Why Evolution is True is a blog written by Jerry Coyne, centered on evolution and biology but also dealing with diverse topics like politics, culture, and cats.
Welcome to Saturday, July 4, 2026, and Independence Day in America: our country turns 250 years old today. I wonder how many Americans know exactly what event the day is celebrating. In case you meet such a miscreant, tell them this (my bold):
Independence Day, known colloquially as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States which commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, establishing the United States of America.
By doing this, the delegates to the Second Continental Congress declared that the Thirteen Colonies were no longer subject (and subordinate) to the monarch of Britain, King George III, and were now united, free, and independent states. The Congress voted to approve independence by passing the Lee Resolution on July 2 and adopted the Declaration of Independence two days later, on July 4.
But it might have been signed after it was adopted, so it’s not celebrating the signing of the document:
Historians have long disputed whether members of Congress signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, even though Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin all later wrote that they had signed it on that day. Most historians have concluded that the Declaration was signed nearly a month after its adoption, on August 2, 1776, and not on July 4 as is commonly believed.
Below is “John Trumbull‘s painting, Declaration of Independence, depicting the five-man drafting committee of the Declaration of Independence presenting their work to the Congress. The painting can be found on the back of the U.S. $2 bill. The original hangs in the US Capitol rotunda. It does not represent a real ceremony; the characters portrayed were never in the same room at the same time.”
There’s a Google Doodle today celebrating the Fourth of July; click to see the animated page where it goes:
Readers are welcome to mark notable events, births, or deaths on this day by consulting the July 1 Wikipedia page.
Da Nooz:
Footy news: Yesterday Argentina beat Cape Verde 3-2 in extra time, Colombia beat Ghana 1-0, and Australia tied Egypt 1-1 in full time, but won 4-2 on penalties, so the Socceroos are out of the World Cup. Let’s look at the first game, as Argentina is my favorite team. Messi scored again for Argentina, but the plucky team from the underpopulated islands almost knocked them out of the tournament.
Argentina survived an almighty scare to book their place in the World Cup round of 16 with a dramatic 3-2 win over Cape Verde after extra time Friday.
Tottenham defender Cristian Romero headed in the game winner via a deflection off Diney Borges from Lionel Messi‘s corner in the 111th minute, but only after Cape Verde had threatened to cause perhaps the greatest shock in World Cup history.
The African debutants twice found equalizers — one in extra time — to push the reigning world champions to the brink of an unthinkable upset.
Messi got his seventh of the tournament with a wonderfully taken goal in the first half only for Deroy Duarte to cancel it out in the second half and stun the thousands of Argentina fans inside Miami Stadium into silence.
With the score 1-1 after 90 minutes, Manchester United defender Lisandro Martínez appeared to end Cape Verde’s resistance early in extra time to make it 2-1.
But that was before fullback Sidny Cabral produced a moment of magic and possibly the goal of the World Cup so far when he cut in off the left and curled his effort into the top corner.
Argentina went ahead again when Borges inadvertently deflected Romero’s header into his own net. But there was still time for one more dramatic twist when Emiliano Martínez produced a stunning save to stop Cabral’s free kick and send Argentina through.
Here are the highlights of that game. On the video below, Argentina’s plays that yielded goals are at 2:20 (Messi), 14:19 and 19:24 (an assist from Messi’s corner kick);Cape Verdea’s at 5:15 and 16:03. The game was tied 1-1 at regulation time, but three more goals were scored in overtime.
*I’m a sucker for all articles giving advice about how Democrats should fix the party to win future elections. Michelle Cottle at the NYT joins the queue with an op-ed called “This pathetic groveling is no way to rebuild a party” (archived here). First, where does the groveling come from?
Not infrequently, I open my email to find a fund-raising request from the Democratic Party with a subject line that reads as though it was sent by a contrite boyfriend.
“Can I explain?”
“You deserve an explanation”
“Sorry to reach out on a Sunday”
“Let me try to convince you”
“Please”
“Can I level-set with you, Michelle?”
OK, that last one sounds more like a dippy business consultant trying to wow me with vapid jargon. But my point is that, right up front, these messages telegraph insecurity, pleading, chagrin. Hardly the vibe of a confident political team fighting the good fight. My overriding impulse is not to give the party campaign cash but to offer to pay for group therapy.
The Trump years have been hard on Democrats’ psyches. Every time the party’s leaders see the president nodding off on the job or read one of his late-night Truth bombs, they must agonize anew: How the heck did we get thrown over for that guy?
