Summer is a time for relaxation. Most people have more time away from work and more time with their families to travel or simply relax. Since most children are off from school over the summer, many families take this time to go on vacation and plan warm weather events. While all this is fun, it also serves a deeper purpose. Intentionally investing time and energy into one’s family relationships is critical for the health of the world. Many Christians recognize that the family is the heart of culture. On a visit to Australia in 1986, Pope John Paul II said, “As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live.” If you want to make your family the priority this summer, there are three simple ways to do so. First, families should learn to “waste time” with one another. Ordinary, routine moments of family life are opportunities to be truly present to one’s spouse and children. This practice of presence teaches how to love more deeply. These moments cultivate intimacy and love, allowing family relationships to flourish. If more families recognized the value of these moments, the tide of the culture could begin to shift, encouraging parents and children towards virtue. The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains this with characteristic clarity: “The family is the original cell of social life. It is the natural society in which husband and wife are called to give themselves in love and in the gift of life. Authority, stability, and a life of relationships within the family constitute the foundations for freedom, security, and fraternity within society. The family is the community in which, from childhood, one can learn moral values, begin to honor God, and make good use of freedom. Family life is an initiation into life in society.” A family that does not spend intentional time together raises children who will be unprepared for social life in the world. It will also make it harder for them to form their own healthy families as adults. When parents learn to be more present to their children, kids intuitively understand that nothing is more important than giving and receiving love. Second, families can become closer by eating meals together.  Studies reveal that children who regularly eat with their families are better able to deal with stress than those who do so only rarely.  One systematic review of previous studies showed that “Greater family meal frequency protects children/adolescents against a poorer diet, obesity, risk behaviours, poorer mental health and wellbeing, and poorer academic outcomes.” For those who already eat together as a family, though, one of the biggest temptations is to allow technology—particularly smartphones—to encroach on this crucial time. Multiple studies have found that the mere presence of a smartphone nearby harms social interactions. When a smartphone is on the table or even in someone’s pocket, people display less empathy and are less likely to bring up serious topics. Summer is the perfect time to break phone habits at the dinner table. Given the weather, families can put in the extra work to eat outside, making clear that everyone must leave their devices in the house. This also makes it easier to implement a firm rule that everyone keeps phones away from the dinner table. This practice can rekindle relationships and encourage intimate conversations between family members. Finally, family members can grow closer this summer by explicitly expressing gratitude for each other—and by being more honest about their own flaws. Being thankful for simple ways that family members show love to each other is a great way to spark meaningful conversations between spouses and children. When Pope Francis visited America in 2015 for the Eighth World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, he said, “In the family we first learn how to show love and respect for life … In the family we learn to ask without demanding, to say ‘thank you’ as an expression of genuine gratitude … and to ask forgiveness when we have caused harm.” Looking a child or spouse in the eyes to say thank you or sorry is a moment of vulnerability that builds intimacy. These conversations are profoundly formative for children and critical to a fulfilling marriage. Gratitude and honesty are the soil that allows seeds of intimacy to grow. So this summer, invest in spending time with your family. Because when we examine our lives and place our careers, hobbies, and desires on the table we see that really nothing is more important than the relationships of our immediate family. Let’s use the next few months to love our family intentionally; we might just begin to usher in a better world. We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of the Daily Signal.

In recent elections, Republican voters have expressed their dissatisfaction with policies responding to the construction of data centers—the rapidly expanding physical infrastructure that supports the internet. At the same time, Republican governors are increasingly arguing that their party has to start listening to constituents who are upset with how they believe data centers are affecting their lives, physical environment, and costs. In the Tuesday primary in Utah, the issue loomed large. The state’s Republican Senate president, J. Stuart Adams, lost his primary to an opponent, Stephanie Hollist, who targeted him for supporting the construction of the 40,000-acre Stratos data center in Box Elder County. The data center will take up 2.5 times as much area as the New York City borough of Manhattan. Adams has been a Utah elected official for decades.  Additionally, two Box Elder County commissioners who voted to approve the project in May lost their primaries. ICYMI: It's pretty unmistakable that the Box Elder data center controversy had a hand in ousting Utah's Senate President and two county commissioners. And what happens next for Senate leadership? My colleague @JordanTracyTV with the story. pic.twitter.com/2cPCn5LzYF— Lindsay Aerts (@LindsayOnAir) June 25, 2026 The issue was also present on the federal level. Rep. Blake Moore, R-Utah, who has served three terms in the House, won the Republican nomination in the state’s redrawn 2nd Congressional District by a roughly 57% to 43% margin over primary challenger Karianne Lisonbee. Both candidates had to comment on the construction of the Stratos data center in Box Elder County, Utah. In a statement to Semafor, Lisonbee accused Moore of having “doubled down on his support of the data center.” Responding to the same outlet, Moore suggested his views on data centers were more nuanced than Lisonbee claimed, saying companies “need to respond to citizens’ feedback, show how they’re going to invest in natural resources, and help lower, not increase, energy prices for impacted areas.” He added, “We should empower the local areas making these decisions, not attempt to avoid tough conversations.”  