Pope Leo Jabs Trump in 250th Birthday Message to Americans

HEAVENLY SHADE

The first U.S.-born pope congratulated Americans while stressing the importance of welcoming immigrants.

Antonio Masiello/Getty Images

Tomas Thor

Breaking News Intern
Updated Jul. 3 2026 6:54PM EDT Published Jul. 3 2026 3:02PM EDT


Pope Leo XIV used America’s 250th birthday celebration to deliver a not-so-subtle reminder to President Donald Trump that immigrants helped build the United States.

In a message released Friday, the first American-born pope praised the nation’s founding ideals of liberty, equality, and democracy. But he also devoted a significant portion of the letter to defending immigrants, a subject that has become one of the sharpest points of tension between the Vatican and the Trump administration.

ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty Images

“Defending human life also includes welcoming, protecting and assisting immigrants,” Leo wrote.

“In every generation, those who have arrived seeking freedom, opportunity and a place to belong have helped to shape the nation’s character.”

His pointed message comes as Trump continues to make his immigration crackdown a centerpiece of his second term.

The pontiff’s message repeatedly returned to themes that have put him at odds with the White House, including the dignity of migrants and the responsibility to care for society’s most vulnerable.

“To receive them with compassion and generosity is not only an act of charity,” Leo wrote of immigrants, “but also a recognition of the dignity that belongs to every human person.”

The letter highlights the growing divide between Pope Leo and the Trump administration. Last month, Leo criticized policies that remove migrants without addressing why they fled their home countries in the first place.

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La Sierra University Selects Lesbian to GiveCommencement Address

June 25, 2026 NewsHound



This is a generated image, not from the actual graduation


RIVERSIDE, Calif. – On Sunday, June 14 almost 400 La Sierra University graduates celebrated their graduation to a commencement speech by California State Sen. Sabrina Cervantes.

A Democrat, Sabrina Cervantes currently represents the 58th Assembly District, which comprises portions of the Inland Empire. Sabrina was first elected to the State Legislature in 2016, and from 2022-2024, served as Chair of the California Latino Legislative Caucus. She is also the first openly LGBTQ+ hispanic person to represent Western Riverside County in the Legislature. “Sabrina and her ‘wife’, Courtney, are the proud parents of triplets.”



Other speakers were Sam Leonor (of One Project infamy) and Criston Arthur, the previous provost of Andrews University.

Arthur spoke for the Lavender (LGBTQ+) Graduation on June 5. To the LGBTQ+ Lavenders Arthur said “You are La Sierra,” affirming that the university community is “big enough for all,” and expressing his support for them.

Leonor spoke at the baccalaureate.

The lesbian State Senator Sabrina Cervantes gave the commencement address.

Observations

I wonder what Harold Marshall Sylvester (HMS) Richards (who has a building named after him on LaSierra campus) would say about this lavender graduation? I wonder what he would say about them having a lesbian with a ‘wife’ give the commencement address?

What do you say about it?

Source

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Air Force major arrested on Capitol steps during protest calling for Trump impeachment

By Cristina Stassis
Jul 2, 2026, 03:56 PM

U.S. Maj. Jason Watson was arrested by Capitol Police officers on June 1 after protesting for the impeachment of President Donald Trump on the House steps. (Video footage screenshot)


A U.S. Air Force major was arrested Wednesday for protesting alone on House steps as he called for the immediate impeachment and removal of President Donald Trump.

Maj. Jason Watson was arrested by Capitol Police officers at approximately 1:15 p.m. local time for demonstrating on the House steps without a sitting member of Congress, Capitol Police told Military Times. Watson, an active-duty service member with a military career dating over 20 years, walked halfway up the steps of the House to its chained railing to hold a sign that read “Impeach Convict Remove.”

Watson was first escorted to the bottom of the steps by Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, who then left the area, causing the officers to arrest Watson under 22-1307 Crowding, Obstructing and Incommoding.

“When the Member of Congress left the area, our officers gave the man lawful orders to stop the illegal demonstration, or he would be arrested,” the spokesperson said. “The man refused our lawful orders.”

The spokesperson highlighted that there are other areas on the Capitol where demonstrating is allowed.

