Good morning. A third U.S. service member died this weekend during intense exchanges with Iran. The soldier was killed in northern Iraq during a controlled detonation of an Iranian drone. We have more on the war below, and a recap of the World Cup final — Spain’s win and the halftime show. But first, we’re taking your questions.
Your questions, answeredHousing, debt, immigration. Political polls, political donations. There’s a lot going on, and a lot of it’s confusing. We asked you what you wanted to know, and then got the best beat reporters in the business to tell us what they know. Here we go: Political donationsRecently one of our U.S. Senate candidates “suspended her campaign.” Now Graham Platner in Maine is as well. What happens to campaign donations when a candidate drops out before the election? — Dana Saxon, Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan Candidates who drop out (or lose) almost always hold on to the money that they’ve collected. There is no obligation to return the cash — you just can’t pocket it for personal use. Losing candidates can hold on to millions of dollars for years, transfer the money to another entity like a state party, or use it to finance future campaigns. The only time it would be refunded to donors is if a candidate accepted money specifically earmarked for the general election and didn’t make it that far. — Theodore Schleifer, who covers campaign finance DeportationsWhat happens to the assets of those who have been suddenly deported from the U.S.? Many had property, bank accounts, etc. Do the feds collect these? — Heather Cullen, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada People who are deported retain legal ownership of their home, vehicles, bank accounts and personal belongings. However, as a practical matter, they may have trouble gaining access to their assets from abroad. That means they risk losing their life savings and property. Lawyers often recommend that people at risk of deportation grant power of attorney to a trusted friend or family member to manage their affairs. — Miriam Jordan, who covers immigration
Housing billWhat does it mean for us renters (and hopefully future home buyers) now that the ROAD to Housing Act is law? Can I expect any quick fixes? — Anna Lamb, Cedar City, Utah The law is playing the long game. The logic is that if you remove regulatory, zoning and financing barriers, home builders will create more housing, and that will stabilize or bring down prices. (Read more about it here.) But the bill will have an immediate impact in a few places. It protects existing rental assistance in rural communities. It codifies protections for tenants in public housing that has gone private. And it authorizes a pilot program for smaller mortgages, which are hard to come by except in rural areas. There are also changes to rules about manufactured homes (what you probably think of as trailers). The law will make it easier to get loans to buy these homes, and it removes a requirement that the homes sit on a steel chassis, which could make them cheaper to build and buy. — Ronda Kaysen, who covers real estate Government savings accountsIs the new child savings account some kind of Trump scam? “If it seems to good to be true, it probably is.” What is the catch? — Jean Tribble, Montgomery, Alabama Not a scam! Any citizen under 18 with a Social Security number can get one of these tax-advantaged investment accounts, and babies born from 2025 through 2028 can get a $1,000 deposit from the federal government. That’s free money, no strings attached. Individuals can contribute up to $5,000 per year to these accounts. Philanthropists and governments can make unlimited deposits. The tech billionaire Michael Dell and his wife, and Micron, the U.S. chip maker, have already pledged huge sums to the program. Vanguard estimates that a kid who gets $1,000 a year from birth will have about $32,000 by age 18. That’s when people are allowed to withdraw the money for specific purposes, like college or buying a home. (They can also let it keep growing as a retirement account.) That’s a nice head start. — Tara Siegel Bernard, personal finance reporter National debtIn answering a previous question about the national debt, you said some economists project that the U.S. will default in 20 years or so. What would that look like for our economy? — Jonnie Beth Bryan, New Orleans, Louisiana It’s a little like dominoes: The price of borrowing would likely skyrocket, starving businesses of cash, which could throw the economy into crisis. The solutions have always been the same — raise taxes or cut spending — but they won’t work if we wait too long, said Kent Smetters, an economist at Wharton. There’s another, last-ditch option: Print money. But doing so devalues the currency and makes everyone poorer. It’s a rock and a hard place. So we’re collectively betting we’ll grow our way out of this mess before it happens. If the economy gets bigger — say, because of an A.I. productivity boom — the government may collect enough in taxes to retire decades-old debt. — Evan Gorelick
VenezuelaWhere are the Maduros? What is happening to them? — Penelope Cordes, Anchorage, Alaska Right where they have been since January, when a U.S. military operation seized the leader of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores, on federal charges of narcoterrorism. They’re being held in a federal detention center in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Sunset Park. They have not been in court since March; a hearing last month was postponed. It’s difficult to imagine a trial before next year at the earliest. According to others imprisoned with him, Maduro spends much of his time reading the Bible. — Jonah Bromwich, who covers criminal justice
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A.I. drones are the future of warfare. Humanity isn’t ready, W.J. Hennigan writes. Health care costs are soaring. Government price caps aren’t the answer, the health policy researchers Lorens Helmchen and Tony LoSasso write. Deeply reported journalism needs your support. The Times relies on subscribers to help fund our mission. Become a subscriber today.
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Grandma hobbies: Gen Z is taking up crafts like knitting and quilting to learn skills and build community offline. Viral resistance: One reason Ebola is so hard to stop is that people get so angry at the health care workers involved. Metropolitan Diary: Playing our song.
Spain is the men’s World Cup champion for the second time. The team beat Argentina in extra time, 1-0, after a long, simmering game filled with shoves and a red card that left Argentina with only 10 players. Ferran Torres’s goal came in the 106th minute. It may also have been the last World Cup game ever for Lionel Messi, who is 39. His teammates started a fight after the game. For more
Madonna. Justin Bieber. All seven members of BTS. Shakira and Burna Boy. Gustavo Dudamel. Jason Sudeikis in character as Ted Lasso. Chris Martin. Ronaldo and Ronaldinho. The first World Cup final halftime show brought the star power, but it was so carefully executed that it offered little to remember, our critic Lindsay Zoladz writes. Read her review.
15— That’s how many margherita pizzas Spain’s World Cup team ordered for delivery in New Jersey after the game. They also got 15 plain and 10 buffalo chicken pies, a specialty of the restaurant.
Kia Damon’s recipe for salt and pepper zucchini is a vegetarian take on |
