Trump orders emergency action as war in Persian Gulf limits fertilizers
Whitehouse.gov, 6/29–…The proclamation declares an emergency regarding threats to the availability of sufficient supplies of fertilizers to meet America’s agricultural demand…Phosphate fertilizers are a critical type of plant food, a crucial component of agriculture production, and vital to feeding the Nation and maintaining America’s food security…Global supply chains for phosphate fertilizer and fertilizer inputs have been recently disrupted due to events such as conflicts in fertilizer-producing regions.
U.S. strategist argues China won’t invade Taiwan due to militarization of the island
Foreign Affairs, 6/23–If China were to seize control of Taiwan by force, it would be a disaster, not only for Taiwan but also for the United States. A nearly $1 trillion economy would leave the free-market system and be incorporated into China’s state-directed, mercantilist one…But until China can be confident that an invasion of Taiwan would succeed—a lofty threshold to reach—improving capabilities and clear ambition are not enough reason for Beijing to use force…The reality today is that China is not capable of conquering Taiwan. Nor is it likely to gain this capability any time soon. China’s buildup once threatened to shift the military balance in Beijing’s favor, but trends in military technology now favor Taiwan and the United States, not China.
Fresh off strike, nurses now compete with AI
The Guardian, 7/13–After nearly four decades in her job, Shuler is one of 12 nurses who was laid off Sunday after being replaced with AI-powered software…National Nurses United (NNU), the parent union of NYSNA, has been raising the alarm about the effects AI will have on nurses…The layoffs at Montefiore come in the wake of a massive nurses strike across several hospitals in New York City in January 2026…After notifying the union, they sent an email to management about the changes. Shuler said they received no response until 28 May, when all 12 nurses in her department received 45-day notices that they would be laid off.
War in Ukraine leads to development of robot killing machines
New York Times, 7/13–Battalions of ground robots — tracked and wheeled machines that deliver supplies, haul ammunition, evacuate the wounded, lay mines and, increasingly, hold land — now conduct thousands of missions every month. That has made them an indispensable tool for Ukrainian infantrymen who spend monthslong rotations in buried bunkers hiding from flying drones…In December 2024, the Khartiia Corps carried out what is believed to be the first all-robot assault. A coordinated drone force in the Kharkiv region overran a Russian position. Unmanned vehicles with machine guns, flamethrowers and explosives crawled through the forest while drones watched from above.
Russian bosses continue to fight for a piece of Africa
Reuters, 7/10–A Tuareg-led separatist group has begun withdrawing from Mali’s strategic northern town of Anefis after armed forces including members of Russia’s paramilitary Africa Corps pushed them out, a rebel spokesperson and the army said on Friday. The rebel group, the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), and the regional al Qaeda affiliate, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM), at the weekend staged attacks on army positions across Mali, including Anefis…Mali’s armed forces said in a statement on Friday they were continuing joint operations with Africa Corps across the country. In the previous 24 hours, the army had conducted 15 airstrikes, destroying 12 combat vehicles and killing around 100 insurgents…
U.S. Marines stay sharp by shooting at Caribbean workers
Taskandpurpose, 6/25–Marines deployed to Haiti found themselves under fire and shooting back, several times last year, their commander recently told reporters at a media roundtable. “There were multiple engagements at the embassy in Haiti, in which we received and returned fire,” Col. Tom “Banshee” Trimble said on Tuesday…During that time, Marines with the unit were dispatched to Haiti from August to December 2025 to protect the U.S. embassy amid growing violence from criminal gangs, which are estimated to control up to 90 percent of the country’s capital city, Port-au-Princce…During the rest of their deployment, Marines in the unit supported U.S. military operations to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro…
