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Good morning! Today is Monday, the 29th of June, 2026 and this is the Monday Edition of GEORGE.
GEORGE begins the week by bringing the weekend’s major stories into focus for curious readers. Here is the news, context, and commentary needed as Monday gets underway.
What we are covering may not have changed over the past few days – heat waves, World Cup, the war in Iran, the Russo-Ukrainian War – but the news developments certainly have. Right now over 150 million people are living in extreme heat in Europe and millions more in the United States are joining them. Thousands have died on the Continent, schools are shut, power grids are buckling, sections of Autobahn are buckling. In @World News Roundup, GEORGE’scorrespondents are not just reporting bare facts but looking at the human angle, which includes multiple points of view.
Meanwhile, an estimated 1,500 people have died in the Venezuela doublet earthquakes and that number is expected to increase as search-and-rescue operations turn to search-and-recovery. Our correspondent reports on the latest from Caracas, including news of multiple miracle rescues.
Aircraft were dropping from the sky on Sunday. A skydiving plane with 11 people on board crashed in France, while an Aramco chopper went down in the Gulf region with 14 souls on board. See @World News Roundup for a full report.
The newspaper’s @The Sketch editorial cartoon columnist drew inspiration from all of the news around the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, a truly beautiful feature of the Lincoln Memorial but one that many visitors and Americans didn’t even know had a name until recently. The problems in the repair of the pool are relatable but the hyperbole around the facts led our cartoon columnist to come up with multiple solutions to the pool’s current problems that wouldn’t even rate a separate entry line on the pool’s accounting ledger.
GEORGE’s upgraded @The War Room feature now covers multiple battles and conflicts across the globe. Important dispatches include the latest developments in the Russo-Ukrainian War and in the Middle East., GEORGE’s @The War Room correspondent reports.
There is other news that you may have missed during a hectic weekend in today’s @World News Roundup – but don’t touch that dial. Scroll down for today’s editorial cartoon in @The Sketch, then continue with additional news, commentary, and stories readers will not find elsewhere.
GEORGE will return tomorrow with a new editorial cartoon and more original dispatches and reportage.
Until then, remain curious!
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VOLUME VI… № 1,750
@THE LEDE (above)
@THE SKETCH (above) Four Solutions to Reflecting-Pool-Gate
IN THIS ISSUE
@INTERMEZZO I A fruit-and-vegetable stand in Bolzano
@ON THE PITCH World Cup Coverage
@INTERMEZZO II A street in Bolzano
@THE WAR ROOM
@INTERMEZZO III Città Antica along the Adige,
@WORLD NEWS ROUNDUP
@INTERMEZZO IV A tree-lined road in Italy
@THOMASHEFSKY ON THEATRE Review: ‘Schmigadoon’
ATCHES OF NOTE
@ABOUT GEORGE
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A fruit-and-vegetable seller in Bozen, or in Italian, Bolzano, in the South Tirol or Alto Adige in Italy
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— Cape Verde, an island nation of around 530,000 people and one of the least populous nations in Africa, became the smallest country to advance past the group stage of a football World Cup. Belgium, France, and Senegal are also through after strong performances against New Zealand, Norway, and Iraq, respectively. Germany also advanced, despite an unexpected 2-1 loss to Ecuador, and other teams that progressed to the knockout stage include Ivory Coast, the Netherlands and Spain.
— Scotland’s national team is decamping to its training base in Charlotte, North Carolina, where it will wait for three days to find out if it has made it to the knockout rounds for the first time in the team’s history, or not. At its training camp, it will prepare for an unknown opponent for a match whose location has yet to be determined, if it turns out to take place at all. Group play wraps on Saturday so the wait won’t be too torturous. In 1994, the U.S. national team was in a similar position in terms of having to wait to find out if it was staying in the World Cup… or not. The U.S. team did officially advance to the Round of 16 but lost to Brazil 1-0 on 4 July of that year.
