America’s oldest ally isn’t done yet

Morocco’s win is perhaps fitting for Independence Day. The country was the first to formally recognize American sovereignty all the way back in 1777, more than a half-decade before the end of the Revolutionary War. On Saturday, they took down Canada by a 3-0 scoreline, with goals from Azzedine Ounahi and Soufiane Rahimi. ​Politics

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Allez les … eh, not us

47%The share of voters who associate with France’s far-right National Rally who told the latest POLITICO Poll that they would be proud if their country won the World Cup. It is the lowest number among any of the five parties measured, with the center-right Republicans at 68 percent and Emmanuel Macron’s Ensemble at 63 percent….

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The most superstitious man in Paraguayan politics

Paraguay has a tough fight against France today, which means President Santiago Peña may have to savor his last chance to wrap himself in the flag of Latin America’s most over-performing team. Few of the world’s elected leaders have done as much as Peña to associate themselves with their country’s World Cup successes. He has…

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Beating the heat is now part of hosting

Even as they dueled today in Houston, Canada and Morocco have something in common: They’re both World Cup hosts in an era of rising temperatures. That shared status — Canada co-hosting this year with the U.S. and Mexico, and Morocco in 2030 with Portugal and Spain — has led the World Health Organization, to work…

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Spot the pol!

This mayor organized Gwanghwamun Square watch parties, where he led cheers for a team whose early crash-out has prompted a political crisis. That’s Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon at a “joint cheering exhibition” with South Africa’s ambassador. South Africa’s upset victory sent South Korea home from the World Cup far earlier than many Koreans had expected….

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Collins dominates Platner on World Cup ad spending

The political race for eyeballs during the World Cup continued this week, with a total of at least $2.1 million spent on ads by campaigns, committees and causes so far through all matches as of Friday, according to an analysis by AdImpact for POLITICO. Stronger America, an issue advocacy 501(c)(4) organization aligned with Maine Republican…

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