DOMESTIC
Over the next week, hundreds of high-level employees within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security may be removed from their positions, furthering President Trump’s initiative to decrease the size of the federal workforce. Contrary to this supposed purpose, the affected agencies themselves—which include the Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency—have commented that these high-level cuts, impacting significant managerial positions, are intended not to reduce the workforce but to remove any opposition to President Trump’s agenda. Former members of the Biden administration have reinforced this inference, citing the policy influence of the soon-to-be-fired employees and alluding to Trump’s recent efforts to arrest and deport significant numbers of undocumented immigrants. On the other hand, Trump’s own officials continue to defend the plan, claiming the removals will successfully take power back from individuals who “willfully grind things to a halt” and contribute to widespread federal reform to “eliminate egregious waste and incompetence that has been happening for decades at the expense of the American taxpayer.”
Halfway through the second month of the year, 87 aviation accidents have already occurred within the United States—13 of those accidents involving loss of life. The “belly-up” crash of a Delta Airlines flight from Minneapolis to Toronto this past Monday, despite all passengers surviving, has further frightened a nation still reeling in the aftermath of the traumatic Washington, D.C. crash between an American Airlines airbus and a military helicopter on Jan. 29. Nevertheless, even with the concerning frequency of accidents this year, the U.S. Department of Transportation continues to reassure Americans that U.S. commercial air travel remains the absolute safest mode of transportation—far safer than motor vehicles, which kill around 40,000 people a year. While other forms of aviation, such as commuter air and air taxi services, may cause several hundred deaths over a year-long span, statistics still prove that large commercial airlines rarely cause deaths at all, much less to the extent which the nation has seen this year. Although rightfully perturbed by these undoubtedly tragic accidents, Americans can sleep soundly approaching their next plane flight: technology, statistics and skillful aviators will better protect passengers than those passengers can protect themselves while behind the wheel of a car on the way to the airport.
INTERNATIONAL
China’s noteworthy efforts to accumulate military power have been questioned by U.S. defense experts in regard to their political purpose. While initial fears may incur the conclusion that China aims to soon invade the island of Taiwan and further threaten U.S. hegemony as the dominant military power upon the global stage, a recent report from a U.S. think tank claims the Chinese forces are not truly “ready for war.” Instead, with the build-up of arms and “flexing” its military muscles, the Chinese Communist Party simply seeks to reinforce its control within the nation and over Chinese society, using military strength to bolster credibility and impress the population. This political agenda proceeds to further inhibit the ability of the Chinese military to respond to actual threats. According to Timothy Heath, an expert on Chinese military operations, the Chinese Communist Party spends 40% of its military training on political topics, as opposed to combat skills required for modern war. Nevertheless, experts are wary of fully writing off the apparent arms buildup as a merely political tactic within the Chinese domestic sphere. The sheer military power the nation has accumulated certainly poses a threat to both Taiwan and America. Questions surrounding the employment of that power and China’s actual plans to pursue a successful offensive remain.
European nations scrambled to a hasty meeting this past Monday in light of recent developments in U.S. President Trump and Russian President Putin’s discussions regarding Ukraine. The question of collective security rose to the agenda’s forefront as both the United Kingdom and Sweden have indicated their potential willingness to deploy troops on the ground for the wider “security of the continent.” British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, referred to his nation’s commitment to “bearing [its] own burden,” calling the question of Ukraine’s future “existential for Europe as a whole.” Starmer also stated his position that continued US support will be absolutely vital to ensure a lasting peace. The foreign minister of Sweden, Maria Malmer Stenergard, cited similar reasons to the perspective expressed by Starmer. She also professed that “above all else,” Russia must not be allowed to “just withdraw and regroup and attack Ukraine or another country within a few years.” Leaders from Poland, Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain and the EU also attended Monday’s meeting. Notably, the Prime Minister of Poland, Donald Tusk, explicitly denied any potential of Polish troops deploying to defend their Ukrainian neighbors. He did, however, reiterate the importance of European nations increasing defensive budgets to prevent a greater deficit should broader war arise.
