June 13, 2026 - US Routs Paraguay 4-1 in Opener

Last night I prayed for no breaking news.

Because this morning at 9am ET and again at 1pm ET, CNN is scheduled to air a special in lieu of my regular program. A television primer on The Mingle Project. Arguably the most important content I've aired on CNN in the dozen years I've had my own program.

A Washington Post story a few years ago was an epiphany moment for me. It reported that for the first time, more American school children were being driven to school in private vehicles than riding a public bus. I immediately thought about my own rides to elementary school - Mr. Larlick behind the wheel, kids from every background crammed together - and saw the demise of that collective ride as a metaphor for where we are. We're no longer on the same bus.

That realization made me see a collection of social and political scientist author interviews I'd done over the years not as one-offs but as pieces of an important puzzle. Richard Louv's “Last Child in the Woods”, Robert Putnam's “Bowling Alone”, Charles Murray's “Coming Apart”, Bill Bishop's “Big Sort”, Jean Twenge's “iGen”, and Jonathan Haidt's “The Anxious Generation”. When assembled, they tell a single story of societal disconnect disproportionately impacting our youth. No wonder that in 2023 the Surgeon General declared loneliness a national epidemic.

The name is a hat tip to Bill Maher, who said on Real Time that America's problem is a lack of mingling - that we've lost appreciation for how the other side lives.

Today's special features portions of interviews I've done with Putnam, Murray, David Wasserman, Scott Galloway, Debra Soh, Dr. Tami Benton, and Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel. 

This just scratches the surface of the thirty-three full length Mingle Project episodes on my YouTube page. Plus my website has interviews with book authors on related subject matter, a library of Mingle news accounts, and a directory to find your nearest Mingle Meetup group - radio listeners who have taken it upon themselves to gather in small groups all across the country.

Joining is the whole idea.

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The U.S. men's national team opened its home World Cup with a commanding 4-1 win over Paraguay at SoFi Stadium, powered by two Folarin Balogun goals, a Weston McKennie–forced own goal and a late curler from Gio Reyna.

NBC News

As President Trump signals a deal is near to end the war with Iran, key U.S. objectives remain unfulfilled while Pakistan's Prime Minister says Washington and Tehran have agreed on the wording of an agreement.

Associated Press

President Trump announced that a joint U.S.-Venezuelan operation killed the alleged leader of Venezuelan-based gang Tren de Aragua, Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, in an airstrike, marking a major blow against the transnational gang the administration has designated a foreign terrorist organization.

CBS News

Elon Musk became the first person in history to surpass a $1 trillion net worth after SpaceX debuted on the Nasdaq, boosting the value of his holdings in both SpaceX and Tesla to an estimated $1.05 trillion.

CNBC

President Donald Trump’s push to finalize a peace deal with Iran has left Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sidelined and politically vulnerable, forcing him to accept an agreement he privately doubts while facing criticism at home for failing to achieve Israel’s wartime goals.

Axios

As Switzerland votes on a proposal to cap its population below 10 million, the referendum highlights growing Western skepticism toward mass immigration amid concerns over housing costs, strained services, and whether population growth truly benefits local residents.

The Wall Street Journal

The Justice Department has approved David Ellison’s $111 billion Paramount-Warner Bros. merger without requiring concessions, clearing a major hurdle for the Hollywood megadeal even as a coalition of state attorneys general prepares a legal challenge to block it.

The Hollywood Reporter

Workers began removing President Donald Trump’s name from the facade of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts after a federal judge ruled that the center’s Trump-backed renaming violated federal law and could only be authorized by Congress.

The New York Times

A federal judge indefinitely blocked President Donald Trump’s proposed $1.8 billion payout fund, ruling that the administration has not provided sufficient assurance that the fund will not be revived in the future despite claims it has been abandoned.

The Washington Post

Artist David Hockney, whose vibrant depictions of California pools, Yorkshire landscapes and innovative digital works made him one of the most influential and celebrated painters of the past century, has died at age 88.

Vogue