E Pluribus Algae: Why Green Pond Scum Is as American as Red, White and Blue

And why the most patriotic approach to the Reflecting Pool may be to let the algae take over.

Bruce Arena agrees with USMNT star Folarin Balogun red card: ‘Dangerous’

The red card handed to U.S. men’s national team striker Folarin Balogun will be remembered as a central turning point for the Americans in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The public outcry has been palpable as fans have relayed their dissatisfaction with the red card, especially given the repercussions of call. Balogun won’t play in...

Referee Raphael Claus, part of USMNT red card controversy, was investigated in Brazil

Claus was previously investigated by his home country due to an inquiry on match-fixing and sports betting.

Yeah, That 'Red Card' Was Bogus — but Can Team USA Do Anything About It?

“We’re Running Out of Oil”: The Lie Used to Support the Green Energy Agenda

In 1874, the state geologist of Pennsylvania, then the nation's leading oil producer, warned that the U.S. The post “We’re Running Out of Oil”: The Lie Used to Support the Green Energy Agenda appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Jobs report gives labor market a yellow card

The job market entered the summer with less momentum than looked to be the case just a month ago.Why it matters: Call it a yellow card for the labor market. Thursday morning's employment report doesn't undo three months of stronger hiring, but it does warn that the rebound is less durable than first thought.Hiring has remained concentrated in a handful of industries, leaving fewer opportunities for Americans looking to switch jobs or reenter the workforce.What they're saying: "June's jobs report put a damper on the fireworks, coming in well below expectations and pointing to a labor market that's more fizzle than sparkle," Glassdoor chief economist Daniel Zhao wrote Thursday morning.Driving the news: Payrolls rose by 57,000 in June, roughly half the gains that economists expected. New revisions also show that hiring was weaker than expected over the previous two months, with payroll employment revised down by a combined 74,000 jobs.Payroll gains averaged 111,000 over the past three months, down from 164,000 in May. That's well above the 33,000 pace a year ago, but suggests that the labor market's spring rebound has faded.Zoom in: Fewer Americans were working in June, and fewer were looking for work — a combination that mechanically pushed the unemployment rate down a tick to 4.2%. Household employment fell by 507,000, while roughly 720,000 people left the labor force in June, driving the participation rate down 0.3 percentage point, to 61.5%.Fewer prime-age workers, those between 25 and 54, were working or looking for a job in June: The participation rate slid 0.6 percentage point, the biggest one-month decline outside the pandemic in at least a decade.The big picture: Slower hiring, downward revisions, weaker labor force participation and a narrower mix of industries creating jobs leave economic policymakers with a more difficult question than they faced a month ago.It's unclear whether the uneasy mix of labor market factors in June was a blip or the start of a slower labor market phase.One notable exception to the report's softer tone was wages. Average hourly earnings rose 0.3% in June — the second consecutive month of acceleration — and 3.5% from a year earlier, though slower hiring in lower-paying industries may have lifted the average.What to watch: Federal Reserve chairman Kevin Warsh said last month that the labor market's three-to-six-month trend mattered more than any single jobs report, while noting that the job market had been "moving in a good direction."Financial markets' outlook for the Fed barely budged after the report. One weaker report is not enough to push off expectations that the central bank might have to raise interest rates to contain too-high inflation.Traders now see a roughly 78% chance of at least one rate hike by year-end, down only modestly from about 83% before the jobs report, according to CME FedWatch.

MAGA freaks out at Trump's own 'Freedom 250' baby cards over 'anchor baby' fears

MAGA loyalists were melting down Thursday after President Donald Trump's Social Security Administration announced a new design for babies born this year.The limited edition "Freedom 250" logo-themed cards will be issued for babies born between now and the end of the year, The Washington Post reported."Freedom 250 is the public-private initiative the Trump administration launched last year to organize events — often aligned with the administration — for the nation’s semiquincentennial. It is different from America250, a nonprofit established by Congress in 2016 to organize such celebrations," according to The Post.But MAGA fans, still apparently upset over the Supreme Court's ruling this week to uphold birthright citizenship, were outraged online. Some right-wing commentators claimed the cards would be used for "anchor babies" and shared their anger over the high court's decision. "Notice how they don’t say American Children? Oh yea that’s because 5 people destroyed what it meant to be an American the week of our independence. Being an American is nothing sacred anymore the Supreme Court just cemented that," user Cori, who frequently shares MAGA-aligned content, wrote on X."Doesn’t feel the same knowing they’ll also be going to anchor babies," user Alexandra, whose profile states "all I want for Christmas is mass deportations," wrote on X."It boils my blood that some baby tourist is going to have one of these while they live in China or somes---," Renlos Malik, a user who frequently shares MAGA-related material, wrote on X."Anchor babies too... or nah?" Tim Young, Heritage Foundation media fellow with more than 1.1 million followers, wrote on X."I wonder, how many illegal birth tourism anchor babies will enjoy this very special honor?!!!!" Luce Wood, author and self-described "proud conservative" with more than 18,000 followers, wrote on X.

FIFA needs to reckon with its embarrassing VAR reality after Folarin Balogun red card

The Balogun play was a simple play and it’s ended in a gross misuse of VAR, making a mockery of the system and FIFA.