Starbucks’ new Blended Matcha Lemonade and Blended Energy Refreshers are as colorful as they are cool, but you’ll want to skip the newest flavor.
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Month: July 2026
LONDON — A police cover-up after a 1989 football stadium tragedy was seminal in shaping soon-to-be new British Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s political outlook.
Burnham used his first speech upon returning to the House of Commons this evening as a member of parliament to hail a proposed new Hillsborough law — named after the Sheffield football stadium where 97 Liverpool fans lost their lives in a crush — which imposes a duty of candor on public officials.
Burnham faced raw anger and heckles of “justice” and “truth” in 2009, when he was culture secretary, at a memorial service at Liverpool’s Anfield stadium to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the disaster.
Days before he moves into No. 10 Downing Street, Burnham pledged to end the U.K.’s “cover-up culture” and put “decency back at the heart of the British state.”
Burnham said the law will “change the way this country thinks and works about justice,” as it “truly is a rewiring of the state and a passing of power from the authorities to the hands of ordinary people.” MPs approved the legislation Tuesday evening, and it will now go to the House of Lords for further scrutiny.
Politics
In a World Cup semifinal like this, there’s so much to unpack. I have already written about the historical, emotional and psychological aspects of England’s World Cup matchup against Argentina, so I want to dive into the tactical elements of this highly anticipated semifinal too. On paper, and based on what I have seen from both sides at this tournament thus far, the similarities are possibly stronger than the differences. And even though I think the journey for the Three Lions has been tougher (arguably a tougher group, a hostile, altitude-defying win against Mexico right before facing the heat and humidity of Miami amidst Erling Haaland’s Norway) the fact is that very little separates both of these sides. They are two giants of the game who have shown examples of their genius and their vulnerable state. There’s also the overall record as England dominates in this area, having only lost twice from its 14 fixtures against Argentina. But one of those losses was in the dramatic match in 1986 to Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” and his “Goal of the Century.” Then there was the 1998 result – which was David Beckham’s sending-off after kicking Diego Simeone – that ended as a draw after extra time, but resulted in an England loss after a penalty shootout. The fact is that this one is hard to predict. It’s a contradiction due to a sense of familiarity due to the rivalry, but there’s also detachment because they have not faced each other at the World Cup in 24 years. Let’s also remember that England has never faced Lionel Messi – and that’s a statistic that lives within itself. To stop him is to gamble on your own fate, so I am not even attempting to tell you how Thomas Tuchel plans on doing the almost impossible, especially when England has never even attempted to do it. In terms of parallels, let’s focus on the individual side of things and the World Cup superstars as there is a high dependency on them. Both have high-octane, attacking options that contribute significantly higher than anyone else. For England, Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane have six goals each, making it the first time in men’s World Cup history that any team has had two players net six or more goals in the same tournament. England has scored 13 goals in total, 12 of them from the aforementioned Kane and Bellingham, so the reliance on either is monumental. But the same can be said of Argentina and Lionel Messi. La Albiceleste has 17 goals in the competition, more than any other team and one short of its record of 18, which was achieved back in 1930. But eight of these aforementioned 17 goals have come from Messi. Alongside Kylian Mbappé, Messi became the second player on record (since 1966) to earn 10 or more goal contributions in more than one World Cup. But I think ultimately, this match is decided in two areas: the midfield and on the flanks. Declan Rice and Eliot Anderson’s battle with the line of Leandro Paredes and Enzo Fernández will test out the stealth and momentum from the center, where much of the action will take place. And out wide? Argentina is a very narrow team and winger Anthony Gordon, who attempted more dribbles (10) against Norway than any other English player since Darius Vassell in 2002 (per Opta), could have another strong day against right-back Nahuel Molina. More so on the other side — whether it’s Noni Madueke or his Arsenal teammate Bukayo Saka — against the 33-year-old left-back Nicolás Tagliafico. Lionel Scaloni surely has to find room for defensive midfielder Nico González. England should have most of the possession, and I think it’s important for Argentina to use it wisely when it does have the ball. Argentina keeper Emiliano Martínez, excellent with direct, long passes, will be needed once again to find the likes of attacking stars like Julián Alvarez, Messi, Thiago Almada and Lautaro Martínez. But all in all, we know that this is a game that will far supersede tactics or analytical thinking. This is a match made of emotion and steel-minded determination. There will be situations where the actual gameplan can determine a conclusion and I think, overall, on paper, England has enough to win this one. This isn’t a match written on paper. It’s carved out on the pitch from blood, sweat and undying effort. From the moment the first whistle goes, therefore, we can throw everything out of the window and just marvel at a true battle where we won’t know the outcome until we find out the answer to the only true, remaining question: who is willing to sacrifice everything for a chance of glory? We’ll have to wait and see.Latest Sports News from FOX Sports
By: Corinne Smith, Alaska Beacon
Alaska’s primary election just over a month away, and the deadline to register to vote in that election is Sunday July 19.