. . . The blue team needs to claw back some self-respect and reassure voters that they aren’t being asked to back a bunch of losers.
Cottle then goes off on a tangent, arguing that Republicans have a greater sense of community than do Democrats, though the GOP’s community is built on hate. (And what is the Democratic “community” built on? In the center, hatred of Trump, on the far Left, hatred of America, too.) But what advice does Cottle have for us Democrats?
But making people feel part of something larger than themselves is always a good bet. Remember the hopey-changey energy of Barack Obama’s first presidential run? For all its retrospective corniness, that campaign made people feel great about themselves and the leader they were supporting. The Democrats should be focused on making voters proud to support their team again.
Yes, yes, we know that, but how do we do it? And her whole column comes down to this one insipid paragraph:
Focusing on building relationships and a sense of shared values takes more work than creating quick hits optimized to elicit drunk donations. But considering the larger public’s tragically low opinion of and trust in the Democratic Party — the entire political system, really — Democrats need to shake things up. Maybe start by promoting an emotion other than exhaustion and a more inspiring message than: You have no other options.
And that’s it. We need to “shake things up” and tender “an inspiring message.” Yes, yes, we know that, too. But what message? Fix the economy, stupid? Maybe. But how about opening the borders, getting rid of ICE, distancing ourselves from Israel, and providing free gender-affirming care to all who want it? That’s not the message that will sway voters. Once again I’m disappointed with the lame advice of these columnists. Perhaps we should get a good candidate first. Here’s a possibility:
What if politics is all MAGA vs DSA; what if ’28 is AOC vs Kristi Noem? I often say “a centrist will emerge and win”, but when people say “who?”, I don’t know. Not joking: We may need to draft someone like McConaughey. Which is a bad idea! He’s an actor! But it might come to that https://t.co/gN6xZIctAD
The assault could see Poland’s vital infrastructure targeted by missiles or drones, or even Russian soldiers crossing the border into Natoterritory, Washington has said.
Sources close to Polish president Karol Nawrocki told Polish outlet Onetthatthe aim of Moscow’s possible assault, which could be launched in a matter of months, would be to provoke tensions and pressure Ukraine’s Western allies to suspend their military and financial aid.
The US “systematically informs Poland about ever-new Russian plans for a conventional attack on Nato’s eastern flank, from which Poland is by no means excluded”, a source close to the Polish president said.
Warsaw’s security services have admitted that a conventional attack, such as a small ground incursion, which Moscow may allege is an accident, is possible.
Other possibilities are a drone attack on infrastructure such as power stations or simulated air strikes forcing Poland to activate its air defence systems.
A Polish intelligence source said that a “hybrid attack in the border region” could take place, in the most extreme scenario.
An armed incursion involving Russian or Belarusian troops could be presented as a mistake, such as straying into Polish territory because of a GPS failure, or a fake rescue mission to retrieve a helicopter suffering from a malfunction, sources said.
Moscow could hope that Poland would be forced by the US to negotiate rather than responding forcefully and opening fire on Russian or Belarusian soldiers, sources told Onet.
Vladimir Putin would see a scenario in which Russians withdraw as a result of negotiations as a win from Moscow’s perspective, the sources said, with an end to Western support for Ukraine a possible condition it could demand in return for withdrawal from Poland.
You can also see this story at The Jerusalem Post. This plan reminds me of how the Germans attacked Poland from the other side on September 1, 1939. And now that the cat’s out of the bag, it won’t look like an accident any more. Ukraine is one thing, but an attack on a NATO ally is another, and I doubt that Putin would try to pull this off, desperate as he is to defeat Ukraine. I sent this link to Andrzej, who responded: “Objection—hearsay.” And the source appears to be only a Polish ambassador, so yes, it seems to be hearsay.
*Over at It’s Noon in Israel, Amit Segal, in a piece called “America and Israel at 250,” first reflects on the history of U.S.-Israeli relations, and then gives his take on how Israelis see Americans:
Israelis hold a deep admiration for America—not just as the source of their Amazon packages, but as a font of aspiration and support. One cannot ignore the powerful influence of the thriving American Jewish community. Even those Jews who went east instead of west, choosing Israeli hardship over American prosperity, could see in the cultural imports and the wealthy philanthropists that America truly was the “Golden Medina.” In the 1990s, and to some degree still today, “Made in America” has been shorthand for quality and luxury because, in the collective imagination, America remains a land of wealth and possibility.
