Why did senators introduce the Stop Transnational Repression Act? Because U.S. law has never actually defined the crime it targets. Sens. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and John Curtis (R-UT) introduced the bipartisan bill (S.4967) on July 14, 2026, to create the first federal definition of “transnational repression” and add up to 10 years to prison sentences … Read more
A wildfire in southern Spain has become one of the deadliest the country has ever recorded. At least 12 people have died and 23 more are unaccounted for after flames tore through the Almería region in a matter of hours. Why did these Spain wildfires spread so fast, and why did so many people lose … Read more
President Trump spent the NATO summit in Ankara demanding that the United States cut off all trade with Spain and renewing his call for the U.S. to take control of Greenland. So why did a summit built to project unity turn into a public dressing-down of one ally, and why did Trump revive a territorial … Read more
In August 2024, a Falun Gong practitioner named Cheng Pei Ming became the first known survivor of China’s organ harvesting system. Two years later, researchers gathered in Montreal delivered an even more troubling update: the practice didn’t stay contained to Falun Gong practitioners. It spread to a second, much larger group — Uyghurs — and … Read more
Ali Khamenei died on February 28, 2026, killed alongside his top military command in a joint US-Israeli strike on his Tehran compound — an opening blow covered in detail in our 100-day retrospective on the Iran war. His funeral did not begin until July 4 — more than 125 days later. In a Shia tradition … Read more
The Washington DC extreme heat wave broke a 128-year-old record this week. The city hit 102 degrees on July 3 and 4, beating a record that had stood since 1919. Philadelphia, Boston and New York also broke records. So why is this heat wave hitting so hard, and why now, during America’s 250th birthday weekend? … Read more
The CDC parasite outbreak making headlines this summer has a name: cyclosporiasis. It’s a gut infection caused by a tiny parasite called Cyclospora. As of mid-June, CDC surveillance data counted 145 cases across 17 states. Michigan alone has since reported over 300 more. So why are cases climbing right now, and why is it so … Read more
England vs Mexico turned into one of the most dramatic matches of the entire World Cup — and, in the end, it had less to do with altitude than almost everyone predicted. England won 3-2 at Estadio Azteca despite playing the final 40-plus minutes with ten men, ending Mexico’s six-decade unbeaten run at their own … Read more
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has set out a package of asylum reforms that will form the basis of the UK’s forthcoming Immigration and Asylum Bill, including three brand-new Shabana Mahmood UK immigration routes for refugee sponsorship. The announcement is one of the most searched UK political stories this week — and it comes wrapped in … Read more
Seattle’s World Cup fixture between Egypt and Iran on June 26 was never going to be just another Group G finale. Months before the teams were even drawn, the city’s Pride Match Advisory Committee had already designated the date as a celebration tied to Seattle Pride weekend — and when the draw landed Egypt and … Read more