Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the IDF to immediately launch “forceful strikes” across Gaza after accusing Hamas of breaching the U.S.-brokered ceasefire. Netanyahu personally informed President Trump before striking, while Hamas denied all charges, reaffirmed its truce commitment, accused Israel of obstructing the handover of hostage bodies, and reported at least five Palestinian deaths. Importantly, both sides expressed a desire to preserve the deal amid repeated flare-ups. We remain deeply suspicious of the Israeli government’s intentions, as not only did they recently attempt to occupy more Palestinian territory, but they have routinely acted in ways that foster retaliatory violence.

The UN Emissions Gap Report declares that a temporary breach of the 1.5°C warming threshold is now unavoidable within years. More importantly, current national pledges meant to deliver a 60% drop in global emissions will only yield a 10% reduction, risking irreversible tipping points like the Amazon rainforest converting to savanna, ice-sheet collapses in Greenland and the West Antarctic, and mass coral reef die-off. Bill Gates recently rejected climate “doomerism,” asserting that humanity will adapt successfully and calling to redirect trillions of dollars from climate change mitigation to promoting vaccines, poverty alleviation programs, and welfare services in developing nations. The real question we’d like to pose is: Why does Bill Gates wield so much influence over the agendas of global entities like the UN?

The IMF projects that U.S. general government gross debt will surpass both Italy’s (137%) and Greece’s (130.2%) for the first time this century. Fueled by chronic deficits, huge defense budgets, and an aging population, U.S. debt will soar to 143.4% of GDP by 2030. Global public debt will top 100% of world GDP by 2029 with dire warnings of bond market contagion, investor panic, and fiscal austerity clashing against populist tax cuts and spending binges. Global debt will soon hit its highest level since 1948, signaling that the economic order ushered in after WWII is bursting at the seams. The most interesting dynamic in all of this is that no longer will fiscal crises only be prominent in the developing world but also in the world’s superpowers.

Twenty-five Democratic-led states plus D.C. filed suit against the USDA to prevent the unprecedented November 1 cutoff of SNAP benefits for 42 million low-income Americans during the government shutdown, as the agency has deemed its $5-6 billion contingency fund “not legally available” outside disasters. Plaintiffs claim the refusal flouts federal law, as GOP senators fracture over a standalone patch while families, EBT retailers, and food banks face acute hunger risks. The legality of the USDA’s decision is unclear, but what is clear is that politicians on both sides are willing to risk mass food insecurity to force their agendas through.

President Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi established the “Tokyo Framework,” pledging coordinated investments, including a $550 billion package for mining projects, which will launch within six months. The deal also establishes rapid-response supply chains meant to dismantle China’s stranglehold on processing rare earth materials. The deal accelerates nuclear collaboration on next-gen AP1000 reactors, small modular reactors via Mitsubishi/Toshiba, and fusion energy to fortify Japan’s security, affordability, and exports. This agreement is truly empowering for both parties, as it makes both countries far less reliant on China for these essential resources.

U.S. forces executed three strikes against four boats run by cartels designated as terrorists in international eastern Pacific waters near Mexico, slaying 14 suspects and seizing narcotics cargo along prime routes. These strikes fall under the current federal government’s doctrine, which equates narco-traffickers to enemy combatants, and when designated as such, they can be subject to warrantless lethal action. The answer seems clear: Governments where these cartels operate must bring them under control, as the U.S. will likely continue this heavy-handed policy. Given the intensity of the situation and the looming threat of regional warfare, shutting down these criminal operations is in everyone’s best interest.

Mayor Young revealed that the 1,000-agent Memphis Safe Task Force embeds ICE agents in the Memphis Police Department’s Organized Crime and Gang Units. Hispanic leaders vehemently protested, voicing concerns over profiling fears, the possibility of family separation (e.g., moms separated from toddlers), a heavy ICE presence with 500+ weekly sightings, and business disruptions. Young has done the right thing by standing firm on cooperation with the federal government; the short-term political blowback he faces will prove sustainable over the long term.

The National Park Service restored and repositioned the 1901 bronze statue of Confederate General and Freemason leader Albert Pike to its original spot as a result of President Trump’s “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” executive order. Pike was a Civil War traitor, alleged KKK architect, and generally outside the realm of what we might call a patriot. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton described the statue as “offensive” and an undeserved honor for a “dishonorable” anti-U.S. figure. One central question for society: What makes someone eligible for a statue, and what should we do with those erected before we codify our shared litmus test? We recommend warehousing all statues of traitors in museums as subjects of ridicule in perpetuity.

Governor Kevin Stitt mobilized the state’s Highway Patrol and Transportation Department to conduct Operation SAFE in Oklahoma City. The operation will facilitate these state agents in dismantling homeless encampments, removing trash and debris from state highways, and also cleaning up underpasses and buildings. The effort replicates the operation that took place in Tulsa, which resulted in 25 encampments being destroyed and 446 people being transitioned to public housing without arrests. Homelessness remains one of the most difficult problems for state and local governments, but it’s increasingly clear that allowing it to flourish is not a reasonable option.

A suicidal 16-year-old foster girl died last month from a diphenhydramine (Benadryl) overdose in an East Baltimore hotel under lax “babysitter” watch, prompting DHS to outlaw such placements after auditors ruled that housing 280 youth over two years ($1,259 daily per caretaker) was illegal, unlicensed, and ruinous for mentally fragile teens. The final six must exit by November 24 amid bed shortages, staving off worse options like hospitals or shelters in a broken system. If we are to live in a just society, then the state must take seriously its care requirements, particularly for minors or elderly people who have no other source of care and protection.