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  US's womens socceer's Carli Lloyd, who led the US women's soccer team many times in her career, was honest and blunt on FOX television coverage of the 4-1 loss to Belgium in World Cup Soccer 2026. The host country failed to make it into the quarter finals after so much advertising on television, way too much not even good for the players. There is so much money on television ads and promotions that it must hurt the players and the game. Messi, Neymar, Vinicius Jr., Pulisic, and some Mexican players, were all put up as players who could do anything on television. In the end none of them did well, Messi almost in tears after Argentina was behind 2-0 for most of the 90 minutes against Egypt, only miraculously surviving. Brazil is out going down to Paraguay. Christiano Ronaldo, the first billionaire in soccer, was a little kid from a struggling family in Madeira, Portugal, and he too went out after failing to score on several passes, with Portugal's loss to Spain. All this may be a good thing and a learning lesson for the sport. For all those who love the sport and think things have gone overboard with television advertising,  with excessive brand sponsorship on television, making entertainment stars who knows to what purpose, but losing the best of the game of soccer in the process. And these are Carli Lloyd's comments (Carli who after 318 appearances and bringing so much joy to young girls for the sport worldwide has a net worth of $2 million compared to the now billionaires and others on the way to billions, or hundreds of millions, television stars of the sport who could not get their game right in World Cup Soccer 2026.) There are lessons for the sport which is the most popular sport not only in all the developed countries but also the poorest large countries on the planet like China, India, Brazil, Egypt. “I felt like they lost the game before they even stepped out on the pitch." “And I’m not sure why, and I don’t know the reasons. But just from the beginning: chasing. Tentative. Scared. Just not confident on the ball.”  "You wanted some of those big-time players to step up in big-time moments." “And I gotta be honest: I was a bit disappointed in Christian Pulisic. Whether he wants to be the star of this team or not, we didn’t see enough from him in this particular game — and, really, the whole World Cup. Little glimpses here and there.” ...

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French appellate court says 15 month sentence adequate and  letting Marie Le Pen run for president in 2026. The judges said that- "disregarding this would undermine the principle of freedom of candidacy, an essential condition for the democratic exercise of universal suffrage.” This happens as French elections show France divided between the urban areas such as Paris and major city centers from the rural areas and small towns across the country who favor Le Pen's party. The socialist parties have split with Melenchon leading his own party. Macron has failed to win support and is highly unpopular as president. This has led to failure to have a prime minister in office with a clear program. It also has created much uncertainty in French politics, similar to what is happening in Britain and also in Spain with Starmer out, and Pedro facing problems in Spain.

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If Labour had defended the working class and if Conservatives had acted responsibly in the public interest Britain would have been much better off. Britain's economy and standard of living has suffered from the long drawn out austerity years under the Tories followed by the Brexit issue raised by the Tories. Behind Brexit were Nigel Farage of the Reform party and Boris Johnson of the Tories. Nigel Farage was brought out of retirement by the lack of effective leadership of Labour under Starmer even after winning a majority in parliament for Labour. Andy Burnham is trying to put Britain's house in order coming in as the man from the North, Mayor of the Manchester region. He has served in positions including at Treasury under Blair and Brown. Compared to every prome minister of the last three decades he brings both the experience and the knowledge of how to implement efforts to improve public services from experiments done in the Manchester region that he can use for the whole of Britain in transportation, infrastructure, delivery of water, electricity, and other essential services in a better way than the privatized companies of the Tories. He pushed back against Reform's revival in the Makerfield by-election. And it is crucial for Britain's economic future that it not waste more years like it did under Cameron and Johnson with a extension under Reform that only delays Britain's economic recovery. ...

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Mary -Louise Parker in movie Young Washington 2026 as Washington's mother Mary Ball. Here she talks to Marc Myers of the WSJ about her childhood growing up as an Army officer's daughter in different bases before settling down in Arizona. Her fight with shyness till she over compensated. Her father's confidence in her and pointing to her the prospect of going to the North Carolina Institute of Arts, where she learnt the craft of acting. She moved to New York for different roles including one in "Weeds."  She is 61 years, and lives with 2 sons 19 years and 22 years, in a large apartment in Brooklyn that overlooks the water with views of sunsets which she enjoys. It was Mary Ball who told her son not to join the British Navy, wanting to keep him in America. Washington joined the British forces in North America after a career as a surveyor. Land and landholdings were important at the time and as a surveyor with important connections to prominent British families Washington built his career, and further enhanced it by joining the British forces against Indian raids and the French in the coveted Ohio territory. Where did Washington get his keen knowledge of history and the Enlightenment thinkers that enabled him to grasp the ideas of Jefferson? Washington was like the first Chief Justice Marshall in the same communities at the time in the Virginia colony. Both were mentored by a major British landowner who built a large library in the colony that both were able to go to and learn what they later used to start the struggle for a new Nation. It shows the importance of books and libraries, of knowledge during the Enlightenment period in shaping the minds of the Nation's founding fathers- Jefferson, Marshall, Washington, Madison, Samuel Adams and others. ...

