For the first time in modern history, populist parties are simultaneously topping the polls in Europe's three main economies: Germany, France, and Britain. This rise is linked to high inflation, concerns about mass immigration, collapsing faith in institutions, and effective use of social media to promote simple solutions to complex problems. Despite their popularity, these parties are still unlikely to govern alone due to multiparty systems requiring coalitions. This surge in populist sentiment, I think, is indicative of a growing pushback against the neoliberal globalist agenda. Elites are trying to smear these shifts using labels like far-right, but at some point we're going to have to acknowledge that people want a radical shift and they want their countries to serve the interests of ordinary citizens.

U.N.-backed investigators have found significant evidence of systematic torture in Myanmar detention centers, with an increase in the frequency and brutality of atrocities, including war crimes and crimes against humanity. The report documents torture methods such as beatings, electric shocks, strangulations, pulling out fingernails, gang rape, and burning of sexual body parts. Children as young as 2 have been detained as proxies for parents accused of opposition ties and subjected to torture, ill-treatment, or sexual violence. This is essentially the problem with junta governments; they lack the capacity to be organized in ways that are acceptable and don't produce horrific outcomes like these. Militaries aren't designed to govern, and when they are installed as the government, you can almost count on horrendous outcomes like this. I mean, children as young as 2 are being held as captives—this is insane!

Clashes erupted for a second day between anti-government protesters and supporters in Serbia. Protesters smashed windows of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party office, and riot police were forced to use tear gas to disperse crowds. Violence included government supporters throwing flares, rocks, and bottles, with at least one policeman injured and dozens more hurt overall. The protests have been going on for over nine months and have drawn hundreds of thousands. They are driven by accusations of corruption in and demands for early elections amid claims that President Aleksandar Vucic is stifling democratic freedoms. This type of conflict is what often occurs when legitimate means of contesting government agendas are perceived to be failing. Hopefully some resolutions can come about so things do not intensify around the country.

The U.S. national debt has reached a record $37 trillion as reported by the Treasury Department, increasing by $1 trillion in just nine months. This growth stems from heavy government borrowing under both Trump and Biden, with Trump's recent "One Big, Beautiful Bill" expected to add $4.1 trillion over the next decade. Frankly, our country's economic situation is absurd and completely out of hand. As a population, we must demand some type of accountability and shift towards demanding fiscal responsibility, or our republic will collapse under the weight of fiscal mismanagement. The reckoning will be intense and will be soon if we do not pivot quickly.

A federal appeals court ruled 2-1 that the Trump administration can withhold billions in foreign aid, overturning a lower court's order to release the funds and affirming presidential authority under the Impoundment Control Act of 1974. While the intelligentsia continues to act as though the current arrangement of the U.S. being predominant around the world and ensuring countries receive aid must be the way, it is becoming clearer and clearer that a new world must emerge in which countries are not dependent on the U.S. to meet their basic needs. As far as I'm concerned, USAID has long been a branch of the imperial arm of the U.S. empire, and it needs to be cut off.

The Reinvestment Fund has launched a $50 million initiative to strengthen Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) nationwide, aiming to provide financial support and resources to address ongoing challenges faced by these institutions. As far as I'm concerned, HBCUs are the most important institutions in Black America, and they have been floundering for the past several decades. Infusions of cash don't seem to be the answer, as those efforts have done little to resolve what seems to be deeper structural problems. Hopefully, though, this serves as a reminder that people are interested in trying to strengthen these institutions.

The Louisiana Department of Health paid nearly $10 million to managed care organizations for health care services not received by deceased Medicaid beneficiaries over the past six years, with about $9.6 million identified in an audit that found payments continuing for over 1,072 dead individuals, often long after their deaths. This is an example of the reason we need to embrace rigorous audits and structural reform in all government agencies in this country. The mechanisms for government are bloated and bursting at the seams, and create an environment where mistakes like this seem insignificant because the systems are so gigantic.

The Dallas City Council voted to pause its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs to comply with a Trump administration directive threatening to withhold federal funds. Maintaining the programs would have risked $305 million in federal grants that support road repairs, bridge construction, housing, and services for the homeless. The city can still allocate based on veteran status, disability, or socioeconomic factors but not race, gender, or ethnicity. Dallas made the right move here. I again will stress that from my perspective, the hard truth is that the government almost never should be allowed to engage in discrimination, no matter how well-intentioned. Also, at a time when many major cities are struggling with funding and the economy is wobbling, picking fights with the feds is counterproductive.

Arkansas's ban on gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors will take full effect after a federal appeals court reversed a four-year injunction. Passed in 2021 despite a veto from then-Gov. Asa Hutchinson, the law was ruled unconstitutional by a district judge in 2023 for violating equal protection and free speech, but the 8th Circuit upheld it in a decision influenced by a Supreme Court ruling on a similar Tennessee ban. Yesterday we talked about a similar situation in Oklahoma, and all of this reveals a broad effort throughout some parts of the country to stop this type of medical intervention. At the same time, other, more progressive parts of the country are doubling down on access to these services. I personally don't see the variety in legal understandings amongst the states as a problem but as part of the beauty of our federal system.

The Houston City Council approved a $315 million federal recovery funds plan, allocating $100 million for housing repairs after an amendment increased it from an initial $50 million proposal. The funds are meant to address damage from three 2024 storms, including Hurricane Beryl. The plan requires HUD approval and is expected to reach people by late 2025 or early 2026. This story is a follow-up to the one we covered a while back regarding the arguments about how funds should be distributed and what portion should go to people for housing repairs versus infrastructure to prevent future disasters from being so problematic. It looks like the side of giving money to people to fix their homes won out.