Moore also fired back at Lisonbee, accusing her of “trying to distance herself from ‘the process’ when she was a strong supporter of [data center construction] during her time in the state Legislature.” DeSantis and Abbott Push Back on Data Centers In both Florida and Texas, Republican governors known for their business-friendly records have begun to call for the Republican Party to rethink its artificial intelligence policies. “I doubt Democrats will produce good policy re: AI, but Republicans have allowed them to capitalize on public concern about the power and influence of Big Tech by failing to adopt a sensible framework that will protect the public from the very real downsides of the technology,” Gov. Ron DeSantis recently wrote on X. I doubt Democrats will produce good policy re: AI, but Republicans have allowed them to capitalize on public concern about the power and influence of Big Tech by failing to adopt a sensible framework that will protect the public from the very real downsides of the technology.A… pic.twitter.com/atB9kXQC3W— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) June 8, 2026 DeSantis added, “A policy that says transhumanists in Silicon Valley should be able to do what they want is not an acceptable approach, nor is it a politically viable approach.” The governor signed legislation in May intended to ensure local governments maintain control over projects in their jurisdiction and ensure companies pay the full cost of their energy usage.  In Texas, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has also pledged to voters to prevent data centers from consuming resources. “Data centers must bring their own power, they must use their own water, and they must reduce electricity costs for residential customers as well as small business customers. Those are bottom line expectations,” Abbott told News Nation in June. Data centers must bring their own power, they must reuse their own water, and they must reduce electricity costs for residential and small business customers. We will slash incentives and protect Texas neighborhoods. Those are bottom line expectations. pic.twitter.com/jjUEciR2pw— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) June 23, 2026 In June, Abbott penned a letter to the Legislature urging lawmakers to require tech companies to take care of the energy, infrastructure, and water needed to operate their data centers. Abbott additionally urged the Legislature to eliminate tax breaks and “other outdated or unnecessary incentives for data centers.”  Related PostsData Center Civil War Leaves Virginia on the Verge of a ShutdownVirginia is on the verge of its first shutdown in modern history, and it all comes down to data centers and Democratic Party infighting. Democrats control the governor’s mansion, the state Senate, and the House, yet the party can’t get on the same page. “Virginia has to have a budget by June 30,” Republican Virginia…Republicans Warned Everyone About TikTok for Years—Now They’re Going Viral on ItGOP members in Congress are joining TikTok after years of speaking out against the app and are going viral. Following in the footsteps of Democrat lawmakers who have been on the app for years, Republican lawmakers are gaining millions of views and reaching the younger generation of voters. Last year, TikTok, the social media platform…California’s Vote-by-Mail Mess Is Exactly Why We Need the SAVE America ActCalifornia held its statewide primary on June 2. It’s now June 9, and votes are still being counted. That’s not a glitch in the system. That’s by design—and it’s fueling questions about the integrity of the election and renewed efforts to pass the SAVE America Act. Six years ago, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic,…

As we celebrate America’s 250th birthday, the skies will be filled with not only fireworks but song. Those great patriotic tunes we all know by heart, even when we can’t hit all the notes. (Yes, “Star-Spangled Banner,” I’m thinking of you.) Though the songs may be as familiar as the red, white, and blue, the stories behind them often are not. Let’s look at a few. Given what Alexander Hamilton called the “harmony of ingredients” that have made up the American populace, perhaps it’s fitting we start with the Russian immigrant whose songs fill chapters of the American songbook and who remained ever grateful to the land that gave him welcome as a little boy. ‘God Bless America’: 20 Years to Write, 4 Minutes to Become a Hit It’s 1918. World War I is raging. A 30-year-old Russian immigrant named Israel Isidore Beilin—we know him as Irving Berlin—was at Camp Upton, New York, a crucial training and mobilization center during the Great War. He’d come up with a song for the finale of a show called “Yip, Yip, Yaphank,” which concluded with soldiers marching through the theater, out onto the street, then onto a transport to sail off to Europe. A rah-rah, off-to-war song. The song was called “God Bless America.” God Bless America, land that I loveStand beside her and guide herTo the right with a light from aboveMake her victorious on land and foam God Bless America, my home sweet home. One problem. Berlin felt that putting “God Bless America” together with the song the soldiers were singing on their way out would be too over the top. So, he cut the song from the show. It then sat in Berlin’s drawer for 20 years. Then in 1938, the songwriter happened to be in London when British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain had his infamous meeting with German Chancellor Adolf Hitler. When Berlin got home to the United States, he tried writing a song expressing his feelings called “Thanks America,” which Berlin said he “tore up because it was very bad. It seemed a bad editorial set to