John Cox

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www.gamintraveler.com

15 Countries Where Americans Can Live Visa-Free For A Full Year

The article identifies 15 countries where Americans can stay visa-free or on extended tourist visas for up to a year, ranging from Albania and Georgia to more structured options like Spain's Non-Lucrative Visa and Argentina's Digital Nomad Visa, each with varying cost-of-living and income requirements. Beyond the practical visa details, it critiques the romanticized notion of long-term tourism by noting that visa-free policies often serve countries' economic interests rather than facilitate genuine integration, that American passport privilege contrasts sharply with travel restrictions faced by citizens of other nations, and that extended tourism can still strain local resources and communities. The guide emphasizes that visa-free access alone doesn't guarantee a successful relocation—proper planning around healthcare, finances, cultural adjustment, and work restrictions is essential for a genuinely transformative year abroad.

Permalink travelunited statesgeorgiadigital

summitborn.com

The 15 Most Beautiful Destinations to Visit on the American West Coast

This is a travel guide listing 15 major attractions along the USA West Coast, from Washington to California, including national parks, coastal towns, and cities. Each destination is briefly described with its key features—such as Olympic National Park's rainforests, Yosemite's granite cliffs, Big Sur's dramatic coastline, and Napa Valley's wineries—along with recommended activities like hiking, kayaking, and sightseeing. The guide is organized to appeal to various traveler types: nature lovers, adventure seekers, foodies, and culture enthusiasts seeking diverse West Coast experiences.

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www.insidehook.com

The 100 Best American-Made Products

InsideHook curates a list of 100 American-made products across gear, style, home, kitchen, and grooming categories, taking a generous approach to what qualifies as "made in America" by including items where substantial American manufacturing and ingenuity are involved, even if some international components are necessary. Rather than focusing on strict FTC compliance, the editors emphasize celebrating the specific craftspeople and small manufacturers behind these goods—from cast iron skillets hand-signed by blacksmiths to vertically integrated woolen mills—arguing that what makes these products worth buying is not patriotic labeling but their genuine quality and the dedication of American makers.

Permalink gearrecommendationsunited stateskitchen

CNN

A looming ‘tsunami’ of church closings is poised to remake America | CNN

A PBS documentary series examines the crisis facing American churches, with experts projecting that roughly 100,000 will close or be repurposed over the next decade due to declining membership and attendance. The film follows struggling congregations like one in Michigan forced to shut its doors, while also profiling churches that have adapted successfully through technology, welcoming community service roles, and making worship engaging for younger generations. Though Christianity remains dominant in America, churches face a fundamental tension between preserving the familiar rituals that comfort longtime members and making the changes necessary to attract new worshippers and survive.

Permalink cultureunited statescommunitynews

The Takeout

11 Best Family-Owned Pizza Joints Across The US

This article profiles ten exceptional family-owned pizzerias across the United States, highlighting establishments where recipes and techniques have been passed down through generations or represent the personal vision of dedicated pizza craftspeople. Each pizzeria is featured with details about its history, signature style, and what makes it distinctive—from Frank Pepe's legendary white clam pizza in Connecticut to King Dough's naturally fermented Neapolitan pies in Indiana to Papa's Tomato Pies, the oldest continuously family-run pizzeria in America. The selections were determined through national award rankings, expert food critic reviews, and social media recognition from loyal local customers.

Permalink foodrestaurantsunited states

apple.news

Tasting Table

The Hands Down Best Distillery In Every State

This guide identifies the best craft distillery in each U.S. state, selected based on major competition awards, use of local ingredients, regional historical connections, and community involvement. Each entry profiles one standout distillery with its signature products, accolades, and contact information. The selections range from established names like Buffalo Trace in Kentucky to newer operations like Anchorage Distillery in Alaska, highlighting how craft distilling has flourished across all fifty states.

Permalink travelunited statesspirits

9/11: The National Geographic Video Archive

apple.news

17 of the most charming small towns in the U.S. — National Geographic

National Geographic's *Small Towns U.S.A.* highlights 17 lesser-known American destinations worth visiting, each offering distinctive character—from Camden, Maine's coastal charm and ski slopes to Bisbee, Arizona's former mining town turned artist enclave, to Solvang, California's Danish architectural heritage. The selections span regions and draw visitors through varied attractions: bourbon distilleries and equestrian traditions in Kentucky and Virginia, wild horses and Civil War history in Maryland and Illinois, and seasonal festivals like La Conner's Tulip Festival and Garden City's Raspberry Days. These towns prioritize preserved history, outdoor recreation, and local cultural identity over typical tourist infrastructure.

Permalink travelunited statesroad tripsscenic

www.benjaminlcorey.com

Could American Evangelicals Spot the Antichrist? Here Are the Biblical Predictions:

Corey walks through the standard biblical proof-texts end-times Christians cite for identifying the Antichrist, then applies them point by point to Donald Trump — arrogance, boastful speeches, the seven "hills," a shock election win, enriching himself and cronies through real estate, cruelty toward migrants at the southern border, a staged church photo-op after tear-gassing protesters, and evangelical leaders like Franklin Graham framing his rise as divinely ordained. It's satirical in method but genuinely provocative in intent, using the mechanics of prophecy-matching that his evangelical peers use against liberal targets to instead indict Trump and the Christian right that supports him. The piece is really an extended, tongue-in-cheek polemic against fear-based end-times theology and its political alliance with Trumpism, worth keeping as a sharp, list-driven takedown rather than a serious eschatological argument.

