Monday, July 27, 2026

The second Trump administration recorded its highest number of immigration arrests so far last month, driven by mass hearings and removal orders ‘in absentia’ as judges wrap up immigration cases in unprecedented numbers — a mechanism far less noticeable than armored, masked forces but no less consequential for the families torn apart; as organizers in Minneapolis put it, “Terrible things are happening outside. Families are torn apart; men, women, and children are separated.”

In Minneapolis, activists faced down what they describe as Trump’s secret police; the broader assault on democratic institutions continues unabated: for 18 months the administration has taken a meat-axe to every major institution of our democracy, drawing the nation into a never-ending war.

Half a world away, Indian students forced the target of their wrath to step down after police used batons and tear gas to block thousands from marching on parliament; meanwhile, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman warns that AI authoritarianism — control of the technology by a small number of companies or countries that gatekeep access — represents one of his biggest fears.

Hurricane Genevieve has strengthened into a powerful Category 5 storm, bringing dangerous surf to Mexico despite staying offshore. At home, food safety experts say cuts to the public health system hobbled the response to Cyclospora outbreaks — and that the next outbreak could be much worse.