This article is one of 10 essays in the Summer 2026 print issue, The End of the World as We Know It. The magazine cover features a large hourglass with a black and white logo with the text "SUMMER 2026" and a stacked list of terms.
The survival rate for children with cancer has fallen to 65% from 85% before the U.S. energy restrictions began in January. 100,000 children younger than 7 are no longer receiving the daily liter of milk provided by the state. The immunization program for infants is "at risk" and 100,00 Cubans are on waiting lists for surgery. 300 of 395 essential medicines produced on the island are unavailable due to a lack of chemical components.
Georgia is undergoing one of the most serious erosions of human rights since independence. The government led by Georgian Dream party has weaponized disinformation to justify crackdowns and smear critics, abused parliamentary majorities to fast-track repressive laws, instrumentalized the courts and the police to prosecute opponents, and brutally crushed protests. The sweeping measures have effectively criminalized peaceful dissent.
Winners will be announced next Sunday. For consideration, please post your caption by Monday at 9 pm PT, 12 midnight ET. Last week’s winner was Sue Schneider, while the runners-up were Adam Laurie, Beverly Clark, Diane Fogarty, Brooks Keogh, Lynn E Levine, Laurence Hoffmann and James Coyle.
The Indo-Pacific is entering a period of acute strategic imbalance due to China's rapid military modernization. The region also faces a multi-nuclear threat environment that includes North Korea and Russia. Nuclear deterrence is about credibility, quantity, and quantity. Nuclear alliance offers a faster, more credible way to close the deterrence gap.
US-Iran deal to reopen Strait of Hormuz has been met with caution by shipowners and traders. They need more details in order to assess whether safe transits are possible after months of false starts. The disruption has upended the global energy trade, cutting off some of the world’s top producers.
Tim Goeglein is an author and policy expert. His new book, "What Really Matters," explains how cultural change has impacted American society and what churches, families, and communities can do to help spark renewal. Â .
Microsoft is considering ending its clean energy goal in Virginia. The company is planning to build data centers in Mecklenburg and Prince William counties, which would more than triple the company’s statewide employee count to 2,042 by the end of the year. The Virginia Clean Economy Act's goal to decarbonize the state's grid by mid-century is in question.
Brent crude and WTI opened lower this morning, and Brent hit a low of US$83/barrel. Regional equity indices in Asia-Pacific have surged higher, with Japan’s Nikkei 225 refreshing a record high of 69,682. European and US equity index futures indicate an optimistic start to the week. The week ahead is packed with central bank updates, including the BoJ and the RBA tomorrow, the Fed on Wednesday and the SNB and the BoE on Thursday.
Benjamin Netanyahu insists that Israel's occupation of territory in Lebanon and Syria will continue, despite US-Iran deal. Israel has been involved in a war with Hezbollah since October 2023 and launched cross-border raids in October 2024. On Sunday, Israel launched a strike on Beirut’s suburbs, killing three people.
The report synthesizes findings from a multi-community workshop that aimed to identify the barriers to safe handling of drug samples. It concludes with potential opportunities for NIST and other federal partners to address outstanding needs with evidence-based, risk-mitigated protocols that balance operational efficiency with physical and psychological safety of the workforce.
The Federal Data Center Enhancement Act (FDCEA) is set to expire this fall. Neither Congress nor the Trump administration is making any significant moves to protect or extend the law. Data centers have become a hot-button issue in recent months as the tech industry goes all in on artificial intelligence and the infrastructure needed to power it.
After the war, Iran's theocratic rulers have to manage the competing demands of hardliners and ordinary Iranians. The hardliners want the leadership to take a tough stance in coming talks with the US and prioritize rearming. Ordinary Iranians want any peace dividend or financial relief to be used in raising living standards and offering better prospects after a destructive war.
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Trump's "Liberation Day" tariffs promise is facing challenges from a new analysis that argues the policy failed to revive manufacturing and instead slowed job creation in the U.S. Advancing American Freedom Foundation says the tariffs resulted in up to 1 million fewer jobs nationwide than would have been expected under pre-tariff trends. Manufacturing lost 75,000 jobs during the policy's first year and 6,250 jobs per month. White House spokesman Kush Desai takes a swipe at the report.
Jesse Gabriel is a California state assemblyman who has introduced several bills aimed at reducing the health harms of ultra-processed food. Sarah covers how industries like food and tobacco affect Americans’ bodies and minds. Sarah's interests include ultra- processed foods, smoke-free tobacco and wellness trends like perimenopause products and peptides.
There was a heat wave in Vermont this past week. Roger Lambert sends photos of the rivers and lakes to cool people off. Â . i in the introduction Roger Lambert gives an introduction to the photos without captions.
The Palestinian economy in the West Bank is teetering on the edge of collapse due to restrictions imposed by Israel. The International Crisis Group says Israel restricts movement, withholds revenue and takes land. Israel took control of West Bank from Jordan during the Six Day War in 1967. Israel revoked work permits for most of the nearly 200,000 Palestinians who had worked there previously, depriving the Palestinian economy of $400 million a month.
Afghanistan is situated at the headwaters of major river systems feeding Iran, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. Afghanistan is the mountainous hydro-hub of Central and South Asia. The Taliban administration is moving ahead with its flagship irrigation project, the Qosh Tepa Canal, which will divert up to 15 percent of the Amu Darya to irrigate hundreds of thousands of hectares in northern Afghanistan. Afghanistan's neighbors rely on unregulated river flows, so any unilateral Afghan attempt to develop water infrastructure is perceived as a threat.
Graduate candidates work with renowned visiting artists during an eight-week summer intensive for MECA&D’s MFA in Studio Art. Participants in the 2026 Summer Visiting Artist Lecture Series are Nyugen E. Smith, Garrick Imatani, Colin Self, Jeffry Mitchell, Allison Schulnik, CristĂłbal MartĂnez, Liz Collins, Taraneh Fazeli, and Gail Spaien.
The United States and Iran have signed an interim deal to end the months-long war that has killed thousands and wrecked the global economy. The agreement extends the cease-fire between Washington and Tehran for 60 days, during which nuclear talks are expected to take place. The Strait of Hormuz is supposed to be opened and the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports ended. Fighting between Hezbollah and Israel in Lebanon is also supposed to end as part of the deal. The deal will be formally signed on Friday in Geneva.
The current crisis between Europe and the United States marks the end of an era. The trans-Atlantic bond rested on specific features at the global level and within the U.S. and Europe. It was an order in which laws and norms were often violated, but they were recognized and shared on both shores of the Atlantic. The liberal order is now gone. The United States is no longer a leviathan or a liberal one.
Jodi Arias is serving life without parole for stabbing and shooting her ex-boyfriend to death. Jodi's account, "Just Jodi," has hundreds of subscribers. Elizabeth Holmes is serving an 11-year sentence at a minimum security federal prison in Bryan, Texas. Sam Bankman-Fried, the one-time poster boy of cryptocurrency, made a surprise appearance on Tucker Carlson’s popular podcast on his 33rd birthday.
America's data centers consumed more electricity last year than Ohio uses in a year. The PJM grid, which covers 13 states and Washington, D.C., is at risk of supply shortages. To meet demand, America’s tech giants are turning to nuclear power, striking deals for steady, carbon-free electricity in what experts are calling a “nuclear renaissance” Microsoft and OpenAI have agreements to open power centers in Ohio. Google signed a corporate agreement with Kairos Power to purchase energy from a fleet of advanced SMRs. Amazon expanded its partnership agreement with Talen through 2042.