NEWS OF THE DAY

What is the status of  the Iran vs USA/Israel War?

• The fragile talks are still on, but only barely.
• Iran is not happy, so there are no technical discussions today.  Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei challenged President Donald Trump and President Benjamin Netanyahu, and indicated that it is a religious duty to kill those who caused the death of his father.
• Israel indicated that it won't leave Lebanon until Hezbollah disarms.

That European Heat Dome?

• Is moving to Eastern Europe.
• Says the New York Times.

While tying a single heat wave to climate change requires extensive analysis, scientists have no doubt that heat waves around the world are becoming hotter, longer and more frequent, and Europe is warming faster than any other continent.

What about temperatures in DC for our 250th birthday celebrations?

Some models collected by Capital Weather see a high temperature of 106 degrees Fahrenheit in D.C. on Friday—which would tie the city’s all-time high temperature record last set in 1918 and 1930.

Washington, D.C., could also potentially see its hottest Fourth of July on record—the NWS is projecting a high temperature of 101, while the record for hottest Independence Day in the capital was set at 100 degrees Fahrenheit in 1919.

Many of the America 250 events are taking place outside on the National Mall (which has sparse natural shade), including the Great American State Fair, a FIFA World Cup watch area and the Salute to America fireworks display and air show.

FIFA World Cup today:

• Canada, one of three hosts for this FIFA World Cup, played in Los Angeles yesterday in Game 1 of the knockout 32 round, the only match played on Sunday, and edged South Africa during stoppage time, on a goal scored by Stephen Eustaquio (right).
• This is a team that had never even tied a match before in all of World Cup history, and miraculously finds itself as one of the final 16.
• The country is ecstatic and in euphoria.
• Next game is on July 4th in Houston against either the Netherlands or Morocco.  A victory here would be a miracle.

• 
  Today, also in Houston, Japan scored the first goal, but Brazil came back to win, 2-1.
• The USA plays Bosnia/Herzegovina on Wednesday, July 1, at 8PM in the San Francisco Bay Area.
• The stat leaders so far:
• Lionel Messi, Argentina, 6 goals.
• Erling Haaland, Norway, 4 goals.
• Kylian Mbappe, France, 4 goals.

Going to Japan?  The Yen to Dollar rate touched 161.97 Y to the $, the highest in 40 years.  But I asked Google AI, and this is what I got about how the U.S. Dollar has changed since 1986.

• In 1986, the U.S. dollar traded at around the 168 Yen range. Over the decades, the yen strengthened significantly (reaching as strong as 76 Yen per dollar in 2011) . However, diverging monetary policies—with the U.S. Federal Reserve keeping interest rates higher for longer —reversed this trend. The dollar has surged against the yen, pushing the exchange rate above 161 Yen, a level not seen since December 1986 . [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
• In 1986, the pound sterling was valued at roughly $1.40 to $1.50. Today, the exchange rate generally hovers between $1.25 and $1.35 . While the dollar has gained some ground, the pound has remained relatively stable in its purchasing relationship with the greenback over the multi-decade stretch. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
• Prior to the launch of the euro in 1999, the dollar's performance was tied to predecessor currencies like the Deutsche Mark and the French Franc. In 1986, the dollar was roughly on par with the mark, worth around DM 2.2. After the introduction of the euro, the dollar has fluctuated wildly but is generally holding steady against the euro, trading around $0.85 to $0.90 for one Euro . [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Further, because of domestic inflation:

Beyond foreign exchange rates, the dollar's domestic value has changed drastically due to inflation. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, $1 in 1986 has the equivalent purchasing power of about $3.06 today . This means the dollar has lost roughly two-thirds of its domestic buying power over the last four decades . [1]

But what does this really mean?  Again from Google AI:

Travelers must save significantly more of their income just to maintain the same real-world standard of international travel that their parents enjoyed in 1986. [1, 2]

To close, professionals showed off their Strawberry Moon photos from early this morning.  For example from Astronomy.

It was cloudy from my apartment.  But here are my attempts.  Kind of embarrassing.

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