music.” He remembered “God Bless America,” and rewrote his war anthem into what he called a “song of peace.” He added an intro and changed the key line in the chorus to: Stand beside her And guide herThrough the night with a light from above. From the mountains, to the valleys, to the oceans white with foam. On Armistice Day—now known as Veterans Day—the popular singer Kate Smith premiered the song during a holiday radio broadcast. This is that moment America first heard “God Bless America.” “God Bless America” was an instant hit. However, one legendary folk singer was not a fan. From Protest Song to Passionate Tribute By February 1940, “God Bless America” was a national music standard. Woody Guthrie, the fabled troubadour of the Dust Bowl era, looked around at those still suffering from the Great Depression, and he wasn’t so sure God was blessing those people. So, he set out to write a protest song in response to Berlin. He called it “God Blessed America.” Playing off Berlin’s scenic words, Guthrie painted some of the most lyrically beautiful imagery of America ever created. As I went walking that ribbon of highway, I saw above me an endless skyway. I saw below me a golden valley. This land was made for you and me.I wound and rambled. I followed my footsteps through the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts, and all around me, a voice was sounding, “This land was made for you and me.” All told, four exquisite verses. However, Guthrie wrote two other verses. One took a shot at private property. The other, never recorded verse, took direct aim at “God Bless America”: One bright sunny morning in the shadow of the steeple,by the relief office I saw my people.As they stood hungry,I stood there wondering if God blessed America for me. However, by the time Guthrie got around to officially publishing the song in 1951, those last two verses were nowhere to be found, and the song had a new name: “This Land is Your Land.” Its chorus remains as contagious as COVID-19. This land is your land, this land is my land.From California to the New York Island.From the Redwood forests to the Gulf Stream waters.This land was made for you and me. Guthrie’s scathing protest song had morphed into a soaring America anthem of national unity, and one swell hootenanny sing-along. Here’s the folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary and a crowd of thousands with “This Land Is Your Land.” Irving Berlin and Woody Guthrie may have started out figuratively face-to-face. But as we ring in our 250th birthday, those two American music titans stand side-by-side.Next time, a trio of favorites we nicked from the Brits. We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of the Daily Signal.

Republicans are calling on their Democrat opponents to distance themselves from a leftist group accused of propping up the Ku Klux Klan in order to fundraise against it. Kevin Martin, a Republican challenging Rep. Lucy McBath in Georgia’s 6th Congressional District, called the Southern Poverty Law Center a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” because the group allegedly funded members of the Ku Klux Klan. “Any current politician or any candidate that has any association with them needs to … step as far away as possible from them,” Martin told the Daily Signal in a phone call Friday. If any candidate “received any sort of funding or financing” from the SPLC, “they need to return those funds and denounce the group altogether,” he added. On April 21, a federal grand jury indicted the SPLC for allegedly directing donor money to support the very white supremacist groups the SPLC raised money by claiming to oppose and for allegedly lying to a bank about the nature of shell companies it launched in order to fund the “field sources” in the Ku Klux Klan and other groups. The SPLC claims it was paying these “field sources” as informants to undermine the groups, but the indictment claims the SPLC paid for Klan robes, reimbursed a cross-burning, and paid to convince Klan members not to leave. The SPLC has pleaded not guilty to 11 counts, including wire fraud, bank fraud, and conspiracy to conceal money laundering. The SPLC has asked a judge to throw out the charges on grounds of “vindictive prosecution,” saying President Donald Trump’s administration targeted the SPLC for its criticism of the administration. Critics have also called the group “anti-Christian,” accusing it of putting mainstream conservative and Christian organizations on a “hate map” with chapters of the Ku Klux Klan. The SPLC claims these groups vilify people “typically for their immutable characteristics.” While the SPLC defended itself from the “anti-Christian” charge for years by noting that it didn’t put Focus on the Family on the map, it reversed that policy and put the group on the map last year. “They better ask mercy of God on them for what they have been falsifying,” Martin said. The SPLC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and does not endorse political candidates, but its 501(c)(4) affiliate, the SPLC Action Fund, endorsed Rep. Lucy McBath, D-Ga., Martin’s opponent. The SPLC Action Fund endorsed Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., and contributed $700,000 to his 2020 campaign, according to Federal Election Commission filings. Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., Ossoff’s challenger in the general election, demanded the senator pay that cash back. “It seems to me that he’s got a very big problem,” Collins told Fox News. Neither Ossoff nor McBath responded to the Daily Signal’s requests for comment. In addition to Ossoff and McBath, the SPLC Action Fund endorsed these Democrats in Congress: Alabama Reps. Shomari Figures and Terri Sewell; Florida Rep. Maxwell Frost; Georgia Reps. Sanford Bishop and Hank Johnson; Louisiana Reps. Troy Carter and Cleo Fields; and Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson. “I am familiar with the Southern Poverty Law Center’s longstanding work to combat racism and hate in America,” Thompson told the Daily Signal when approached for comment. “I support that work and have no issue with the organization.” None of the other Democrats endorsed by SPLC Action Fund responded to the Daily Signal’s requests for comment. The SPLC Action Fund did not respond to the Daily Signal’s request for comment.

