Politics today spans battles over authority, ideology and image. At the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV faces an early and dramatic test after Rome excommunicated six bishops tied to the ultratraditionalist Society of St. Pius X for carrying out unauthorized consecrations in defiance of a direct papal appeal, deepening a long-running schism over church authority. In the U.S., the Democratic left is making its own assertion of influence as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez backs progressive Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan’s contested Senate primary, sharpening the contrast between insurgent and establishment wings of the party. In Nigeria, the federal government is recasting national service with plans to replace the NYSC’s iconic khaki with locally produced Adire fabric while linking postings more closely to graduates’ qualifications. And ahead of 2027, Atiku Abubakar has tapped Kenneth Okonkwo as spokesman, signaling an early effort to shape the political battlefield.