Greece Closes 721 Schools Due to Demographic Crisis Which Officials Describe as "Armageddon" Greece, like much of the world, is wrestling with unbelievably low birthrates, and early signs of the coming demographic crisis are showing in the fact that there aren't enough children to keep schools open. Despite all that's going on in the world, the coming demographic problem is perhaps the biggest problem we collectively face—with that said, how should we move forward?
Florida to Eliminate All Vaccine Mandates Florida is looking to ditch every vaccine requirement and put personal choice front and center, even as rates drop and the health crowd sounds the alarm. This may make us ask about the limits of our federal setup and what having states decide about critical questions like this really means for health freedom—is it reasonable to let states experiment in this way? We say yes, but what say you?
France Instructs Hospitals to Prepare for Wartime Operations Within 6 Months Leaked French documents reveal that the country is about to gear up for a flood of war-wounded soldiers, which makes it seem as though the country is convinced a clash with Russia is imminent. The question here is relatively simple: are we on the brink of WWIII?
Minnesota Governor Calls Special Session on Gun Control After Mass Shooting Governor Walz is calling for tougher rules following a heartbreaking school shooting. Can we tackle our nation's gun violence epidemic without compromising the rights guaranteed to us under our current Constitution?
Over 1,000 HHS Workers Call for RFK Jr. to Resign This seems to be in reaction to RFK Jr.'s shake-ups at HHS, with both employees and congressional members questioning both his understanding of science and leadership qualities—RFK Jr. continues to point to the dire health situation in the country and the overwhelming influence of Big Pharma as the justification for making major changes. Given how poorly these institutions have served in terms of protecting the health of Americans, isn't it only right that they be held accountable and removed if they have failed at the task? That is a leading question, but really, what do you make of all this fallout?
U.N. Says Every Side in Congo War Is Committing Serious War Crimes The United Nations has documented potential war crimes and crimes against humanity by all parties in the Democratic Republic of Congo's eastern conflict, including summary executions, gang rapes, torture, and forced recruitment—the violence has displaced over seven million people, killed thousands, and highlighted the problems that occur when institutions totally fail. Where does the Congo go from here, and whose responsibility is it to push it in that direction?
Belgium Becomes Latest Country to Recognize Palestinian State additional coverage Belgium joins a growing list of nations formally condemning the behavior of the Israeli government and taking the bold step to recognize Palestine as its own nation, while Israel's internal ranks seem increasingly fractured on what the next steps of the conquest should be. Are these diplomatic signals enough to strengthen our global ethical backbone and prevent horrors like genocide from seeming routine?
World Bank Says East Asia Presents $1.7 Trillion Investment Opportunity for Production This seems to be a clear signal that East Asia is the next big play for manufacturing titans, with the Bank indicating investment will lead to tantalizing returns amid the growing consumerist trends in the region. While capitalism seems to promise us unlimited growth, should we be concerned that we are seeing some of the last so-called emerging markets become saturated with capital?
Oregon Introduces Bill to Make 'Secret Police' Illegal in the Constitution The state wants to enshrine protections from masked police forces in the state's constitution—at its core, the effort seems to be about avoiding authoritarian slips, as secret police forces can quickly become a recipe for abuses of power. If law enforcement feels that they'll be made unsafe by doing their lawful duties, is it okay to protect their identities with face coverings, or is it simply too unnerving and problematic to be allowed?
Congress Considers Bill to Bar Lawmakers from Trading Stocks In a rare moment of nonpartisan collaboration, there is recognition that we might need to clamp down on lawmakers' stock games, as there seems to be ample evidence of illegal activity. Is it necessary for us to ban these shady practices to rebuild our faith in our politics, or is it too harsh to not let people serve while also managing their business affairs?
