The Dictatorship

TRUMP CARD: WORLD CUP CHEATS FOR USA?

Published

1 hour ago

July 7, 2026

SEATTLE (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump intervened on behalf of star U.S. forward Folarin Balogun, whose red-card suspension was lifted in a decision that allows him to play in a World Cup match against Belgium on Monday.

A single red card can completely change a World Cup match. Here’s why it’s the most feared punishment in soccer. Produced by Nandini Gupta

Balogun, the American leader with three goals in the tournament, received a red card for stepping awkwardly on the right ankle of Tarik Muharemović of Bosnia-Herzegovina in a 2-0 round of 32 win on Wednesday, triggering an automatic one-game suspension.

FIFA announced Sunday that the suspension had been lifted for the round of 16 match, an extraordinary move that triggered praise from Trump and outrage from Belgium’s team. It appeared to be the first time since 1962 that a red card during a World Cup didn’t result in a suspension.

Trump called FIFA president Gianni Infantino after the game asking FIFA review the red card, according to a person familiar with the call who spoke on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to speak publicly about the matter.

“Thank you to FIFA for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice!” Trump said in a statement on social media.

The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) said it was “astonished,” and Belgium coach Rudi Garcia mocked FIFA’s action.

“I didn’t know that in the offices of FIFA the fifth of July was the first of April in Europe,” Garcia said through a translator in an April Fools’ Day comparison. “The Belgian federation does not defend itself, it does not protect the national team. She defends football in general, she defends her integrity, her ethics. I think it’s the first time in the history of the World Cup that there is this kind of decision.”

Garcia wouldn’t respond when asked about a possible appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport or whether he thought Trump impacted FIFA’s action.

“In order to safeguard the legitimate rights of all participating teams and to protect the fundamental principles of fair play in our sport, both at this FIFA World Cup and at future editions of the tournament, the RBFA is investigating all potential options,” the Belgian federation said in a statement.

American players learned of Balogun’s availability when social media posts started popping up during the 10-minute bus ride Sunday morning from their hotel to training at the University of Washington’s Husky Soccer Stadium, where they were greeted by Dubs II, the university’s Alaskan Malamute.

Balogun’s red card had been one of the World Cup’s most controversial and consequential decisions. Brazilian referee Raphael Claus didn’t initially signal a card but showed Balogun red after a video review.

“If you look at the foul, it was just zero intent at all,” U.S. star Christian Pulisic said. “I felt like there was much worse ones that went on this tournament.”

The U.S. Soccer Federation learned of FIFA’s action in a message sent by FIFA in its portal at 10:31 a.m. EDT.

“The implementation of the match suspension is suspended for a probationary period of one year,” FIFA announced. “If Folarin Balogun commits another infringement of a similar nature and gravity during the probationary period, the suspension shall be revoked and the sanction enforced without prejudice to any additional sanction imposed for the new infringement.”

U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino applauded FIFA’s move.

“We were punished enough against Bosnia-Herzegovina to play with 10 men (for) 30 minutes in a decision that was completely unfair,” he said.

Pochettino, who played for Argentina in the 2002 World Cup, was not surprised Trump decided to call Infantino.

“I came from a culture, Argentina or Europe, that football, soccer is a religion, more than the religion,” he said. “If we go keep going, pushing on, maybe one step more tomorrow you will see that the sport is magic, that the sport is amazing, is so powerful, unite people, unite a country like us.”

England coach Thomas Tuchel wondered whether more decisions going forward could be challenged, whether yellow cards could be overturned for England’s Declan Rice and France’s Michael Olise.

“We can now debate endlessly: I think it’s not a yellow card,” he said. “Where does this end? Where does it stop?”

Balogun’s three goals included a go-ahead strike against Bosnia. He matched Landon Donovan in 2010 for the second-most goals by an American in a World Cup, behind only Bert Patenaude’s four in the initial tournament in 1930.

A 25-year-old who plays for Monaco, Balogun scored 13 Ligue 1 goals last season and has 12 goals in 30 international appearances. He was born in Brooklyn to Nigerian parents who were living in London and in 2023 opted to change his national team affiliation from Englandwhich he had represented at the under-21 level.

