Global

If nothing else, Donald Trump pushes the nation’s – the world’s – thought process beyond anything that feels normal and comfortable. Consider the “MADness” of the last eight decades: You know, how “mutually assured destruction” has kept humanity from nuking itself into oblivion because . . . uh, mass murder could have consequences.

Thus, the planet’s nine nuclear powers have refrained (so far) from unleashing a nuclear assault on an enemy for fear of getting nuked back. Hey, what a solid foundation for building peace! Of course, the nuclear nine have spent billions of dollars over the years expanding and developing the nuclear arsenals they will allegedly never use. But they’ve also made it clear that no other nation on the planet is “authorized” to possess nukes.

U.S. energy storage sector hits record numbers in first quarter of 2026

The battery storage sector is having a record year, with installations up 32 percent in the first quarter of 2026 compared with the same time period in 2025.

Utility-scale storage accounted for 7.8 GWh of this year's installations, with commercial and industrial behind that at 648 MWh, and finally 515 MWh for residential storage.

The recent growth in solar and storage is occurring primarily in traditional "red" states. Seventy-one percent of the utility-scale storage installations were built in states President Trump won in 2024. Texas, Arizona, and California accounted for the largest share of current installations, with Georgia, Iowa, and Mississippi also posting impressive figures.

Pilot projects to prove iron-sodium battery technology

California-based battery startup Inlyte Energy is preparing to deploy its sodium-iron battery technology in two major pilot programs in 2026, aiming to prove the systems' viability as a safe, long-duration backup power source.

Perhaps it is too much to hope, but maybe we’ve hit an inflection point over state sponsored attacks by Israeli settlers in the West Bank. There are signs Israeli elites are sending a message to the government that a line has been crossed, even as its policy and performance has been to abet the activity with its military and guns.

Grabbing at straws, the following have all emerged recently:

Maju Brunette was met by several dozen supporters carrying flowers, balloons, and signs as she arrived at Columbus International Airport. She thanked the crowd and told them:“I am free now, but do not forget about the 10,000 other Palestinian hostages still being held in Israel who may face execution soon.”

Dr. Maria Julia “Maju” Brunette, an Associate Professor of Global Health Equity at The Ohio State University, was one of 430 people kidnapped in international waters by Israeli forces on May 18 while aboard the Sumud Flotilla.

All hostages were taken to a large vessel—described as a “floating prison”—where they were kept in cages for two days, sleeping on the floor with their hands tied behind their backs and without a mattress, pillow, or blanket. They were later transported to Israel, where they were interrogated and tortured. Some activists reported being raped. The only food provided was bread and water.

This week, Israel’s extremist National Security Minister Itamar Ben‑Gvir sparked global outrage after promoting a video of himself taunting activists from the flotilla who had been abducted and tortured in custody.

While many observers and critics describe the current confrontation between the United States, Israel, and Iran as a quagmire, stalemate, or even a “new Vietnam” for the United States, the crisis may be better understood through a different historical analogy: the 1956 Suez Crisis. The Suez Crisis demonstrated a fundamental shift in global power relations, revealing that the United Kingdom and France could no longer pursue independent military and foreign policies without the consent and support of the United States.

Likewise, the present conflict illustrates not only the limits of Israeli strategic autonomy, but also the broader transformation of the international system as American dominance is increasingly challenged by the rise of China and the emergence of a more multipolar world order.