China and India are working towards improving their relationship, with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi stating they should be partners rather than adversaries during his meeting with Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar in Delhi. The discussions focused on bilateral issues like trade and border disputes, with both sides taking steps to normalize relations, including resuming patrols along the disputed Himalayan border and allowing Indian pilgrims to visit Tibet. As the world resettles into a new global power arrangement, it is worth noting the trajectory of relationships between growing powers like India and China.

Vladimir Putin called the leaders of India, Brazil, and South Africa to brief them on his summit with Donald Trump in Alaska, aiming to rally major Brics economies facing harsh US tariffs, including a 50 percent tariff on Indian and Brazilian exports and a 30 percent tariff on South African goods. During these calls, discussions included the prospects for a long-term settlement of the Ukraine crisis, with leaders like Narendra Modi and Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva expressing support for peaceful resolutions and continued dialogue. BRICS is the necessary counterbalance to Western institutions like NATO and the EU, so it is particularly interesting that after meeting with Trump, Putin thought it worthwhile to discuss shared interests with the broader group.

Vietnam is pursuing around 250 projects with a total investment of about $48 billion to boost economic growth, as announced by the government. This includes 129 state-funded projects worth $18 billion for urban development and transportation, and 121 projects worth $30.5 billion financed by other sources, including foreign companies. Governments increasingly will have to play an active role in boosting domestic industry as global trade is increasingly put into jeopardy by growing populist and isolationist trends throughout the world. I for one see this type of domestic-focused policy as a positive step in guiding the world back in a better and more sustainable direction.

Donald Trump has ruled out sending US troops to Ukraine to enforce a potential peace deal with Vladimir Putin, focusing instead on providing air support as part of security guarantees. European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy are engaging in diplomatic efforts, including discussions on alternative security measures, amid uncertainties about Putin's willingness to negotiate. This commitment by the United States needs to ripple through the strategies of various other Western powers if we truly are invested in bringing this catastrophic war to an end.

The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform plans to release redacted files related to the Jeffrey Epstein case, ensuring victims’ identities and sensitive materials are protected, with materials expected from the Justice Department starting Friday. Speaker Mike Johnson has delayed a full House vote on releasing the Department of Justice’s Epstein files until September, supporting transparency but allowing the administration time to handle the matter. Although much of the energy behind the Epstein scandal has seemed to dissipate recently, it is critical that we as the public not lose sight of the significance of this criminal enterprise and apply pressure on public officials to bring about justice and to do so transparently.

The US State Department has revoked more than 6,000 international student visas due to violations such as assault, DUI, burglary, and support for terrorism, with about 4,000 revoked for breaking the law and 200-300 for terrorism-related activities under INA 3B. This action is part of the Trump administration's broader crackdown on immigration, which also includes pausing visa appointments for international students earlier in the year and requiring social media screening for visa applicants to check for hostility toward the US or support for designated foreign terrorists. Student visas are particularly tenuous legal arrangements so it's unsurprising that a federal government committed to reducing overall immigration would leverage any misconduct as a reason to deport foreign guests.

Oklahoma will require teacher applicants from California and New York to pass an exam administered by PragerU, a conservative nonprofit, to screen for “radical leftist ideology,” a move announced by Superintendent Ryan Walters to safeguard Oklahoma classrooms. Critics, including the American Federation of Teachers and the National Council for the Social Studies, have denounced the exam as a “MAGA loyalty test,” arguing it could deter qualified teachers and exacerbate the state’s teacher shortage. This is perhaps one of the most insane outcomes of the culture wars entering the policy sphere. We simply can't hold a union together if we ratchet up feelings of mutual distrust by testing ideology across state lines.

Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly has proposed reducing the property tax rate, aiming to ease the tax burden as property value assessments have led to significantly higher payments for residents. The proposal, set for public hearing, includes funding for essential services like police and firefighter raises but raises concerns about impacts on city services and fixed-income households. We have a very serious fiscal problem in this country and it often manifests at the city-level as an inability for cities to figure out how to secure adequate funding without essentially eroding the ability of ordinary residents to own property.

A federal appeals court ruled that Maryland’s tax on digital advertising, which targeted large tech companies like Meta, Google, and Amazon, was unconstitutional as it infringed on these companies' free speech rights by prohibiting them from informing customers about the tax's impact on pricing. The court found that this restriction was a form of censorship, comparing it to historical suppressions like the Colonial-era Stamp Act, and reversed a lower court’s decision, sending the case back for further consideration of remedies. I'm usually anti-Big Tech but it seems here that Maryland's innovative legal approach may not be a legal tactic for states to deploy as we collectively try to ensure we are not enslaved by tech overlords.

Tulsa has established its first Office of Health and Well-being, funded by over $260,000 in multi-year corporate funding, including $210,000 from Community Care and a $50,000 grant from the George Kaiser Family Foundation. The new department aims to enhance health outcomes through resource alignment, data sharing, and collaboration among healthcare providers, public health agencies, and community organizations. The Office, led by Chief Health Officer Dr. Jabraan Pasha, aims to convene healthcare stakeholders through a Health Coalition, target areas with significant health disparities using the Neighborhood Conditions Index, and advance citywide mental health initiatives, with philanthropic donations funding operations and no public funding used for its creation. The health situation in this country is truly depressing, and I applaud all efforts to intervene. However, I'm unsure that a new office in the city government will move us further along in the pursuit of a healthier America; it seems that the shift must be cultural.