Monthly Briefing

Something encouraging is happening in American manufacturing. July marked the seventh straight month of growth, with manufacturing activity expanding at its fastest pace in more than four years. At the same time, companies from around the world are putting billions into new factories and production facilities across the United States.

And these aren't small commitments. Novartis has announced $23 billion in U.S. manufacturing and research investment, while Roche plans to invest $50 billion over five years. The momentum stretches well beyond pharmaceuticals, with companies like Toyota, TSMC, and NVIDIA putting more money into American production. From cars and semiconductors to AI infrastructure, some of the industries shaping the next generation of manufacturing are expanding their footprint here at home.

It is still too early to call it a comeback, but look at where the money is going. Semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, AI hardware, and other advanced industries are becoming a bigger part of the American manufacturing story. These aren't the same factories America lost decades ago, and maybe they shouldn't be. The next era of American manufacturing is going to look very different from the last one.

President Trump made rebuilding American manufacturing a central part of his economic agenda, and the early results give him something to point to. Billions in new investment are coming into the country, companies are expanding production, and advanced industries are putting down deeper roots in the United States. The goal was never to rebuild the factories of 1970. It was to make sure the factories of 2040 are built in America. So far, that bet is looking pretty good.

- A. R. Aniket Shafin.

On August 4th, the Syrian military declared a nationwide state of military alert and began reinforcing its border with Iraq. The Syrian military has called up all reserves and ordered them to report to their units with no explanation from Syrian officials. Days earlier, Syrian officials had directly warned Iraq that Iran-backed militias were moving toward the border. Syria and Jordan both have warned Iraq that if an attack comes from their territory, “it will not go unanswered”. The border has been a contention point for decades. Militants and weapons have been spreading through the Iraqi-Syrian border since 2003. Since Assad fell in Syria, the border has been getting reinforced by both sides, but the militants' activity has increased. This is all along with the stabilization effort, with the UN Secretary-General just recently visiting in July for the first time after the Assad regime fell. This unexplained mobilization order does throw a big question mark in this stabilization effort, as who knows what the reaction will be from Iraq or reflect on the new Syrian regime's fragile picture.

- Jayden Wielgosz

Eighty-two years ago, on August 1st, 1944, the Polish Home Army rose against the German occupation in Warsaw. One of the most remarkable events of WWII and a tragic defiance against evil. By the summer of 1944, the Red Army had reached the Vistula within sight of Warsaw. Polish resistance fighters saw this as an opportunity to free themselves and liberate their capital before the Soviets took control of the city. With the city liberated, they saw they could meet the Red Army as a sovereign, free nation rather than just another occupied territory. This event set in stone what would be the foreseeable future of Poland; it was a great gamble to free the nation. Tragically, it did not pay off, with Soviet forces halting at the Vistula and never moving to relieve the city resistance. Historians debate if it was because of exhaustion on why they stopped or a direct order to let the resistance die. For over two months, the city fought to free itself, with over 200,000 civilians dying to free their city and the city being destroyed by the end of it. This event is still remembered across the world as it showcased one of the greatest moments of defiance against an oppressor. It continues to be in the minds of Polish citizens and people around the world for their great bravery.

- Jayden Wielgosz

Sixteen years ago, a $5000 wig led Martino Cartier to ask a simple question: What happens to the woman who cannot afford one? A longtime hairstylist, Cartier had visited the mother of a close friend who was battling cancer and was struck by the quality of her wig. The experience pushed him to research wigs and find a way to help people experiencing hair loss during cancer treatment. What began as a charity supporting women with breast cancer soon expanded when Cartier refused to turn away a woman with ovarian cancer. The organization, originally called Friends Are By Your Side, brought together hairstylists and industry professionals to provide support.

The turning point came when Cartier met Kiki, a young girl who had been turned away by two major nonprofits. Cartier had never made a child's wig before, but that did not stop him from trying. After successfully fitting her with a wig, he asked what else he could do to make her smile. Her answer was simple: she wanted to meet Justin Bieber. Cartier had no idea how he could make it happen, but told her, “I think we can make it happen.” he launched a social media trend that gained national attention for her, but when Bieber's management declined, Cartier refused to accept it. Months later they charity purchased front row meet and greet tickets so Kiki could have the experience she dreamed of. Kiki met Bieber on November 4th, 2012. Seven days later, she died. Cartier was with her when she passed away, and the experience changed him and his growing organization forever. That day, it became the Wigs and Wishes mission: not just giving wigs, but creating moments of happiness for children and families facing cancer.

Today that mission continues with Wigs and Wishes, which gives children battling cancer and their families an opportunity to step away from the realities of treatment and simply enjoy being together. Cartier spoke about the joy of seeing hundreds of children attend while also remembering those who have since lost their battles; for him, the impact of the work is difficult to put into words. His philosophy is that meaningful change begins when someone sees a need and chooses to act. That same message shaped his advice to young people: “You have to be the leader, not the follower,” he said. Ultimately, Cartier's story is a reminder that making a difference does not always require a grand plan. Sometimes it begins with one person refusing to accept that “no” has to be the final answer.

