Global

“Zeldin’s EPA To Relax Drinking Water Rules” was the headline last week in the daily newspaper Newsday on Long Island, New York—from which Lee Zeldin, the administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is from.

The subhead: “Plans to rescind PFAS limits, delay removal deadline.”

The article on two pages began with telling how the EPA is proposing “to rescind federal limits on certain toxic ‘forever chemicals’ in drinking water—established two years ago by the Biden administration….The Trump administration plans to roll back restrictions on four types of these chemicals, known as PFAS. Another proposed rule would allow water suppliers to request two more years to comply with limits on two other PFAS compounds, PFOS and PFOA. Water suppliers were initially given until 2029 to meet the standards under the Biden-era plan, but they will now be eligible for an extension to 2031.”

In the shifting sands of the Middle East, the conflict we must now identify as the “Epstein War”—or what many observers are increasingly calling the “Bankers War”—is rarely about the rhetoric broadcast on mainstream news. Behind the curtain of geopolitical maneuvering and military posturing lies a simple, brutal reality: there is immense profit to be made in instability. ​

While the public is distracted by the volatility of energy markets and the constant churn of diplomatic summits, we must ask: who is really getting rich? ​We are watching a profound convergence of interest between political power and private financial gain. The mechanisms of this war are not just ideological; they are commercial. When we analyze the current landscape, we see clear evidence of a “pay-to-play” ecosystem that spans from Washington D.C. to the world's most lucrative investment firms. ​

Solar + Storage bring reliability to the grid this summer

A new reliability assessment from the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) states that the U.S. grid appears to be in relatively good shape to handle the summer heat this year.

The report contradicts the Trump administration's claims that keeping aging fossil-fueled plants open is needed in order to prevent blackouts. Over the last year, the Department of Energy has forced five coal plants and one oil- and gas-fired power plant to stay online past their planned retirements, citing an energy emergency that grid experts say simply does not yet exist.

However, it's not the presence of expensive old fossil-fueled power plants that has put the grid in a relatively good position heading into the summer — it's the rapid expansion of solar and energy storage. Data shows that approximately 75 GW of new solar and storage have been added to the grid since this time last year.

Few Americans know the history of how Israel’s “wag the dog” relationship with the United States developed. Israel’s 1967 successful war against its neighbors demonstrated to military planners in Washington how a qualitative edge in weapons could enable a small country to resist much larger and seemingly more powerful adversaries. Israel was largely supplied with French weapons at the time that reportedly out-performed the Russian equipment in the hands of Syria and Egypt. As a consequence, in 1968, with strong support from a heavily lobbied Congress, Zionist influenced US President Lyndon B Johnson approved the hitherto blocked sale of F-4 Phantom fighters to Israel, establishing the precedent for continuing US support of Israel’s Qualitative Military Edge, generally referred to by the acronym QME, over its Arab and Christian neighbors. Five years later, in the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War, the United States and Israel came to an understanding whereby they tacitly adopted the doctrine of active US maintenance of Israel’s QME.

One of the curious ironies of our time is that, although many politicians spout heated nationalist rhetoric, rail against foreign nations, and belittle international cooperation, this approach to international affairs is not at all what most people want.

The climate of aggressive nationalism is clear enough. In nations around the globe, demagogues (usually of a rightwing variety) whip up xenophobia, preach superpatriotism, demand vast military buildups, and―if holding public office―often launch invasions of other nations under the banner of restoring an allegedly glorious national past.

U.S. District Court Judge André Birotte Jr. of the Central District of California has issued a major victory for immigrant survivors of domestic and sexual violence. While litigation is ongoing, this ruling preserves the intent and impact of critical legal protections for many survivors.

In an order issued on May 20, 2026, in ICWC v. Noem (2:25-cv-09848), the court preliminarily certified three nationwide classes of immigrant survivors of violence and granted significant portions of the plaintiffs’ request for a preliminary injunction against policies implemented by DHS, ICE, and USCIS.

When the Reverend Jesse Jackson died on February 17, it was very nearly the end of an era. Watching his funeral was surreal. Now only the Reverend Andrew Young remains from that group of African American preachers who fought so doggedly for civil rights in the 1960s. 

I had the pleasure of meeting Jackson when he was running for president in 1988. I was the secretary to the director of Traffic and Parking at The Ohio State University and he was going to speak on campus at Mershon Auditorium. There was some coordination about parking and safety issues for his campaign. I cannot remember how I ended up backstage before he went on, but a group of us were introduced to him. I told him I was very proud of him and he hugged me and said–in that great southern drawl–”Aw, thank you darlin’.” I felt like a groupie and I have never forgotten it.