Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina appointed army general Ruphin Fortunat Zafisambo as the new prime minister in response to ongoing youth-led protests that began on September 25 over water and electricity shortages but have expanded to demands for his resignation due to corruption and economic issues. Despite the government’s attempts to placate demonstrators through cabinet dissolution and plans for national dialogue, protesters have rejected the changes, issued ultimatums, and continued clashes with security forces, resulting in at least 22 deaths and over 100 injuries. People are increasingly frustrated with corruption in leadership and are increasingly using revolutionary tools to create accountability.

Syria conducted its first parliamentary elections since the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, with local electoral councils selecting 119 members for the People’s Assembly, predominantly Sunni Muslim men who participated in the revolution, while leaving 21 seats unfilled in uncontrolled areas and reserving 70 for presidential appointment. The process, which excluded direct public voting and political parties, yielded results which may fail to reflect the actual will of the public. Hopefully this process is only being implemented to facilitate a transition back to sustainable governance and does not become the standard practice for maintaining the government.

BRICS member states welcomed Iran’s proposal for a joint satellite data exchange platform during an online meeting hosted by Iran, aimed at facilitating data sharing for applications like crisis management and agriculture monitoring. China, Russia, and Brazil expressed interest in the initiative, which is expected to be implemented as a strategic plan soon, following discussions on geospatial technologies and cooperation. We are increasingly seeing parallel worlds emerge with one anchored by BRICS and the other anchored by Western institutions which appear to be falling apart at the seams.

The Trump administration deployed Texas National Guard troops to the Chicago area as part of an immigration and crime crackdown, despite a lawsuit from Illinois and Chicago officials that a federal judge declined to block immediately. This action, which also involved federalizing Illinois National Guard members, escalates federal enforcement in Democratic-led cities, prompting local responses like Chicago’s ban on ICE operations on city property. It is hard not to be alarmist when increasingly states are resisting the demands of the federal government to this degree.

Senate Republicans confirmed 107 nominees for executive branch positions on a party-line vote, utilizing a recent rule change allowing batch confirmations to clear a backlog amid Democratic opposition during the government shutdown. The confirmations included notable figures such as Herschel Walker as ambassador to the Bahamas and Sergio Gor as ambassador to India, reducing pending nominees to double digits.

The Trump administration announced the use of revenue from Section 232 tariffs to sustain funding for the WIC program, which provides nutritional assistance to nearly 7 million low-income pregnant women, new mothers, and young children, amid a government shutdown that threatened to exhaust its resources. This temporary measure, described as a creative solution, aims to prevent disruptions in benefits like food vouchers and education, while blaming Democrats for the funding crisis. Tariff revenue is obviously not a sustainable funding solution for a program designed to ensure young children and mothers have access to food but it is fortunate that this revenue can be used to sustain the program given our crisis in governance.

Jefferson County Public Schools in Louisville is addressing a $188 million budget deficit through its Revenue Advisory Task Force, which is exploring creative cost-cutting measures without raising taxes. The task force, after hearing departmental needs, will recommend a tax rate for the 2026-27 school year to the board. Funding, especially at the local level, is growing to be a widespread concern.

The Baltimore County Council approved a 30-year property tax break worth $16.5 million for developer Howard Brown to incentivize affordable housing in redevelopment projects at Metro Center in Owings Mills and Security Square in Woodlawn, requiring 10% of units to be affordable. While supported by local councilmen and the county executive as a means to revitalize economic anchors, the decision faced criticism for insufficient affordable housing set-asides and favoring specific developers. Using incentives like this has long been a tool cities have used to address housing challenges, but it seems to be insufficient to ensure there is an adequate amount of affordable housing built.

The Virginia governor’s race between Democrat Abigail Spanberger and Republican Winsome Earle-Sears has been upended by resurfaced violent text messages from Democratic attorney general candidate Jay Jones, an ally of Spanberger, prompting Republican demands for both to drop out. Despite condemnations, Spanberger continues to support Jones, placing her on the defensive in a previously comfortable lead, amid broader concerns over political violence.

Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt appointed Lindel Fields as the new state superintendent of public instruction following Ryan Walters’ resignation to join a private sector job, aiming to restore trust and improve education rankings. Fields outlined a 15-month turnaround plan, emphasized kindness and partnership in communications to parents and educators, and committed to reviewing contracts and lawsuits. The last superintendent very much struck us as a grifter hoping to use this seat to propel his career as a social influencer; perhaps this next superintendent will take his role more seriously.