“He strikes fear into a lot of defenders,” Richards said.

The host U.S. is seeking to reach the quarterfinals for the first time since 2002. The Americans lost in the round of 16 to Ghana in 2010, Belgium in 2014 and the Netherlands in 2022. They failed to advance from the group stage in 2006 and didn’t qualify for the 2018 tournament.

The USSF didn’t make Balogun available for comment Sunday, but Balogun posted on social media a picture of himself in front of U.S. fans and overlaid with music of Michael Jackson’s pop single “Bad.”

On Friday, Balogun said he thought a yellow card instead of red “would have been fair.”

FIFA said its decision relied on Article 27 of disciplinary committee rules.

“The judicial body may decide to fully or partially suspend the implementation of a disciplinary measure,” the rule states. “By suspending the implementation of the sanction, the judicial body subjects the person sanctioned to a probationary period of one to four years.”

FIFA in November deferred the final two games of a three-match ban for Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo for a red card against Ireland in a World Cup qualifier, allowing him to play at the start of the World Cup.

Argentine defender Nicolás Otamendi and Ecuadoran midfielder Moisés Caicedo in April had one-game bans deferred for red cards in qualifiers, also allowing them to be available for World Cup openers.

Brazilian midfielder Garrincha received a red card in the 83rd minute of the 1962 semifinal against host Chile for kicking an opponent but was allowed to play in the final against Czechoslovakia after a lobbying campaign that included support from Chile President Jorge Alessandri. Brazil won the final for its second straight title.

“What about the next red card? What happens then?” Norway coach Ståle Solbakken said. “Is there going to be some committee somewhere that is going to take that card away? It’s a bad, bad, bad, bad, bad decision that will hurt the World Cup.”

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Price reported from Washington, D.C.

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AP Soccer Writer James Robson in Atlanta and AP Sports Writers Andrew Destin in Seattle, Jim Vertuno in Austin, Texas, and Stephen Whyno in East Rutherford, New Jersey, contributed to this report.

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See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

The Dictatorship

How the White House Rose Garden and its plantings have changed over the past century

Published

9 hours ago

July 6, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

How the White House Rose Garden and its plantings have changed over the past century

President Donald Trump’s two makeovers of the White House Rose Garden, including converting its lawn into a patiohave drawn recent attention to one of the nation’s most iconic gardens.

The garden has seen many changes over the years; presidents and first ladies have planted, removed, redesigned and even fully revamped it. Here’s a look at how the Rose Garden and its plantings have evolved.

Ellen Wilson and then Jackie Kennedy make changes

This undated image provided by the Library of Congress shows the original White House rose garden in Washington, designed by George E. Burnap in 1913 and planted in 1914 during the Woodrow Wilson administration. (Library of Congress via AP)

The Rose Garden was established by President Woodrow Wilson’s wife, Ellen Wilson, who worked closely with landscape architect George Burnap, in 1913. It replaced Edith Roosevelt’s Colonial Garden, planted 11 years earlier. Before that, greenhouses occupied the space.

The original Rose Garden remained close to its roots for nearly half a century until 1961, when President John F. Kennedy and first lady Jacqueline Kennedy brought in their friend and Cape Cod, Massachusetts, neighbor, Rachel “Bunny” Mellon, to oversee a redesign.

Mellon, a horticulture expert, worked closely with landscape architect Perry Wheeler and White House Head Gardener Irwin Williams on plans for the new Rose Garden, aiming to create an outdoor room where press conferences, meetings with dignitaries and ceremonies could be held. It was installed the following year.

The space included an expansive central lawn, inspired by the croquet-match passage in Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland,” with magnolia trees planted at each corner. Roses, interplanted with culinary herbs, spring-blooming bulbs, seasonal annuals and young Katherine crabapple trees, flanked the lawn in 12-foot-deep borders.

Since then, the space has hosted many historic events and has become known as a place where presidents deliver important speeches to the American people.

The garden evolves with new plants

Flowers bloom in the rose garden of the White House in Washington on April 19, 1963. (AP Photo/JR)

Mellon’s style favored classic, muted tones, reflected in the roses she selected. But the crabapples turned out to be a misstep. As they matured, they became so large that they shaded the sun-loving roses they were intended to complement.

