“The Ukrainian president fired his commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi on Tuesday, bowing to pressure after the removal of popular Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov sparked the fiercest leadership crisis of his presidency. President Volodomyr Zelenskyy announced in a post on Telegram that Syrskyi will be replaced by Mykhailo Drapatyi. Zelenskyy’s decision to fire Fedorov, one of his closest allies, led to rare wartime protests on the streets of Kyiv. Fedorov publicly aired his disagreements over military strategy with Syrskyi, known as ‘The Butcher.’ Syrskyi, 60, is a more traditional military commander focused on infantry and artillery, while Fedorov, 35, is seen as a modernizer, whose focus on technological advancements in drone warfare has led to Ukraine’s recent successes in hitting Russia.” (07/21/26)
“Materially, Americans are far better off than they were during the Cold War. But even thinkers who acknowledge this truism often fondly reminisce about the long-lost Golden Age of American optimism that supposedly spanned the second half of the 20th century. This reminiscing always puzzles me, because I vividly remember the second half of the second half of the 20th century. Except for a brief window of roughly 1988-1991, my first-hand experience is that America’s national mood has been relentlessly bad. While I’ve known plenty of American optimists, and count myself among them, ‘American optimism’ is a will-o’-the-wisp. It appears so fleetingly that you have to wonder if it was ever there at all.” (07/21/26)
“Republican voters in Tuesday’s Arizona primaries nominated conservative [sic] candidates for high-profile races for governor and a U.S. House seat, as Democrats rallied behind moderates [sic] leading up to the November 3 midterm elections. The results also marked wins for U.S. President Donald Trump, who endorsed victorious Republicans in two of the most-watched primary races. U.S. Representative Andy Biggs comfortably won the Republican nomination for governor and will face Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs, who was unopposed in her primary. With Trump’s endorsement in hand, Biggs handily defeated U.S. Representative David Schweikert and two other candidates, according to media projections. … Meanwhile, former professional football player Jay Feely, who is also backed by Trump, defeated two challengers, secured the Republican nomination that puts him on the November ballot for election to Arizona’s 1st Congressional District.” (07/21/26)
“If prices carry such reliable knowledge, why do governments override them so routinely — and why does it so often take a catastrophe to stop them? The answer is the least romantic and most dependable part of political economy. A market transmits a price almost instantly. Politics transmits it slowly and through heavy distortion. Mancur Olson explained its core: the beneficiaries of an intervention are usually concentrated, organized, and loud, while those who pay for it are dispersed, unorganized, and often not yet harmed.” (07/21/26)
“French lawmakers have adopted a bill prohibiting minors under 15 years old from accessing social media. French President Emmanuel Macron addressed the bill’s passage in a social media post Tuesday, shortly after it received approval by both chambers of Parliament, saying it was now up to the Constitutional Council, which reviews the constitutionality of legislation, to rule on the measure. The bill, the first of its kind within the European Union, also enforces a ban on cellphones in secondary schools. … If the bill is greenlit by the Constitutional Council, the ban will take effect starting in September 2026. Some left-wing lawmakers have questioned the measure’s constitutionality and the government’s ability to actually enforce the ban, among other things.” (07/21/26)
“Over the weekend the Pentagon announced that four more US soldiers have been killed in President Trump’s war on Iran. That brings the total to 17, but many believe the real number of dead US servicemembers is much higher than that. The Pentagon has claimed it has no obligation to reveal how many military personnel have been injured, which suggests that number may be much higher than we are hearing. Many of these injuries will be horrific and life-altering. … If the President really wants to honor our military, he will declare an end to this pointless war, bring all of our troops home from the region, and announce that the destroyed US bases will not be rebuilt. It is time to end the American empire and come home.” (07/21/26)
“The Trump administration has paused more than $1bn in Medicaid funding to California and Minnesota, citing ‘suspected fraud and noncompliance’ – withholding of funding that follows a $243m pause in Medicaid payments to Minnesota earlier this year. ‘If those states want that money, they need to provide documentation that these payments are legitimate,’ said Robert F Kennedy Jr, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), said at a press conference on Tuesday. Officials relied on AI to identify potential fraud, Kennedy said.” (07/21/26)
“After six years of asserting the 2020 presidential election was stolen and repeatedly claiming he would produce the evidence, President Trump gave it his best shot Thursday night. It didn’t go well. His speech was universally panned for regurgitating what we already knew and not providing any proof of election interference. But the worst part is the U.S. intelligence he so frequently mentioned largely disagrees with him. Here’s what Trump didn’t say.” (07/21/26)
“I am well aware that Americans are very split on the benefits of data centers, and the majority of voters say they don’t want one anywhere near their community. I’m in favor of letting voters of every community decide whether they want a data center or not. But I also believe that if people actually visited a data center, as I did, they would be astounded by the jaw-dropping technological wizardry that lies within. If you get the chance to tour one of these facilities, take it. And take your kids.” (07/21/26)
“A federal judge on Monday ordered the release of a woman [abducted] by ICE at Logan International Airport after traveling to Boston for a Noah Kahan concert. Maria Rosales, 32, a former DACA recipient whose application to renew her spot in the immigration program has been pending since 2023, was [abducted] at the airport while trying to fly home to Florida on July 10. She has been detained at an ICE [concentration camp] in Burlington since then, according to court filings. US District Judge Myong J. Joun ordered that Rosales be released by 7 p.m. Monday. Rosales was no longer listed on ICE’s detainee locator website on Tuesday morning.” (07/21/26)
