War Abroad, Pain at Home

Electric shock devices are being used on children and adults with autism and other disabilities, and no one is putting a stop to it, not even the FDA, the agency responsible for regulating medical devices, which just missed its own end-of-May deadline to finalize a proposed ban. The devices are exactly what they sound like. Electrodes are often taped to a person’s body and deliver painful electric shocks as punishment when certain behaviors occur. According to advocates, people have been shocked for things such as slouching, wetting the bed, getting out of their seats, or failure to remove a coat when asked. Critics, such as the UN, have compared the practice to torture, and some say it’s similar to tactics used during interrogations. How can this be happening in America in 2026 when even electric shock collars for dogs have been banned in many parts

Israel has once again cut off humanitarian aid to Gaza, this time in response to Iranian missile strikes that followed Israel’s bombing of Beirut. The missiles weren’t fired from Gaza, so why is Gaza the one being deprived of aid? Israeli authorities announced the closure of the main border crossings used to bring food, medicine, and other humanitarian supplies into the territory. COGAT released a statement claiming that “the closure of the crossings will not affect the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. The substantial quantities of food that have entered the Strip since the beginning of the ceasefire significantly exceed the nutritional needs of the population.” That claim doesn’t square with what international agencies have been reporting. According to the World Food Programme, at least 1.6 million people, about 77 percent of the population in Gaza, are facing acute food insecurity. Aid groups have warned that the amount of assistance

Iran launched a series of missile attacks on Israeli military bases in what is called Operation True Promise 5. Iranian embassy channels say that this was “a warning shot.” They said that it was to “reiterate [that] the condition for a ceasefire has always been the total halting of conflicts across the entire region.” This means Lebanon. They insist that Israel cease its attacks on Lebanon, which ramped up over the weekend, killing at least two people and injuring more than a dozen. President Trump has reportedly asked Israel not to respond to the Iranian attacks and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has reportedly agreed. But then they responded anyway by striking “military targets belonging to the Iranian terror regime in western and central Iran.” Meanwhile, Israel will take it out on the people of Gaza. Israel has closed down crossings into the Gaza Strip, which will hamper the inflow of aid. But don’t worry

The world’s first AI Covid DNA vaccine was tested on humans and researchers found it to be “safe and well tolerated.” Those aren’t exactly the most reassuring words in medicine. “Safe and well tolerated” does not mean risk-free. It means the researchers did not identify safety problems serious enough to stop the trial. What is an AI vaccine? It means that researchers used artificial intelligence and computer modeling to design a vaccine intended to protect against multiple members of the sarbecovirus family, including SARS-CoV-2, SARS, and related bat coronaviruses that scientists believe could potentially infect humans in the future. Obvious question: why are scientists developing vaccines for hypothetical future spillover events? Did the AI identify a specific threat, or are researchers simply trying to build a broad-spectrum animal scenario vaccine before the next outbreak occurs? The vaccine was tested on 39 people who had previously been

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that he wants U.S. support of Israel to move from “aid” to “cooperation.” In a recent letter, he calls this a “new framework” by which Israel will reduce U.S. financial military assistance and reframe it as “joint defense cooperation, codevelopment, coproduction and mutual investment in areas including advanced missile defense, artificial intelligence, unmanned systems, cybersecurity, and next generation military platforms.” In other words: don’t end the relationship—deepen it. Don’t call it foreign aid—call it a partnership. Your money becomes our money. This comes as there is growing outrage over Section 224 of the House version of the FY2027 National Defense Authorization Act. It would require military cooperation between the U.S. and Israel in a way the U.S. has never agreed to with any other country. There are at least two members of Congress who have publicly said they are

Russia says it could respond to Ukraine’s latest attacks with nuclear weapons. That warning came after Ukrainian drones struck targets in St. Petersburg during Russia’s flagship international economic forum, an event hosting roughly 20,000 attendees from more than 130 countries. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said attacks on Russia’s territorial integrity could, under Russia’s military doctrine, justify the use of nuclear weapons in a worst-case scenario. The strikes are significant not only because of where they occurred, but because they hit deep inside Russia on civilian targets while Moscow is hosting one of its most important economic and diplomatic gatherings. Reports also circulated of civilian casualties from a separate drone attack on a passenger bus, adding to domestic pressure on the Kremlin to respond. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky continues to publicly support peace negotiations while simultaneously renewing his push for NATO membership. During meetings with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte,