In today’s edition … If it’s Tuesday, there are primary elections … We ask you about dad jokes … but first …
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America is in a rough moment on the international stage. President Donald Trump’s efforts to reshape the world order — through war, tariffs and immigration restrictions — have left foreign leaders questioning the nation’s reliability and international tourists wary of visiting the United States.
The World Cup has not erased any of that. The political tensions we wrote about last week are still very much present — from Iran’s decision to base its team in Tijuana, Mexico to the visa problems surrounding the tournament.
But the first few days of the World Cup have also produced something else: a surprising and often moving reminder of the country’s capacity to welcome strangers with full-throated enthusiasm.
No story has illustrated this more than the budding romance between the people of Lawrence, Kansas, and Algeria’s national team. There is little in common between the rolling hills of Lawrence and the scorched deserts of Algeria. More than five thousand miles and vast cultural differences separate the two areas. Lawrence — a college town — is as landlocked as you can get, while most Algerians live along the Mediterranean Sea.
But the people of Lawrence, from everyday residents to the city’s mayor, have welcomed the team and their fans in an over-the-top, uniquely American way.
“I want them to feel at home,” a police lieutenant said in an interview. “I never thought I would see this. … I never thought I would meet such beautiful people as y’all. I am just happy about it,” said another local resident. American artist Stan Herd, who is from Kansas, created an Algerian flag in the Kansas earth, becoming emotional when talking about the reception he has received from fans. The mayor of Lawrence held a news conference wearing an Algerian scarf. The band from the University of Kansas learned the Algerian national anthem to play for the team. And newfound fans of Algeria from Kansas have been yelling, “Rock Chalk, Algeria,” a sweet nod to the University of Kansas’ famed slogan, “Rock Chalk, Jayhawk.”
As Franklin Leonard, an American film producer, put it: “Lawrence, Kansas is really doing America proud.”
And he is right. But Kansas is not alone. Boston has been inundated by Scottish fans — whose team will play its first two matches in nearby Foxborough, Massachusetts — to the point that Sunday night’s Red Sox game could have doubled for a Scottish match in Glasgow. Japanese fans have descended on Texas, bringing one of the most touching traditions in all of sports with them, along with some hilarious commentary on Texas writ large. And our colleague Bailey Johnson published this well-told story about how Chattanooga, Tennessee — and the local Embassy Suites — have embraced the front-runner Spanish national team.
“In Chattanooga, they are our big fish, right?” said Lori Jenkins, regional sales and marketing director for Vision Hospitality Group, which operates the Embassy Suites. “Not just a fish in the pond. They are our pond.”
So why does this all matter?
Because it is a good reminder for those who choose to travel here — and for Americans themselves — of what the country is at its core: an entirely complex, sometimes weird, oftentimes over-the-top welcoming place where many Americans are eager to embrace the people who choose to visit them.
That is at the heart of this outpouring. The people of Kansas have said it plainly — they are flattered that Algeria picked them.
“We wanted to make them authentically welcome,” said Brad Finkeldei, the mayor. “They are very excited about their team,” he said of the fans, “and we are very excited to have them in Lawrence with us.”
So, as they say in Algeria — and now in Lawrence, Kansas — “1, 2, 3, viva l’Algerie.”
Voters head to the polls in a series of states today, but the most compelling races may be in Georgia, where Republicans will pick candidates in a key Senate race and their hotly contested governor’s race, and voters of both parties will pick their nominees in a slate of House contests.
Our colleague, Praveena Somasundaram, has a great walk-up on all these races, but the most compelling appears to be the Senate contest. Trump endorsed Rep. Mike Collins, a MAGA loyalist, on Sunday. The late-in-the-game backing highlights Collins’s front-runner status in the race and follows past Trump moves to get behind a winner, even at the last minute. Collins is facing Derek Dooley, a former football coach recruited by Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, in the runoff. The winner will face incumbent Sen. Jon Ossoff (D).
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The governor’s race is equally interesting, with Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, a former state senator, running against billionaire health care executive Rick Jackson.
This race is one place where Trump and Gov. Brian Kemp (R-Georgia) are in line — both have endorsed Jones, who is widely seen as the favorite.
These races will tell us less about the state of the Republican Party — Trump’s endorsement at the last minute will likely play little role because Collins has been the front-runner in the contest for weeks.
But it will set up some contests that will be watched closely in November. Ossoff’s race, whether against Collins or Dooley, represents Republicans’ best chance to knock off a Democratic incumbent. And the governor’s race will test whether a good atmosphere for Democrats will trickle down to the state level.
Bangor Daily News: We have documented — repeatedly — how the Maine Senate race is going to be critical. But new analysis finds the race could cost upwards of $400 million, a staggering figure for such a small state.
LAist: What is low income? This report reminds us not everywhere is created equal. In Orange County, for example, $104,000 qualifies as low income, vastly more than most of the country.
Texas Tribune: Some who live in West Texas have lived on the same land for generations, proud of the vast tracts they have managed for years. New letters from the government seeking access to land for a border wall have landowners worried and angry, fearing a change in the lives they have long enjoyed.
We asked for your advice on fixing Congress — a difficult task, we know — but you provided some interesting ideas.
“Congress has become polarized, distant from constituents, not reflective of popular opinion, and heavily influenced by big money. A solution would have to address these issues,” wrote Victor Thuronyi, proposing doubling the size of Congress to make it more closely linked to voters, requiring all redistricting to be done by nonpartisan commissions, and giving people a $200 tax credit to vote.
“Congress is failing the American people. Elected representatives seem unable to visualize legislation that will benefit all of the people — settling instead into divisive lanes bent on satisfying a favored few constituencies,” added Patricia Rennau. “We have lost the art of listening, listening to understand, respect, negotiation, and compromise that seeks resolutions, building consensus, and reflecting all concerns. And increasingly, re-election ambitions dominate the legislative process.”
And Larry Markel, a reader in Knoxville, sent a joke (we think): “To fix Congress, the answer is term limits. Two terms. One term in Congress. One term in prison.”
Markel added: “Realistically, however, getting the Citizens United-based money out of politics would help. Contributions from individuals, not corporations, with limited maximum amounts.”
Dan here: I love dad jokes — unabashedly. So this headline really stuck out: Science suggests cringeworthy dad jokes may serve a real purpose. Research, our colleague Lindsey Bever found, reveals the jokes serve “a meaningful role in parenting, and shared laughter may help strengthen father-child bonds.” So this is a two-part question: Send us your best dad joke. You don’t have to be a dad or a parent — but make them punny. And second, what do you think of that research finding? Does laughter help with parenting or relationships in general? How so? Let us and your fellow Early Brief readers know at [email protected].
Thanks for reading. You can follow Dan and Matthew on X: @merica and @matthewichoi.
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