In 2003, some of those trees were removed to allow sunlight to reach the failing roses. Over the years, various perennials were added and replaced. Dying roses were removed, and the remaining trees continued to grow.

Boxwood shrubs bordering the beds became threatened by boxwood blight disease, and the lawn developed drainage issues that prompted frequent replacements.

The remaining trees’ roots had grown so large that it became difficult to plant annuals in the borders without disturbing them. In addition, as walkway repairs became necessary, portions had been replaced, piecemeal, with various slabs.

A 2020 restoration brings new roses and various upgrades

Marine One, with President Barack Obama aboard, is framed by flowers in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, on April 9, 2010. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

Then in 2020, first lady Melania Trump commissioned two architectural firms, Perry Guillot, Inc., of Southampton, New York, and Oehme van Sweden & Associates of Washington, D.C., to work with the Committee for the Preservation of the White House and the National Park Service to address those concerns and return the garden to its 1962 aesthetic.

They removed and relocated the remaining crabapple trees, and replaced the dwindling plantings with pastel-colored roses, including the white, tall shrubby “White House Rose,” the cream-colored “JFK Rose,” the white hybrid tea rose “Pope John Paul II,” and the “Peace Rose,” a smaller tea rose with a pale yellow center and light pink edges.

The team also upgraded the garden’s infrastructure, adding electricity for TV appearances and uniform, 36-inch-wide limestone walkways to accommodate wheelchair access and comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The shrubs were replaced with blight-resistant NewGen boxwoods.

Pavers replace the grass

President Donald Trump, far right, joins a luncheon on the patio in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington on May 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

In 2025, President Trump revamped the space again, this time replacing the central lawn with a white limestone patio. He added solar-powered lighting, tables and umbrellas, and bronze statues of George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and Alexander Hamilton.

He has hosted dinners on the patio, and has called the space the Rose Garden Club.

And on the perimeter, the roses continue to bloom.

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Jessica Damiano writes regular gardening columns for The Associated Press. She publishes the Weekly Dirt Newsletter. Sign up here for weekly gardening tips and advice.

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For more AP gardening stories, go to https://apnews.com/hub/gardening.

The Dictatorship

PHOTOS…

Published

9 hours ago

July 6, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

President Donald Trump commemorated the 250th anniversary of America’s independence after storms prompted a roughly two-hour evacuation of the National Mall, with severe weather disrupting celebrations in several East Coast cities. People in cities including Chicago and New York celebrated with fireworks and music.

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This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.

People sing the National Anthem at Salute to America, an Independence Day event honoring the nation's 250th anniversary, Saturday, July 4, 2026, on the National Mall in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) — People sing the National Anthem at Salute to America, an Independence Day event honoring the nation’s 250th anniversary, Saturday, July 4, 2026, on the National Mall in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrive at the Salute to America, an Independence Day event honoring the nation's 250th anniversary, Saturday, July 4, 2026, on the National Mall in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) — President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrive at the Salute to America, an Independence Day event honoring the nation’s 250th anniversary, Saturday, July 4, 2026, on the National Mall in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Donald Trump speaks during Salute to America, an Independence Day event honoring the nation's 250th anniversary, Saturday, July 4, 2026, on the National Mall in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) — President Donald Trump speaks during Salute to America, an Independence Day event honoring the nation’s 250th anniversary, Saturday, July 4, 2026, on the National Mall in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

People watch fireworks at Salute to America, an Independence Day event honoring the nation's 250th anniversary, early Sunday, July 5, 2026, on the National Mall in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson) — People watch fireworks at Salute to America, an Independence Day event honoring the nation’s 250th anniversary, early Sunday, July 5, 2026, on the National Mall in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Attendees outside the National Mall following a weather delay announcement at the National mall during an Independence Day event honoring the nation's 250th anniversary, Saturday, July 4, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert) — Attendees outside the National Mall following a weather delay announcement at the National mall during an Independence Day event honoring the nation’s 250th anniversary, Saturday, July 4, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)

People watch fireworks at Salute to America, an Independence Day event honoring the nation's 250th anniversary, Sunday, July 5, 2026, on the National Mall in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson) — People watch fireworks at Salute to America, an Independence Day event honoring the nation’s 250th anniversary, Sunday, July 5, 2026, on the National Mall in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

