Hi, this is Jim Denison with Denison Forum, and this is the Daily Article from Monday, July 16, 2018.

When the World Cup began a month ago, Argentina was favored to defeat Brazil in the final.

France was predicted to lose in the knockout stage. Croatia was not expected to get that far.

As half the world watched yesterday, France defeated Croatia to win the

title. Before Saturday morning, few people had heard of Angelique Kerber, while Serena Williams

has been recognized as the greatest tennis player of all time. Then Kerber defeated Williams

to win the Wimbledon championship. This time last year, Novak Djokovic was out of tennis and

dealing with an elbow injury that required surgery. Yesterday, he won the men's Wimbledon

title in straight sets. Now the world's watching as Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin prepare for

their summit in Helsinki, Finland. According to Fox News, the two were expected to discuss Russia's role

in the 2016 presidential election, Putin's forcible annexation of Crimea, sanctions imposed

by the U.S. in response to that annexation, the conflict in Syria and nuclear arms control,

but it's impossible to predict what will actually come from their meeting.

The Soviet Union was our World War II ally, then it became our bitter Cold War enemy,

then it became our ally and democracy, then it became whatever it is today under Putin.

Are the Russians helping us to feed ISIS and counter Iran in the Middle East,

or are they undermining our democracy and electoral process? Or is it both? Is a recession more likely after 10 years of economic expansion

twice the average length since 1945? Or are our market fundamental so sound that a continuing

bull market is more likely? The legal status of abortion has been

secure since the Supreme Court's tragic Roe v. Wade decision in 1973. Now the nation is asking

whether abortion will become more restricted if Judge Brett Kavanaugh wins confirmation to the

Supreme Court. Religious liberty was a bedrock value of American democracy

...