On July 30th in the city of Ceuta, Spain, anywhere from 60,000 to 70,000 undocumented illegal migrants mainly from Morocco stormed the Spanish exclave overwhelming the local authorities, border guards, and local Spanish inhabitants. This event occurred after the Spanish Supreme Court’s decision which allowed loopholes for migrants in Ceuta. The Supreme Court of Spain specifically ruled that their practice of rapid deportation through summarily returning after illegal entry could no longer be applied to migrants if they were traveling by sea or swimming to Ceuta or Melilla. The ruling thus implied that any migrant would be processed according to the regular procedures. The vast majority, around 65,000 migrants, have been returned to Morocco with some 5,000 mostly children remaining in Ceuta for processing. Spanish news sources report 72 confirmed casualties at the time of writing in addition to mass vandalism, reported theft, and various criminal activity.

A Broader Background

The Spanish leader Pedro Sánchez assumed the office of Prime Minister in 2018 as a member of the Spanish Socialist Worker’s Party (PSOE) and has worked to soften immigration and customs enforcement within the country. In January of this year Sánchez and his administration announced a mass regularization program which was designed to grant amnesty to large numbers of illegal immigrants within Spain. Migrants have been slowly using Spain as a launching point into Europe to receive citizenships and naturalization. Since the European Union’s agreements allow for relaxed travel restrictions amongst member states, great tension was created specifically between Spain, France, and Italy about migrant amnesty and acceptance. In regards to the current crisis in Ceuta, Italy has suspended free movement with Spain under The Schengen Agreement put in place in 1985 which removed the requirement for passport checks at internal European Union borders. Members of the European Commission point towards the Spanish Supreme Court decision as the catalyst to the migrant invasion in Ceuta. News of the exploit reached people across Morocco and the broader North African region prompting them to swim into Ceuta culminating in the massive numbers seen pouring in late July and early August.

National and International Concern

Ceuta, an autonomous port city of Spain is controlled by the mayor-president Juan Jesús Vivas who on July 30th formally requested that the Spanish government declare a national emergency over the unfolding situation which was rejected by their interior ministry under the Sánchez administration. The government was eventually forced to bolster police personnel to restore order to the city, rejecting martial action. Spain’s Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska went to Ceuta in order to set up temporary areas where migrants could be identified, assist the asylum seekers, and hasten the deportation of the previously mentioned estimated 65,000 illegal crossers. Reports indicate some migrants have been transported to mainland Spain in places such as Andalusia. Giant national security risks were at play in Ceuta, a city with a population of around 84,000 when the city’s populace was nearly doubled in the span of three days by foreign migrants. Territorial sovereignty has been questioned by many within and without Spain with some calling the event an outright invasion. Videos of the incident went viral across social media platforms in Spain and globally. The vast majority of migrants depicted swimming and landing in Ceuta are young males which has contradicted pro-migrant messaging about asylum and families seeking better lives. Videos of Spanish citizens being harassed, businesses and cemeteries being vandalized, and alleged stabbings riled up anger on sites like X. Sánchez described the mass entry as an "attack" and a "violation of Spain's territorial integrity", and said the state would use every available means to restore control of the border. The European Commission’ president Ursula von der Leyen has been quoted saying the images from Ceuta were "unacceptable", and affirmed the Commission's support for Spain hoping to end migrant crossings. UNICEF, a project of the United Nations, expressed its concern over the conditions of those involved denouncing the potential for human trafficking and abuse. American President Donald Trump called the event an “invasion” criticizing Spain for socialistic forms of governance and for allowing the migrant crisis.

- Tyler Murnaghan

As the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence has come and gone, Americans throughout the country are revisiting our shared national history. One area of our history that is overlooked is the second engagement between the Americans and the British, the War of 1812. Following years of British impressment of American sailors to serve in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars, on June 18th, 1812, Congress issued its first declaration of war, launching a failed invasion of British Canada. Following this failed invasion and the defeat of Napoleon, the British turned their well-oiled war machine on our young nation. On August 24, 1814, the British under Admiral George Cockburn and General Robert Ross defeated American forces defending Washington, and that evening their forces entered the capital.

As news of the loss at Bladensburg reached the capital, President James Madison and First Lady Dolley Madison fled the city along with other major government officials. When the British reached the city that evening, Admiral Cockburn ordered the burning of the White House, Capitol, Treasury, Library of Congress, and other government buildings. While fleeing the city, two Americans would ensure that pieces of our national history did not fall into enemy hands. First Lady Madison would save the 1797 portrait of George Washington, which is on view at the National Portrait Gallery today. Second was senior State Department clerk Stephen Pleasonton, who saved the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, which surely would have been burned by the British, and brought them to a safe house in Leesburg, Virginia.

- Thomas Paprzycki

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