Iwo Jima has always been beautiful, a volcanic chunk of rock surrounded by cobalt sea. But a World War II battle 80 years ago this month turned the Japanese island into a byword for desperate, deadly combat — and for American triumph.On Feb. 23, 1945, a contingent of American Marines climbed to the top of Mount Suribachi, the highest point of Iwo Jima. Atop the rubble of war and volcanic eruption, they pitched forward and raised an American flag. A photographer for The Associated Press, Joe Rosenthal, snapped an image, indelible and iconic.My father, Keyes Beech, was also there, on…
Author: usaeverydaylife
“I think what most founders are also realizing is what you need is not just money, but time. You need time to explore … You need space. You can’t have someone breathing down your neck for updates [while you’re] trying to figure out your product market fit at the start,” says Jx Lye, founder and CEO of Acme Technology.Recep-bg | E+ | Getty ImagesWith the rise of the modern venture capital industry, it seemed as though the idea of creating a technology startup was inextricably tied to an expectation of raising institutional funding. But many founders today are challenging that…
A flag outside of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) headquarters is seen on February 03, 2025 in Washington, DC.Kevin Dietsch | Getty ImagesThe Trump administration said Sunday that it is eliminating 2,000 positions at the U.S. Agency for International Development and placing all but a fraction of other staffers worldwide on leave.It comes after a federal judge on Friday allowed the administration to move forward with pulling thousands of USAID staffers off the job in the United States and around the world. U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols rejected pleas that came in a lawsuit from employees to keep…
Everyone is looking for something as the NFL world descends upon Indianapolis this week.The NFL Scouting Combine is much more than 40-yard dash times and bench press reps. Rumblings surrounding any big contract negotiation or trade on the horizon could start or intensify here. Get used to seeing general managers and head coaches in front of podiums this week, too, as they give more inclinations for how their 2025 rosters will be shaped.Everything is worth watching, which is what The Athletic’s NFL beat writers will be doing. What will they be listening for most during this crucial week? They have…
Now that the votes are cast, the real work in Berlin can begin.While reconstituting parliament is relatively easy and must be done in the next three weeks, no party is expected to get enough votes to govern alone and outright. That means Germany is likely headed for a coalition government — and the process of building one could take months.The party with the most votes on Sunday will have to find partners. Depending on how many small parties enter parliament and how well the big ones do, the next government could need two or three parties to get together. In…
Brent Lewin | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesAn American Airlines flight from New York to New Delhi, India, landed safely in Rome on Sunday afternoon after it was diverted due to a security concern, which later proved to be “non-credible,” the airline said.American Airlines said Flight 292 “was inspected by law enforcement” after landing at Leonardo da Vinci International Airport and “cleared to re-depart.”It didn’t clarify the cause of the security concern, but added an inspection was required by protocol before the flight could land in New Delhi.”The flight will stay in Rome overnight to allow for required crew rest before…
DENVER — It started with a few choice words after a step-back 3-pointer in the first quarter.Then, he picked up a technical foul entering halftime after complaining that he was fouled on a drive. Early in the third quarter, after drilling another off-the-dribble 3-pointer, he barked at a pair of fans sitting courtside. On a drive against Jamal Murray for a floater, Luka Dončić shook his head in disbelief toward the Denver Nuggets bench.The dagger was splitting two defenders, Michael Porter Jr. and Murray, for a one-handed runner to push the Los Angeles Lakers’ lead to 20 points and force…
Germans voted for a change of leadership on Sunday, handing the most votes in a parliamentary election to centrist conservatives, with the far right in second, and rebuking the nation’s left-leaning government for its handling of the economy and immigration.Early returns and exit polls almost certainly mean the country’s next chancellor will be Friedrich Merz, leader of the Christian Democrats. But he will need at least one or — in a possibility that Germans were hoping to avoid — two coalition partners to govern.“We have won it,” Mr. Merz told supporters in Berlin on Sunday evening, promising to swiftly form…
As you have read, the Big Ten and SEC are plotting to transform the College Football Playoff into the Tony Petitti/Greg Sankey Invitational. They want their conferences to be guaranteed four automatic berths each in an expanded 14-team field, versus two for the peons in the ACC and Big 12.Currently, in the 12-team CFP, only the champions of those conferences qualify for an automatic berth, leaving seven at-large spots. In the proposed Petitti/Sankey Invitational, the first- through fourth-place teams in their conferences are automatically in, regardless of where they’re ranked by the committee.GO DEEPERMandel: Big Ten, SEC leaders set to…
Germany’s next government will almost certainly be a coalition of multiple political parties, to form a majority in Parliament. But one party will almost certainly be excluded from that coalition, no matter how well it ultimately performs: the hard-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD.While early exit polls on Sunday showed the AfD in second place, largely on the strength of its opposition to mass migration and its pledge to deport some migrants, every other mainstream German party refuses to invite it into government. That blockade is known in Germany as the “firewall,” and it is a direct result of the…
