Dan

[Echoes of War @EchoesofWarYT]

Four musket balls tore through George Washington's coat at the Battle of Monongahela. Two horses were shot dead beneath him. He rode back and forth across the worst of the fighting rallying broken men, and when the smoke cleared he did not have a single scratch on him. An Indian chief later said he ordered his men to fire at Washington again and again, then stopped, certain the Great Spirit was shielding him.

He was 23 years old. He wrote to his brother a few days later, almost puzzled by it, and said he had been protected beyond all human expectation by the miraculous care of Providence.

And here is the part people forget. That was not the one time. That was the pattern.

At Princeton he rode his horse to within thirty yards of the British line and told his men to hold as the muskets opened up. An officer who was there covered his eyes because he was sure he was about to watch the general die. When he looked again Washington was still sitting tall in the saddle, waving his hat, completely unharmed. For eight years of war he stood where the fighting was heaviest and the bullets simply refused to find him. His enemies started to talk about it. His own soldiers started to believe it.

He was not being reckless. He just never seemed to believe it was his time.

This is the thread that runs through nearly every great man in history. They lived like the date had already been written and no enemy on earth could move it up by a single hour.

Caesar stood on the bank of the Rubicon, looked at everything he was about to risk, and said the die is already cast. Then he walked into it.

Cromwell rode into battle after battle convinced the outcome had been settled long before either army woke up that morning, and he fought like a man who had nothing left to fear because the ending was not his to decide.

Andrew Jackson stood on the Capitol steps while a man walked up and pulled a pistol on him at point blank range. It misfired. The man drew a second pistol. That one misfired too. The odds of both failing were so small that people argued about it for years. Jackson just raised his cane and went after the man himself.

Stonewall Jackson would ride calmly through a storm of gunfire while everyone around him flinched, and when someone finally asked how he stayed so steady he said it plainly. My religious belief teaches me to feel as safe in battle as in bed. God has already fixed the time of my death, so I do not trouble myself about it. I am always ready, no matter when it comes.

That was the whole secret. Not that they loved danger. Not that they did not feel fear. They simply believed their steps were already numbered by a hand higher than any king, and a man who truly believes that walks through fire like it is a hallway.

You cannot kill a man before his work is done.

And when you line their lives up side by side, the escapes, the misfires, the bullets that passed through the coat but never the man, it gets very hard to call all of it luck.

[U.S. Soccer Men's National Team @USMNT]

Dear America... Thank you for standing with us and for believing in this team. Thank you for believing in the future of soccer in this country.

A toda nuestra gente... Gracias por su apoyo y por creer en este equipo. Gracias por creer en el futuro del fútbol en nuestro país.

[FOX Sports @FOXSports]

A team that inspired a nation. Thank you, @USMNT.

[ScreenRant @screenrant]

Angel Studios has announced that #YoungWashington is getting a sequel titled 1776. The news comes after the film's $20.8 million opening weekend, which is the studio's second-best domestic debut of all time. 🥈

Read More: https://t.co/EEjEodjs7w

[ESPN @espn]

Breaking: Folarin Balogun will be available to play in USA's Round of 16 match against Belgium on Monday, FIFA announced.

The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has suspended the red card issued to the USA striker during their Round of 32 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina.

[Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський @ZelenskyyUa]

Today marks the 250th anniversary of one of humanity's brightest, strongest, and most influential dreams – the American Dream of an independent, free, and prosperous nation that defends people's freedom, faith, and the pursuit of happiness.

That dream has endured many trials. It did not merely survive – it has, for two and a half centuries now, served as an example for other nations and helped the entire humanity stand firm and become freer. This was especially important in the 20th century, when America helped save the world from the rule of tyrants and built the alliances and partnerships that, for the first time, gave a large part of humanity lasting peace and the opportunity to develop in freedom.

Now, in the 21st century, America's influence and importance are certainly no less. And we see that particularly clearly in Ukraine, which is fighting for its independence, freedom, and our people's right to happiness with much the same hope, the same purpose, and the same determination with which Americans won and defended their own independence.

