Today's Liberal News

“World Cup of Exclusion”: Games Begin Amid U.S. Visa Restrictions, High Ticket Costs & Iran War

The FIFA World Cup kicks off today with two games in Mexico. This will be the biggest World Cup in history, with teams from 48 countries playing over 100 games in 16 host cities across Canada, Mexico and the United States. With a new FIFA pricing system in place, tickets are significantly more expensive for this World Cup than for previous tournaments. And Trump’s harsh immigration policies are having another chilling effect on the games.

“They Have Never Faced an Adversary Like Iran”: Rami Khouri on Latest U.S.-Iran Strikes

The U.S. struck Iran on Wednesday for a second day in a row, and President Trump is threatening more strikes. Iran has claimed it launched retaliatory missiles at a U.S. Navy fleet in Bahrain, as well as at U.S. air bases in Kuwait and Jordan. Iran has also declared the complete closure of the Strait of Hormuz, despite claims by the U.S. that it now effectively controls the strait. Iran’s Foreign Ministry says the U.S. strikes have rendered the ceasefire “practically meaningless.

The Divided World Cup

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Eight years ago, when FIFA selected the United States, Mexico, and Canada to host the 2026 World Cup, the organization imagined a sprawling tournament that would reflect a strong partnership and solidarity among the countries.

Democrats Are Starting to Worry About California

When it comes to counting votes, there’s no rushing California. America’s most populous state is also home to the nation’s most frustrating political tradition—a lengthy wait to find out the winners of key elections. Californians only learned yesterday evening—a full week after they finished casting ballots in the state’s primaries—which candidates had been nominated for governor. The state also took several days to determine who will advance in U.S.

A Crime Doesn’t Make a Child an Adult

On the morning of October 3, 2012, a trio of unarmed 16- and 17-year-old boys in Elkhart, Indiana, banded together to commit a burglary in their neighborhood. To avoid a confrontation, they planned to hit a vacant home. After some dogs scared them off their first target, the teens called two more friends, who were 18 and 21, to help them break into another neighbor’s house, which seemed empty.

Republicans vs. the Fourteenth Amendment

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In this episode of The David Frum Show, The Atlantic’s David Frum opens with his thoughts on the Brexit vote, which was cast 10 years ago this month. David explains why Brexit has not only been a failure but has led to years of political instability in the U.K. in the decade following the British vote to leave the European Union.
Then, David is joined by Professor David W.

Photos From Around the North Pacific

Mike Korostelev / Getty
Waves crash over a Pacific walrus on a beach in Chukotka, Russia.Byron M. O’Neal / Getty
A humpback whale raises its tail before a deep-feeding dive, with the Port of Tacoma and Mount Rainier in the background.Wolfgang Kaehler / LightRocket / Getty
A spirit bear (Ursus americanus kermodei) walks along a river looking for salmon on Gribbell Island, Great Bear Rainforest, British Columbia, Canada, on September 6, 2025.

The Shocking Secrets of MSG’s Surveillance Machine: Noah Shachtman on Knicks’ Owner James Dolan

James Dolan, the billionaire owner of New York City’s Madison Square Garden and its affiliated sports teams, the New York Knicks and the New York Rangers, is under fire after a bombshell investigation by Wired magazine revealed the inner workings of the arena’s extensive surveillance network. Dolan employs facial recognition technology to track and profile arena attendees.