USA

Investors from Silicon Valley and senior officials in the Trump administration descended on a convention hall in downtown Detroit last week for a conference committed to spurring a “techno-industrial renaissance” in the United States.

In some ways, it looked like a normal convention. The makers of everything from carbon brushes to boat propellers milled around a large hall, looking at a flying boat, a customizable electric truck, an air taxi and a humanoid robot. But at times, it turned into an urgent and literal call to arms as discussions moved from manufacturing to national security.

“You will help us forge a future where we can build and sustain an industrial base that can deliver the critical weapons we need, fast and at scale,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told the participants in a video message. “Time is short.”

July 20, 1969. “Contact light, engine stop.” The Apollo 11 lunar module Eagle touched down at Tranquility Base on the Moon.
A few hours later, Neil Armstrong and I stepped foot on the Moon, with Michael Collins orbiting close-by.
An achievement resulting from years of… pic.twitter.com/VN4qCoHx0K

— Dr. Buzz Aldrin (@TheRealBuzz) July 20, 2025

h/t Mauser

I was heading home on the 4 train with my son after a Yankees game. It had been a picture-perfect New York day—sunshine, baseball, hot dogs, and family. During the seventh-inning stretch, the crowd stood and sang “God Bless America.” My son, who has become increasingly interested in what it means to be American—especially after recent visits to the Liberty Bell and the Statue of Liberty—sang it with pride.

On the train home, still riding the high from the game, he broke into the song again. It wasn’t loud or disruptive. It was joyful, spontaneous, and sincere—a child expressing genuine love for his country.