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"Saving America's Story" by the White House Domestic Policy Council - getting America's story told right and protecting its heritage and aspirational values, the issue the Nation faces in 2026. A new report "Saving America's Story" is issued by the administration as a result of an executive order DJT signed in March 2025.The report’s “central finding” - that “museum leadership has explicitly adopted an ideological framework that no longer treats the American story as a shared national inheritance to be taught or celebrated, but as a political instrument to divide, dispirit, and discourage our citizens.” “To the extent that there is a story told at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, it is not one of ‘the victory of freedom and genius of our country’ but one of regret, tragedy, and shame." Why is this important- seen from the outside world the ideals set out in the Declaration of Independence are the best ideas of the Enlightenment in Europe, have inspired the French Revolution in the 1790's, have inspired billions of people in Asia, Africa and Latin America in 1800, in 1900, and in the 1950's in the fight against Colonialism of the European Empires, leading to billions of people and many nations gaining freedom. Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln are not just the founding fathers of America but also in a way founding fathers of the principles that inspired these people and who created the Modern World we know today. ...

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Andy Burnham is a different kind of politician because he comes with political experience inthe ministries under Blair and Brown, yet remained an outsider by moving to Manchester as Mayor. His background in English literature and well grounded in his home region gives him the kind of character and humility which would deal with foreign leaders not on the basis of ideology but of mutual respect in what he shares in the best ideals of public service with others. With the US this means sharing with DJT his understanding of how there is common sentiment in how the people left out, the disadvantaged by the effects of world trade and export of supply chains, the communities that were hurt and damaged for decades of neglect by different administrations, how there is acommon bond between these people and their leaders across the Atlantic. This provides a common bond for Burnham and DJT, and charts a path that leaves out culture wars favoring common sense on what makes lives better for the American and British people, sometimes using slightly different approaches for the common good, that were lost to previous administrations including from their own parties. Charles as King of Britain did not approach his visit as monarch, but as a leader for the public good in many ways and many aspirations, which provided a sure bonding with American people and the members of US Congress, and DJT. By following the best ideals of public service of America's founders and the best that Britain has to offer over centuries Burnham can chart a new path for Britain and the US in cooperation with allies in Asia (the India Japan Partnership of 1.5 billion people combining Japanese technology with India's ambition), and allies in the European Union. ...

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Tuchel as England's coach - calmness, putting together a team effort (game with open Croatia),  not getting ruffled (game with negative Ghana),  and connection with his players Rice, Stones, Kane, Pickford and Bellingham (game with Mexico at Azteca). He replaced Southgate says this report, who tried to put together star players instead of a team effort and this did not work, leading England to defeat. It says Tuchel's team is not the best in the world, but it is good enough to win because it is dangerous as a team.

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What impresses most about Tuchel is his calmness and reassuring his players, taking the pressure off them so they can concentrate on the game on their skills and do better. In the half time talk for the game against Croatia he tells his players - “Even if we lost, it will not change my perception of you from the last 17 days, but let’s do it our way.” Players did not have to think of their self-worth, a load was taken off their backs, so they could concentrate on the task itself and use their skills effectively, says Cath Bishop in The Guardian. There are 10 articles on this German coach Tuchel one each for how he managed each game, with DRC, Croatia, Panama, and with Mexico, in The Guardian, and others on his approach, rare to find so many concentrating on the coach for England. Showing Tuchel has something of a rare quality- calmness plus confidence, and connection with his players.

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The Declaration of Independence July 2 and July 4, 1776. Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration, Benjamin Franklin reviewed it for some changes including the word "self-evident " instead of "undeniable" for certain inalienable rights. But the spirit of it is all Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, one of the foremost Enlightenment thinkers of America. One can only grasp the extent of its importance from outside America- what the world owes to these men that their memory may not be sullied by careless remarks oblivious of the situation in Europe at that time that Enlightenment leaders were trying to change. Imagine what it means to billions of people in Asia, in China in 1900, in India in 1900 and 1940's, in Japan in 1950's, in Germany in 1950's, across all nations in Latin America, Africa, Asia, in the 1950's these words meant there was hope in this world- in ways that our imaginations cannot grasp today, that most of the media misses,  after two world wars, after hundreds of years of colonialism in Asia and Africa, Latin America. The words meant more to these people than even the people of America- "We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, and they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, and among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness." This shook all of Asia, China, India, Indonesia and Japan like an earthquake by 1900. Asia owes more to Jefferson, to Washington and Franklin than it can ever realize, and it is up to the new generations in Asia representing billions of people, as much as it is for the new generations in America, to carry these ideals forward. On this lies our best hope for the future. ...