Alaska’s primary election is Tuesday August 18, when voters will mark their ballots to choose among candidates for governor, legislators in the Alaska House and Senate, and representatives in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate. A sample of the primary ballot can be found on the Alaska Division of Elections website.
The top four vote-getters in the primary will advance to the general election on November 3.
Residents can check their voter registration at myvoterportal.alaska.gov.
To register to vote in the primary election, eligible voters must be at least 18 years old within 90 days of registering, a U.S. citizen and an Alaska resident. They may not be registered to vote in another state. Voters must be a resident in Alaska and the district in which they seek to vote for at least 30 days before the election.
Language assistance is available with voting information and ballots available in Tagalog, Inupiat, Cup’ik and Yup’ik variations. Language assistance is available at every stage of the voting process, and can be requested from the division.
Naturalized U.S. citizens are eligible to vote, but U.S. nationals and non-citizens are not allowed to vote.
Individuals who have been convicted of a felony involving moral turpitude are ineligible to vote in all elections until the date they are unconditionally discharged. That means they have completed their sentence and are no longer in Alaska Department of Corrections’ custody or supervision, which includes halfway houses, sentenced electronic monitoring, probation or parole. Once an individual is unconditionally discharged, they can re-register to vote if they otherwise meet eligibility requirements.
Residents are automatically registered to vote or their voter registration information is updated when they apply for the Alaska Permanent Fund dividend. Residents have 30 days to opt out if they do not wish to register.
Individuals are considered Alaska residents if they reside in the state and intend to remain a resident or if they leave the state and have an intention to return. Active duty military members and family are exempt from the intent to return requirement and can register and vote by absentee ballot.
Residents can register to vote online, by mail or in-person at regional Division of Elections Offices, Division of Motor offices, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation offices, participating Tribal government offices, Legislative Information Offices, United States Armed Forces Voter Assistance Offices, Division of Public Assistance agencies, city or borough clerk’s offices, participating public libraries, or voter registrars.
Residents need a current Alaska driver’s license or state ID to register or update voter registration. After registration, eligible voters will be issued an Alaska Voter ID card within four to six weeks.
Residents can apply to vote by absentee mail-in ballot by August 8 for the primary, and by October 24 for the general election. Eligible voters can apply by email, fax or in-person. Ballots must be postmarked by election day.
Regional elections offices will open for absentee and early voting in the primary election on Sunday August 16.
Jason Aldean has 31 No. 1 songs, so when he says a song is a hit, people tend to listen — and his kids made the call before he did. Continue reading…Country Music News – Taste of Country
Jason Aldean has 31 No. 1 songs, so when he says a song is a hit, people tend to listen — and his kids made the call before he did. Continue reading…The Boot – Country Music News, Music Videos and Songs
Is your chicken salad tasting just a little flat or lifeless? Need some pizzazz back in your sandwich? Turn to this Italian sauce for some oomph.
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Surprise friends and family at your next backyard barbecue by offering this Italian sauce with your burgers. You may never want traditional condiments again.
Mashed – Fast Food, Celebrity Chefs, Grocery, Reviews
DALLAS, Texas — The World Cup was supposed to be Dallas’s moment to shine. The city is famously image-conscious, and the powers-that-be trumpeted the fact that more Cup matches were scheduled here than any other host city. It seemed like a coup for a town whose football team (the other kind of football) bills itself as “America’s team.”
But off the pitch, Dallas leaders have spent the spring and summer fighting a series of political fights, many of them centered around sports. It’s a cautionary tale to the many European tourists who have marveled at America’s glittering sporting venues, but are unaware of the complex economic and political forces that have shaped them, for better and for worse.
Before the soccer tournament even started, the city’s pro basketball team had announced it was leaving its downtown arena. Then the hockey team decamped for a new arena in the suburbs.
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson was booed when he attended a World Cup Fan Fest. Along the way, the city was forced to furlough non-essential workers because of a budget shortfall, so the public libraries were closed for a day last week.
