Israel is escalating its campaign in Gaza, stating that it cannot fully eliminate Hamas without taking over Gaza City. While Prime Minister Netanyahu has rebuffed claims Israel will pursue a full occupation, outsiders see no other way to interpret these actions and continue to staunchly condemn the regime's genocidal campaign. The plight of the Palestinians represents one of the most horrific occurrences in the 21st century, and world leaders are increasingly recognizing that Israel will not cease unless met with meaningful resistance, including diplomatic and economic pressure.

Under the leadership of unabashedly pro-crypto President Nayib Bukele, El Salvador is set to introduce Bitcoin-only banks. This bold move comes despite warnings from the IMF against such maneuvers, but if President Bukele were inclined to heed naysayers, he wouldn't have made the strategic decision to invest the country's reserves in Bitcoin in the first place. Shifting away from fiat currency is perhaps the most critical element in moving toward a world where established powers cannot dictate all the terms and nations like El Salvador can assert financial sovereignty.

A mosquito-borne disease known as chikungunya is running rampant in China, with hundreds of thousands of people now infected. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is attempting to contain the spread, but in typical CCP fashion, they are employing severe tactics that serve as a stark reminder of how few rights Chinese citizens have against government overreach. This outbreak highlights the extraordinary powers governments wield during emergencies, and it's a crucial reminder that such powers should only be exercised to the minimal degree necessary to avoid unnecessary infringements on personal freedoms.

New York's Attorney General, Letitia James, unfortunately engaged in what appears to be a partisan campaign to target Trump during his presidential run, which clearly falls outside the proper role of judicial officials. The move by the Trump administration can easily be seen as retaliation, but in fairness, I was quite appalled by her behavior at the time, and I believe the DOJ is right to emphasize the importance of ensuring that judicial actors do not advance partisan agendas. Such actions undermine public trust in the justice system and set dangerous precedents for the political weaponization of the courts.

During the Biden era, the government created an incentive program to promote the adoption of solar power. The new leadership of the EPA claims they lack the authority to issue such grants and have stated that Biden's efforts to use the agency in this way were misguided from the start. What's particularly interesting is that the program has already begun distributing funds, raising questions about whether it's legal for the EPA to halt funding approved by Congress once the distribution of funds has begun.

In a presidential memorandum, President Trump has directed schools to provide admissions information to the Department of Education. This appears to be a means to ensure the universities are in compliance with the 2023 Supreme Court decision that deemed affirmative action in admissions unconstitutional. The intelligentsia, including those who run universities, has been resistant to rolling back DEI policies, but we must repeatedly confront the reality that discrimination is, has been, and always will be illegal, regardless of the intentions behind it.

The Tucson City Council unanimously voted to reject a proposed data center, with immense support from the city's residents. Data centers are notorious for causing significant pollution and consuming tremendous amounts of water and power, making them incompatible with the desires and needs of local communities. Much like the situation in Memphis, this serves as a good reminder of the hidden costs of AI development; these facilities have to go somewhere, but wherever they're proposed, residents push back—so I'm not sure where we go from here in balancing technological progress with environmental and community concerns.

The state is grappling with what can be described as a severe mental health crisis, and these bills are designed to provide the necessary resources to address it. Oregon has long been one of the most progressive states in the country, and the legislation reflects its commitment to exploring innovative approaches to societal challenges. While these bills aim to remedy the behavioral health crisis the state is experiencing, I wonder if true improvement is possible without addressing the underlying social and spiritual malaise that's causing so much distress in modern American society.

This proposed bill of rights would lay out terms for work in the city aimed at making it more livable for workers, including introducing a $20 minimum wage. The cost of living is skyrocketing in many places, leaving us all in a troubling predicament where mandating higher wages often only further inflates costs. However, it's intriguing to see cities genuinely wrestling with the idea that residents need new protections to avoid excessive exploitation in our modern economy, potentially setting examples for other city governments.

The state is positioning itself to redraw its congressional maps in a hurried effort to respond to Texas's recent decision to redraw its own districts. This move by the state government is causing extreme stress on election management systems, which aren't designed to operate at this pace, but Governor Newsom seems determined to push forward anyway, likely to demonstrate his ability to be aggressive in response to his political opponents. Such reactionary behavior is prone to poor consequences, and I believe a more level-headed response from California officials would have been the wiser course to maintain stability and fairness in the process.