Four stories to watch out for in 2026

What lies in store for 2026? This is Donald Trump’s world and we’re all just living in it His presidency will be the biggest factor influencing the coming year across the globe and even up in space As the Trumpnado spins on, here are four stories that will shape the world ahead Military competition in space will intensify in 2026

In a future conflict with Russia or China, American military planners believe that the ability to launch weapons from, within and toward space will be vital <i>I promised I would build</i> <i>a cutting-edge missile-defence</i> <i>shield to protect our homeland</i> <i>from the threat of</i> <i>foreign missile attack</i> Donald Trump has requested a whopping 40%

budget increase for the US Space Force in the next fiscal year And a Space Force general is in charge of constructing his Golden Dome missile-defence shield <i>We do need capabilities</i> <i>that protect us</i> <i>against the space-enabled</i> <i>attack of others</i> Golden Dome’s planned space-based interceptors would focus on

destroying enemy missiles as they were taking off But, in theory, they could also be used to target enemy satellites SpaceX’s gigantic Starship launch vehicle will also have big implications for American military space plans If a war in space destroyed American satellites, Starship, a reusable rocket, could, in theory,

allow it to replenish those losses fast SpaceX has already been assigned the majority of US national security launches for things like spy satellites in 2026 and doesn't seem to be slowing down Other countries will also be looking to flex their muscles in space Britain has said that it plans to build up “counter-space” capabilities that could attack

or disrupt satellites France recently conducted a rendezvous and proximity operation, in which it worked with America to get up close and near a suspected Russian satellite China meanwhile has increased its satellite-launch activity eight-fold since 2015 alone Its recent display of what American generals called “on-orbit dogfighting tactics” will continue to be

closely watched by Western officials 2026 might also be the year that Russia tears up the rules that govern space Russia has been suspected of developing a space-based nuclear weapon, which would be capable of destroying large numbers of satellites in low-Earth orbit in a single strike It's not hard to see why Russia might want to do that A big constellation

like Starlink or the future Golden Dome couldn't be attacked piecemeal— You'd need a nuclear weapon But such a weapon would violate the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, which explicitly prohibits the placement of weapons of mass destruction anywhere in orbit Space is increasingly central to warfare In 2026 we'll see more satellites,

we'll see more space weapons, and we'll see more preparation for a potential conflict far above the Earth In 2026 central bankers, who are supposed to be independent, will come under pressure to yield to politics President Donald Trump will nominate a replacement for Jerome Powell, whose term as chair of the Federal Reserve ends in May The president has lambasted Powell

for not cutting interest rates enough <i>I call him “too late”</i> <i>You know, he's always too late</i> <i>He should’ve cut interest rates</i> <i>a long time ago</i> Next year he could choose somebody who will do what he wants, rather than what the economy needs America is not alone Central banks across the rich world are increasingly finding that they are under political pressure Japan's new prime minister, Takaichi Sanae,

has in the past layered pressure on the Bank of Japan to keep rates low And is now rolling out an economic stimulus Jordan Bardella, the French populist-right leader, has told The Economist that the European Central Bank could buy French debt in order to bail out the country And in Britain both the populist-left Greens and the populist-right Reform want to change

how the Bank of England works to help them pay for their policies <i>What about the governor</i> <i>of the Bank of England,</i> <i>Andrew Bailey?</i> <i>Well he's a nice enough bloke</i> <i>Would he keep his job</i> <i>if you were prime minister?</i> <i>Well he's had a good run</i> <i>We might find someone new</i> Central banks have come under this kind of political pressure before— to disastrous effect President Richard Nixon's strong-arming of Fed Chair Arthur Burns in the 1970s

contributed to rampant inflation <i>I respect his independence</i> <i>However I hope that</i> <i>independently he will conclude</i> <i>that my views are</i> <i>the ones that should be followed</i> Nixon's pressure on the Fed to keep interest rates low made it much harder to get prices under control The ordeal was so bad that technocrats have spent the decades since trying to make Nixon-like meddling more difficult

central-bank independence became the norm, not just in American politics, but across the rich world In 2026, Trump's chosen replacement for Powell could reveal whether that independence will hold Before joining the first Trump administration, Kevin Hassett, who is a front runner for the job, was a respected economist who had published research in top academic journals

