Tens of thousands of Italians participated in a nationwide general strike and protests against Israel's offensive in Gaza. The protests led to widespread disruptions, including port blockades to halt arms shipments, school closures, and clashes with police in cities like Milan. The Italian government under Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned the violence as unrelated to genuine solidarity and reaffirmed its refusal to recognize a Palestinian state, contrasting with moves by France and other nations to do so. Italian leadership must pivot on this point and join the majority of nations that condemn the Israeli aggression in Gaza.

Tens of thousands of Filipinos protested in Manila and other cities against corruption involving billions in misappropriated flood relief funds. The clashes near the presidential palace resulted in over 70 arrests and injuries to police. The President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., responded by establishing an independent commission to investigate thousands of projects, accepting key resignations, and endorsing peaceful demonstrations on the anniversary of his father's martial law declaration. There seem to be many uprisings recently against corrupt government officials; perhaps we are finally entering the moment in the 21st century in which there is a coordinated shift toward transparent and fair governance all throughout the world.

The Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy successfully conducted catapult launches and arrested recoveries of advanced aircraft, including the J-35 stealth fighter and KJ-600 early warning plane, from its new Fujian carrier. This feat is significant because it marks a major advancement in China's electromagnetic catapult technology. The 80,000-ton Fujian, the largest warship in Asia since World War II, is set to enter service by year's end, bolstering China's naval power projection amid regional carrier developments. It only makes sense for China to demonstrate that it maintains the military might to justify its growing influence.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture canceled its 30-year-old annual Household Food Security Report, deeming it redundant and politicized, with the final 2024 data release scheduled for October 22, 2025. This move follows expanded SNAP work requirements, which could potentially cut aid for 2.4 million Americans. In 2023, food insecurity impacted 47.4 million people, including 14 million children. While alarming on its face, I imagine keeping track of hunger is something best done at the state level.

The Supreme Court permitted President Trump to fire Democratic FTC commissioners without cause, including Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, challenging the 1935 Humphrey’s Executor precedent and potentially extending to Lisa Cook's removal as a Federal Reserve governor. The conservative majority's decision grants the president greater control over independent agencies, eroding their bipartisanship, despite dissents from liberal justices warning of undermined independence.

The Department of Energy launched the "Speed to Power" initiative to rapidly expand electricity generation and grid capacity amid surging demand from AI data centers. These data centers are in fact projected to consume half of new U.S. power by 2030. The program invites private sector input through a request for information due November 21, aiming to collaborate with states and utilities for affordable, secure energy to maintain U.S. AI leadership. The AI race is shaping up to be the space race of the 21st century, and the cost of competition seems to be never-before-seen amounts of energy production.

Following a recount of the preliminary election, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu secured 72% of votes and will run unopposed in the November 4 general election after challengers like Domingos DaRosa failed to meet the 3,000-vote threshold. With historical precedent favoring incumbents, Wu plans to support city council candidates and boost the 22% voter turnout from the preliminary. I have been quite critical of Wu's and her aggressive stances against cooperation with the federal government, but it is important to note that she is clearly quite popular among Boston residents.

Pittsburgh City Council unanimously approved a $1.8 million contract for a master plan to transform a former VA hospital site into a public safety training campus for police, fire, and EMS, with an estimated total cost over $84 million. The plan incorporates community amenities like pools and tracks, prohibits urban warfare training or foreign involvement, and requires a public hearing after completion to address concerns. Some see this as another example of 'cop city' where local governments are building training grounds for increasingly professionally militarized policing forces.

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro threatened to withdraw the state from PJM Interconnection, the largest U.S. power grid, unless reforms address surging bills from AI data center demand and inaccurate forecasts. Governors from multiple states are pushing for voting power in PJM's operations to tackle connection delays and economic impacts, following record capacity costs of $16.1 billion. I cannot underscore enough just how important energy will be in the coming decades. Between energy production and demographic collapse, we have the most significant challenges of our era.

A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction allowing Orsted to resume construction on the 80% complete Revolution Wind farm off Rhode Island, halted by the federal government over national security concerns. The $6.2 billion project, set to power over 350,000 homes, had incurred daily losses of $2.3 million, representing a legal setback to efforts suppressing offshore wind development.