We deeply value the support of the United States, especially now, during Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine. American weapons – from the Javelins that President Trump decided to give to Ukraine to the Patriots that most reliably protect the lives of our people – everything the United States has provided to help us defend our country demonstrates the strength of the American spirit, American resolve, and American technology.

And we know the value of all these words better than anyone. When we ask America for Patriots, we believe that the values of respect for life and for people that prevailed 250 years ago will prevail again today. The world needs the kind of leadership that guarantees protection for freedom and for life.

I wish America a happy Fourth of July, the President of the United States and all Americans every success, and all of us around the world who value America – fruitful cooperation. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." That is what unites all of us – all who respect America and thank America today.

May the dreams of free people always triumph over the evil and hatred of those who seek to destroy freedom. America, thank you! I am confident that if we're in it together, we'll definitely achieve peace! Congratulations on your Independence Day!

[Catholic Sat @CatholicSat]

“May God bless America”

Acceptance speech of Pope Leo XIV after being awarded the prestigious Liberty Medal from the U.S. National Constitution Center for his lifelong commitment to promoting religious liberty and freedom of conscience and expression around the world.

[Joe Pompliano @JoePompliano]

BREAKING: The USMNT's win against Bosnia-Herzegovina averaged 24.4 million viewers on Fox, peaking at 31.8 million.

That makes it the most-watched soccer telecast in English-language U.S. history.

[FIFA @FIFAcom]

Thank you, San Francisco Bay Area! 🇺🇸

Six games, 12 goals and a number of incredible @FIFAWorldCup 2026 moments 🫶

[OurSF49ers @OurSf49ers]

Levi’s Stadium is a vibe for The Team USA World Cup match 🔥

[FOX Sports @FOXSports]

MALIK TILLMAN FREE KICK GOLAZO AND THE @USMNT IS UP 2-0 🇺🇸

Advantage doubled even down to 10 men.

[San Francisco 49ers @49ers]

Good luck @USMNT 👏

[DiscussingFilm @DiscussingFilm]

‘REACHER’ Season 4 will release August 12 on Prime Video.

[The Associated Press @AP]

BREAKING: The Supreme Court upholds birthright citizenship, rejecting Trump’s proposed limits. https://t.co/RqBi4UDJAY

[ABC News @ABC]

BREAKING: The Supreme Court has rejected President Trump’s attempt to end birthright citizenship in the U.S. by executive order, reaffirming more than a century of legal precedent and national tradition that babies born on American soil are automatically American citizens.
https://t.co/hZX3ZV294P

[Mambo Italiano @mamboitaliano__]

🚨 Today, June 29, Rome honours its patron saints, Saints Peter and Paul, with one of Italy’s most breathtaking spectacles

The legendary “Girandola” at Castel Sant’Angelo

A tradition whose roots stretch back centuries 🇮🇹✨

[B/R Gridiron @brgridiron]

George Kittle weighs is on the grass vs. turf debate 🍿

(via: @NFLPA)

[Coach Yac 🗣 @Coach_Yac]

George Kittle on NFL teams willing to use grass for World Cup games, but not for their own players

[Catholic Arena @CatholicArena]

Pope Leo XIV has told people to GET OFF THEIR PHONES when they are with their families:

'When the family is together, it is not enough for everyone simply to sit there, each looking at his or her own phone. It is very important to learn how to talk with one another, to have conversations, to enjoy being together, to play together, and also to pray together. Even if we can have the Bible or some prayers on our phones, God does not want to look at our phones; God wants to look at our hearts and at our lives.

So we need to be free from these things which, in themselves, can be entertaining, helpful, and even good, but it is far more important to develop our humanity through friendship, conversation, and all the activities you are doing here during these weeks'

[Barack Obama @BarackObama]

To all the dads out there – Happy Father’s Day!

Nothing we do is more fulfilling!