New York Times: “It’s a scene that has been echoed across the United States — in a multitude of languages and colors, as soccer fans from all over the world, many now making their homes in America, have packed bars, restaurants, living rooms and concert venues.”

“No matter where they came from or where they gathered, they all sought the same experience: a chance to watch their nations compete while surrounded by others who share passion and pride for the country they or their ancestors once called home.”

“Together, these fans have brought places throughout the United States to life.”

“They’re streaming matches on their phones in between votes on Capitol Hill. They’re buying into the Team USA hype. And they’re thrilled that soccer fans from all over the world are experiencing American food and culture for the first time and going viral online with their enthusiasm,” NOTUS reports.

“In an era of sharp political divides in Congress, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are sharing in the excitement of the World Cup as the tournament enters knockout stage, with the United States set to face off against Bosnia and Herzegovina in a win-or-go-home game on Wednesday.”

“Alexis Wilkins, a country singer and girlfriend of FBI Director Kash Patel, hit back at claims she landed an upcoming Freedom 250 performance because of her relationship,” The Wrap reports.

“The Iran soccer team left a note in its SoFi Stadium locker room thanking Los Angeles area fans for their hospitality,” the Los Angeles Times reports.

“While the matches drew protests against the Iranian regime, including some booing both times the national anthem was played before kickoffs, the crowds heavily favored and cheered loudly for the Iranian team.”

“Our country isn’t so lovable right now. I hate to say it, but loving our country is starting to sound like an abused spouse saying they love their abuser. I can’t love a country that starts stupid and inhumane wars. Killing thousands of innocents and indirectly causing the deaths and suffering of millions more. I can’t love a country that takes healthcare away from millions of people and uses that money to enrich their pals in the Trump-Epstein class. I can’t love a country that sends out masked militias to shoot citizens in the streets, torture our neighbors, and separate families. I can’t love a country that’s led by a racist, misogynist, xenophobic tyrant. And let me just say it, I can’t love the country that’s led by Donald Trump. And a sycophant Congress.”

— Robert DeNiro, quoted by Mediaite.

Wall Street Journal: “The celebratory air that Trump brought to the party has dissipated ever since his cultural cachet hit its zenith around his second inauguration. Country music superstar Carrie Underwood sang at the ceremony after rapper Snoop Dogg performed at a ball days before it. Podcasters and influencers, who propelled him into office, cheered him unabashedly while professional athletes celebrated big plays with ‘the Trump shuffle.'”

“Now Trump’s influence in entertainment circles shows signs of waning.”

New York Times: “Seventeen months after he made that observation, Mr. Trump’s pop culture capital appears to be on the wane. And while many athletes and some stars (Snoop Dogg and Nicki Minaj among them) have been happy to associate with him in his second term, lots of others won’t let their brands near his. It’s been a problem for a president who can’t help but politicize and put his name on just about everything he touches.”

“A trio of frustrated social media posts he made on Friday and Saturday showed how little power he has to force cultural figures to fall in line. Celebrities are harder to control than politicians. You can’t primary them.”

“President Trump on Saturday called for the cancellation of a concert series celebrating the nation’s 250th birthday this summer, after a wave of musicians pulled out,” the New York Times reports.

Said Trump: “Cancel it. We should have a giant MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN RALLY, for 250, instead of having overpriced singers, who nobody wants to hear, whose music is boring, and yet who do nothing but complain.”

CNN: Artists are bailing on a Trump-backed concert series for America’s 250th. Now he’s hosting his own ceremony.

The Economist: “Politics is NOT exactly rocket science. How interesting, then, that Elon Musk is so bad at it. Unlike the two or three industries—and still counting—where Mr Musk has done as much or more than any other human this century to advance the species, politics does not require much technical sophistication or even rigor.”

“The maths tend to be simple addition or division. Yet the calculations matter: the flourishing of the civilization whose multiplanetary future preoccupies Mr Musk requires a healthy politics, much as his own companies, such as Tesla and SpaceX, counted on far-sighted government subsidies and contracts, not to mention the principled rule of law, to succeed.”

“But unlike the other fields Mr Musk has shaped, his contribution to this bulwark of civilization is to make it not more imaginative and optimistic but more atavistic and fearful, and just plain dumber.”

“In politics, in contrast to other industries, Mr Musk has not chosen the path of revolutionary entrepreneurship.”

Mediaite: “The musical lineup for President Donald Trump’s ‘Freedom 250’ concert series, marketed as the ‘Great American State Fair,’ has been remarkably hard to keep up-to-date.”

“Just one day after it was announced, two-thirds of the musical acts have dropped out — some even saying they had no idea they were performing at this event or were misled about it being ‘political’ — and the whole mess seems to have reignited a decades-old feud within one group.”

“Bruce Springsteen, Foo Fighters, Dave Matthews, Brittany Howard and Joan Baez will headline a star-studded protest festival set for the Washington, D.C., area a month before the midterm elections,” the Associated Press reports.

CBS News: “Some artists who were announced as performers for what’s being billed as a Great American State Fair amid President Trump’s push for a major American birthday bash this summer in Washington, D.C., dropped out of their appearances shortly after an initial lineup was released.”

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth reportedly took musician Kid Rock on an Apache helicopter for a “joy ride” on Monday morning.

Mediaite: “Tiger Woods called President Donald Trump from the scene of his rollover car crash moments before he was arrested with a DUI, a new video shows.”

President Trump escalated his feud with Bruce Springsteen, comparing the American music legend to a “dried up prune.”

Politico: “It was part of a string of hate posts and reposts the president made this morning following his address to the nation last night.”

“Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday nullified an Army investigation into the unauthorized helicopter flybys of musician Kid Rock’s estate and anti-Trump protests in Tennessee over the weekend, announcing the move just hours after military officials opened their disciplinary review of the soldiers involved,” the Washington Post reports.

Wrote Hegseth on social media: “No punishment. No investigation. Carry on, Patriots.”

“Hegseth’s swift intervention in the case raised immediate questions about whether the military can hold its own accountable for actions that Hegseth may deem politically favorable.”

CNBC: “The U.S. Army is investigating the apparent flyby of that military branch’s Apache helicopters over the weekend at the Nashville home of singer Kid Rock, a prominent supporter of President Donald Trump.”

New York Magazine catalogs all of the Donald Trump insults made at the Academy Awards last night.

“Trump usually has a lot to say about the Oscars, and he’s a frequent target of Academy Awards hosts. Considering that history and the events of the past few months, it seemed likely that we’d see some political fireworks during last night’s ceremony. But surprisingly, there was no real-time presidential brawling at the 2026 Oscars.”