Israeli rock legends Rami Fortis and Berry Sakharof describe the Israeli image of the U.S. quite well in their song “America”:
An open Chevrolet drives toward the great freedom
Disneyland strikes the world, everyone wants it all
There is no fear and no sadness, everything here is so perfect
America sells everyone’s dream
Is there a limit?
There is no limit.
How many songs can be written about America?
Perhaps the clearest symbol of this attachment is the man who has drawn so much American wrath in recent years: Benjamin Netanyahu. He is Israel’s answer to the American coastal elite—American-educated, fluent in English, and the man who imported American-style campaign tactics to Israeli politics. Far from hurting his career, that fluency with America—the accent, the degree, the media instincts—made him seem more qualified to lead, not less.
But the connection runs deeper than material culture. In the Israeli imagination, America still occupies the place it always has—the promised land’s own promised land, a place defined by unlimited possibility. It’s the country, as Marco Rubio recently described, “where anyone, from anywhere, can achieve anything.” For a state built by refugees and exiles, that idea lands differently than it does for most. “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free”—written by the Jewish poet Emma Lazarus and inscribed on the Statue of Liberty—could just as easily describe the mission Israel set for itself decades later.
Writing from the original shining city on the hill to an audience that, in large part, lives on the new one, I’ll close with this: On the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, it’s worth saying plainly that Israel would not exist, or thrive, the way it does without the United States—not only because of the direct support, but because of the world that was created the day that ship landed at Plymouth Rock, the day that shot was fired at Concord, and the day a declaration opened with the words that all men are created equal. That world is the one in which the Jews could return to their ancestral homeland and flourish in the 21st century.
Of course support in the other direction is waning, which is ineffably sad. Even if the waning support is blamed on Netanyahu, you can bet that America is not going to rush into Israel’s arms when there’s a new Prime Minister. The opprobrium against Israel is based on both antisemitism and oppressor/oppressed narratives. Segal’s words are stirring, but what’s happening to Jews now is that Israel is becoming the promised land’s promised land.
*As always, I’ll steal a few items from Nellie Bowles’s news-and-snark column from the Free Press, called this week “TGIF: We’ve got the gayest Parliament.”
→ Happy pride!: The outgoing prime minister of the United Kingdom, Keir Starmer, was celebrating the end of Pride Month and, looking out at the crowd, said what I’m awarding Quote of the Week: “I’m really proud that we’ve got the gayest parliament, I don’t think just of all time—anywhere in the world. I don’t think there’s any parliament that is gayer than this one.”
Considering this is a country where everyone in the government wears wigs and dresses to do their jobs, I suppose being the gayest parliament is somewhat of an accomplishment.
I’ll add that there is likely no media company gayer than this one, not even close. Except maybe Out magazine. But a lot of good that does me! In a just world I would have been the grand marshal of the parade, but it seems that all Pride Month marches have been entirely rebranded as political, and they are not wavin’ my banner. There are barely even vestigial references to the original concept. Here’s the new Dyke March motto: “We’re here! We’re queer! Free Palestine is our demand!” It doesn’t even rhyme, folx.
Nellie is gay, of course, but she’s sure not pro-Palestine. And yes, the Dyke March motto is accurate (click on the link).
→ And how are the Jews this week?: Oh, well. Scott Wiener, the far-left state senator and congressional candidate from San Francisco, was chased away from the city’s annual trans march by activists yelling things like: “You stopped being queer the moment you started supporting Israel, you piece of shit.” Scott doesn’t really even support Israel. He announced that it’s doing a genocide, that he won’t take AIPAC money, etc. But Scott is, yep, Jewish, and he took too long to say the magic genocide words. There are now two of these videos where he’s cornered by activists. In each, he is calm and silent, though you can see there’s fear in his eyes. Here’s how the local press covered it: “We did the unthinkable and asked an actual trans person who organized the first Trans March to weigh in on Wiener’s little snit fit.” The silent man being berated is framed as the hysterical one. His little snit fit.
. . . Here’s Ana Kasparian, a major progressive influencer and co-host of The Young Turks podcast, giving us a fresh Hezbollah take:
And on The View, the ladies listened as radio personality Charlamagne Tha God explained that “Trump is Netanyahu’s puppet.” And on CNN, we have someone commenting on Jon Ossoff’s relative strengths versus Josh Shapiro: “He might be the Democrat that can thread the needle because even though he’s Jewish, he’s very critical of the Israeli government, very critical of Benjamin Netanyahu.” And: “Jon Ossoff may not read as Jewish as Josh Shapiro does, for whatever’s that worth.” So that’s where it’s at right now. There’s a far-right website called The Unz Review that I like to keep tabs on so I know what’s going on (I also read Jacobin, don’t worry), and at first Unz really shocked me every time I’d open it, but lately the weird thing is that a lot of the articles on it seem like they could run anywhere. Maybe they’ll start being syndicated in local San Francisco blogs.