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See pictures and video of the 150h anniversary celebrations in the US for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration has the immortal words of Jefferson- "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,—That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security." Not just Washington DC and many places in the US, but also the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin and across Europe and Asia, Latin America the Declaration has created the Modern World and the Democracies that we know today. The list is long from Germany and Japan that adopted these ideas to India and many nations of Asia, many nations in Africa and Latin America, all inspired by Thomas Jefferson's words. As Jefferson himself borrowed from the European writers of the Enlightenment this means it is a European experiment also, and in Asia an Indian, Japanese experiment also- futuristic in every way, daring and bold, and with the People in mind all the way. Every generation bearing a special responsibility to its children the next generation so that these values can continue to serve as a blessing to mankind. People tend to criticize the founders for aspirational views yet it should be remembered that in all of Asia, billions of people saw a lot to learn and a lot to gain from these aspirational views as they built the Modern World in the 1950's across Asia on these principles and ideas. This is also true of Latin America and Africa. The men on Mount Rushmore were truly unique, Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt, and it is our task to continue the work they gave most of their life for. ...

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Norway 2-1 against Brazil World Cup Soccer to enter round of 16 with 2 Haaland goals. Brazil failed to impress as Norway had most of the ball possession. Norway's goalkeeper Hyland made 4 brilliant saves to make it difficult for Brazil to score. Brazil's one goal came in the 98th minute when a Norwegian player was given a yellow card for elbowing a Brazilian player and Neymar made a penalty kick. Without that Brazil would have lost 2-0 after Haaland scored twice. Brazilian player Vinicius Jr. was hailed in the media but could do little, and Carlo Ancelotti as coach could not come up with any ideas to change the game. The entire World Cup in 2026 is different because of the way smaller nations have played. Nations such as Cabo Verde have held firm, Germany was defeated by Paraguay, Italy did not even make it to the round of 32 losing to Bosnia. The loss of Brazil leaves only France with Mbappe, Argentina with Messi, and England with Kane standing. US faces Belgium on Monday July 6, 2026. Argentina barely stayed on when Messi scored in overtime against Cabo Verde, nearly losing. Only the French team has played consistently. Spain meets Portugal on Monday. No one knows how it will turn out. ...

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Oil prices expected to drop from $70 per barrel to $60 per barrel in July 2026 easing oil crisis in advanced and developing nations. A drawdown of inventories by 163 million barrels happened to OECD countries in the 4 months of the Hormuz crisis. Advanced European nations will replenish their inventories starting in the 4th quarter, the US next year in 2027, China with a billion barrels in inventory is not in a hurry to replenish at this time. Factors improving the situation are that the UAE has increased production and sends it though Fujairah that is separate from Hormuz after it left the OPEC oil organization (which sets production quotas for members to control prices). Kuwait is doing the same. Saudis have also increased production routing it away from Hormuz. The advanced countries have learned from the Hormuz crisis. China has changed its oil consumption policy to use it more efficiently one of the big changes from the Hormuz crisis. Instead of importing 10 million barrels a day oil China now imports 6 million barrels a day. China was always a prolific user of oil and as long as oil was plentiful China did not pay enough attention on how to use oil as efficiently as some European nations and Japan are doing. During the crisis the rest of the world including India had time to figure out ways of running their economies using less oil and will continue to do so knowing that Hormuz had allowed one country (Iran) to put the whole family of developing nations in Africa and Asia, Latin America at risk. Hormuz channel itself has opened and about 40-60 ships are making their way through each day. There are risks that Iran will try to close Hormuz again or that the war will restart and this means all nations advanced and developing nations are finding and securing alternative oil supplies. US is also increasing production through its oil base and oil base of its allies, and American plus European oil companies will act to increase supplies and new sources of oil to prevent the world being threatened again in the way it was at Hormuz in 2026. ...

