The Red Folder
The Archive

Key stories for the week, brought to you by Lindsey Zhao and the Red Folder Team.

Reading for the sake of reading sucks. Telling yourself to read to win a round is nice but ineffective. This condensed news brief helps you understand current domestic and international issues, analyze the news, and gives you opportunities to read more.

Publishing since January 2024.

July 15, 2024: In domestic news, read about the attempt on Trump's life, lessons from Hurricane Beryl, Trump's legal proceedings, and the insurance price debacle. In international news, read about tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, China's expanding military, Iran's new President, and the United Kingdom's war on NIMBYs.

July 8, 2024: In domestic news, read about potential Biden alternatives, the controversial Supreme Court Immunity ruling, Hurricane Beryl wreaking havoc, and Ron DeSantis' slide into unpopularity. In international news, read about Rishi Sunak's loss to the Labour Party, the French election turnaround, the recent G7 summit, and Paris's turmoil over the upcoming Olympics.

July 1, 2024: In domestic news, read about  the overturning of Chevron Deference, the ruling in Grant's Pass v. Johnson, a truly disastrous presidential debate, and Jamaal Bowman's loss in the Democratic primary. In international news, read about Iran's presidential election, Bolivia's attempted coup, the climate crisis, and the similarities between Ukraine and Taiwan. 

We also published a Special Report on the French Election! Read it here. 

June 24, 2024: In domestic news, read about a flurry of Supreme Court decisions, Nvidia's unprecedented successes, the Tax Relief Act, and the fall of America's petrodollar. In international news, read about Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his main political opponent, Russia's shift in nuclear talk, the Labour Party's politics, and Turkey's inflation problem. 

June 17, 2024: In domestic news, read about school vouchers in Texas, the national housing crisis, the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on bump stocks, and why the economy might not actually be doing as well as Biden thinks. In international news, read about Vietnam’s authoritarian shift, an analysis on Modi, Bola Tinubu’s disastrous economic policies in Nigeria, and a potential peace deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

June 10, 2024: In domestic news, read about Biden's lack of luck with Latino voters, media defamation lawsuits regarding the 2020 election, Dr. Fauci's Congress hearing, and Vermont's new Climate Superfund Act. In international news, read about Mexico's newly elected leader, the EU Parliament's recent elections, Beijing's aggression in the South China Sea, and a guest article detailing the intricacies of Biden's policy on Israel.

June 3, 2024: In domestic news, read about Trump’s recent felony conviction, the lawsuit against Hyundai for their use of child labor, Hunter Biden’s felony trial and the increase in deadly hurricanes. In international news, read about Putin’s military general purge, India’s recent election that saw Modi get reelected yet again, an update on the Sudanese Civil War, and South Africa’s general election. 

This week, we also published a 3000+ word special brief on the conflict in Myanmar, which the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project explains is the deadliest of all the 50 violent conflicts it tracks in the world. 

May 27, 2024: In domestic news, read about  an update on Trump's latest legal troubles, Biden's tariffs on Chinese trade, and Uvalde families' lawsuits against the companies allegedly responsible for the mass shooting in 2022. In international news, read about Somalia's struggles with climate change, ISIS-K's grip on Tajikistan through resentment against Russia, and Putin's alleged attempts at peace talks. 

May 20, 2024: In domestic news, read about California's new ambitious water tunnel project, the presidential debates and how it will affect RFK, and Houston's devastating power outages. In international news, read about Afghanistan's deadly flash floods, the Iranian president's sudden death, and Haiti's endless struggle. 

May 13, 2024: In domestic news, read about South Carolina's redistricting, the six week abortion ban in Florida, and Kristi Noem's struggles with her indigenous population. In international news, read about the Scottish fight for independence, Chad's new dictator, and Georgia's repressive new foreign agents bill. 

May 6, 2024: In domestic news, read about Donald Trump's violations of his gag order, the Pulitzer Prizes, and the Tiktok ban. In international news, read about the relationship between Europe and China, Bhutan's new bitcoin enterprise, and South Africa's upcoming election. 

April 29, 2024: In domestic news, read about Columbia's massive student protests, America's recent natural disasters, and the disaster of Elon Musk. In international news, read about Ecuador's raid on Mexico, the tide of the Ukrainian war, and Netanyahu's political bind.

April 22, 2024: In domestic news, read about Michael Cohen's legal trouble, Mike Johnson's Democratic compromises, and the new aid package for Israel. In international news, read about failing opposition to Modi's rule, the failure of Singapore's democracy, and Modi's opposition-silencing strategies.

April 15, 2024: In domestic news, read about Temu’s dominance of cheap goods in America, California’s new minimum wage price hike, and America’s protectionist policy towards Israel. In international news, read about Zimbabwe’s new currency, the ZiG, Iran’s recent strikes in Israel and what it means for the region, and Vietnam’s landmark death sentence for one of the largest financial crimes in history. 

April 8, 2024: In domestic news, read about the recent outbreaks of bird flu, America's disturbing rise in conspiracy theories, and Trump's most recent 'small' donation. In international news, read about Niger's relationship- or lack of one- with the US, Senegal's new leader, and Netanyahu's fumbling of the Gaza Strip crisis. 

April 1, 2024: In domestic news, read about the Baltimore bridge collapse, Bayer's changing business style, and Congress's habit of simply being opposed to bills instead of passing them. In international news, read about the rise (or fall?) of Hong Kong as an economic empire, the story of Haiti through centuries, and the Russian concert hall shooting. 

March 25, 2024: In domestic news, read about the border showdown between Biden and Abbott, the new AI gold rush, and the DOJ's investigation into Apple. In international news, read about Javier Milei's first 100 days in office, Ireland's recent referendums, and Ukraine's recent struggles in their war. 

This week, we also published a special brief on one of the most controversial and important countries in the Americas- El Salvador. Read CJ Getting's masterful explanation on the country's response to gang violence. 

March 18, 2024: In domestic news, read about Congress’s proposed housing cuts, the ‘Uncommitted’ movement in Michigan, and the newly proposed 32 hour workweek. In international news, read about France’s changing policy on Ukraine, the Maldives’ changing role as a political hotspot for competition between China and India, and Russia’s most recent election.

This week, we also published our longest ever article (four THOUSAND words!) written in collaboration with two of our writers, Paul Robinson and Lindsey Zhao. Read all about the Balkans, and two of their most conflict-prone political hotspots- Republika Srpska and Kosovo. 

March 11, 2024: In domestic news, read about President Biden's State of the Union and Sen. Katie Britt's contentious response speech, Congress' struggle to agree on a budget, and the impending influence of third party candidates on the 2024 Presidential election. In international news, read about Viktor Orbán's right-wing alliance with Donald Trump, Fumio Kishida's tumultuous time as Japan's prime minister among a fundraising scandal, and Poland's provocative construction of the Vistula canal.

March 4, 2024: In domestic news, read about the SCOTUS ruling on Trump ballot disqualification, the high court's deliberations over social media content moderation, and the FTC's decision to block Kroger's merger with Albertsons. In international news, read about the future of China's BRI, Germany's far-right AFD party, and the impact Houthi rebels have had on international trade.