People arrive after severe weather caused a delay in the Salute to America, an Independence Day event honoring the nation's 250th anniversary, Saturday, July 4, 2026, on the National Mall in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson) — People arrive after severe weather caused a delay in the Salute to America, an Independence Day event honoring the nation’s 250th anniversary, Saturday, July 4, 2026, on the National Mall in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

A bolt of lighting strikes as fireworks are set off of the Brooklyn Bridge, as seen from Bayonne, N.J., Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

People arrive for a Salute to America Independence Day event honoring the nation's 250th anniversary, Saturday, July 4, 2026, on the National Mall in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson) — People arrive for a Salute to America Independence Day event honoring the nation’s 250th anniversary, Saturday, July 4, 2026, on the National Mall in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

The Salute to America stage is empty after the area was evacuated because of incoming storms at the Independence Day event honoring the nation's 250th anniversary, Saturday, July 4, 2026, on the National Mall in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) — The Salute to America stage is empty after the area was evacuated because of incoming storms at the Independence Day event honoring the nation’s 250th anniversary, Saturday, July 4, 2026, on the National Mall in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

An attendee asks questions to U.S. Park Police officers as they evacuate attendees due to severe weather during a Salute to America Independence Day event honoring the nation's 250th anniversary, Saturday, July 4, 2026, on the National Mall in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) — An attendee asks questions to U.S. Park Police officers as they evacuate attendees due to severe weather during a Salute to America Independence Day event honoring the nation’s 250th anniversary, Saturday, July 4, 2026, on the National Mall in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

People look on during an Independence Day parade Saturday, July 4, 2026, in Coronado, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Tall ships parade under flyovers during the International Parade of Sail, part of Sail250, a gathering of tall ships and military ships, Saturday, July 4, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Military personnel salute from the flight deck of the USS Kearsarge (LHD-3) in the New York harbor during The International Naval Review, ahead of Sail250, a gathering of tall ships and military ships honoring America's 250th Anniversary, Saturday, July 4, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II) — Military personnel salute from the flight deck of the USS Kearsarge (LHD-3) in the New York harbor during The International Naval Review, ahead of Sail250, a gathering of tall ships and military ships honoring America’s 250th Anniversary, Saturday, July 4, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New U.S. citizen and twice-deployed U.S. Marine Sgt. Diakaria Sangare, from Guinea, poses for a portrait following the naturalization ceremony on Independence Day at George Washington's Mount Vernon, Saturday, July 4, 2026, in Alexandria, Va. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.) — New U.S. citizen and twice-deployed U.S. Marine Sgt. Diakaria Sangare, from Guinea, poses for a portrait following the naturalization ceremony on Independence Day at George Washington’s Mount Vernon, Saturday, July 4, 2026, in Alexandria, Va. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

A New York Fire Department vessel sprays its water cannons in the New York harbor during ahead of Sail250, a gathering of tall ships and military ships honoring America's 250th Anniversary, Saturday, July 4, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II) — A New York Fire Department vessel sprays its water cannons in the New York harbor during ahead of Sail250, a gathering of tall ships and military ships honoring America’s 250th Anniversary, Saturday, July 4, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

A participant wearing a period dress draped in a U.S. flag attends the annual Festa Americana, where descendants of American immigrants in Brazil celebrate their U.S. heritage and mark Independence Day, in Santa Barbara d'Oeste, Brazil, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Ettore Chiereguini) — A participant wearing a period dress draped in a U.S. flag attends the annual Festa Americana, where descendants of American immigrants in Brazil celebrate their U.S. heritage and mark Independence Day, in Santa Barbara d’Oeste, Brazil, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Ettore Chiereguini)

Members of the Young Marines stand at attention before an Independence Day parade Saturday, July 4, 2026, in Coronado, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

People participate in a Limbo contest as they wait for the National Mall to reopen after being evacuated due to weather during Independence Day events honoring the nation's 250th anniversary, Saturday, July 4, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) — People participate in a Limbo contest as they wait for the National Mall to reopen after being evacuated due to weather during Independence Day events honoring the nation’s 250th anniversary, Saturday, July 4, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

