The Friday Updates.

There is a lot of historic news at the Zurich Diamond League track and field competition. For the women's 100m final, Masai Russell of the DMV in America won the race with a record time of 12.14 seconds. That is a world record making Masai Russell the fastest 100m hurdler woman sprinter in the world of all time. Tobi Amusan of Nigeria won 2nd and Nadine Visser won third of the Netherlands. For the 100m final, Julien Alfred of St. Lucia won first with 10.70 seconds, Melissa Jefferson Wooden won 2nd with 10.70 seconds, and Sha'Cari Richardson won third with 10.97 seconds. For the men's 200m final, Kenneth Bednarek won first with 19.62 seconds (as a world leader), Sinesipho Dambile won 2nd from South Africa with 19.82 seconds, and Andrew De Grasse of Canada won third with 20.03 seconds. For the women's 200m final, Fabienne Hoekne of Switzerland won first with 22.53 seconds, Torrie Lewis of Australia won second with 22.66 seconds, and Jael Bestue of Spain won third with 22.74 seconds. For the men's 110m hurdles, Jason Joseph of Switzerland won first, Trey Cunningham of America won 2nd, and Enzo Diessl won third of Austria. For the 400m hurdles women's race, Anna Cockrell from America won first, Dalilah Muhammad from America (the icon) won 2nd from America, and Clayton Rushell of Jamaica won third. 

There are new legal challenges to Trump's mail ballots restrictions via his unconstitutional executive order. Recently, the Supreme Court has allowed the Trump administration to move forward with imposing restrictions on mail-in voting. The court paused an injunction on mail in voting by a federal judge in Boston that banned the federal government from applying provision of that executive order in the November elections to 23 states (along with the District of Columbia) challenging their legality. The truth is that state and local government control election functions, not the federal government. As the Constitution mentions, only states have the power to determine voter eligibility and to set the times, places, and manner of holding congressional elections. Trump is a stone-cold liar to believe that the 2020 election was stolen. He is acting vindictive, because he wants the Republicans to win at all costs, even if that means stealing an election. There is no proof that there are millions of noncitizens voting in Americans election, which is against the law. Trump is using this nonsense to promote his fascist agenda along with spreading xenophobia as Trump's ancestors were not descendants of the original Americans. The original Americans didn't speak a syllable of English. Recently one judge paused Trump's order to restrict mail-in ballots.

Trump's EPA wants to let data centers to skip public input on air pollution permits. Nearly 200 advocacy groups and nine states are pushing back on a new EPA proposal that would let data center get air pollution permits without ever notifying the public. Amazon alone has minor source permits letting its backup generations emit as much nitrogen oxide as mid-sized coal plant and residents may never get a say before construction starts. Trump's EPA wants to scarp the requirement that states notify the public and take comments on air pollution permits for data center and other industrial sites. That means that residents could lose their only chance to weigh in before construction starts. This is not only anti-environment, but it's anti-human to reject public input on our climate safety issues. Even the minor source phrase is misleading as these facilities can legally emit up to 250 tons of hazardous pollutants a year. EPA administrator Lee Zeldin wants to win the "AI race." 

Pete Hegseth is the worst Secretary of Defense cabinet member in American history. There is no debate about it. He has blocked at least 40 senior officer promotions using a secretive vetting process targeting past statements on diversity or COVID-19 vaccines. Hegseth wants to loosen the rules of engagement by using maximum engagement authorities and dismissing restrictive rules meant to protect civilians. He was in the cabinet when a U.S. February 2026 missile strike that hit an elementary school in Minab, Iran, killing about 175 civilians. A Pentagon Inspector General report revealed that Hegseth used a personal cell phone to transmit classified Yemeni military operational details over the Signal app to uncleared recipients just hours before a strike, that endangered personnel. Hegseth has not shown a cohesive plan to end the Iran War, allowed the government to delete historic stories about black Americans, and Hegseth is so racist that he blocked or bypassed promotion lists for senior military officers (personally removing qualified candidates including black officers and women from general promotion tracks).

The midterm elections of 2026 are very important. We know what the stakes are. Either we have a democracy in the future or fascism. There is no wiggle room around that proposition. The fundamental point about our reality is that we are worse off in 2026 than in 2024, when Joe Biden was President. We have massive tariffs that cost the American household on average of $1,100 annually, according to the Yale Budget Lab. Cleaning supplies and toilet paper are up at least 5 percent. Trump has promoted the unjust Iranian war, which has resulted in the Strait of Hormuz being locked, as oil tankers are stranded. Energy and food prices are up. We have an increasingly bad utility debt crisis. Energy bills are increasing, and inflation is growing. The Republicans have ended many clean energy subsidies and promoted dirtier fossil fuels. AI centers have increased the cost of electricity and polluted the water plus developed more noise pollution. Millions of Americans have struggles with paying groceries, and Trumps tax cuts for the super-rich (that benefit mostly big corporations and the super wealthy in general) has cut Medicaid plus Medicare. Trump’s executive order to divide the Measles-Mumps-Rubella vaccine into three shots has been bad. Measles cases nationwide in America have grown exceptionally. We have an affordability crisis many Americans are denied billions in by the gutting of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Therefore, we don't need the agenda of MAGA ruining the lives of the American people. Conversely, we desire a real agenda for freedom, justice, equality, liberty, and human liberation. 

By Timothy