Malik Tillman’s success in new World Cup role could provide spark USMNT needs
The midfield trio was the engine for what might have been the best U.S. national team performance ever at a World Cup.

A new national NBC News poll published Sunday spelled trouble for Republicans as the midterm elections approach, with one GOP pollster who helped conduct the survey reacting to the news with concern.“These are rocky numbers for Republicans,” said Republican pollster Bill McInturff with Public Opinion Strategies, speaking with NBC News, noting that while the numbers boded poorly for the GOP, they were “not catastrophic.”According to the poll, which was responded to by 3,000 adults of all ages, ethnicities and party affiliations, 49% of registered voters preferred Democrats taking control of Congress. A total of 44% said they’d prefer Republicans seizing control, and 7% indicated they were unsure.Perhaps more troubling for Republicans’ electoral prospects, however, was the shift in support from independent voters, who in the poll favored Democrats by a 12-point margin. Black and Hispanic voters, as well as voters under 50 years old – groups that helped catapult President Donald Trump to the White House in 2024 – also leaned Democrat.Even more concerning for Republicans, said Democratic pollster Jeff Horwitt of Hard Research Associates, was the lower threshold Democrats would have to clear this November to seize control of Congress.“Does this need to be 2018? No,” Horwitt told NBC News. “[Democrats] are still in a really good position, despite redistricting, to win seats.”Unlike the 2018 midterm elections where Democrats won 40 House seats, the party would only need to gain three House seats to reclaim control of Congress’ lower chamber.Nevertheless, Republicans are “still broadly sticking with Trump,” NBC News reported, despite the poll showing a weaker level of support when compared with just three months ago.“Republicans are still broadly sticking with Trump, with 82% approving of his job as president and 58% saying they ‘strongly’ approve,” NBC News’ report reads. “But that GOP support has dropped since March, when 88% of Republicans approved of Trump’s job as president and 63% strongly approved.”
The midfield trio was the engine for what might have been the best U.S. national team performance ever at a World Cup.
President Donald Trump announced that his administration had reached a "deal" with the Iranian regime that would "reopen" the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global waterway that has been shut down since the early days of the war against Iran. "The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "Congratulations to all! I hereby fully authorize the toll-free opening of the Strait of Hormuz and, simultaneously herewith, authorize the immediate removal of the United States Naval blockade. Ships of the World, start your engines. Let the oil flow!"The deal was announced less than one hour before Trump's "UFC Freedom 250" event at the White House was scheduled to start. The New York Times described the deal as a "cease-fire," which Trump has previously said means "when you're shooting in a more moderate manner.""Iran has not yet officially confirmed the cease-fire agreement, but struck a triumphant tone on the state broadcaster, IRIB. 'The United States was forced to accept an end to the war,' it declared," the NYT reported.
NBC News chief data analyst Steve Kornacki joins Meet the Press to break down a new NBC News poll ahead of the nation’s 250 birthday next month, with most saying the U.S. has already seen its best days and over one-fifth of respondents saying they are only a little or not at all proud to be Americans.
A spokesman for former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the Kentucky republican was admitted to a hospital on Sunday.
Mark Levin, one of President Donald Trump's most reliable media defenders and a leading hawk on the Iran war, is breaking with the president over the peace deal Trump is racing to sign — demanding to actually see the agreement before it's locked in.In a post on X on Sunday, the conservative radio host pressed for transparency on the memorandum of understanding the administration says it will sign with Iran. Levin asked whether the MOU "has... been released so we can actually read it," answering his own question with a pointed "Why not?" Briefing "selected reporters" through a "senior official" on the deal's "broad outlines," he argued, "is not enough."The complaint lands as Trump pushes to finalize the agreement on Sunday — his 80th birthday. Trump declared on Truth Social that the deal was "scheduled to get signed" and that the Strait of Hormuz would be "OPEN TO ALL" immediately afterward, casting it as a barrier to a nuclear-armed Iran.The reported terms help explain why a hawk like Levin is uneasy. According to Reuters and other outlets, the draft would have Iran reopen the strait while the U.S. lifts its naval blockade, releases roughly $25 billion in frozen Iranian assets — including direct cash transfers — waives oil sanctions and holds off on new ones, with broader nuclear talks pushed to a later phase.The Sunday post wasn't a one-off. British broadcaster Piers Morgan, locked in his own feud with Levin, accused the host over the weekend of having "raged at President Trump for wanting to end the Iran war" and urging him to keep bombing — and Levin's own broadcasts back up the charge. As the fighting moved toward a truce, Levin declared on his show, "I hate this word ceasefire," and argued that Iran "should be forced to sign a surrender document. Unconditional surrender." After an earlier ceasefire, he warned on Sean Hannity's program to "make no mistake: they are the enemy," insisting the regime would not be contained "if there's not regime change."He has been just as dismissive of the diplomacy itself, calling Iran's proposals "an absolute disaster" and branding reported drafts of the deal "disastrous," warning that an agreement along those lines would let the Iranian regime survive. That hard line has put Levin crosswise not only with the president he usually defends but with parts of Trump's own base — figures like Steve Bannon have accused him of undermining Trump's "peace posture" and quietly siding with the neocon hawks the MAGA movement claims to reject.The details of the deal itself remain murky, which is precisely Levin's gripe. Iran has repeatedly cautioned against speculation about the timing and contents, and its Fars news agency reported the strait would stay under Tehran's control, dismissing Trump's "open to all" claim as "incomplete and inconsistent with reality." Trump, for his part, has denied Iran's account of the terms.Also on Sunday, Levin wrote, "Iran’s Hezbollah continues firing missiles into Israel. This is precisely what I and others have been warning about."It all marks a striking turn for a host who spent the war as one of Trump's fiercest defenders. But with Trump now moving to wind the conflict down and cut a deal that delivers Iran sweeping economic relief, Levin has shifted from cheerleader to skeptic — joining a chorus of hawks bristling at an outcome they spent months warning against.
German soccer fan FreddyLA7 goes viral documenting American road trip experiences from Waffle House to college football ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The bar may have been busy for the football but it was nothing compared with the crowd that surged in as team ended 53-year wait for the NBA titleAt John Doe’s bar on 28th and 5th in Manhattan, the crowd was already heaving energetically by early evening, as a multitude of TV screens beamed Vinícius Júnior’s equaliser for Brazil, responding to Ismael Saibari’s opener for Morocco. With competing nations’ flags as bunting and inflatable footballs – the correct, round kind – hanging from the roof, there was no lack of World Cup visibility. Football shirts abounded, with Brazilians here and the odd Moroccan shirt there, as well as a Manchester United and Casemiro fan somewhat aghast at the mobility of his hero.Yet there could be no doubting the main event in town. Despite the fact that New York mayor Zohran Mamdani was at MetLife Stadium for the soccer – a subdued groan met his appearance on the TV screen, followed by loud, defiant Democrat cheers – this was a mere curtain-raiser for the real show. The New York Knicks were bidding to end a 53-year wait to win the NBA title and were playing the San Antonio Spurs in Texas. Continue reading...