The World Cup has returned to a radically hotter America

Dangerously hot temperatures are blanketing the central and eastern United States as the soccer tournament enters its knockout rounds, putting tens of millions of people at risk. Roughly a quarter of all matches since the start of the games are expected to be played in hazardous heat, according to an analysis by World Weather Attribution,…

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Inside the DHS’s World Cup nerve center

Every day, FBI intelligence officials, weather forecasters, diplomats, security coordinators and people from more than a dozen federal agencies gather on a conference line for what has become one of the most unusual meetings in Washington. It’s dubbed the “WISLE call” — an acronym that stands for Warning/Weather, Intent, Safety/Security, Logistics/Communications and Event Operations. And…

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The Croatian team’s favorite singer is a fascist salute away from the mainstream

BELGRADE, Serbia — When Croatian supporters flooded Toronto and Philadelphia this summer, draping city halls in the red-and-white checkerboards found on the Croatian coat of arms and belting out one power ballad after another, the loudest songs, as always, belonged to Marko Perković. “He’s become an inseparable phenomenon anytime Croatia plays or participates in any…

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Could Switzerland find a winning XI out of 10 million?

Foreign-born players are increasingly a fixture of teams across the World Cup. In Switzerland, which faces off against Algeria tonight, the politics of a progressively diverse population have literally been on the ballot as the tournament unfolds. Last month, just days after the first World Cup games kicked off, voters in Switzerland weighed in on…

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Spot the pol!

This U.S. government official cozies up with FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who has already made inroads with the Trump administration due to a highly publicized presidential bromance. That’s FBI Director Kash Patel, chatting it up with Infantino and Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Colombia v. Portugal match on June 27, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Florida….

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When a World Cup exit becomes a political crisis

Many of the countries that failed to advance in the World Cup are seeing the normal cycle of accountability: angry fans, finger-pointing media, fired coaches. Uruguay’s sports officials have gone further, reportedly cancelling a team charter plane and making players take commercial flights home as a form of punishment. In Turkey, where a stunning crash-out…

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The European sports host with the most

Switzerland is busy selling itself as a premier venue for international sports competitions — and the government is throwing its weight behind the effort. In June, Bern backed plans to fund international sports competitions from 2027 to 2029, and two weeks ago, it approved $247 million in funding for the 2038 Winter Olympics, which it…

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The nation’s cartoonists on the week in politics

Every week political cartoonists throughout the country and across the political spectrum apply their ink-stained skills to capture the foibles, memes, hypocrisies and other head-slapping events in the world of politics. The fruits of these labors are hundreds of cartoons that entertain and enrage readers of all political stripes. Here’s an offering of the best…

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