“There’s a lot of — the only word I can think of is — drama,” City Councilmember Paula Blackmon said.
To be clear, the World Cup matches aren’t being played in Dallas. They’re 15 miles west, in Arlington, Texas. The Texas Rangers play baseball a few blocks away.
But Dallas proper could still stake a claim as a professional sports hub. The Dallas Mavericks (basketball) and the Dallas Stars (hockey) have spent the last 25 years at American Airlines Center, a retro-styled arena just north of the central business district, which is served by its dedicated light rail stop. That arena’s future has been at the heart of the fighting.
Last fall, the city began discussing the idea of tearing down its City Hall to make way for a new sports arena. The building is showing its age — or its neglect — and city officials estimate it’ll take hundreds of millions of dollars to repair it.
Some in Dallas questioned whether the teams need a new arena, since the American Airlines Center — which is 1.6 miles from City Hall — seems to work just fine. Others objected to tearing down the building since its architect, I.M. Pei, is kind of a big deal.
The conflict divided the city council into two factions — the majority in favor of tearing down the building, the minority trying to preserve it. Blackmon and another council member, both of whom favor preserving the old City Hall, sued the city in June trying to block a vote on tearing down the building.
To some extent, the fight has been a proxy for the broader fight over how to preserve downtown Dallas. AT&T, the telecom giant which has had its corporate headquarters in Dallas since 2008, announced this spring it’s moving to the suburbs, citing rising crime, homelessness and government dysfunction. Even the luxury retailer Neiman Marcus, the most Dallas of institutions, is closing its downtown store.
Former Dallas Mayor Laura Miller, who got into politics after a career as an investigative reporter, said the fracas over the sports arena is a symptom of the city’s dysfunctional government. Dallas has a weak mayor and its city council has been divided for decades, which gives developers — and sports teams — the upper hand in negotiating with the city.
Miller is famous locally for turning down the Dallas Cowboys when team owner Jerry Jones asked for a publicly-financed stadium inside the city in the early 2000s.
The Cowboys — like the Mavericks and Stars before them — promised to help redevelop neglected parts of the city. Miller argued that the city was better off putting its funds into basic services like public safety and infrastructure — and pointed to a string of broken promises from the sports teams and other big developers.
“It’s kind of Dallas’ Achilles heel, because Dallas will just do anything to quote unquote ‘save the teams,’ even though all the teams are all within a 30-minute drive of all of our homes,” she said.
Dallas’s local organizing committee for the World Cup declined to comment for this story, as did a spokesperson for the Mavericks. A spokesperson for the Stars didn’t respond to requests for comment. Johnson, the Dallas mayor, also declined several interview requests.
Most of the fighting has been invisible to World Cup fans, who will flock to town Tuesday for the region’s final World Cup match, which is the semi-final between France and Spain. But the outcome of the city council fight could affect Dallas for decades to come.
Politics
England will take on Argentina in the World Cup semifinals on Wednesday, July 15, at Atlanta Stadium, with both nations competing for a place in the final. It is an intercontinental rivalry shaped by memorable World Cup encounters and intensified by political tensions away from the pitch. The two countries have not faced each other since 2005, while this will also mark the first time in Lionel Messi’s illustrious career that he has played against England. The Three Lions possess one of the most talented squads in the tournament, while Argentina is filled with players who understand what it takes to win at the highest level. Below is our combined England-Argentina XI ahead of Wednesday’s World Cup semifinal: Formation: 4-4-2 Goalkeeper Both Premier League goalkeepers have been between the posts for their respective nations at multiple major international tournaments, and both have been critical to their national teams’ success in the past and present. Emiliano Martínez gets the slight nod as the better shot-stopper of the two. He has come up huge for Argentina as they won two Copa América titles and a World Cup, including massive performances in penalty shootouts. Of course, his most iconic moment came in the final minute of extra time in the 2022 World Cup final, when he made the save of a lifetime against Randal Kolo Muani. That stop kept Argentina alive, and they went on to win the final on penalties. Verdict: Emiliano Martínez, Argentina Right Back Nahuel Molina continues to command the right-back position for Argentina and scored a huge goal in the 2022 World Cup quarterfinal against the Netherlands. But Reece James, despite being banged up at times, gets the nod pretty clearly. When healthy, James is widely recognized as one of the best right backs in world football. Verdict: Reece James Right Center