The European Parliament approved the Omnibus I simplification package with 428 votes in favor. The legislation significantly scales back the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) by raising thresholds, exempting more companies, and reducing reporting and due diligence obligations to ease administrative burdens and boost competitiveness. These changes, part of a broader deregulation effort, have sparked criticism from environmental groups and civil society for weakening accountability on human rights violations, environmental damage, and supply chain transparency. It is clear that the EU is not a tenable governance body as in order to complete its mission it must wield power it does not have and too many European nations are now unwilling to give it. Like all efforts to centralize power the EU's demands have ballooned over time and no amount of attempts to loosen its regulatory requirements can undo that fatal flaw of the union.

Construction is underway on the $167 billion Motuo Hydropower Station on the lower Yarlung Tsangpo River in Tibet, designed to generate up to 60,000 MW (three times the capacity of the Three Gorges Dam) by harnessing a massive elevation drop in the Grand Canyon region, with operations targeted for 2033. The project raises significant concerns including seismic risks in an earthquake-prone area, ecological disruption to biodiversity, forced displacement of local communities, and potential downstream impacts on water flow to India (as the Brahmaputra) and Bangladesh, fueling geopolitical tensions. What China is and how it operates should not be lost on us. China's unbridled ambition often leaves little room for compromise especially when it comes to issues that deal with the prosperity of the mainland.

A Moscow court recently ruled to classify the feminist punk collective Pussy Riot as an extremist organization, banning its activities in Russia and exposing supporters to criminal prosecution risks, including for possessing related materials or online engagement. This escalation in the ongoing crackdown on dissent follows prior prison sentences for members over anti-Putin protests and recent absentia convictions for spreading alleged military fakes, further restricting freedom of expression. This just serves as an important reminder of why protections against this level of government repression have to be bolstered and supported at all times. Or you can end up in a country where courts can deem art contraband and dissent illegal.

President Trump recently announced plans for a total blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela, designating the regime a foreign terrorist organization and citing funding of terrorism, drug smuggling, and human trafficking, following recent U.S. seizures of vessels. The measure intensifies economic pressure on Nicolás Maduro's government by targeting its primary revenue source, though enforcement focuses on sanctioned vessels amid a buildup of U.S. military presence in the region. While we condemn imperial activity by the US government the pressure campaign on Venezuela is impressive and intense and perhaps this level of economic deprivation will cause the conflict to end quickly and quasi-diplomatically.

The USDA recently unveiled a $700 million Regenerative Pilot Program. The program will allocate $400 million through EQIP and $300 million via CSP to support farmers in adopting whole-farm regenerative practices that enhance soil health, water quality, biodiversity, and long-term productivity while reducing input costs. This initiative, aligned with the Make America Healthy Again agenda, streamlines applications into a single process, establishes an advisory council for stakeholder input, and explores public-private partnerships to promote sustainable farming and public health benefits. This strikes us as a very important time to remember that progress is not linear and we would probably be well served by reviving longstanding practices that have been proven to keep farming practices sustainable for significant lengths of time.

South African immigration officials raided a Johannesburg center which was processing U.S. refugee applications, briefly detaining two US government employees and arresting seven Kenyan nationals for working illegally on tourist visas, with deportation orders issued and a five-year re-entry ban. The facility, contracted to handle priority applications under the controversial Trump administration program for white South Africans alleging persecution, has escalated diplomatic tensions, with the U.S. protesting interference while South Africa emphasizes enforcement against visa abuse. This does seem to be a not so subtle hint on the part of the South African government that they are inching closer to not complying with this effort by the U.S. government to save white South Africans from "racial oppression."

Hut 8 recently announced a 15-year, $7 billion partnership with Fluidstack and Anthropic to develop hyperscale AI infrastructure at its River Bend campus in Louisiana, starting with 245 MW of IT capacity (backed by 330 MW utility power) and options to expand up to 2,295 MW across sites. The deal, financed by major banks with Google providing payment backstop, supports training and scaling of advanced AI models like Claude, marking a significant pivot for the former bitcoin miner into energy-intensive compute. These types of investments will shape the country for the next decade so while we are unable to cover them in specific, it is useful to have a loose account of how this is all unfolding.

A federal judge in Baton Rouge permanently blocked enforcement of Louisiana's 2023 law that requires age verification, parental consent, and controls for minors on social media, ruling it violates the First Amendment by broadly restricting protected speech and being unconstitutionally vague in defining covered platforms. The decision, granting summary judgment to NetChoice, highlights risks of forcing users to disclose sensitive information and limits on access to lawful online content for minors. This is an interesting ruling in the overarching battle over how, and if, the internet should be regulated.

The Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission recently awarded licenses to four companies and is allowing up to 12 dispensaries statewide after years of litigation and delays, paving the way for product availability potentially by spring 2026 for qualified patients with conditions like chronic pain or cancer. This milestone advances the 2021 Compassion Act program, enabling physician certifications and patient registry setup while integrated facility licenses remain disputed. Marijuana prohibition is clearly on its last legs so it is interesting to see even the most staunch holdouts like Alabama start to clear the way. This news comes amid increased talk from the president about ordering the reclassification of marijuana from a schedule I drug to a lower status.

The Arkansas Educational Television Commission recently voted to end its PBS affiliation effective July 1, 2026, rebranding as Arkansas TV due to unsustainable $2.5 million annual dues amid federal defunding of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The shift prioritizes increased local programming (up to 70%) focused on state-specific content, education, and emergency alerts, while national PBS shows remain accessible via other platforms or neighboring states' signals. I wonder if public broadcasting will actually be better and more successful when taken out of the hands of the federal government and returned to the smaller levels of government like states and cities.