Federal banking regulators found that all nine of the largest national banks they supervise had policies restricting services on political, religious or other subjective grounds. The review describes a payment processor closing a Trump-merchandise seller’s account, conservative organizations losing services and banks rejecting progressive groups, too. Calling a customer controversial became a reason to shut the door. The new report puts a basic freedom at stake: whether Americans can earn, donate and operate lawful businesses without first passing their bank’s political test.

Only 31 percent of Americans now call college very important, down from 70 percent in 2013. Families are questioning soaring prices and campuses where political conformity can crowd out inquiry. Meanwhile, trade schools, certification programs and employers willing to train workers offer credible alternatives. A degree can still pay off, but the institution, field of study and price matter enormously. Colleges that once assumed students would show up now have to prove they deserve a family’s time, money and trust.

Wars are squeezing the world’s food supply from two directions: fertilizer shipments disrupted in the Persian Gulf and grain exports strangled in the Black Sea. American families could face higher grocery bills, while import-dependent countries face a much harder squeeze. Food insecurity can deepen conflict and push people to leave home. The report warns that today’s shipping disruptions could become tomorrow’s migration pressure, with damage to harvests and food supplies lasting well beyond any ceasefire.

Tennessee’s failed execution of Christa Pike has renewed public concern about cruelty and suffering. Terri Schiavo’s family is asking why that concern so often disappears when vulnerable patients lose access to food and water. After her court-ordered feeding-tube removal in 2005, Terri died nearly two weeks later despite her family’s pleas to care for her. The argument challenges a moral double standard in how America talks about death: medically dependent people deserve the same urgency about suffering, humane care and protection that surrounds condemned prisoners.