Watson stoically stood wearing his uniform on the steps for roughly one minute before officers first approached him. Another minute later, he was again approached by an officer, who spoke to him briefly and was nodded at by Watson, as shown in video footage posted by Removal Coalition founder Jessica Denson, who organized the demonstration.

Over a minute later, Watson was approached for a third time. But this time, he quietly and peacefully placed his sign down and was arrested by Capitol Police before being escorted off the steps by multiple officers as protesters chants of “Who do you serve? Who do you protect?” rang clear.

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Historic San Francisco church begins recovery after massive fire

 

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NOTE:

The four-alarm fire at the San Francisco Central Seventh-day Adventist Church broke out Monday afternoon (June 29, 2026).

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Global oceans break June temperature record with fears they’re headed into ‘uncharted territory’

ByLaura Paddison

The Pacific Ocean at Windansea Beach on ...


The planet’s oceans are at unprecedented temperatures for this time of year, breaking the all-time June record, according to new data, with alarming implications for global weather and marine life.

On June 21, average global sea surface temperatures reached 69.5 degrees Fahrenheit (20.86 Celsius), edging above the June record last set in 2024, according to data from Europe’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, which combines measurements from satellites, ships and buoys.

The record was echoed in another data set. Data from the Copernicus Marine Service, implemented by the non-profit Mercator Ocean International, found sea temperatures hit 69.38 Fahrenheit (21 Celsius) on June 21, beating the previous record last set in 2024 by 0.18 degrees Fahrenheit.

The abnormal heat has been driven by the onset of El Niño, a natural climate pattern characterized by unusually warm waters along the equatorial tropical Pacific Ocean. El Niño has only just started but it may intensify into one of the strongest in decades.

Layered underneath that is the human-driven climate crisis, which is also driving up temperatures. For decades, oceans have acted as the planet’s main heat sink, absorbing 90% of the excess heat produced by humans burning fossil fuels.

“Rising sea surface temperatures are therefore not unexpected,” said Michael Meredith, an ocean scientist at the British Antarctic Survey. “But the pace of warming we are now seeing is alarming.”

It’s not yet clear whether this unprecedented June heat is temporary or a sign of things to come, but experts are expressing concern.

“Current conditions could indicate the beginning of a new phase, leading, once more, to uncharted territory,” said Carlo Buontempo, director of Copernicus Climate Change Service. “With ocean temperatures at these levels and El Niño on the horizon, we are likely to see more temperature records fall in the coming months.”

What happens in the oceans has huge implications for global weather patterns. Hotter oceans keep the air warmer, fueling heat waves; energize storms making them fiercer; and increase evaporation, boosting the chances of extreme rainfall and flooding.

Ocean heat can also lead to the mass bleaching of coral reefs, the death of other marine life and increased sea level rise.

Source 

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Mamdani-backed socialist primary winner founded group whose goal is to ‘eradicate' Western civilization

Darializa Avila Chevalier helped launch Columbia University Apartheid Divest, which said it wants to end the West

 By Peter D'Abrosca Fox News

Published June 25, 2026 9:50am EDT


The socialist backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani who won Tuesday night’s primary election in New York’s 13th Congressional District founded a group in college that called for the total destruction of the West.

Darializa Avila Chevalier, 32, a Democratic nominee for U.S. Congress who made career out of "community organizing," wrote in her biography for an opinion piece in independent news outlet The Electronic Intifada that she "helped launch the boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign Columbia University Apartheid Divest."

"We are Westerners fighting for the total eradication of Western civilization," the group said in a now-deleted 2024 Instagram post.

In May 2024, eight years after she graduated from Columbia, Chevalier was back on campus advocating alongside the group she founded, known as CUAD, wearing a keffiyeh and a t-shirt emblazoned with the group's name.

Darializa Avila Chevalier, Democratic candidate for Congress in New York's 13th Congressional District, speaks with a voter in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan on June 14, 2026, in New York, N.Y. (Shuran Huang/For The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Avila Chevalier was interviewed by the Associated Press at the school's infamous encampment against Israel that year, which was later broken up by police.

