The U.K. Reform Party, led by Nigel Farage, has pledged to detain and deport all unauthorized migrants while barring asylum claims and leaving the European Convention on Human Rights to enable mass deportations of hundreds of thousands over five years. He says this policy is needed as a response to a 50% rise in English Channel crossings, with nearly 29,000 arrivals in 2025. By announcing positions like this, the party aims to capitalize on public frustration to become the main right-wing force by the 2029 election. Increasingly, countries which have accepted a tremendous amount of immigration in a short amount of time are reversing their position and political actors are moving in the direction of okaying significant deportation efforts.

Cambodian lawmakers unanimously approved a bill allowing the government to revoke citizenship from individuals conspiring with foreign nations to harm national interests, applying to all citizens including dual nationals. Critics argue the vague wording could suppress dissent and target opposition figures, especially amid a recent border dispute with Thailand that heightened nationalism. Citizenship is such a critical element of being able to feel safe and protected in a society, so this push seems to be a way to keep citizens from acting in ways the government deems problematic. Although free speech is not nearly protected enough in Cambodia, this seems like a further entrenchment of attempts to muzzle Cambodian citizens.

France faces a severe debt crisis with €3.3 trillion in national debt and a 5.4% GDP deficit, prompting Economy Minister Eric Lombard to warn of a potential IMF bailout amid political instability. Prime Minister François Bayrou's confidence vote on September 8 is likely to fail due to opposition from left and right, spooking markets with falling stocks, rising bond yields, and planned nationwide protests. We try not to cover issues multiple times in the same week but the situation in France requires urgent attention as it is quickly devolving into a chaotic fiscal nightmare. This situation should serve as a warning to those who consistently dismiss the fact that public debt crises cannot be kicked down the road forever and when the bill comes due the consequences rain down dramatically and swiftly.

President Trump attempted to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, citing alleged false statements in her mortgage applications as "cause," marking the first such presidential action in the Fed's 111-year history. Cook plans to challenge the removal in court, arguing it lacks legal basis since presidents can only remove governors for cause related to duties, with the dispute potentially reaching the Supreme Court and threatening Fed independence. The federal reserve is undoubtedly a bastion of corruption and needs to be abolished immediately in our humble opinion. With that said, many critics of the president have suggested that he targeted Cook in particular because she is a Black woman and they believe he is a racist and/or a bigot. The Congressional Black Caucus, for instance, released a letter condemning the move on those grounds. We, however, are of the opinion that Cook was the easiest target in Trump's ongoing war with the fed because of what seems to be glaring misconduct. I imagine he would actually fire nearly everyone currently at the Fed if he could find reason to.

The U.S. Department of Energy announced nearly $1 billion in funding opportunities to advance domestic mining, processing, and manufacturing of critical minerals, focusing on rare-earth elements, semiconductors, and battery materials. This investment aims to reduce reliance on foreign suppliers, strengthen supply chains for energy and defense, and support technologies like direct lithium extraction and recycling from industrial waste. This seems like a move in the right direction as if the federal government is to have a role in the market, especially regarding something like critical minerals, it should use its ability to tip the scales to increase and subsidize domestic productive capacity. Reliance on foreign actors, in an increasingly unstable global climate, seems foolish so it is good to see the government begin to build out the infrastructure needed for self-sustainability in the U.S.

The Justice Department filed to dismiss a $100 million lawsuit by former Proud Boys leaders claiming malicious political prosecution for their January 6 Capitol attack convictions, arguing no evidence of fabricated evidence or merit in the claims. The suit followed Trump's pardons and sentence commutations for the plaintiffs. Soon a judge will decide if the case should be dismissed and that decision will come amid ongoing debates over the prosecutions' fairness. The fallout from the riot on January 6th 2021 continues to be a source of contention for many, with some arguing that the riot was one of the most heinous and treasonous acts to ever occur and others suggesting it represented an instance of an overly aggressive and politically motivated judiciary seeking to punish Americans for their political sensibilities. This, alongside the pardons, may bring some closure to the epic drama.

West Virginia is selling four state-owned long-term care hospitals serving elderly Medicaid patients to Marx Development Group for 60million,asthefacilitiesoperateata6 million annual loss and need over $100 million in renovations. The buyer plans to build three to five new facilities, but concerns persist over patient relocations, job losses, care continuity, and the company's past discrimination allegations. The issue this presents is two-fold. One is the obvious concerns that surface when we consider what it means for states to no longer provide health care and shift that responsibility to companies who provide services with a profit-motive. The other is a larger cultural discussion around how we should deal with care for the elderly and if these types of institutional facilities are something that we should continue to normalize.

President Trump announced his administration will seek the death penalty for homicides in Washington, D.C. Although D.C. repealed capital punishment in 1981 and voters rejected it in 1992, it remains legal federally so in a technical legal sense this may be something that can be done. We here at Mituye take a stand against the death penalty, citing the erosion of trust in the criminal justice system that can occur when the fallibility of the legal process is ignored in favor of using irreversible deterrents like the death penalty to avert people from criminal behavior. With that said, it does appear that the policing of D.C. is going to have to incorporate better methods for deterring murders than it has historically as the murder rate in D.C. has been absurdly high since the crack era began.

A specially appointed judge dismissed the Department of Justice's lawsuit against all 15 federal district judges in Maryland over a 48-hour deportation freeze order, ruling it violated constitutional tradition and precedent. The case stemmed from tensions between the executive and judiciary, with the DOJ urged to appeal individual decisions instead, highlighting broader conflicts in immigration enforcement. Hopefully the tensions between the federal government and the judiciary can calm down as the pursuit of this case would obviously provoke a constitutional crisis. Perhaps the individual approach can create a sense of orderliness if there is reason to believe these judges have violated the law.

Memphis residents and advocates oppose xAI's data center due to its high water and energy use, air pollution linked to health issues, and placement in communities of color, prompting appeals against permits and pollution monitoring. The City Council approved allocating 25% of xAI's property tax revenue to affected areas like Boxtown and Whitehaven, with community input on uses such as education and sustainability. The problems data centers unleash will undoubtedly be one of the trickiest areas of public safety to navigate in the coming decades. It appears at the moment the consequences of the facilities are disastrous for the health of communities, but at the same time, they have to go somewhere and this dynamic creates quite the challenge.