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— The anti-gay chant that has cost Mexico fines and resulted in other sanctions made a return at Mexico’s final World Cup group stage match on Wednesday. Mexico, which has enshrined protections for gays and lesbians in its federal constitution is currently mired in controversy over the persistent use by Mexican football fans of an anti-gay one-word chant, “puto,” which can be translated as “male prostitute.” In the context of how it is employed by some Mexican football fans, is regarded by FIFA, gay advocacy groups, and numerous Spanish-language scholars as a homophobic slur directed against gay men or those men who are perceived as insufficiently masculine. On Wednesday, fans at Mexico’s final World Cup group stage match changed “puto” once again.
— The World Cup’s favorite duck, a canard named Merlin, was denied entry to Mexico City’s stadium before the national team’s match against the Czech Republic. The two-year-old Merlin, who proudly dons a green Mexico Jersey as he accompanies his family as they sell drinks in Mexico City, has become an international celebrity. A FIFA spokesduck told GEORGE that Merlín was permitted to enter the perimeter but not the stadium, as FIFA’s rules to protect animals effectively bar them from live matches.
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A street in Bozen or Bolzano, Italy, in the Alto Adige or Südtirol
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— After days of violating the 60-day cease-fire agreement, Iran and the United States once again agreed to halt recent hostilities in the Gulf and renew talks regarding their dispute over the Strait of Hormuz, it is understood. The news raised hopes of saving the interim peace deal that was under pressure from days of reciprocal strikes.
— “Technical talks are slated to continue on all areas of the MOU,” an official cited by the news website Axios reported, referencing the current memorandum of understanding the two sides had agreed to. “Both sides will stand down for now and vessels can move freely,” the official added.
— Israeli officials said that its forces had destroyed a 200-meter (656-foot) -long Hizbullah tunnel in southern Lebanon that was 25 meters (82’) below the surface. The Israel. These tunnels were designed by Hizbullah’s elite Radwan forces to facilitate a cross-border invasion similar to the 7 October 7 attacks, it is understood. The tunnels are highly advanced, containing weapons caches, rocket-firing shafts, living quarters, and operational command rooms. Some underground structures have even been used as subterranean drone “air bases.” Twenty Hizbullah terrorists, including ten members of the group’s Radwan Force, were killed as IDF forces fought to take control of the tunnel, and 50 items of terrorist infrastructure including drones, anti-tank missiles, and weapons were seized and destroyed.
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— A viral video posted by former Russian volunteer battalion commander Aleksandr Lunin threatened a military mutiny. Mr. Lunin warned Russian President Vladimir Putin that the army would likely “turn their weapons against the Kremlin.” The highly unusual threat came after the former commander claimed soldiers were facing mass torture and extortion from military commanders. Mr. Lunin demanded a live, face-to-face broadcast with Mr. Putin at the Kremlin to expose the truth about the mistreatment of Russian troops on the front lines, while claiming to be a messenger relaying the demands of disgruntled high-ranking military and security officials. Following the video’s release, Russian troops raided Mr. Lunin’s home. The threat sparked immediate attention but was largely walked back by the former commander in a profanity-laced video the following day, where he claimed his words had been twisted.
— A dramatic explosion that caused the lid of an oil tanker to fly into the sky during a Ukrainian aerial assault on Moscow was not caused by a Ukrainian drone. Verified video shows it was caused by a Russian air defense missile. Footage shows a Russian air defense missile traveling toward the fuel silo. The friendly-fire incident illustrates the difficulties that Russian air defenses are facing as Ukraine increases the scale of its drone attacks to break through a layered shield of systems designed to protect the Russian capital.
