Interludes

At dawn here in Northern California, a soft rain greeted those of us who rose early. Not long afterward, the clouds passed and the sun quickly dried the moisture on the leaves of the trees outside my window.

In the garden, the rain helped the newly germinated carrot and tomato plants push enough grains of soil aside to emerge into view, adding faint lines of green against the jet-black earth.

The mature plants benefited too — peppers, cucumbers, artichokes and raspberries, as well as the rosemary lavender, jasmine, golden poppies and pink, white and blue wildflowers dotting the hillside. Everything glistened in the bright sunlight.

I sighed. Before turning back inside to process the news, the world briefly seemed like a beautiful place.

***

Hours later, at day’s end, I returned from an early dinner with a friend. She wanted to see the garden so I took her back there, now in the dusky hour before sunset.

The poppies had closed up for the night but everything else looked the same. I showed her the plum, olive and lemon trees. Before heading back inside, I sighed.

The world once again seemed like a beautiful place.

HEADLINES:

• Pope Leo XIV urges release of imprisoned journalists, affirms gift of free speech and press (AP)

• China sees the U.S. trade deal as a huge win for Beijing (CNBC)

• Trump says US-China relations 'reset' as markets surge on tariff pause (BBC)

• America has given China a strangely good tariff deal (Economist)

• Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander returns to Israel after Hamas release (CNN)

• Trump feels the heat from MAGA over ‘great gesture’ of a luxury jet from Qatar (Politico)

• Trump defends Qatar jumbo jet offer, says it would be 'stupid' to turn away free plane (ABC)

• ‘We’re living in two separate economies’ — why young Americans feel stuck, financially (CNBC)

• Unpacking RFK Jr.’s ‘doublespeak’ on vaccines (WP)

• House Republicans unveil Medicaid cuts that Democrats warn will leave millions without care (AP)

• Josh Hawley warns against Medicaid cuts and says Republicans are in ‘identity crisis’ (Guardian)

• White South Africans arrive at Dulles as refugees under Trump order (WP)

• Episcopal Church says it won’t help resettle white South Africans granted refugee status in US (AP)

• The US Library of Congress is under attack (Financial Times)

• Deputy attorney general who defended Trump in hush money trial named acting librarian of Congress (AP)

• Is Jeff Bezos Selling Out the Washington Post? (New Yorker)

• New Report Finds Vacationing Sources Habla Un Poquito De Español (The Onion)