Only months after that, CUAD, caused a firestorm when it reportedly posted its goal of eradicating Western Civilization.

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Woke Paris politician blames Americans and our air conditioning for Europe heat wave that has killed 1,300 people

By Ronny Reyes
Published June 29, 2026
Updated June 29, 2026, 5:02 p.m. ET

Deadly Heatwave Bakes Europe as Record Temperatures Persist

A Paris politician blamed Americans and US air conditioning for the record-breaking heat wave in Europe that has resulted in more than 1,300 excess deaths.

After US tourists mocked France over the lack of air conditioning across the country amid 104-degree temperatures, Audrey Pulvar, deputy mayor of Paris for international relations, claimed the situation was partly America’s fault.

Audrey Pulvar blamed the United States and air conditioning for the record-breaking European heat wave.

Ait Adjedjou Karim/ABACA / Shutterstock


“Dear American journalists and social media ‘influencers’: for days, some of you have been criticizing and making fun of Paris because the city does not have A/C in every room … OMG, this is so rich!” Pulvar wrote on social media.

“As the second-largest emitter of greenhouse gas emissions in the world, you bear a significant amount of responsibility for global warming and the consequences we, in France, are experiencing. Your cities, which are 90 percent air conditioned, are not unrelated to this,” she added.

“So please, enough with the lecture. Just start doing your part,” the post concluded.

France has long been resistant to air conditioning, with only 25% of households in the country equipped with such cooling units.

The reticence to install AC has been attributed to concerns over the environment, the culture, and strict building codes — but the tides have begun changing as summers get hotter and hotter.

The spat between Pulvar and Americans comes amid a record heat wave in Europe, with France experiencing a surge of deaths that have left morgues struggling to keep up.

France has recorded at least 1,300 excess deaths since June 21, the public health agency said Sunday, warning that the final figures could be higher.

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Historic San Francisco church gutted by fire

Massive fire at San Francisco church contained

by: Alex Baker, Sara Stinson, Gayle Ong

Posted: Jun 29, 2026 / 02:31 PM PDT

Updated: Jun 29, 2026 / 10:06 PM PDT


SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — A fire broke out at a Seventh-Day Adventist Church in San Francisco Monday afternoon. In photos posted by the San Francisco Fire Department, the church, which is located at California and Broderick streets, appeared to be behind scaffolding.

By 3:50 p.m., flames could be seen leaping from the church’s roof. One SFFD firefighter tells KRON4 it has been 28 years since a church fire occurred in San Francisco.

As of 9 p.m., crews remain on scene responding to the fire. SFFD said the fire is now contained.

The fire was initially reported as a one-alarm fire before being escalated to two alarms. SFFD said the fire has been reported throughout the church’s top level. SF Fire also posted a video showing heavy smoke pouring from the church’s upper-level windows.

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As nation turns 250, many Americans say the Stars and Stripes is now a red flag

The American flag: To some, it’s Old Glory. To others, it’s a MAGA hat on a stick.

June 29, 2026, 6:01 AM EDT
By Corky Siemaszko


To fly or not to fly an American flag? That was never a question for Bruce Watson, who has put his national pride on display for years — and nudges neighbors in his small New England town to do the same.

“I’m very proud of our flag,” the writer said. “It’s the symbol of ‘We, the People.’”

But as the polarized nation marks its 250th birthday, Watson, 72, worries his Stars and Stripes may now need an asterisk. “If we do fly the flag, we will also put out signs to make it clear that we are not MAGA,” he said.

Bruce Watson, at his home with his dog, Mavis, in Montague, Mass., says he plans to put a disclaimer next to his flag. Hannah Beier for NBC News

The American flag is a symbol striped with many meanings, whether it’s hung on front porches, waved in parades, protests and World Cup matches, or stamped on lapel pins and boxing trunks. Like so much else in American life, it has also been tangled up in politics and the policies of President Donald Trump.

NBC News asked readers to share their feelings and practices around the flag in a moment, polls suggest, when patriotism, national pride and optimism for the country’s future are all fraying. Like Watson, some say the flag can be taken as an endorsement of the current administration. For others, it isn’t tied to any one party but is a way of life.