— Russian forces have been concentrating on the “fortress belt” cities of Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, Druzhkivka and Kostiantynivka, part of the roughly 20% of Donetsk that Ukraine still controls. Moscow’s troops have fought their way into Kostiantynivka, and Druzhkivka is a wasteland after extensive Russian bombing. Sloviansk and Kramatorsk remain Ukraine’s last real strongholds in Donetsk, although the two cities are not in imminent danger of falling. Донеччина, or the Donetsk Oblast or region, is a province in southeastern Ukraine that has been a heavily contested, active frontline in the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War. Prior to the Russian invasion, it served as Ukraine’s most populous, densely populated, and heavily industrialized hub, renowned for its major coal mining and steel production
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Città Antica along the Adige, the second longest river in Italy.
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The death toll from Wednesday’s doublet earthquakes in Venezuela neared 1,500, and La Guaira state appears to be the hardest-hit. At least 3,300 people were injured, some seriously, and an opposition-promoted website reflects the number of unaccounted individuals at close to 50,000. According to Swiss rescuers on site, survival chances drop sharply after 72 hours, yet there have been a number of miracle rescues coming to light. U.S. rescuers pulled out a mother and infant on Sunday, while a father and his son were rescued after being buried under rubble for four days. Another mother was rescued with her 18-day-old newborn, a mother was killed shielding her child from the falling debris and the child survived, and a young girl and her dog were also saved by rescuers.
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Emergency rescue workers combing through the rubble say that their canine partners are playing a critical role. “Our dogs and their handlers form an essential team for [urban search and rescue] missions in collapsed structures,” the Unidad Militar de Emergencias, or Emergency Military Unit, of the Spanish Armed Forces said in an Instagram post. Countries around the world – a list that includes Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Qatar, Syria, and Turkey – have sent 2,624 rescue workers and 137 search dogs, Asamblea Nacional, or National Assembly, President Jorge Rodríguez said on Sunday.
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France reported a surge in deaths last week, including a sharp increase at private homes, especially in the Paris region, the national public health agency said Sunday. Much of western Europe has been baking under a heat dome this week, but the number of “additional deaths“ that France is reporting shows the extent of the ongoing health emergency. There were more than 1,200 deaths on Wednesday, when France was sweltering under its hottest temperatures, increasing to more than 1,400 deaths on each of the two following days, Santé Publique France, or Public Health France, said in a statement.. The agency concluded that France experienced a total of at least 1,000 additional deaths during those three days alone, an estimate it cautioned is likely to increase as more data is collected, including for deaths at home. Eighty-five percent of those deaths has been people 65 years of age and older.
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Germany saw the mercury rise to a new high temperature for the third day in a row with 41.7° C (107° F) in Neißemünde in Ost-Brandenburg, near the Polish border on Sunday. Poland, incidentally, saw the mercury climb to a new all-time high of 40.5° C (104.9° F) while Czechia also experienced its hottest day ever with 41.9° C (107.4° F) also recorded on Sunday. Denmark, which is north of Germany, also saw the mercury hit an all-time record, this of 37° F (98.6° F).
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Hungary’s Paksi Atomerőmű, or Paksi nuclear power plant, reduced its output again on Sunday due to the high temperature of the Duna, or Danube River, that it uses as a coolant, the government said in a statement.
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An expansive high pressure ridge will result in multiple days of unusually high temperatures for millions in the United States. “Dangerous to record breaking heat will build across the center of the nation and slowly build eastward this week,” the U.S. National Weather Service said in a statement late Sunday. Temperatures will soar over 100° F (37.7° C) and the record heat is likely to reach the East Coast by the end of the week, just as Independent Day celebrations begin for the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States are set to begin. New York City is expected to see the mercury climb to 38° C (100.4° F) on Thursday and to 39° C (102.2° F) on Friday. Both Washington, D.C., the nation’s capital, and Philadelphia, regarded by many as the birthplace of liberty in the United States, will hit 39° C (102.2° F) on both Thursday and Friday, according to the National Weather Service.