Kasparian is getting worse and worse with her love of terrorists. Note that Hezbollah has been designated a terrorist organization by a lot of countries, including Canada, Australia, the U.S., the UK, Germany, Thailand, Argentina, Lebanon, Syria, Kuwait, UK, Azerbaijan, UAE, Bulgaria, and India.
→ Congratulations to the Empire State Building climbers: Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus, known for starring in the Netflix documentary Skywalkers: A Love Story, climbed to the top of the Empire State Building this week. They went without permission or harnesses (doing this for attention on social media is their whole deal), though it did rhyme with Phillipe Petit’s stunt, where he walked across the Twin Towers on tightrope in the ’70s. At the very top of the building’s spire, they unfurled a banner that said, “When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace.” Okay. And then, right before they got arrested, the guy proposed!
Look at this engagement ring photo. She climbed that entire tower with this manicure. Thus begins July, straight female pride month.
*Two days ago I took a poll about people’s views on wishing for death and suffering of their political/ideological opponents. Here are the results as of this morning. 63% of voters would not wish for the death of an opponent, and that merciful sentiment rises to over 86% of those who don’t wish for suffering or an agonizing death of their opponents. I should have been more explicit and said “Is it okay to expressed wishes.” But I’m glad to see the commentariat is not a bunch of angry pit bulls. Good on you!
*Below is a livestream of a corpse flower at Virginia’s Norfolk Botanical Garden that should bloom between today and July 8 (h/t Peter). The caption and a link:
Watch as a rare corpse flower (Amorphophallus titanum) blooms at Norfolk Botanical Garden. The massive flower, nicknamed “Lady MacDeath,” may not bloom again for another 10 years.
The flower is from Sumatra, and gets its name from the odor of rotting meat it emits when blooming. That suggests that the pollinators are carrion eaters. And, according to Wikipedia, they are. The adaptations of this plant are stunning:
As the spathe gradually opens, the spadix heats up to 37 °C (99 °F), and rhythmically releases a powerful smell to attract carrion insects which feed on or lay their eggs in rotting meat. The potency of the smell gradually increases from late evening until the middle of the night, when carrion beetles and flesh flies are active as pollinators, then tapers off towards morning. Analyses of chemicals released by the spadix show the stench includes dimethyl trisulfide (like limburger cheese), dimethyl disulfide (garlic), trimethylamine (rotting fish), isovaleric acid (sweaty socks), benzyl alcohol (sweet floral scent), phenol (like Chloraseptic), and indole (like faeces). The smell is detectable up to 800 m (0.50 mi) away. The inflorescence’s deep red colour and texture contribute to the illusion that the spathe is a piece of meat. During bloom, the tip of the spadix is roughly human body temperature, which helps the perfume volatilize. The heated spadix creates a micro-convection in the cool ambient air, enhancing the transport of the scent. The heat helps to convince carrion-feeding insects that a dead body is present, attracting them to the inflorescence.
Keep checking in: it won’t bloom for long!
Meanwhile in Dobrzyn, Hili and Andrzej are both in the doldrums:
. . and another great medieval letter from TherionArms:
From Masih: Crocodile tears for the late Ayatollah. It’s a good thing Israel didn’t know where this was happening. (Or maybe they did but didn’t want the optics of attacking the funeral.)
This video went viral on Iranian social media;
Ghalibaf and Araghchi, regime’s top negotiators with America standing over the coffin of their Supreme Leader, killed by America.
The negotiation table just got a lot more awkward.
He acted with incredible gentleness, making sure not to frighten the owl, and ultimately managed to rescue it successfully 💓 pic.twitter.com/2fnJ7NYAg2
— Beauty of music and nature 🌺🌺 (@Axaxia88) July 2, 2026
One I reposted from The Auschwitz Memorial:
This French Jewish girl was gassed as soon as she arrived in Auschwitz. She was 1.5 years old and would be 84 today had she lived. https://t.co/AVZMxTLXah
Ramisyllis multicaudata has one head and up to a thousand rear ends. It lives inside a sponge, and every time its body branches into a new channel, all the organs branch too. One worm, shaped like a tree, threaded through its host. #WormWednesday Image from onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/…
