The World Cup is spotlighting the global appeal of soccer but, here in 🇺🇸, kids' soccer is ticking down, probably as a consequence of: ✔️ Cost of play ✔️ Digital revolution

USA. A Mexican restaurant. We had not yet ordered anything, and the food was already arriving. Chips. Salsa. Unrequested. Free. I stopped the waiter. "We have not earned these." "They just come with the table, man." They come with the TABLE. In my land, hospitality is a debt. Every gift creates an obligation, weighed carefully, returned in the proper season with interest of feeling. Here, the gift arrives before you have even proven you can pay for dinner. This is not an appetizer. This is a declaration: we trust you. Eat. I ate with the gravity the moment deserved. And then — I must report this calmly — the basket emptied, and a new one appeared. "Did we…?" "Refill," the waiter said. "It's bottomless." Bottomless. They have wells of salsa. The supply lines of this nation are beyond anything my ancestors imagined. My friend warned me. "Don't fill up on chips, dude." Too late. I had accepted three baskets. Honor demanded each one be finished — an unfinished gift is an insult. By the time my actual food arrived, I was a ruined man. I was not hungry. I was not comfortable. I had been defeated by a courtesy. Generosity that arrives before the request cannot be repaid. It can only be survived. I know the rule now. I have made my peace with the basket. One basket. Two at the most. Who am I deceiving. There is no number of baskets I would refuse. The trust of a nation is in that salsa, and I intend to honor all of it.

Today, the European Union took a major step forward. All Member States agreed to open the first accession negotiations cluster with Ukraine and Moldova. At the first Intergovernmental Conference on Monday, we will open the cluster on fundamentals; the backbone of the accession process. It covers the core values and principles on which the EU is built, from the rule of law to strong democratic institutions. This is a recognition of the determination, courage and hard work shown by both countries in advancing reforms, even in the face of immense challenges. And a signal that the EU’s offer of peace, stability and opportunity is unmatchable. Enlargement is a strategic choice. By bringing our nations closer together, we strengthen peace, security and prosperity across our continent. In a world marked by growing uncertainty, a larger European Union is in our common interest. Enlargement remains one of the EU’s greatest success stories and our best investment in our shared future.

This is the most “The European mind can’t comprehend this” moment of my life. One of my friends said, “Punch me five times tomorrow and I’ll still think this isn’t real.”

Honnêtement, la question de la responsabilité principale de l'échec n'est pas la plus importante pour Paris (même si pour moi elle révèle aussi des enjeux importants de la relation politique à une certaine entreprise). Le véritable enjeu est comment la France peut se payer toute seule un avion de 6e génération? Et la vérité est qu'avec le mur budgétaire qui se présente, et la complète absence de volonté politique de toucher à l'éléphant de la pièce qui est le montant des pensions de retraites et la durée du travail, on ne peut pas. De facto, la France avait plus d'intérêt à un avion commun pour baisser les coûts que l'Allemagne, et a donc bien en réalité bien plus à perdre à l'échec (même si Dassault a plus à y gagner dans le court terme). Le véritable enjeu est fondamentalement l'écart qui devient absolument insoutenable entre les ambitions proclamées et les moyens disponibles, au moment le plus grave pour la sécurité européenne depuis 1991.

16 years ago today Stephen Strasburg made his MLB debut Enjoy! (yes it’s the entire game)

This Cleveland police officer got Egypt fans hyped as they queued to catch a glimpse of their heroes 🇪🇬 World Cup fever is here and it's wonderful ❤️‍🔥

Tragic news today: the eminent historian Gordon S. Wood was struck and killed while walking in the Shaw's plaza in East Providence, his family confirms to me. No comment from Brown yet Wood was just featured in Ken Burns' American Revolution documentary wpri.com/news/local-news/pro…

I said last week this is the best postgame tradition in sports. I’m updating it: It’s the best tradition going in sports.