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Some 75 million people in the United States are expected to travel at least 50 miles (80 km) from home during the Fourth of July or Independence Day holiday long weekend, which began this past Saturday and runs Sunday, 5 July. The U.S. Automobile Association of America projects that projects that 72 million people will travel by car and 3 million will go by air this year.
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Eleven people died after a Pilatus PC-6 Turbo Porter single-engine aircraft carrying skydivers crashed in the town of Tomblaine in eastern France, local officials said. The crash is the deadliest private plane accident in French history, news agency AFP said. The Pilatus PC-6 Turbo Porter is a short take-off and landing, or STOL, aircraft. The aircraft has a maximum capacity of ten people. The pilot and all ten passengers were killed, including five instructors and five people who were preparing to skydive for the first time. It had just taken off from Nancy-Essey airfield when it crashed suddenly at around 11 a.m. (11:00) local time.
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A Leonardo AW139 helicopter operated by Aloula Aviation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Saudi Aramco crashed on Sunday morning, according to the Saudi Ministry of Energy. The accident occurred around 6 a.m. local in Ras Tanura, and it resulted in the loss of life of all 14 people on board. According to a ministry statement, the 14 passengers and crew were Saudi nationals. An investigation was opened into the cause of the crash. The helicopter belonged to Aramco, which is majority-owned by Saudi Arabia. “The relevant authorities have launched a full investigation to determine the cause of the crash,” the state news agency added. The Leonardo AW139 is primarily manufactured in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and the company is headquartered in Cascina Costa, Italy.
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The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency official who once claimed he had teleported to a Waffle House is leaving the agency. Former FEMA official Gregg Phillips, who led the agency’s Office of Response and Recovery, made national headlines after claiming on podcasts that he was involuntarily teleported, including an incident where he was allegedly sent to a Waffle House 50 miles (80 km) away. He was pushed out of the agency following the controversy.
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Gracie the Giraffe, the runaway who certainly stood out in a crowd, had wandered off from her home at the Cedar Hollow Ranch in Leakey, Texas, in Texas Hill Country two weeks ago. She was found safe and sound. Giraffes are classified in the family Giraffidae along with their extinct relative, the okapi. The large African hoofed mammals are the tallest living terrestrial animals and the largest ruminants on Earth. The Cedar Hollow Ranch is a commercial exotic animal breeding and hunting operation.
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The soaring temperatures in many parts of the world over the past few weeks should not cause one to overlook signs of dehydration, which means the body is losing more water than it can replace. Early warning signs of dehydration include intense thirst, a dry or sticky mouth, a headache, and/or dark-yellow urine. Studies show that drinking water throughout the day, not just when one is thirsty, is a strategy that works to combat dehydration, as is avoiding diuretics such as alcohol, coffee, and tea, as they increase fluid loss through urination. Staying cool and hydrating frequently are of paramount importance but so are staying out of the sun and dangerously hot indoor spaces. Blacking out windows in a home or office – similar to what was done during the Second World War in London to prevent the release of light from indoors that could have served to guide German bomber pilots during the Blitz. Consider purchasing several mini battery-operated fans for yourself and family or friends as they provide immediate comfort and relief from heat. Finally, for individuals, friends, or family trips, consider cooler attractions such as museums, cathedrals, subterranean exhibitions, and even department stores.
N.B. If you feel unwell and are experiencing heavy sweating followed by hot, red, and dry skin, a throbbing headache, confusion, a rapid pulse, or loss of consciousness, summon help on your mobile phone by dialing 112 or 911, the most used local emergency numbers in the world. Most mobiles will translate 112 to 911 if dialed in the United States or 911 to 112 if dialed in Europe, for example.
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A country road in Northern Italy
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Why would a composer and librettist take a risk by writing a musical from scratch when there are such wonderful treasures from almost a century ago to pour into the musical-theatre mixing bowl and use as the basis of a truly joyous sendup, first as a hit streaming series and then as a Broadway musical?
