Global
The American political circus is back in full swing, and the latest maneuvers from federal authorities demand our immediate attention. Reports indicate that suggestions have been floated to declare a national emergency in a bid to federalize control over the upcoming November midterm elections. Combined with the push for the restrictive SAVE America Act—which mandates rigid proof of citizenship and photo ID for federal voting—we are witnessing a calculated effort to alter the rules of democracy from the top down.
This is not about "election integrity." This is a calculated panic play orchestrated by Donald Trump and his handlers, who are terrified of losing their grip on Congress. With a razor-thin House majority on the line—where Democrats need a net gain of just three seats to take back the chamber—the current administration is resorting to desperate tactics. Floating the idea of a national emergency and pushing voter suppression isn't about protecting the ballot box; it's about manipulating it to prevent a predictable electoral rebuke.
Imagine you are sitting on an airplane and preparing for takeoff. As the plane is taxiing down the runway, the flight attendant comes along and tells you that deranged Iranian terrorists are planning to take out another passenger who is booked on your flight, but that passenger made an escape to another plane, and you are being used as a decoy. How would you feel about that? Now imagine that the flight attendant never told you this information, and you didn't find out you were a decoy until over a month later. I bet that would make you feel like chopped liver.
Police officer Kiel Baitinger-Peterson of the Madison Police Department in Wisconsin shot and killed Corey Ruiz, a 38-year-old Black man in broad daylight on Wednesday July 22, 2026. Ruiz was suspected of scoping out parked cars for the purpose of committing theft.
Police-community relations have been a scholarly interest of mine for nearly thirty years. There have been few high-profile killings of citizens on which I have not written or commented over the past twenty years. By high profile killings I mean those that have garnered the attention of national media like the New York Times, Washington Post and major networks.
This particular killing was captured on video, but not on any of the officers’ body worn cameras because Madison police officers reportedly don’t wear cameras. If not for the presence of cellphone warriors, this killing like many others before the advent of this technology would have gone unnoticed by those outside of Madison, Wisconsin.
New tariffs on polysilicon
The Trump administration has announced plans to implement a 15 percent tariff, as well as minimum prices on imports of polysilicon ingots, wafers, cells and solar modules. The minimum import prices have been set at $21 per kilogram for polysilicon, $100 per kilogram for polysilicon ingots and wafers, $0.22 per watt for solar cells, and $0.38 per watt for solar modules.
According to a report by Roth Capital Partners, the new tariffs and minimum prices will result in considerably higher prices for solar modules within the US. While the administration maintains that the policy is designed to incentivize domestic manufacturing, it introduces immediate cost increases across all major supply chain configurations.
For U.S. module manufacturers importing cells, Roth estimates module pricing will rise to $0.40/W (comprising $0.22/W cell cost and a $0.18/W domestic assembly cost), representing a 38 percent price increase over pre-tariff levels.
In the ancient annals of history, the city of Troy fell not merely because of a wooden horse, but because of the unchecked desires and fatal pride of those who governed it. Today, we witness a modern parallel in our own political landscape. As an advocate for transparency, accountability, and the constitutional rights of Ohioans, I must draw attention to the moral collapse unfolding within the Republican party—a collapse fueled by the protection of the powerful at the expense of justice.
We are updating our readers on the recent developments regarding Representative Max Miller. Despite serious, documented allegations of domestic abuse made by his ex-wife—including harrowing accounts of physical violence—Miller has decided to remain in his re-election race for Ohio’s 7th Congressional District. The deadline for him to withdraw, which would have allowed for a party replacement, passed this past Monday. Miller’s decision to cling to his seat, seemingly emboldened by support from national party leadership, ignores the gravity of these accusations.
Arianna Hamilton, an employee at a Burger King branch in Breinigsville, Pennsylvania, was fired following a verbal altercation that was captured on video and widely circulated in late July and early August 2026. During the exchange, she responded to an American Israeli customer who identified himself by saying, “Free Palestine.” The antagonistic Israeli customers asked her to repeat what she had said, and she proudly complied.
Arianna said she was fired following the incident and subsequently launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover her rent, utilities, groceries, and other expenses while she searched for a new job. Within days, more than 3,000 people had donated over $200,000, with supporters rallying behind her and turning the incident into a widespread show of solidarity.
Since I have been using Twitter since 2009, I posted a short tweet praising Arianna for her moral courage. It read: https://x.com/Abuyousef/status/2085991879594721441?s=20
“You glow, girl!
While the modified ceasefire kills Palestinians, the Iran war splits MAGA into America First and Isramerica First. War at home: more murdered in private concentration camps, and Proj ’25 launches Head Stop for the kiddies, making sure they’re too slow to compete with robots. Dark? You bet. On the lighter side, Trumpetman’s chopper doesn’t hit a nearby airplane, but the FAA promises to improve.
Nearly six months into the war with Iran, the conflict appears to be settling into a stalemate. Although the United States has demonstrated overwhelming airpower and has inflicted enormous damage on Iran’s military capabilities and civilian infrastructure, however the central problem for Washington is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore: airpower alone has not been enough to force Tehran to accept the American demands.
This is the uncomfortable reality facing the Trump administration. The United States can continue bombing Iran, destroy more infrastructure and impose greater costs on the Iranian state. But none of that necessarily translates into political capitulation. Iran can absorb punishment and still refuse to surrender on the fundamental issues that brought the two sides to war in the first place. And that is where the limits of American military power become apparent.