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German medium scale industries lose markets to imports from China 2026. For the first time Gemany imports more capital goods from China thanit exports there. The Mittelstand or midsize companies were the backbone of the German economy and thrived on exports which are now at risk from Chinese exports of capital goods at much lower prices. The result is layoffs in many of these companies in towns across Germany. Germany's machine tool exports to China are down by 30% in the first quarter of 2026. About 10,000 jobs are lost every month in Germany as a result of this stiff competition in price and quality. Industrial output in Germany is about 10% less in 2026 compared to 2022 and 15% less in energy intensive sectors.

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George Washington shown in the early parts of the Seven Years War (1756-1763) that drove the French from Quebec and North America. In these early battles Washington fought in the Pennsylvania country near Pittsburgh under the British commanders against the Indians and the French. This taught George Washington many things about a war in America's vast forests, the risks and dangers, the best way to keep on fighting a long war in which the British would eventually fail to prevail. After defeat on 2 nights on frozen ice on a lake fleeing French and Indian forces Washington survives, and grasps the idea of divine providence in the struggle against colonial powers France and then Britain. This prepared Washington for a different strategy in the war against the British, learning from the defeats of the British by Indians in forest conditions with quick offense and quick retreats and no large engagements. The entire war was characterized by this quick offense, strategic retreats, and preserving the American army's strengths, as an approach to conduct the fight. Montgomery tried a direct march on Quebec and failed in the early days of the war of independence against British forces. This also reinforced Washington's strategic approach that the British would only lose in a long drawn out war under certain conditions, to avoid direct engagement with large armies or decisive battles till the right moment. Washington enlisted a young French officer Lafayette as a commander in his army knowing the importance of the French to neutralize the British naval power on the seas. When this stage was reached Washington could quickly move his army north to surprise the British by surrounding their forces under Lord Cornwallis resting at Yorktown, Virginia after being harassed in small engagements by American forces in the South. For that to happen Washington had the logistics feat to accomplish of moving cannon and forces up rivers and forests to the north, something practiced in the Pennsylvania region in the fight against the French and their Indian allies. The early part of the war the engagement with the French and Indians was formative for Washington and is the experience that is covered in the book "Young Washington," now made into a movie. The night spent on the frozen river in Pennsylvania country fleeing the Indians and French and surviving was always for Washington an act of divine protection. It may be also the reason why Washington saw his role not as his own but for a larger purpose, leading to handing over his appointment as commander in chief back to Congress in Annapolis in 1783 after the war had ended and peace treaty was signed. We refer to this as a defining moment in The First Letter from the Editor for Lyrarc.com, reflecting on divine protection and the responsibility that goes with it for the Nation that should never be forgotten. ...

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Satya Nadella - "we have to get society's permission" for what is done with AI. Nadella has an approach to AI to keep each company's human knowledge capital separate from AI, as its most valuable component of its operations. In the world he visualizes AI frontier models OpenAI, Gemini(Google) and Anthropic's Claude won't just keep saying they will use up all the resources they can use leaving little for education, healthcare and public services or infrastructure, and keep saying it will destroy all entry level and other white collar jobs, and the world will put up with that. His approach is to bring AI at a cost level that is much lower,including incorporating Chinese models for cost effectiveness. And at the same time making AI supplement each company's human capital working side by side so that jobs can be enhanced not destroyed willy nilly, in a careless random, disorganized way whether people like it or not because a few frontier AI models and their companies (Google, Anthropic and Open AI) have decided to do that. Nadella's thinking is worth listening to and reading about as it offers the first intelligent approach to making AI do what we want it to do for healthy societies. After all the destruction in world trade by shipping out supply chains by the US and Europe, after uncontrolled migration, after the loss of manufacturing and the good jobs that went with it, and the decision to reverse this and regain manufacturing and supply chains under both US presidents Biden and DJT, Nadella is right to conclude that society will not tolerate any more losses, and society is determined to retrieve losses from past mistakes. By preserving each company's human capital independent of AI Nadella is calling on individual leaders at all startup, midisized and large companies to have a clear idea of their precious human capital and set up AI independent of it at the company level to work alongside human capital. We at Lyrarc think this will give better results than no conscious approach that allows willy nilly the AI frontier models to shrivel the company's human capital and do what they are clearly incapable of doing in our view, which is to run companies or the principal functional areas of societies such as healthcare, transportation and public services. That even though Nadella does not say this is going to look good at first, then lead the company to catastrophic consequences of losing control of its own individual company's future and lead it to make huge mistakes that will be costly to correct and cause much damage to the Nation and its people. This is anew proposition that Nadella makes and should be grasped for a new approach, and constructive confrontations on this issue of how to incorporate AI at each company's level for hundreds of thousands of companies, alongside separate and supplementing the core strength of human capital, not displacing it to cause huge problems in future years. A company bereft of its human capital is a company bereft of what gives it life and vitality. ...

