King Charles III became the first reigning English monarch in 500 years to pray publicly with a pope during a historic joint service held in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel, marking a significant step in ecumenical relations since the Protestant Reformation. The event symbolized broader efforts toward greater Christian unity amid ongoing global challenges, and it was attended by leaders from various Christian denominations worldwide, fostering dialogues on shared faith and social issues. While seemingly insignificant in terms of our historical understanding, this represents a dramatic shift away from long-standing tensions stemming from political and theological feuds which led to mass casualties.

Prime Minister Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene lost a parliamentary confidence vote and resigned after just four months in office due to intensifying internal feuds within the ruling Mongolian People’s Party over widespread corruption allegations involving coal exports and government contracts. The ouster has plunged Mongolia into significant political instability, with opposition parties demanding early elections, cabinet reforms, and anti-corruption measures in the resource-rich nation that borders China and Russia, potentially affecting its economic ties and democratic processes. Hopefully all of this political turmoil around the world is truly indicative of a world in which masses of people are becoming intolerant of corruption amongst public officials.

Venezuela formally condemned U.S. military strikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean at a UN Security Council meeting, labeling them as illegal extrajudicial killings that resulted in at least 12 deaths, including Venezuelan nationals, without any judicial process or evidence presentation. The accusations have escalated diplomatic tensions between Caracas and Washington, with President Nicolás Maduro’s government demanding an independent international investigation and reparations, while simultaneously mobilizing military exercises and militias along its borders in response to what it perceives as U.S. aggression in the region. This type of accusation strains the dynamics of global agencies like the U.N. Security Council who have for far too long simply capitulated to the powerful and harshly held weaker states accountable.

John Bolton, who served as national security advisor under President Trump from 2018 to 2019, was indicted by a federal grand jury on multiple charges, including mishandling classified information related to his memoir, obstructing justice, and making false statements during investigations into leaks that compromised national security. He pleaded not guilty in court, arguing political motivation behind the case, which stems from broader probes into Trump-era officials and has reignited debates on whistleblower protections, executive privilege, and the handling of sensitive intelligence in a polarized political climate. Bolton seems to be a clearly mischievous actor who was willing to go to great lengths to subvert the possibility that Trump could effectively execute his vision during his first term as president or get reelected for his current term. No matter one’s disagreements with, or even hatred for, Trump we can’t have a political climate where intelligence officers feel they can subvert the will of the people for what they perceive to be the greater good.

Nationwide “No Kings” rallies are scheduled for this Saturday across more than 1,000 cities and towns, organized by a coalition of progressive groups like Indivisible and the ACLU, expecting millions of participants to protest what they describe as authoritarian tendencies in the second Trump administration, including executive overreach and policy shifts on immigration and civil rights. The events aim to defend democratic institutions through nonviolent demonstrations, speeches, and marches, focusing opposition to controversial actions like military strikes and deportation campaigns, while coordinators emphasize safety protocols and community mobilization in response to recent polling showing widespread public concern. Protests have long served as an important vehicle for people to express themselves and without that capacity people often resort to other means to be heard.

Admiral Alvin Holsey, the four-star commander of U.S. Southern Command responsible for operations in Latin America and the Caribbean, announced his abrupt early retirement after expressing ethical discomfort with overseeing a series of controversial U.S. airstrikes on suspected drug-smuggling vessels off Venezuela’s coast, ordered under new directives from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in the Trump administration. These strikes, which killed over a dozen suspected traffickers without trials or captures, have sparked internal military debates on rules of engagement, adherence to international law, and the militarization of anti-drug efforts, potentially setting precedents for future operations amid criticisms from human rights groups. Holsey represents the best of patriotic virtue in this regard and we applaud his long-standing honorable service and commitment to our best ideals like justice and love in light of orders which directly conflict with his understanding of what is reasonable and justifiable.

The Colorado Department of Education issued a formal funding warning and corrective action plan to Vista Christian Academy, the state’s pioneering publicly funded charter school with an explicitly Christian worldview, for integrating Bible-based teachings into core academic subjects such as science (e.g., creationism alongside evolution) and history, which officials say violates constitutional mandates for secular education in public institutions. School administrators and supporters defend the curriculum as providing a faith-affirming alternative that enriches cultural education without proselytizing, but now face potential revocation of state funds, enrollment caps, and a looming lawsuit from advocacy groups arguing it blurs church-state separation in a diversely religious state. While this is a story about one school in the state of Colorado it does remind us to consider what is acceptable in terms of utilizing public funds. It seems that a religious school necessarily needs to be private if they want to have the leeway to teach in ways that don’t comport with public reason or shared secular understandings of science or history.

Over 30,000 nurses, medical technicians, pharmacists, and support staff at Kaiser Permanente facilities launched a coordinated five-day strike across California, Oregon, and Hawaii, demanding improved staffing ratios to address unsafe patient loads, wage increases of up to 20% over three years, and enhanced benefits to combat burnout exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic’s lingering effects. The walkout, backed by unions like the Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals, has disrupted non-emergency services at more than 50 hospitals and clinics, prompting Kaiser to hire temporary replacements and reroute patients, while highlighting systemic issues in U.S. healthcare labor negotiations amid rising costs and staff shortages nationwide. The fiscal crisis in this country will likely not resolve soon so it will be interesting to see how organized labor advances their agenda in light of major companies being reluctant to address the demands of workers.

Los Angeles County supervisors unanimously declared a local state of emergency in direct response to a surge in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids that detained over 500 undocumented immigrants in workplace and community operations within a single week, citing widespread humanitarian crises, family separations, and heightened fear in immigrant-heavy neighborhoods like East L.A. The declaration mobilizes county resources for expanded legal aid programs, sanctuary city reinforcements, and emergency shelters accommodating up to 1,000 affected individuals, while escalating legal and political conflicts with the federal government under the Trump administration’s renewed focus on mass deportations, drawing support from civil rights organizations. This is one of the most absurd and outlandish things that local bodies of government have done in their attempt to subvert the supremacy of the federal government. Actions like this literally create the preconditions for meaningful civil unrest and without a real check on this type of behavior we fail to see how we can have de-escalation instead of serious conflict.

Seattle’s city council voted 7-2 to implement a 0.1% sales tax increase starting January 2026, projected to generate approximately $20 million annually dedicated to bolstering public safety initiatives, including hiring 200 additional police officers, expanding alternative mental health crisis response teams, and funding community-based crime prevention programs targeting rising theft, homelessness-related incidents, and gun violence in the post-pandemic era. The measure, championed by Mayor Bruce Harrell amid budget shortfalls, has faced opposition from business associations and low-income advocates concerned about regressive impacts on consumers in a city already burdened by high living costs, potentially adding about $10 yearly to the average household’s tax bill while aiming to address a 40% spike in certain crimes reported last year. Progressive cities like Seattle are going to increasingly become unlivable if they can not figure out ways to pay for basic needs without taxing citizens to death. While we agree there has to be contributions to the common good at some point we must recognize that we can not allow cities to erode our quality of life by making living unaffordable.