With a 25% drop this year, the Cuban peso has reached a record low in value. Some say it's a consequence of U.S. sanctions and others say it's a result of poor leadership and economic management. While the U.S. policy in relation to the island has long been abhorrent, it's increasingly clear that Cuban-style communism is on life support and they will have to collectively transition or continue to suffer difficulties like high inflation and a struggling national currency.

EU leaders from 26 of 27 member states stated that Ukraine's borders must not be changed by force, emphasizing territorial integrity amid Russian aggression; they pledged continued military support and expressed concerns over imposed peace, as Trump and Putin prepare for a summit where Trump suggested territorial swaps, which have already been rejected by Zelensky. The war rages on and yet there is still resistance to the obvious conclusion that Ukraine will need to cede the land that it's lost so the fighting can come to an end. A generation of young soldiers has already been lost to the war, and to be frank, in my opinion, Ukraine's corrupt political and economic infrastructure alongside its foolish flirtation with NATO put all of this into motion. At some point enough has to be enough.

The Philippines condemned China's actions, which led to a Chinese coast guard ship colliding with a Chinese Navy vessel while pursuing a Philippine patrol boat. The incident occurs amid ongoing tensions about China claiming it controls the area despite a 2016 tribunal ruling against those claims. The tension between the two nations has been growing for some time and has hit a crescendo due to the president of the Philippines noting that they would likely be forced to stand with Taiwan if China decided to aggressively reclaim that territory. China has really been trying to flex its muscle in the region and this confrontation, while minor, is a noteworthy moment as it reflects the growing tensions between the two governments.

The U.S. and China have agreed to postpone tariff hikes and extend their trade truce by 90 days to negotiate a broader deal. Trump confirmed this agreement via Truth Social, and it appears the negotiations hinge on establishing agreements on issues like fentanyl. The two biggest powers in the world are playing a game of economic chicken and this latest move provides some reprieve in the short term but doesn't reflect any real movement toward a long-term solution. What's most important, in my opinion, is that the U.S. comes to embrace a world where there are multiple superpowers and China ceases to behave in ways that make cooperation difficult.

The Fourth Circuit Court will allow DOGE to access sensitive data like Social Security numbers. The point seems to be that DOGE can carry on with its work as gaining access to the data is unlikely to violate any federal privacy laws. The pushback on DOGE has long seemed overblown to me as it is unlikely that their ability to access sensitive data is going to lead to a major calamity. DOGE is simply a recommendation task force, and in order to make data-based recommendations they need access to the data.

Blaming Covid vaccines for his mental health issues, Patrick Joseph White fired over 180 shots at CDC headquarters. In his rampage, he ended up killing a police officer before he committed suicide. While we hate to see violence of this kind and strongly condemn it, this serves as a reminder of just how radicalizing the Covid era was for so many Americans. The government more or less mandated an experimental medication and forced the entire country to follow absurd policies and we were collectively asked to move along as though nothing happened.

Mayor Brandon Scott rebuked Trump's threats to use the federal government for a crime crackdown in Baltimore and said the reason Trump is making such threats is racism. Since yesterday's D.C. takeover, Trump has suggested he may look into federal takeovers of other high-crime cities. Importantly, all the cities mentioned by Trump as potential targets for federal intervention have Black mayors. I'm torn because I'm always defensive of Black people; at the same time, however, we can't afford to collectively pretend that cities like Oakland, Baltimore, and Chicago aren't struggling in ways that would require radical intervention to be resolved.

The Tenth Circuit upheld Oklahoma's 2023 ban on gender-affirming care for minors, ruling it non-discriminatory based on Supreme Court precedent. The Oklahoma law prohibits and penalizes treatments for residents under the age of 18. Gender-affirming care for minors is quite contentious and it really is a tricky thing to get one's head around as it sits right on the line, in my opinion, between government overreach and necessary protections for children.

Republican Dan Hawkins accused Governor Kelly of covering up SNAP fraud. He alleged the state's program actually has a 12% error rate and cited the refusal to release data to USDA as further evidence that the state is aware of the program's dysfunction. Governor Kelly has called the representative's claims baseless. Hopefully there will be further investigation to determine the legitimacy of this claim. However, at this early stage, I'm inclined to believe he's on to something as far too often in this country elected officials are more interested in polishing their resume than doing what needs to be done in relation to good governance.

The Memphis School Board will impose term limits starting in 2026. In my opinion, anything that has to be governed has to be governed by people with term limits. I applaud the move and think it will help curb corruption and the entrenchment of power and interests that so often allow for elected leaders to abdicate their obligations and simply look forward to reelection and maintaining their position.