“Schmigadoon!” is a pitch-perfect sendup of Golden Age musicals including “Oklahoma!,” “Carousel,” “The Music Man,” “The Sound of Music,” and “Brigadoon,” from which the show’s name is derived. Arising from once-in-a-generational talent, the result is an incredibly delightful musical-theatre pastiche that easily passes one of the most crucial tests a musical must face, namely do theatergoers leave the theater singing, humming, or whistling one of the show’s songs. The songs are infectious and contagious, to wit:
“Oklahoma’s” premise of a farmer and a cowhand, along with a flirtatious Ado Annie archetype, are heavily echoed in “Schmigadoon.” ”Carousel” character archetypes like the swaggering, doomed bad boy, and scenes such as the “If I Loved You” bench number, are lifted by this great piece of musical theatre. “The Music Man” features prominently in “Schmigadoon.” The plot – a town transformed by a magical outsider, is the most prominent nod, with the stern Marian the Librarian character in the form of Emma the Librarian, brilliantly portrayed by Ariana DeBose.
The original Broadway cast of “Schmigadoon”
“Brigadoon” lends its name to the town, itself is a portmanteau of “schmuck.” This 1947 musical gem about a magical, hidden village. “The Sound of Music” features homages to both the story of a governess/outsider changing the family, in this case the town, and musical moments including singing about your “Favorite Things.”
“Schmigadoon!” is a joyous, must-see sendup of the so-called “golden age” of Broadway and its co-creator, Cinco Paul, has beautifully translated the hit parody-filled Apple TV streaming series to the Technicolor stage, including an emotionally-grounded romance as a bonus.
Schmigadoon
Nederlander Theater
208 West 41 Street
New York, N.Y. 10036
Running time: 2 hours and 15 min.
www.schmigadoonbroadway.com
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Scientists now say the plastic waste products, currently a global scourge, could power technologies that require fuel to produce heat and electricity, such as boilers, furnaces, and turbines, and provide diesel fuel for trucks, trains, and ships. Known as Pyrolysis oil, also known as bio-oil or biocrude, it is a synthetic fuel derived from heating biomass or waste plastics in an oxygen-free environment, and is a valuable circular-economy resource, as it can be refined into chemicals and fuels or used as a direct substitute for industrial petroleum. Using a variety of the proverb, “If you can’t beat them, join them,” scientists and environmental experts recognize it may not be possible to put the Genie back into the bottle and have developed two methods for converting the plastic back into usable oil, namely 1.) Thermal Decomposition in which materials are heated to temperatures between 300° C (572° F) and 900° C (1,652° F) without oxygen, and 2.) Condensation, where extreme heat breaks the polymer chains or organic matter into vapors, which are then rapidly cooled and condensed into a dark, viscous liquid.
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A major communications network failure forced the Deutsche Bahn to halt all trains and traffic, leaving passengers stranded across the country at various points along their journey. The fault occurred earlier this past week during scheduled maintenance of the outdated GSM-R railway radio system to upgrade a switch in the network and an automatic failover system did not kick in. The Deutsche Bahn, the national railway company of Germany, known by its initials, DB, provides both long-distance and regional transport, having served ca. 132 million long distance passengers and 1.6 billion regional passengers in 2022. The past week has been particularly troublesome for the railroad as the heatwave that brought temperatures that exceed 40 ° C (104° F) has left tracks and switches highly prone to faults. The Deutsche Bahn has also had a multi-year run of problems during which air conditioning systems used to cool passenger train cabins have failed.
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George presents important news and events of the day clearly and concisely in a format better suited to the modern reader’s limited time and focus, without forsaking the founders’ traditional commitment to fact-driven news, commentary, and dispatches – all prepared by curious thinkers, for curious thinkers.
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Jonathan Spira, Alexander Khusid, Tim Perry, Christian Stampfer, Kurt Stolz, Anna Breuer, and Paul Riegler contributed to this issue of George.
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