Americans are routinely told that our nation is hopelessly divided, irredeemably flawed, and perhaps even in terminal decline. Public polling reflects this pervasive frustration, pessimism, and anomie. If someone halfway around the world only followed the polls, he might be forgiven for believing our republic is all but over. But something remarkable is happening during the 2026 World Cup, which is jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Fans from all across the world have arrived in America—and they are absolutely loving it. We too often take our way of life for granted, but many soccer tourists now here cannot stop marveling at what they see. The unlikely symbol of this phenomenon is “Freddy,” a young German soccer fan who has become an internet sensation while documenting his first road trip across the U.S. Freddy’s viral social media posts have attracted tens of millions of impressions because they reflect something both rare and refreshing: genuine, boy-like wonder. As he has crisscrossed the American South, Freddy has gushed at everything from Waffle House and Taco Bell to Buc-ee’s; Bass Pro Shops; sprawling football stadiums; and the impressive size of regular, middle-class American homes. Americans, accustomed to taking all these things for granted, have watched with glee as a slack-jawed foreign visitor experiences it all for the first time. But Freddy the German is hardly alone. Scores of other World Cup visitors from Europe, Asia, and elsewhere have flooded social media with similar observations. They have wandered through Walmart and Costco as if they were touring cultural landmarks. They have posted videos about yellow school buses, small-town diners, Texas barbecue, oversize grocery stores, and the sheer abundance and variety that characterize everyday life in the most prosperous country on planet Earth. Elsa the Swede has fallen in love with ranch dressing. And even the Transportation Security Administration took notice, posting on social media: “If you’re visiting for a very large sporting event & you happen to discover RANCH while you’re here … please pack it in your CHECKED BAG on the way home.” These reactions, bursting with youthful exuberance, are amusing. But they also point toward a profound insight: Sometimes it takes an outsider to recognize what insiders can no longer see. The average American rarely pauses to consider how extraordinary our country remains today. We gripe about suburban sprawl while living in homes that would be considered luxurious by the standards of much of the world. We roll our eyes at chain restaurants that millions of foreign tourists eagerly seek out. We treat abundance as ordinary because abundance is all most of us have ever known. That familiarity breeds a certain blindness. But the World Cup tourists are not blind. They see an America that remains dynamic, entrepreneurial, and welcoming. They encounter strangers eager to offer travel advice. They find communities proud to share local traditions. They discover a country that is far friendlier than the caricatures would suggest. The America they are experiencing bears little resemblance to the negative stereotypes they had long imbibed back home. America, like every country, has problems. The risk of prolonged decline is very real. Patriotism also does not require pretending that everything is perfect. But it does require perspective—and, above all, gratitude. As we approach our long-awaited America 250 celebration next weekend, Americans would do well to remember that ours remains the most successful experiment in republican self-governance in human history. The U.S. is still the world’s leading economic, military, and cultural power. And most importantly, as we prepare to celebrate the immortal words of 1776, it remains a nation founded upon timeless truths about human nature and human dignity. That last point matters. Our republic was founded on the biblically rooted proposition that human beings possess God-given rights, and that legitimate government exists to secure those rights and advance the common good. In other words, America is great because America is good. Not perfect. Not above reproach. But fundamentally good. We see that goodness reflected in the generosity that has met so many awestruck foreigners visiting during the World Cup. It is reflected in the spirit that built the businesses, attractions, and communities now spellbinding them. The foreign visitors who are spending this summer discovering America have unintentionally delivered an important message to those privileged enough to call this great land home. They have reminded us that our country remains worthy of admiration. They have reminded us that gratitude is often more appropriate—as it is here—than despair. As we prepare to celebrate America’s 250th birthday, that lesson could not be timelier. There are plenty of reasons for concern. But there is also still reason to hope. The world still sees something special in the land of the free and the home of the brave. We Americans should see it too. COPYRIGHT 2026 CREATORS.COM We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of the Daily Signal.