Nobody can claim he would be ignorant of the danger of setting interest rates to keep Donald Trump happy The question is whether any of the potential candidates would care about those risks when under pressure from Trump <i>I think that the president thinks</i> <i>rates could be a lot lower</i> <i>And I agree with him on that</i> History has shown that when central banks are shielded from the political process, they produce better

economic outcomes But if Trump can gain control of the Fed, he could start a new era of politicised central banking In 2026 the boundaries of human enhancement will be tested like never before In May Las Vegas will host a first-of-its-kind sporting event—

—where performance-enhancing drugs are not banned but positively encouraged The Enhanced Games will feature events like swimming, track and field and weightlifting Competing athletes will receive generous appearance fees and prize money Any athlete who breaks current world records

will receive a $250k bonus And anyone who can break the record for the 50m freestyle or the 100m sprint can walk away with an additional $1m Athletes do not have to use performance-enhancing drugs to compete They can participate

as “natural athletes” But those who do enhance will have to do so under close medical supervision The Games’ backers include tech billionaire Peter Thiel and Christian Angermayer, an investor who specialises in life sciences and human enhancement They imagine a future where taking drugs to boost performance in all kinds of ways becomes commonplace

<i>We want you to be able</i> <i>to change your heart</i> <i>and change your mind</i> <i>and change your whole body</i> Not everyone agrees with them <i>Looking at this from the outside,</i> <i>it's just got</i> <i>death written all over it</i> The Games have already drawn intense criticism from sporting bodies and anti-doping agencies They've issued blunt warnings that allowing performance-enhancing drugs in any form is dangerous

There is also concern the Enhanced Games might normalise and glamorise drug use for young athletes But the normalisation of performance-enhancing drugs is already under way It's being driven by social media influencers, gym culture and the general pharmaceuticalisation of daily life

In 2026 our dreams of becoming more superhuman will take a step forward Human enhancement is already a $125bn industry That's everything from wearable devices that monitor your health to exoskeletons and neural implants And as technology improves, the line between enhancement

and what some might call “taking shortcuts” will continue to blur It's clear that the investors and participants of the Enhanced Games believe in superhumanity The rest of us will soon have the chance to decide if we do, too

In 2026 America will commemorate its 250th birthday Its semiquinncentennial, if you will But there's a problem— no one can decide how to celebrate it There are two rival commissions that are planning events meant to tell the American story The first is called

the “America250 Commission” That was created by Congress in 2016 Its honorary co-chairs are the Obamas and Bushes And it's composed of officials drawn from both sides of the aisle, including representatives of the Trump administration But Donald Trump also has his own commission

“Task Force 250” He is the chair and the leadership is composed entirely of appointees from his administration The two commissions have very different ideas of how to celebrate America's birthday For example, America250 is holding a writing contest that invites students to share their perspectives on what America means to them

Meanwhile Task Force 250 is planning a televised youth athletics competition dubbed “the Patriot Games” led by RFK Jr America250 have sent historians and filmmakers across the country to collect the largest archive of American stories ever created Task Force 250 has announced that they will host a brawl

on the White House lawn <i>We're going to have a UFC fight</i> <i>On the</i> <i>grounds of the White House</i> The coming year will feature plenty of parades, fireworks and commemorative coins But 2026 will also reflect the divided state America is in with history itself becoming a partisan battleground For President Trump and his allies,

part of making America great again involves overcoming what they see as a long-standing distortion of America's story <i>Our country will be woke</i> <i>no longer</i> In 2026 Donald Trump will try to write his version of America's past If he succeeds, he and his party

could have even more sway over its future