DOMESTIC
Skyrocketing egg prices are Americans’ newest inflation-frustration as the highly pathogenic avian influenza, a strand called A H5, continues to widely infect poultry operations. Presently, the risk posed to the human population by this “bird flu” virus remains low. However, 67 human cases—one of which resulted in a patient’s death—have been confirmed by the medical field since the start of 2024. Health experts have warned Americans to avoid consumption of raw milk—as the virus has spread to dairy cows—and practice exceedingly cautious hygiene when interacting with birds or poultry. The primary concerns center on scientists’ lack of knowledge regarding the particular strain and how it transfers from birds to humans. In Nevada, researchers discovered a specific mutant form that seems to more easily infect other mammals; this strain, in particular, caused the recorded human death. In the Lehigh Valley, not far from Bucknell’s campus, hospitals are exhibiting caution, preparing for the unlikely but nevertheless possible scenario of a local bird flu outbreak within the human community. Doctors, such as Dr. Jeffrey Jahre from St. Luke’s, have raised concern for the potential of the region—with high traffic of migratory birds and a thriving poultry industry—to become an “epicenter” should such an outbreak occur. While no cases have been reported in the valley thus far, doctors seem hesitant to place full faith in the bureaucracy’s effectiveness. According to Jahre, “You can’t rely on the government coming to save you […] By the time the government ends up dealing with it, it will frequently be either late or inappropriate.”
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed an interest in “buying” Greenland. According to some sources, he does indeed have options; to others, however, the proposition sounds ridiculous. Presently, the island region is a self-governing region of Denmark, exercising widespread autonomy and holding its own elections, but in terms of foreign policy, Denmark retains control. Notably, though, quite recently, the prime minister of Greenland, Múte Egede, has called for independence within the coming decade. In his words, his island “never will be for sale,” and experts do not believe that Denmark would claim the power to legally sell the island despite its position of supremacy. President Trump has not dismissed the potential of outright invasion. The location of the island certainly makes it valuable; with exclusive military access, the US could gain the power to deter Chinese access to Arctic shipping routes while also inching closer to crucial Russian bases stationed nearby on the Kola Peninsula. This suggestion, however, for a military offensive has been met with harsh resistance and denouncement from U.S. allies. Thus, short of purchase or invasion, Trump may seek to broker a deal that would allow broader control for the US military. If neither, he may resort to simply adding more U.S. bases for the purpose of fuller surveillance— an effort that would fill a NATO “gap.” The people of Greenland, of course, remain a significant barrier to Trump’s decisive efforts to acquire the island’s territory. Greenlanders do not desire American integration, but local leaders have yet to cohesively respond to bids against their autonomy. No doubt, such counter-responses will determine Trump’s success in achieving this seemingly impossible but strategic policy initiative.
INTERNATIONAL
Despite consistent snow which has battered the U.S., including the Southern regions unfamiliar with such weather patterns, January 2025 was the hottest January on global record. In fact, the past ten years have been shattering temperature records as climate change and global warming work slowly but steadily to alter the earth’s atmosphere and, in consequence, humanity’s conditions. Experts on climate change continue to return to the burning of fossil fuels, releasing greenhouse gasses and deforestation and urbanization as causes for the mounting crisis. According to the 2015 Paris Agreement, countries committed to limiting the warming of the globe to under two degrees Celsius, but with each new calendar year, that goal seems more infeasible. Almost all nations missed the target of submitting new and stricter national climate plans, and President Donald Trump has removed the U.S. from the agreement. Scientists are concerned that the trend of this unprecedented decade reflects emerging climate models for which “human imagination” is not sufficiently prepared. As more greenhouse gases continue to accumulate, “new physical processes” may indeed start to arise.
As the Russia-Ukraine war encroaches on the three-year mark, Ukraine is seeking new and innovative strategies to recruit young men—from ages 18 to 24—to the ranks of the weary and depleted Ukrainian army. Lowering the conscription age from 27 to 25 has failed to provide enough replenishment to national forces. Additionally, emigration and desertions have increased while Ukrainian leadership worries that the new Trump administration will withhold military aid that the nation relies upon. In hopes of inspiring greater military recruitment, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry has now agreed to offer benefits ranging from a higher salary to a 0% mortgage rate, dental care and permission to leave the country after one year of service. This change, however, does stand to anger the already-employed military personnel who may feel they’ve been “shortcutted” as new soldiers receive benefits that years of service have not earned them.
