Charlie Gard. A helpless baby caught the attention of the world, but his fight for life appears to be nearly over. The parents of terminally ill 11-month-old Charlie Gard have withdrawn their application to get treatment for their child in the United States. The doctors have told them it is “too late” to save his life. However, they have now petitioned the court to bring baby Charlie home so he can have “tranquility” in his final days.

Two Steps Back? The United States military has been in Afghanistan since just after 9/11, nearly 16 years ago. After lots of ups and downs in that country, it now appears that things are getting worse. WORLD’s Mindy Belz reported on Monday, “A spate of attacks today suggest the Taliban is having remarkable success seizing territory from Afghan and NATO coalition forces. ‘This is out of control,’ a source with work in Afghanistan told me. Besides a car bombing in Kabul that’s left 29 dead, Taliban fighters have struck in a district east of Herat, about 500 miles from the capital, killing as many as 140 after bombing a regional hospital there. ‘The Taliban are a lot stronger than is being reported in the media,’ said the source.”

A Taxing Situation. Answers in Genesis’ (AiG) The Ark Encounter, a theme park based on Noah’s Ark, may lose up to $18 million in state-subsidized incentives. A Kentucky newspaper, the Herald-Leader, first reported that “on June 28, Ark Encounter transferred a $48 million parcel of land to a non-profit entity, Crosswater Canyon, which is also affiliated with the Creation Museum in Petersburg.” Kentucky Tourism Arts and Heritage Cabinet says the transfer violated an agreement that granted tax incentives. Answers in Genesis spokesperson Mark Looy disputes the claim that the transfer is a violation of the agreement, but issued a statement saying his group would “comply with concerns that the Tourism Department may have related to the transfer.”

Hollywood Hypocrisy. Actor Johnny Depp is a progressive political activist, with climate change being one of his favorite causes. That’s why many journalists have had fun reporting that Depp’s own carbon footprint is hardly light. Depp is in a financial dispute with his management team, a company called The Management Group (TMG), which he claims has mismanaged his wealth. This has brought to light the fact Depp lives an extravagant lifestyle including14 houses, a yacht, and a private jet. This information has come out in court documents and was first reported by Vanity Fair. According to the Vanity Fair report, after Depp sued, “TMG responded with a blistering 31-page cross-complaint, claiming that Depp was a spendthrift of epic proportions, who, despite his manager’s constant warnings, refused to curb his ‘selfish, reckless, and irresponsible lifestyle.’” Personally, I’m fine when rich people buy yachts and jets, because then a lot of honest and hardworking jet-makers and boatbuilders are able to provide for their families. I just wish that Depp and other progressive celebrities would quit lecturing the rest of us on how we should live.

Image courtesy of RossHelen at iStockPhoto by Getty Images.