Permalink united statespoliticsdonald trump

kottke.org

www.independent.co.uk

Tributes paid to six US troops killed in Iran drone strike including mother who was two days away from returning home

This piece profiles the six US Army Reserve soldiers killed when Iran struck a logistics command centre near Port Shuaiba, Kuwait, a day into the joint US-Israel "Operation Epic Fury" campaign against Iran. It centres on personal details from grieving families—Sgt. Amor's near-return home and unprotected relocation, Sgt. Coady's fresh promotion and cybersecurity studies, Capt. Khork's ROTC-driven patriotism, and Sgt. Tietjens' martial arts teaching—giving a human face to the first named American casualties of the escalating conflict.

Permalink united statespoliticsnewsmilitary

www.travelandleisure.com

www.travelandleisure.com

The 15 Least-visited National Parks in the US for Beautiful Views and Adventure Without the Crowds

The article profiles the least-visited U.S. national parks, explaining why remote parks receive far fewer visitors and offering practical context for would-be travelers. It highlights remote Alaska entries such as [[Gates of the Arctic]], [[Kobuk Valley]], and [[Lake Clark]] alongside island and mainland outliers like [[Isle Royale]], [[Dry Tortugas]], and [[American Samoa]], and links low visitation to factors including limited access, seasonal weather, high travel cost, and deliberate preservation policies. The piece summarizes visitation statistics, terrain and wildlife characteristics, access logistics, and recommended planning tips including permits, transportation, safety, and leave-no-trace practices so readers can understand trade-offs between solitude and infrastructure and decide whether an adventurous, less-crowded national park experience is right for them. It also offers suggestions for timing visits to maximize wildlife viewing and photography opportunities while minimizing environmental impact.

Permalink hikingtraveladventurenational parks

www.theatlantic.com

A New Reckoning for Nuclear Energy

After decades of stagnation caused by public opposition, economic barriers, and safety concerns, nuclear energy is experiencing unprecedented political and corporate support as a climate solution, with the U.S. government targeting a massive expansion and major tech companies investing heavily in new facilities. However, this represents the country's third major nuclear revival attempt, and the industry faces a critical test: it must successfully demonstrate that it can build large fleets of new reactors on time and within budget, particularly using smaller "advanced" reactor designs that have long promised breakthroughs but never achieved commercial deployment. If expectations outpace actual delivery over the next five to ten years, another failure could undermine nuclear's role in the climate transition at a time when abundant carbon-free electricity is increasingly essential.

Permalink technologyenvironmentamazonunited states

www.outsideonline.com

The Best Hike in Every State

This is a state-by-state guide to the best single hike in each of the 50 United States, selected by the publication's writers and editors based on considerations like scenic beauty, terrain variety, and distinctive features. Each entry includes a brief description of the hike's route, elevation gain, length, and what makes it noteworthy—whether that's waterfalls, alpine views, cultural landmarks, or wildlife encounters. The selections range from accessible short walks like Michigan's Pyramid Point (easy family-friendly dune views) to challenging multi-day backpacking routes like Maine's 100-Mile Wilderness and the John Muir Trail in California.

Permalink hikingtraveladventurenational parks

www.nytimes.com

How Rupert Murdoch’s Empire of Influence Remade the World

Rupert Murdoch suffered a serious spinal injury in January 2018 that forced his adult children to contemplate succession for the first time, raising questions about who would control his sprawling global media empire and its outsized political influence across the English-speaking world. The piece traces how Murdoch built this empire by using his outlets to support favored political candidates and then leveraging those relationships to remove regulatory obstacles to his expansion, a formula his father Keith pioneered in Australia and that Rupert perfected across Britain and America, particularly through Fox News's role in amplifying right-wing populism including Trump's rise. The narrative reveals deep tensions between Murdoch's sons—the idealistic, centrist James who wanted to modernize the company and his more conservative older brother Lachlan, whom Murdoch ultimately favored—and explains how the controlling family trust structure means that Murdoch's death would trigger a power struggle that could reshape global politics.

Permalink united statespoliticsbusinessfamily

www.nytimes.com

Opinion | How Life as a Trucker Devolved Into a Dystopian Nightmare

Long-haul truckers endure extreme surveillance, declining real wages since the 1970s, and dangerous working conditions—forced to work excessive hours because they're paid by the mile rather than hourly—which creates the endemic exhaustion that safety systems are deployed to manage. Deregulation in the 1970s destroyed the unionized trucking industry, triggering a 91 percent turnover rate as workers flee wages and conditions that have become progressively worse. The vaccine mandate that sparked the Canadian trucker protest resonated precisely because truckers already experience such total control over their labor and bodies that this additional government mandate became the breaking point for an industry that has been "a keg of dynamite waiting to explode for 39 years."

Permalink technologyaicanadaunited states

www.nytimes.com

Colin Powell Still Wants Answers

Colin Powell privately opposed the 2003 Iraq invasion as foolish and warned President Bush it would end badly, yet he became the war's most persuasive public advocate by delivering the February 2003 U.N. speech presenting allegedly solid intelligence about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. The article reveals that C.I.A. analysts and other intelligence officials doubted much of the evidence Powell presented—including claims from a dubious source nicknamed Curveball—and that the speech was constructed under pressure to make an unconvincing case more "slam dunk" persuasive for domestic audiences, with dissenters kept out of the preparation process. Powell later acknowledged he could have simply refused the assignment and resigned, which might have created a political domino effect that prevented the war, but he chose not to because "he's the president."

Permalink historyunited statespoliticsnews