"Soccer is ridiculous, cruel, maddening, nonsensical, unjust, heartbreaking, horrendous, a total waste of time, a fraud perpetrated on humanity, the absolute worst sport ever invented--and also the only thing that matters in life" Sam Anderson-The New York Times Magazine

Iraqi forces advanced toward the disputed city of Kirkuk, as the government sharply intensified its efforts to stall moves toward a Kurdish state by seizing the oil fields that would underpin its economy. Crude exports from the disputed area were flowing normally on Monday. State-run Iraqiya television said the military had also captured a refinery, a gas plant and a main road in Kirkuk, which has emerged as a flashpoint in the power struggle between the federal government in Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government. The Associated Press reported that Kurdish fighters had abandoned their positions outside Kirkuk’s airport while civilians were fleeing the city, where sporadic gunfire could be heard. Click Read More below for additional information.

The American Trucking Associations thanked the U.S. Department of Transportation for its commitment to expanding the nation’s truck parking capacity. In a letter to ATA President and CEO Chris Spear, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg pledged the Administration’s support for increasing the availability of safe parking options for America’s professional truck drivers through its Trucking Action Plan, grant funding under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and increased coordination with state departments of transportation and the trucking industry.