Back Ezri Konsa has been versatile for England, playing as the center back next to Marc Guéhi while also providing cover at right back because of England’s injuries and suspensions in that area. His versatility has been important to Thomas Tuchel. Cristian Romero gets the nod, though, as he has anchored Argentina’s back line for many years and continues to be one of the most reliable defenders in this side. Verdict: Cristian Romero Left Center Back Marc Guéhi made the move to Manchester City in January and completely changed the outlook of a back line that had been struggling. He has provided that necessary backbone defensively for England, consistently performing as one of their most reliable center backs throughout this World Cup and the last European Championship. Lisandro Martínez’s ball-playing ability and physicality are key for Argentina, but Guéhi gets the nod here. Verdict: Marc Guehi Left Back Nicolás Tagliafico feels like he has been part of this Argentina squad for decades, and he has always been that consistent piece at left back for his national team. But on a technical level, Nico O’Reilly is really out of this world. Even as a converted midfielder, he has shown his recovery speed and ability to handle the defensive demands of playing fullback. O’Reilly is one of those youngsters at this World Cup who is showing that he can go to the very top. Verdict: Nico O’Reilly Holding Midfielder Elliot Anderson’s ability off the ball, along with his passing range, has been important for England while playing in that double pivot. He looks like one of those players who will be involved in the English setup for a long time. But Enzo Fernández is one of the best midfielders in the world. He is playing a slightly deeper role than he usually does for Chelsea, but he is still doing it at a high level. Enzo gets the nod in this one, but Anderson is a proper player. Verdict: Enzo Fernández Left Central Midfielder Due to formation issues, Anthony Gordon is listed as a left central midfielder, and he has shown signs of why Barcelona brought him into the club for $80 million. But Alexis Mac Allister has to get the nod because of the winner he is. He played a huge role in Argentina winning the 2022 World Cup and Liverpool winning the Premier League, doing all the dirty work in midfield while also having the ability to be a threat going forward. He showed that again in the quarterfinals against Switzerland, scoring the go-ahead goal in the 10th minute. In those big games, you want Mac Allister on your team. Verdict: Alexis Mac Allister Right Central Midfielder Coming off winning the Premier League, Declan Rice would love to double up by adding a World Cup to his résumé. Playing in the double pivot with Elliot Anderson has been important to England, especially earlier in the tournament, and his set-piece delivery has also been a real weapon. Rice has had to deal with a sickness during the tournament, but on his day, he is still seen as one of the best midfielders in the world. Because of that, he gets the nod over Leandro Paredes, who was introduced into Argentina’s starting lineup as the tournament unfolded. Verdict: Declan Rice Central Attacking Midfielder Jude Bellingham has been one of the players of the tournament, scoring six goals as a midfielder while providing ball-carrying ability, doing the dirty work in midfield and still having the capacity to make late runs into the box and score goals. He has been doing it all for England. And despite Rodrigo De Paul having a solid tournament and elevating the level we have seen from him at Inter Miami, Bellingham has the clear advantage in this one. Verdict: Jude Bellingham Right Forward This is one of the most lopsided conversations in this combined XI. Lionel Messi has eight goals through six games, and everything Argentina does going forward runs through him. He is widely recognized as the best to ever do it, and he continues to be the focal point of this Argentina side. Madueke, who is probably only playing for England because of Saka’s fitness, has been pretty disappointing on multiple occasions this tournament, including being subbed off at halftime in the quarterfinal matchup against Norway. Messi has a clear and wide advantage over Madueke in this one. Verdict: Lionel Messi Left Forward Harry Kane has had a phenomenal tournament, scoring six goals at this World Cup and becoming England’s all-time leading World Cup scorer. He had a pivotal late brace against DR Congo that saved England and allowed them to still be here today. Kane and Jude Bellingham have done some unbelievable heavy lifting for this England squad. Julián Álvarez had a quiet start to the tournament, but it was only a matter of time until his quality showed through. He produced a brilliant moment of magic against Switzerland late in extra time to put Argentina ahead 2-1 and win them a nail-biting quarterfinal. Álvarez is a very good player, but Kane gets the advantage in this one. Verdict: Harry Kane Final Combined XI For Argentina And England GK: Emiliano MartínezRB: Reece JamesCB: Cristian RomeroCB: Marc GuéhiLB: Nico O’ReillyCM: Enzo FernándezCM: Alexis Mac AllisterCM: Declan RiceCAM: Jude BellinghamRW: Lionel MessiST: Harry KaneLatest Sports News from FOX Sports