The U.N. Security Council has rejected plans by Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to establish a rival government in areas it controls, such as Darfur. The U.N. expressed concerns that a new government would threaten Sudan's territorial integrity and could exacerbate the ongoing civil war that began in April 2023 and has resulted in about 40,000 deaths and displaced nearly 13 million people. The African Union already told them no, but it appears they really do believe they ought to be a separate entity. The sustained nature of this effort makes me think the desire for separation is not going anywhere, and even a stop in the fighting won't patch up these deep divides.

Israel announced plans to build more than 3,000 housing units in the controversial E1 settlement project in the occupied West Bank. This move would connect the settlement to Jerusalem and sever Palestinian areas, preventing a contiguous Palestinian state by isolating East Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank. International reactions have been strong, with the U.S. emphasizing Israel's security, the UN and EU urging reversal because it violates international law, and the UK calling it a "flagrantly illegal" act that "must be stopped now." It's hard to read this as anything other than an attempt to keep a Palestinian state from coming into being.

Spain is missing its 2026 budget deadline for a third consecutive year, forcing the country to continue operating under the 2023 budget due to a lack of political consensus in Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's minority government. This historic delay, unprecedented since democracy was restored in the country in 1975, leads to inefficiencies, policy delays, and underfunding for regions and municipalities, with the opposition Popular Party accusing the government of mismanagement and calling for elections to break the deadlock. The government has to do its job, plain and simple. It seems like Spanish officials are simply throwing their hands up because it's too hard to develop a consensus, and that is not an acceptable response.

The VA's Office of Inspector General reported 4,434 staffing shortages in the current fiscal year, which is a 50% increase from 2024. Currently, 94% of Veterans Health Administration facilities face severe shortages for medical officers. Reasons include challenges in recruitment and retention, though the report notes these are subjective and do not fully reflect recent workforce changes like the Deferred Resignation Program. There is perhaps no group more deserving of quality public services than our veterans, and for the department to be struggling with staffing to this degree is truly troubling. The problems are diverse, but no excuses can be made in terms of assuring our veterans get the care they need and deserve.

A U.S. District Judge has ruled that the Education Department has not complied with his June order to reinstate hundreds of civil rights enforcement staff in the Office for Civil Rights (OCR). Currently, terminated staff remain on paid administrative leave costing nearly $1 million weekly, while OCR handled 6,495 complaints from March to August 2025. As we know, I'm quite critical of efforts from the government to discriminate, so I find it very important that government agencies have the capacity to be aware of and combat discrimination where it occurs. This country has a long history of violating civil rights in relation to education, so restoring staffing in this area seems essential, and I hope they get this done with some urgency.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated in a Fox Business interview that the U.S. government will not purchase additional Bitcoin, limiting the strategic Bitcoin reserve, which was established by President Trump's March executive order and currently valued at $15-20 billion from seized assets, to future law enforcement confiscations only. This marks a shift from earlier White House suggestions that we could acquire more bitcoin through budget-neutral means like selling gold. While the new treasury secretary has been relatively good on crypto, this is a disastrous statement and the wrong move. The country should aggressively build a Bitcoin reserve, as that would be the prime mover in shifting us beyond the fiat currency system.

Mayor Jacob Frey proposed a \(2 billion budget for 2026, with a 7.8% property tax levy increase (down from a projected 13%), and key allocations including \)655 million for general government services, \(500 million for police, \)393 million for parks, and priorities focusing on affordable housing, community safety, climate action, public health, economic inclusion, and small business growth, while claiming $23 million in "smart savings" and maintaining reserves to offset potential federal funding losses amid declining office building values. Keeping cities intact is expensive business, but the increasing comfort with upping property taxes is quite alarming.

Detroit nonprofit Focus: HOPE lost its federal Head Start grant for the 2025-26 school year, leading to program closure affecting over 300 low-income children and potentially laying off up to 70% of 107 early learning staff. This is truly where the rubber hits the road, and those always yelling about fiscal concerns like myself are forced to deal with the human toll of reductions in funding. I however remain optimistic that we can find ways to care for our kids in Detroit without relying so heavily on the federal government.

Illinois has enacted a ban on using artificial intelligence for mental health therapy, becoming the third state after Nevada and Utah to restrict AI chatbots in this area, driven by expert concerns over unregulated tools lacking federal safety and effectiveness reviews, though specific legislation details and broader implications for access to mental health support remain under scrutiny as states grapple with emerging technology. This serves as another reminder that the times we live in will be tricky to navigate and public officials are going to have to be thoughtful in providing a regulatory framework that works going forward. However, I'm also not convinced a law can stop this, and we might have to come to terms that we will live in a world where people have AI confidants.

The Michigan Senate is advancing a bill to track 'ghost children'—kids who fall through the cracks of state oversight—following a February neglect case in Pontiac where deputies found three abandoned children living in squalid conditions with garbage, mold, human waste, non-working toilets, and severe hygiene issues. Children deserve to be protected and cared for, and it is critical that when children are in the hands of the state their safety and care is ensured to the maximal degree. This failure does say something about us as a society, but hopefully new attention and legislation help set things right.