You know something is amiss when a World Cup referee is denied entry to the United States while Canada and Mexico appear to present no such obstacles. That is what happened when Somali match official Omar Artan was refused entry because of “vetting concerns”. I do not know the details of the case, but after arriving at Miami International Airport on a diplomatic passport, Artan was stopped by US Customs and Border Protection. Nor was this any ordinary referee. Artan—widely regarded as Africa’s leading official—was the recipient of the 2025 CAF Men’s Referee of the Year award. He was an esteemed professional effectively shown the red card by one of the tournament’s host nations and held for eleven hours. Perhaps it was naive of him to think there would be no problems given that around eighty per cent of Somali visa applications are refused. More

When the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held confirmation hearings for current Department of Interior head Doug Burgum, he made it quite clear that he viewed public lands, lands belonging to the American public, as an asset on “America’s balance sheet”. His implication was pretty clear, these public lands should be used to turn a profit. Public lands belong to all Americans and were set aside for their protection, not for profit. But, no surprise, Burgum fully supports exploitative industries like oil, gas and mining on public lands, so who’s balance sheet will benefit? At an energy conference in Houston last year he noted, “If we’re going to drill, baby, drill, then we’ve got to be asked to also mine, baby, mine.” More

Did Trump really “end” eight wars? Are the underlying conflicts actually over? Lebanon remains unstable. Iran and Israel continue to exchange threats and attacks. Russia and Ukraine are still at war. The Houthis still fire missiles. Gaza remains unresolved. Kashmir remains disputed. The Democratic Republic of Congo remains violent. These claims often amount to relabelling partial stabilization, normalization, or temporary pause as a final resolution. If these wars were truly “ended” by Trump, nobody seems to have informed the combatants, civilians killed in the fighting, or the millions suffering and displaced. More