US Politics
A Paragon Health Institute analysis estimated that 9.2 million ACA Medicaid expansion enrollees, or 46% of the total, were likely ineligible in 2024, compared with 4.9 million (33%) in 2019. Federal costs from improper enrollment reached an estimated $32.9 billion in 2024. States saved approximately $6.8 billion by shifting beneficiaries into the higher-match expansion category. California accounted for 3.1 million improper enrollees and $10.4 billion in federal costs. The analysis recommended equalizing federal match rates, tightening verification, ending passive renewals, and requiring annual independent audits.
Privacy & Surveillance
Senators Andy Kim, Cynthia Lummis, Adam Schiff, and John Barrasso introduced the bipartisan Digital Age Assurance Act of 2026 (S. 5090). The bill would require operating systems on phones and computers sold in the United States to prompt an age declaration at account setup, placing users in brackets of under 13, 13–15, 16, or 17+. Apps, app stores, browsers, and certain websites could request the bracket. Users under 17 would need to link accounts to a parent or guardian, with an exemption for emancipated minors. Section 10 states the bill does not require the collection of government IDs or biometrics, while Section 3(d) requires OS providers to verify age upon receiving clear and convincing contradictory information. Fines reach $7,500 per intentional violation per child. The 17+ federal bracket does not align with some state rules requiring checks for those under 18. Critics have characterized the requirements as a form of digital identification that could facilitate expanded government oversight.
Apple removed Telegram from the App Store worldwide after identifying one user post containing child sexual abuse material, then restored the app after roughly 40 minutes once the content was removed. Telegram has more than one billion monthly active users. The app remained available on the Mac App Store and Google Play. Apple faces a Justice Department antitrust suit filed in March 2024 by attorneys general from 16 states and districts alleging monopolization through developer restrictions. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney stated Apple had removed a communication tool used by a billion people.
British Politics
Oxfordshire County Council, controlled by the Liberal Democrats, obtained a High Court injunction barring unidentified persons from attaching Union or St George’s flags to lampposts and highway infrastructure or painting flag images on roads. Justice Dexter Dias issued the order after legal proceedings against the Raise the Colours campaign, citing highway safety, trespass, and reports that maintenance staff had worked in fear, with some directed to wear face coverings after a worker’s address was published. The council spent approximately £80,000 removing flags and £40,000 on legal costs, which it plans to recover. Council leader Tim Bearder stated that participants were challenging people, not patriots. Flags on private property are unaffected. Freedom of information requests have shown at least £70,000 spent by other English councils on flag removal, and a leaked government document described the Union Flag as a potential instrument of exclusion. The injunction applies specifically to Oxfordshire and addresses attachments linked to the Raise the Colours campaign.
West Midlands Police is inviting non-Muslim officers and staff to fast during Ramadan, with lunch money donated to charity. The force states the initiative, organized by the West Midlands Association of Muslim Police, helps officers understand Ramadan in a diverse region. Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Timothy described the encouragement as wholly inappropriate and called for abolishing the Public Sector Equality Duty. Major Andrew Fox of the Henry Jackson Society said officers should receive support, but the state should not promote religious observance. Critics have raised concerns about officers fasting during demanding shifts. A Policy Exchange analysis reported hundreds of millions spent on DEI measures across British police forces since 2020. Its head of crime and justice, David Spencer, stated this approach conflicts with policing’s principle of acting without fear or favour.
Energy
Goldman Sachs commodities co-head Samantha Dart identified diesel as the focus of tightening fuel supplies, citing Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries and disruptions linked to US-Iran tensions. Dart recommended a long diesel time spread between December 2026 and March 2027, and a short position on summer 2028 European TTF natural gas. Colleague Daan Struyven’s refinery runs analysis placed global runs at their lowest seasonal level since Covid, with European gasoil crack spreads above $70 a barrel.
Meanwhile, executives at Shell, Exxon, and Chevron have identified global refining capacity as the main constraint on fuel prices. Reports indicate that conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, China’s fuel export limits, and Russia’s diesel export ban have reduced effective global refining capacity by as much as 10%. Exxon Gulf Coast refineries operated at 95% utilization, Chevron at 97%, and Shell exceeded 102% in the second quarter. President Trump has urged oil companies to reduce prices paid by consumers in light of the reported market conditions.
In other news, venture capital funding for nuclear fission and fusion startups reached $4.5 billion across 81 companies in 2026. Most funding has gone to US firms, supported by investors including Bill Gates and Sam Altman and by Executive Order 14301 directing the Department of Energy Reactor Pilot Program. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved NuScale’s small modular reactor design after six years. The administration aims to shorten future reviews to 18 months.
Health
A lysosome researcher who recorded elevated microplastic levels in blood tested a stabilized sulforaphane supplement derived from broccoli sprouts. Blood levels rose sharply within one day and then declined, with particles reportedly exiting primarily through feces. A repeat test one year later showed the same pattern from a lower baseline. That said, the observations are from a single individual.
Sources
UK Court Bans Flags as Councils Wage War on Patriotism
Britain has reached the point where flying the St George’s Cross is treated as a form of aggression while other political symbols face no such institutional hostility.
Senate Bill Bakes Age Checkpoints Into Every US Device OS
Every bill that builds a checkpoint says it is not building a checkpoint.
West Midlands Police Urges Non-Muslims to Fast During Ramadan for “Solidarity”
The police should be a national force for all of us, observing the same standards regardless of creed,
Refinery Squeeze, Not Crude Prices, Fuels the Real Energy Crunch
“The constraint pain point in the energy system is refining”
Source | Submitted by PhilH
AI Boom Ignites VC Rush Into U.S. Nuclear Startups
Venture capitalists are taking a major interest in nuclear energy start ups. Funding is surging for both nuclear fusion and fission firms as the technology becomes an increasingly essential part of a feasible pathway toward sustainable energy security in the face of the artificial intelligence boom.
Goldman Flags Diesel as Epicenter of Looming Global Fuel Squeeze
Diesel is at the epicenter of the supply squeeze.
Apple’s App Store Monopoly on Display: Telegram Pulled Over One User
One user out of more than a billion was enough to make Telegram restricted from every iPhone on the planet.
Medicaid Expansion’s Eligibility Crisis: Nearly Half of Enrollees Likely Ineligible
Using federal survey, enrollment, and spending data, the analysis estimates that 9.2 million expansion enrollees—46 percent of the total—were likely ineligible in 2024 under its central assumptions, up from 4.9 million in 2019.
Researcher Clears Record Microplastics from Blood Using Broccoli Compound
Sulforaphane, in newly discovered research, helps you dump microplastics.
Source | Submitted by AaronMcKeon
In addition to sources submitted by community members, the following were also used in the creation of this report: Grok, LundukeJournal, and OilPrice.com.
by resiliencerob 