People raise their hats while dancing during celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, July 4, 2026.(AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

The Mother Ukraine Monument is illuminated in the colors of the U.S. flag in honor of the American 250th Independence Day, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Children line up to watch an Independence Day parade, Saturday, July 4, 2026, in Deforest, Wis. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick)

Joey Chestnut wins the 2026 Nathan's Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest at Coney Island in the Brooklyn borough of New York, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Anna Connors) — Joey Chestnut wins the 2026 Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest at Coney Island in the Brooklyn borough of New York, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Anna Connors)

People watch as a truck blows red, white and blue confetti during an Independence Day parade, Saturday, July 4, 2026, in Deforest, Wis. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick)

An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man walks past a projection of the American flag on the walls of Jerusalem's Old City, Sunday, July 5, 2026, displayed in honor of the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg) — An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man walks past a projection of the American flag on the walls of Jerusalem’s Old City, Sunday, July 5, 2026, displayed in honor of the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Guests dressed in American flag-themed clothes attend Salute to America, an Independence Day event honoring the nation's 250th anniversary, Saturday, July 4, 2026, on the National Mall in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) — Guests dressed in American flag-themed clothes attend Salute to America, an Independence Day event honoring the nation’s 250th anniversary, Saturday, July 4, 2026, on the National Mall in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Fireworks over the National Mall during an Independence Day event honoring the nation's 250th anniversary, Sunday, July 5, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert) — Fireworks over the National Mall during an Independence Day event honoring the nation’s 250th anniversary, Sunday, July 5, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)

Runners draped in American flags participate in a run on Independence Day in Huntington Beach, Calif., Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

The Dictatorship

ICE arrest of nun adds to clashes between Team Trump and the faith community

Published

13 hours ago

July 6, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

ICE arrest of nun adds to clashes between Team Trump and the faith community

A few months into Donald Trump’s second term, the president’s administration launched a task force that would, according to the Republican White House, eradicate “anti-Christian bias” within the federal government. At a launch event in April 2025, then-Attorney General Pam Bondi began by attacking Joe Biden, who Bondi said had “abused and targeted Christians.”

The slander was baseless. And a year later, when the task force tried to bolster its accusations with a lengthy written report, the allegations against the former president and his Democratic administration largely fell apart.

But more than a year after Team Trump started making a concerted effort to convince Americans that Joe Biden and his White House “abused and targeted Christians,” it’s the incumbent president and his administration that continue to clash with the faith community — up to and including a recent arrest of a nun. MS NOW reported:

The arrest of a Catholic nun from Nigeria by federal immigration officers in southern Texas [last week] made for an unlikely alliance on Capitol Hill as lawmakers from both parties demanded her release and asked the question: Why aren’t border officials focused on real threats to public safety?

Sister Leticia “Letty” Ugboaja, 56, was walking the block between her home and the Catholic Church where she attends Sunday Mass in McAllen, Texas, when she was stopped by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. The agents arrested her, taking her rosary, and brought her to a nearby detention facility.

For all of the president’s and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin’s chest-thumping about Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers targeting the “worst of the worst,” Ugboaja is a nun. She was wearing her habit and walking down a public sidewalk en route to Sunday Mass when she was hauled off.

The idea that she somehow represented a threat to public safety in Texas is plainly insane.

Fortunately, Ugboaja was ultimately released from federal detention after a backlash from members of Congress, but this was hardly a rare clash between the Republican administration and the faith community. In fact, this incident comes on the heels of Team Trump suing a Catholic diocese in New Mexico in order to seize 14 acres of land for additional border barriers.

There have been related controversies surrounding the Pentagon’s list of officially recognized religionsTrump picking fights with Pope Leo XIV, the administration stripping funding from Catholic charities, and instances in which federal agents have shot faith leaders with pepper balls.

If these developments unfolded during a Democratic administration, is there any doubt that Republicans and conservative media outlets would launch hysterical campaigns about the “Democratic war on religion”?

This post updates our related earlier coverage.

Steve Benen is a producer for “The Rachel Maddow Show,” the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He’s also the bestselling author of “Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans’ War on the Recent Past.”