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Balogun gets a red card after scoring the first US goal. He will the round of 16 game with Belgium in World Cup soccer 2026.

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With the game tied at 1-1 and also in overtime, Paraguay win over Germany in penalty kicks shootout, one of the biggest upsets at World Cup Soccer 2026.

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Critical points in Burnham's program for Britain in speech on June 29 2026 as at the Manchester People's History Museum covered by The Guardian- Devolution- "It will be about offering new opportunities to extend devolution in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland by taking power deeper down." Cost of living "We will set out 10-year plans to bring down the cost of … essentials to individuals, families and businesses." Reindustrialize Britain region by region "We will support every region to set clear and credible industrial ambitions – and provide the support to achieve them." Burnham said he will “safeguard sovereign manufacturing and production capability across the country in critical sectors like steel, defence, energy, food and farming”.  Public ownership of Utilities for major services such as water, energy, transport. Work done in transport in Manchester as a sound example. "We will ensure all parts of the UK are able to take greater public control of essential services like water, housing, energy and transport …" Housing supply- a huge housing building program. Britain has lost almost 1.5m council homes since the 1980s and around the same number of people are now on housing waiting lists and have been there for a very long time. Streets and Neighborhoods pulled out of decline.  "Shouldn’t we make our high streets the symbols of Britain’s renaissance?" Education and Employment- "We need a complete rethink of how we support the next generation to succeed, and it has to start with the education system." Reform of Westmeinster and Whitehall- "They require radical change if the country is to get back on track." ...

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Caroline Simpson CEO of Greater Manchester Area to head Downing 10 North from Manchester for devolution. This No. 10 North office Burnham calls the nerve center of his plans for devolution. This office will have three tasks says Burnham- to increase public ownership of essential utilities, water, energy and housing, reindustrialize large parts of the country, and regenerate towns giving priority to ones left behind. The office will work to equalize the standard of living in London and the north of England, other regions left behind.

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The British people are at a juncture after austerity and Brexit, after different prime ministers, where hope is the thing they most want, and with it a plan for execution on all the public services in water, electricity, transport, education, quality of neighborhoods, infrastructure, rebuilding industry for good jobs, that provide a better life across all parts of Britain.

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Germany's top goal scorer Deniz Undav in World Cup Soccer 2026- started work at 4.00 am job at a laser machine factory then training for soccer later joins English team Albion, then the Stuttgart team. He was considered to be small and scrawny as a young boy playing in preparatory soccer team at Werder Bremen, leading to his taking this unconventional route to the top in world soccer. He scored 9 goals in 12 games surpassing Haaland, Messi, and Mbappe, in the time he took to get a goal in this World Cup- 50 minutes.

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German economic growth drops in 2026 to below 1%. What is happening?Germany manufacturing jobs drop to 6.6 million lowest in 10 years in 2026 as China makes same products for less and better. China is shipping more of its products to the German market and displacing German products in world markets. The same problems affecting the US in loss of manufacturing jobs is affecting Germany. This is happening as China uses long range plans coordinated with industry and state owned companies to deliver superior results in world markets to American and German companies competing on their own without coordination with the government in a long range plan and effort. The American and German companies face greater uncertainty in markets and are slow to invest in critical areas and technologies as a result leaving them exposed to Chinese competition. China has used the Japanese style subsidizing its industries and has another advantage in doing this in that many are state owned companies or heavily subsidized and supported by the state. After 1990 the fall of the Soviet system led to a sense that free markets in their purest form were better. This was not really true as the soviet system of state planning failed because it did not use the best features of the market economy that work. Japan adapted the market system to its needs and used state partnership with private industry to produce good results. The US did not learn from Japan's example. China learned from both the failure of soviet style planning and the success of the Japanese system to adapt its state plannning system by including aspects of the market economy. The US and Germany can only learn from these examples and adapt US market economy by including aspects of what worked for China and Japan of state plannning and long range plans of industry and government. Look back to how FDR won the war- within 5 years 1940-1945 he combined the best aspects of the planning and coordination of government and industry to achieve goals not thought possible. Britain did the same which shows such planning and coordination is not only a part of the US system of business and industry, it is just that these lessons and the lessons of other nations like Japan and China after 1950 were forgotten. India is now adapting its system for business and industry, and government for five year plans borrowing and learning from the examples of the US, Japan, China and the EU. ...