July 8, 2026 - Trump: Iran Ceasefire "Waste of Time"

Thank you for reading my newsletter. And thank you for reading in general.

Today on SiriusXM radio, I'll be joined by Rose Horowitch, an Atlantic staff writer whose reporting has already reshaped how we talk about literacy. You may know her viral essay, "The Elite College Students Who Can't Read Books," which revealed that even at our finest universities, students struggle to finish a novel. Now she's back with the magazine's August cover story, linked in today's newsletter, and it asks an unsettling question: is the age of reading over? Are we post-literate?

The numbers are sobering. Fewer than half of American adults read a book of any kind in 2022. Reading for pleasure on a given day has fallen to 16%, and the decline cuts across every demographic. We may actually be reading more words than ever—but they're emails and texts, not books, and our comprehension is slipping with them.

Why should we care? Because reading isn't just entertainment. Sustained, linear text trained us in observation, argumentation, and analysis. From Gutenberg's press in 1440 flowed revolutions, reformations, and the ideas that shaped our founding. What happens to a democracy that stops reading—that gets its information from video and algorithms rewarding simplicity, and now leans on AI to do its thinking? One ramification: things get simplified. And the algorithms feed that trend. Politicians who can communicate in sentence fragments and sound bites get rewarded. (Anyone come to mind?)

Horowitch doesn't predict mass illiteracy. Something subtler worries her: a society with diminished cognitive skills, a less rational and analytical mode of thought. And yet—Barnes & Noble is opening stores, audiobooks are booming. Yes, text is thriving… but just for a dwindling few.

##

President Donald Trump declared the Iran ceasefire effectively over and dismissed further negotiations as "a waste of time" after renewed U.S. and Iranian attacks reignited tensions and sent oil prices sharply higher.

Axios

Argentina roared back from two goals down to beat Egypt 3-2 in an Atlanta Stadium last-16 clash marred by a VAR-disallowed Mostafa Ziko goal and a flurry of yellow cards, with Lionel Messi equalising and Enzo Fernandez sealing the comeback in stoppage time.

Al Jazeera

An ex-girlfriend of Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner told The Washington Post he repeatedly removed condoms during sex without her consent while they dated from 2013 to 2015, an allegation his campaign called “categorically false and politically motivated.”

The Washington Post

As Americans spend less time reading books and more time consuming short-form digital content, a growing body of evidence suggests the shift is reshaping how we think, learn and engage with the world, raising concerns about the future of literacy, critical thinking and democracy.

The Atlantic

Every day, data brokers profit from your sensitive info—phone number, DOB, SSN—selling it to the highest bidder. What happens then? Best case: companies target you with ads. Worst case: scammers and identity thieves breach those brokers, leaving your data vulnerable or on the dark web. It's time you check out Incogni. It scrubs your personal data from the web, confronting the world’s data brokers on your behalf. And unlike other services, Incogni helps remove your sensitive information from all broker types, including those tricky People Search Sites.

Help protect yourself from identity theft, spam calls, and health insurers raising your rates. Plus, just for Smerconish readers: Get 55% off Incogni annual plans using code SMERCONISH.

In a Tel Aviv University speech previewed ahead of delivery, Rahm Emanuel argues that unconditional U.S. support for Israel's government is over and calls for ending military aid subsidies, sanctioning West Bank settlement financiers and pursuing a '23-state solution' engaging the Arab League.

Politico

Nine buildings near a buckling 37-story former Pfizer headquarters on East 42nd Street were suddenly evacuated Tuesday after support columns began caving in, leaving residents, workers and tourists locked out with no word from Mayor Zohran Mamdani's administration on when they can return.

New York Post

Mental performance specialist Julie Elion, who works with elite golfers including Justin Thomas and Wyndham Clark, gives her clients two prompts: tell me what you’re great at mentally, and tell me where you need to improve. Elion says top-50 golfers can always name 10 things they're mentally great at — while lower-ranked players fixate on what they need to improve.

The New York Times

Michigan Democratic Senate front-runner Abdul El-Sayed insists he never called for defunding the police, but a CNN KFile review of his 2020 and 2021 interviews, speeches and deleted tweets shows he repeatedly endorsed the movement and its call to shift money from policing to public services.

CNN

Home security video in Connecticut captured a family's husky mix, Bella, sprinting between a black bear and a 6-year-old boy in the driveway, biting the bear's rear end and chasing it under a parked boat.

ABC News

'Law & Order: SVU' star Mariska Hargitay will host the 78th Emmy Awards on September 14 on NBC, becoming the first woman to emcee the show in 15 years and the first non-comedian to helm the ceremony since 2008.

The Hollywood Reporter