Source: Christian Science Monitor
by the Editorial Board
“The increasing incarceration of women – often for minor, nonviolent offenses – carries a high human cost. There is a shift toward alternatives that balance accountability with the right of children to continued parental care.” (07/29/26)
Source: The New Arab [UK]
“Turkish police detained the opposition mayor of Ankara’s Etimesgut district and 51 other suspects on Thursday in a graft investigation, the Interior Ministry said. Mayor Erdal Besikcioglu was among 37 municipality employees detained after police raided the municipality in western Ankara. Detention warrants were issued for a total 55 suspects, including 18 company officials, the ministry said. Three suspects were still being sought. It was the latest step in an unprecedented legal crackdown on municipalities run by the main opposition to President Tayyip Erdogan.” (07/30/26)
https://www.newarab.com/news/turkey-detains-another-opposition-mayor-among-many-crackdown
Source: National Public Radio [US state media]
“How power, corruption & lies influence voters’ choices.” (07/29/26)
https://www.npr.org/2026/07/29/nx-s1-5911741/how-power-corruption-lies-influence-voters-choices
Source: Antiwar.com
“US Starts Bombing Iran Again After Trump Threats, US-Saudi Strikes in Iraq Kill 20 PMF, and More.” (07/29/26)
Source: Reason
by Matthew Petti
“The government is charging Samuel Tunick for telling them a code that would erase all the data on his phone—after they tried to take it on false pretenses.” (07/29/26)
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ruled 7-0 to protect the state’s hunting clubs from warrantless searches of their property. The Institute for Justice observes that the decision protects the right ‘to be secure on their land’ of all Pennsylvanians ‘and marks a final victory with no further appeal available.’ The decision is a big deal. For decades, courts have accepted the ‘open fields doctrine’ advanced in a 1924 U.S. Supreme Court decision. According to this rule — or rationalization — officials may conduct warrantless searches on any land beyond that which immediately surrounds a home. Even if the open-field land is clearly marked as private property.” (07/29/26)
Source: Axios
“Dr. Anthony Fauci, who led the nation’s infectious disease efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic, invoked the Fifth Amendment on Wednesday and declined to answer questions from a Senate committee investigating the origins of the coronavirus. Fauci said Homeland Security Chair Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) was trying to get him to say something that could put him in legal jeopardy. Former President Biden preemptively pardoned Fauci before leaving office, but Fauci argues he could be in trouble if he makes any statements that could open new lines of investigation for the committee. … Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.) told Fauci he wasn’t surprised the former top infectious disease expert was taking the Fifth: ‘I think it would be almost impossible for you to answer the questions truthfully without really demonstrating what you did.'” (07/29/26)
https://www.axios.com/2026/07/29/anthony-fauci-fifth-amendment-covid-hearing-paul
Source: Mindset Shifts
by Barry Brownstein
“[US Senator Rand] Paul has exposed a side of Dr. Fauci that his admirers prefer not to see: the narcissism of a public official who became accustomed to applause, deference, and celebrity treatment. … Yes, Dr. Fauci has the emotional IQ of an eight-year-old, which would be only his problem if he didn’t use the coercive power of government to harm millions of Americans as well as destroy countless businesses. That is the personal vanity side of the story. The deeper problem is institutional: once government officials are treated as arbiters of scientific truth, dissent becomes a political offense rather than a normal part of inquiry. The issue was never only Fauci; it was the state power that allowed one official consensus to become compulsory.” (07/29/26)
https://mindsetshifts.substack.com/p/when-science-becomes-a-state-religion
Source: The Fifth Column
“The Fifth Gets a Substitute Teacher (w/ Jesse Singal).” (07/29/26)
https://www.wethefifth.com/p/the-fifth-gets-a-substitute-teacher
Source: Yahoo! News
“The U.S. carried out strikes on Iran Thursday morning, hours after President Trump told reporters the U.S. would ‘be hitting them very hard’ in response to new attacks by Iran targeting U.S. forces in the Mideast. Hours later, Jordan shot down five missiles launched from Iran, Jordan’s state-run news agency said.At least 20 people were killed in joint U.S.-Saudi strikes on Iranian-backed forces in Iraq, an umbrella paramilitary group known as the Popular Mobilization Forces said Wednesday. Central Command said U.S. and Saudi forces conducted strikes late Tuesday on Iranian proxies in Iraq, the first confirmed attacks by a Gulf state during the war.” (07/30/26)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/world/articles/war-expands-joint-u-saudi-094845170.html