Ethiopia is facing a renewed civil war after rebel forces launched a major offensive against the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in late September. The Tigray People’s Liberation Front, allied with six other armed groups seeking to overthrow the government, attacked military outposts and airports in northern Ethiopia. The fighting threatens to reignite the devastating 2020-to-2022 civil war that killed an estimated 600,000 people. The renewed conflict has already displaced an estimated 150,000 civilians, while food and medicine shortages are worsening.
(“Rebel Offenses Against Ethiopian Army Stokes Fears of Return to Civil War,” Guardian, Sept. 24, 2026; “Can Regional Power Prevent Ethiopia’s Conflict From Spreading,” Foreign Policy, Oct. 7, 2026)
Despite President Donald Trump’s embrace of fossil fuels and hostility toward renewable energy, states where voters supported him in the 2024 election are leading America’s solar power boom. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, eight of the nation’s ten leading states for new solar construction in the first half of 2026 voted for Trump. Texas and Florida are now among national leaders in solar. The expansion is driven largely by solar power’s competitive cost, rapid construction and growing electricity demand from manufacturing and data centers.
(“More Than 70 Percent of New Solar is Being Built in States That Voted for Trump,” Grist, Sept. 10, 2026; “In a First, Utah Got More Power From Solar,” Grist, Aug. 6, 2026)
Farmers in Pennsylvania are struggling with rising production costs, labor shortages and cuts to federal agricultural programs. In Berks County, where farming generates more than $1 billion in annual economic activity, growers say Trump administration cuts to U.S. Department of Agriculture funding and staffing threaten their livelihoods. The president’s slashing of the USDA budget caused the department’s Natural Resources Conservation Service to lose 23 percent of its staff, making it harder for farmers to obtain conservation assistance and other federal support.
(“USDA Cuts, Labor Shortages Rankle Struggling Rural Economy,” Barn Raiser, Oct. 7, 2026)
