The African Union has suspended Madagascar’s membership after a military coup ousted the elected government, citing violations of its charter on democratic principles and unconstitutional changes in leadership. A military leader is set to be sworn in as president on Friday amid international condemnation from bodies like the UN and EU, following reports of widespread unrest, protester clashes with security forces, and human rights abuses in the island nation that have left dozens dead and disrupted daily life. If this government is to be in place for two years, it will be interesting to see if the AU keeps this brash stance or if they come to see the military leadership as a transitional government that must be aided in its attempt to restore order and return Madagascar back to civil governance.

The two nations agreed to a 48-hour ceasefire following days of intense fighting along the Durand Line border that killed over a dozen civilians and several soldiers on both sides, mediated through backchannel talks involving military officials. Pakistani forces launched airstrikes and artillery into Afghanistan targeting alleged militant hideouts, prompting Taliban retaliation with ground incursions and rocket attacks. The truce aims to de-escalate tensions amid underlying disputes over border fencing, cross-border terrorism accusations, and refugee movements that have strained relations for years.

The European Union is set to invest billions of euros in drone and air defense systems starting in 2026 in response to Russia’s ongoing aggression in Ukraine and hybrid warfare tactics like drone incursions into NATO airspace. Political and technical hurdles remain, including funding debates among member states over budget allocations and interoperability standards, as the plan includes building a comprehensive “drone wall” along eastern borders for enhanced real-time surveillance, anti-drone jamming technology, and rapid response units to counter threats from Russian-made drones and missiles. If NATO wants to keep Russia at bay, it appears the best thing they can do is stop doing things that irritate the Russian government, like trying to court the nations which were supposed to be left as a neutral border zone to ensure both the West and Russia could peacefully coexist.

The Trump administration is proceeding with a $20 billion financing facility to support Argentina’s struggling economy under libertarian President Javier Milei, who has implemented drastic austerity measures. This bailout aims to stabilize the plummeting peso, combat hyperinflation exceeding 200%, and attract foreign investment in sectors like energy and mining, though critics in Congress and economic analysts argue it risks U.S. taxpayer funds on a controversial ally’s unproven radical reforms that have sparked massive protests and widened inequality. This is a dramatic blunder by the U.S. government and provides further evidence that there is a disjuncture between elements of MAGA, as many proponents of the president anticipated America First to mean dealing with American problems exclusively.

A federal judge ruled the layoffs of thousands of federal employees illegal under civil service protections, halting them during the prolonged government shutdown that has entered its third week following the Senate’s ninth failed attempt to pass a funding bill. Unions challenged the moves as violations of labor laws and due process under President Trump’s executive orders targeting “deep state” reductions, as the repeated rejections of bipartisan funding proposals have intensified pressure on essential services like air traffic control and national parks, furloughing over 800,000 workers and disrupting benefits for millions. Our understanding continues to be that the executive branch is essentially at the behest of the president, meaning the courts will eventually side with the president in his quest to massively reduce the size of the federal bureaucracy.

A coalition of 15 Democratic governors from states like California and New York formed the interstate public health alliance to coordinate responses independently of federal leadership under HHS Secretary RFK Jr., who has proposed slashing CDC budgets and vaccine programs. It focuses on replicating CDC-like functions such as disease tracking and emergency preparedness amid concerns over federal dismantling of expertise, including sharing real-time data on outbreaks, joint procurement of medical supplies, and policy guidelines to address vaccines, epidemics like potential bird flu surges, and oversight gaps in food safety and environmental health. Much of the handwringing around public health concerns appears to us to be virtue signaling meant to generate fear amongst the Democratic voting base that critical inquiry into the failing health of the American public is an overwhelming threat to their safety.

Democrat Helena Moreno, a former city council president and TV journalist, won the nonpartisan mayoral primary with 52% of the vote in a surprising upset over establishment candidates, positioning her to become New Orleans’ next leader without a runoff. She campaigned on promises of criminal justice reform to reduce recidivism, economic recovery initiatives post-Hurricane Ida including flood resilience projects, and anti-corruption measures. Her victory highlights shifting voter priorities on public safety amid rising crime rates, infrastructure decay in low-lying areas, and affordable housing shortages in a city still rebuilding from past disasters. We will have to see how her regime impacts the city of New Orleans, but as of now we remain skeptical given the recent history of mayoral leadership in the city.

The municipal grocery store, opened in a designated food desert in southwest Atlanta with $2 million in city funds, has seen strong sales exceeding projections by 30% and high community support in its opening weeks, serving over 5,000 customers with fresh produce and essentials at subsidized prices. It addresses chronic access issues in underserved neighborhoods lacking private supermarkets due to low profitability, but raises questions about long-term taxpayer funding sustainability and market distortion, as proponents cite measurable reductions in food insecurity rates and health improvements, while critics from business groups warn of government inefficiency, potential closures if unprofitable, and philosophical overreach into private enterprise. The problem here is twofold: First, the government-owned and subsidized grocery situation is going to distort the market and lead to fiscal problems in the long term; second, we have seen this same experiment play out in St. Louis, where despite a strong start the government was unable to sustain the momentum and keep the government-owned grocery store operational.

Under Act 453 passed in 2023, Arkansas froze over $500,000 in turnback aid to eight municipalities for failing to submit annual financial audits on time, marking the state’s first enforcement of the law to promote transparency. This action by the Legislative Audit Committee affects funds used for roads, police, and utilities, requiring affected cities to complete audits and face penalties to restore funding, emphasizing accountability in local governance amid discoveries of mismanagement in small towns and pushing for better fiscal oversight statewide. While seemingly harsh, we cannot underscore enough how bad the fiscal situation is in so many localities in the United States, so it is necessary to coercively mandate procedures meant to ensure accountability and responsible spending.

The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case challenging Louisiana’s newly drawn congressional map with two Black-majority districts, reviewing whether they comply with or violate Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act amid claims of racial gerrymandering. Justices appeared open to limiting the Act’s provisions that require race-based districting to prevent vote dilution, with the decision potentially impacting future redistricting cycles nationwide by setting precedents on equal protection, and affecting minority representation in Southern states where Black voters could lose influence in a key House seat ahead of the 2026 midterms. We believe the uncomfortable reality is that the government simply cannot articulate race as reasonable grounds for discrimination both in the positive and negative sense, meaning that the Voting Rights Act should have only been thought of as a stop-gap legislative effort meant to bring rogue Southern states to heel as opposed to a permanent measure meant to enshrine the existence of racially palatable congressional maps.