Thursday was opening day for the Great American State Fair, the latest round of summer patriotism planned by President Trump’s Freedom 250 semiquincentennial task force. In preparation, the National Mall has spent weeks cluttered with half-built plywood structures and has been largely cordoned off to the public. Of all the bombastic 250th anniversary programming planned by the Trump administration—a UFC fight that chewed up all the grass on the Ellipse, an Indy car race slated for August that’s expected to mangle downtown traffic for days—the state fair seemed like it was going to be the most benign. Organizers promised exhibits from all 56 states and territories, a quaint showcase of Americana that wouldn’t involve a gas leak or LED octagon lights blinding pilots en route to National Airport. And honestly, who doesn’t love to eat a funnel cake and take the Ferris wheel for a spin? But the tender sheen over the event quickly dissipated last month when a hodgepodge of musicians booked for live performances backed out at the last minute, saying they were not informed that the Freedom 250 festivities would have a political tilt. Several states also announced they would not participate. In the eleventh hour, the president declared he would headline the fair himself: He was introduced at a rally Wednesday night by transportation secretary Sean Duffy, who started by dogging on the “libtards that canceled on us.” When Trump finally took the stage, he lauded America as the “hottest” nation in the world. “Nobody’s laughing at us anymore,” said the man filling in for Milli Vanilli.

NICHOLAS Rossi, the man who fled from the United States to Scotland after he appeared to fake his own death to avoid rape charges, has died

In our news wrap Thursday, President Trump's former national security adviser John Bolton agreed to plead guilty to a felony count of illegally retaining classified information, U.S. officials say a flesh-eating insect detected in Texas livestock has not spread, Hezbollah rejects a ceasefire agreement with Israel and Lebanon and thousands got a sneak peek of the Obama Presidential Center.

For half a century, a house on the coast in southern Lebanon has kept vigil over Al-Mansouri beach and the blue Mediterranean waters beyond. Mona Khalil's grandfather built the house in the 1970s, around seven miles from the border with Israel. A decade later, the Khalil family fled the Lebanese Civil War and left the house behind. Khalil eventually settled in the Netherlands and found work as a porcelain restorer. In 1999, on a visit to her grandparents' old home, Khalil walked along the shores, a beer in hand, when she heard a soft crunch. She watched, mesmerized, as a sea turtle lugged herself across the sand to lay her eggs, each soft and white and big as a ping-pong ball. This turtle altered the course of Khalil's life. After she learned Lebanon's sea turtles were under threat, she devoted her days to protecting them. The following year, Khalil moved back into the house, which she painted tangerine—a tribute to the safe haven she had found in the Netherlands—and transformed into a conservation hub with a partner, a woman named Habiba Fayed. This became the Orange House Project, a bed and breakfast where guests could help clean litter off the beach, watch for turtle tracks, and monitor nests. In a 2017 interview, Khalil vowed to continue this work "as long as God gives me life." Earlier this month, on June 4, an Israeli airstrike hit the Orange House and grievously wounded Khalil and burned another woman. On June 19, the 76-year-old Khalil died of her injuries, one of the 4,175 people killed in Israeli attacks across Lebanon since March 2. (Lebanon's health ministry does not distinguish between civilian and combatant deaths.)he…

Glyphosate, used in Roundup weedkiller, is the most commonly used weedkiller in agriculture, and it has long been linked to cancer claims.

The Trump administration has sought to terminate temporary protected status for immigrants fleeing war, natural disasters or other catastrophes. Some may now be deported.

A federal court has punished Texas ICE demonstrators with decades in prison. This is dark news, not just for them but for anyone who may want to register political dissent.

Two U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents issued a warning to a Syracuse woman Tuesday to remove a social media account they said threatens federal agents. Paigelynne Gonyea said she believes they are referring to a January post where she named the ICE agent who shot protester Renee Good. Gonyea was working as a poll worker Tuesday afternoon at the Central Library on Salina Street when agents called to meet with her. She said she invited them in. She said she did not want to meet them outside alone. “I’ve seen the news, especially in Minnesota,” she said. “And I didn’t want anything to happen to me at all.” The agents handed Gonyea a form letter that says they were investigating threats made against ICE personnel. The form says the agents had identified an Instagram account they believe breaks federal law. They asked her to remove and discontinue the behavior, according to the unsigned document she shared on Instagram.

Florida police plan to charge Detroit Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold on multiple felony charges following his arrest on Wednesday, June 24, hours after two defendants agreed to plea deals in a kidnapping and assault case they are alleged to have committed on Arnold’s behalf. Arnold previously denied any involvement in the case.

On the forgotten history of the Supreme Court's Humphrey’s Executor v. United States, a cornerstone of the administrative state.

Wildlife photographer Mohammed Almuntasir had no idea what he had found until scientists started to get in touch

Billionaire Bill Gates testified that he never interacted with victims of Jeffrey Epstein but acknowledged that he may have been in their presence, according to a transcript of his closed-door interview with the House Oversight Committee released Tuesday. The Microsoft co-founder maintained in the voluntary interview, which took place on Capitol Hill earlier this month, that his three-year relationship with the convicted sex offender was strictly professional and that he never witnessed or participated in any sexual misconduct.

Daniel Cressy, 23, underwent gene therapy at Manning Family Children’s Hospital.

Iago, surprised. (Also, they're kind of burying the lede here.)

Activists accused of being part of antifa face harsh sentences in case seen as test of Trump’s crackdown on dissent

A routine traffic stop went in a wildly different direction when police learned the driver had a stockpile of illegal liquor, according to investigators in southeastern North Carolina. The discovery was made Wednesday, June 17, in Whiteville, after officers pulled over a 62-year-old driver for a turn signal violation, police said in a news release. Suspicions were aroused when officers found 2.4 grams of methamphetamine in the vehicle, officials said. “Detectives obtained and executed a search warrant for (his) residence,” police said. “During the execution of the search warrant, investigators located and seized an additional amount of methamphetamine, psilocybin mushrooms, marijuana ... and approximately 18 gallons of non-tax-paid spiritous liquor.” The investigation is ongoing, and details where and how the liquor was manufactured have not been released. Maps show a large structure is located in trees behind the suspect’s home.

Ta-Nehisi Coates reckons with that question, and what it means for the 2028 election.

Access to power over other racial groups is their preferred political currency

What was designed as a safety play for players has become a financial bonanza for broadcasters.

The 22-year-old son of Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) — one of Capitol Hill’s most prominent boosters of cryptocurrency legislation — has reportedly raised $30 million to launch a derivatives exchange startup that is already valued at $300 million. Theodore Gillibrand, whose mother has emerged as a leading advocate for crypto regulation and stablecoin legislation, secured the funding round for his startup, American Perpetuals Exchange Corporation, or APEC, Fortune reported. The senatorial scion graduated from Stanford University on Sunday. His LinkedIn profile lists prior stints as a fellow at crypto-focused venture firm Paradigm and as an intern at Andreessen Horowitz, a major Silicon Valley investor with significant crypto holdings.