired former Trump campaign operatives and competed for his endorsement, earned 26%. The pair advance to a runoff.
Maced It: Controversial Rep. Nancy Mace finished fifth, earning just 12% of the vote. That means three of the four House Republicans who voted to force the DOJ to release the Epstein files have lost their seat. Mace blamed her defeat on the Epstein vote.
Safe and Sound: Sen. Lindsey Graham won his primary, avoiding a runoff and practically ensuring he will be reelected for a fifth term. Graham and his allies spent over $18 million on ads to fend off a far-right “America First” challenger.
Bet on This: Nevada Republicans backed Trump-endorsed veteran David Flippo as their candidate to replace retiring Rep. Mark Amodei. Democrats had hoped for this outcome. They consider MAGA-backed Flippo an easier opponent.
Brit v. Biden Official: Trump-endorsed Steve Hilton, a British former conservative political operative who backed Brexit, has made the runoff in California’s gubernatorial primary. He’ll face former state Attorney General and HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. Tom Steyer, who placed third, conceded — saying it was “hard to blame” those who “just couldn’t stomach voting for a billionaire” — and endorsed Becerra.
Not Staying Quiet: Nancy Lacore, the former chief of the navy reserve who was fired by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in his purge of military officials, placed first in the Democratic primary for South Carolina’s deep-red 1st Congressional District. She’ll face Coast Guard veteran Mac Deford in a runoff. (Hegseth’s purge is ongoing; he recently removed every woman and some Black nominees from the Navy’s promotion list, without explanation and potentially in violation of promotion rules.)
Checks Without Balances: Trump signed into law a bill funding $70 billion for immigration enforcement through the end of his second term, after the House narrowly passed it 214-212. The funding package does not include any of the reforms Democrats demanded — nor those with bipartisan support, such as mandating body cameras. Advocates warn that because the bill did not go through the normal appropriations process, it also won’t have the normal guardrails. In short: More money, less oversight.
Keep reading to find out…
The controversial code Meta quietly buried in millions of devices
What Bill Gates said about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein
The new USPS election rule that could force states to hand over voter lists
Why Elon Musk is being accused of inciting anti-immigrant violence in the UK
The fate of two US pilots, downed near Iran days after Trump said US troops weren’t in danger
Why the US is back to striking Iran
How a group of Italian students discovered a long-lost Roman treasure
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