• South Korean parliament votes to lift martial law: Just three hours after President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law, the parliament voted to reverse the order, which the president said was to eliminate “anti-state” actions.
• Ukraine pushes to join NATO: Ukraine blasted an agreement struck 30 years ago under which it relinquished nuclear weapons in exchange for security assurances that never materialized. It is calling for robust security guarantees to protect it from renewed Russian aggression.
• Union win in Wisconsin: Public workers and teachers unions are celebrating a ruling that restores collective bargaining rights they lost under a 2011 state law.
• China export ban: China has announced a ban on exports of gallium, germanium, and other key high-tech materials with potential military applications to the United States.

Read these news briefs.

A blanket pardon for the U.S. president’s son adds a new strain on public confidence in the justice system, amid wider signs that federal justice isn’t immune from the political divisiveness that has gripped America’s public square.

Fed up with high-profile scandals, California voters chose greater transparency and accountability in local elections. 

The Pelicot rape trial is not just drawing the attention of French media. The courthouse has become a gathering place for people, especially young women, seeking to support Gisèle Pelicot and the change they see her standing for.

A Canadian marine reserve created 40 years ago is credited with a rare win for the ecosystem: reversing the decline of one population of Northern resident orca whales and deepening local human allegiance to the mammals. 

Our progress roundup highlights time-honored work: from conservationists in Greece who after 25 years are seeing record numbers of turtle nests, to Qatar’s national library that is doubling as a museum of its cultural heritage.

For some Americans, President Joe Biden’s decision to pardon his son Hunter is just more evidence that justice in America is arbitrary and privileged, no matter who is in power. Others saw it as a necessary preemptive step against the vengeful threats of the incoming administration.

Those opposing viewpoints, however, fail to capture how Americans feel about the values that pardons reflect. In fact, there’s plenty pointing to a steadily rising tide of empathy, compassion, and mercy, particularly among younger Americans. That public mood coincides with growing interest among some U.S. governors to rethink how their states balance punishment and clemency.

Much of this shift is driven by a desire to avoid cynicism about human behavior. “We can keep paying attention to callousness, cruelty, and immorality,” notes Jamil Zaki, a psychology professor and author of the new book “Hope for Cynics: The Surprising Science of Human Goodness.”

“But we can also balance that perspective by looking for kindness and care in the people around us. The data is clear: There’s plenty of that, too,” he wrote in Vox in April.

In Massachusetts, Gov. Maura Healey has granted more pardons in her first two years in office than any of her predecessors in 40 years. Gov. Mike Parson of Missouri has granted more than 600 since taking office in 2021. Alabama has enacted new rules to expunge adult convictions. In June, New Jersey launched clemency reforms “to balance accountability with benevolence.”

“Clemency is an important executive tool that can be used to soften the harsher edges of our criminal justice system,” Governor Healey said when she set out to renew clemency in a state where pardons were rare.

A YouGov survey in August showed a significant increase in public support for pardons in the 50 years since President Gerald Ford pardoned his disgraced predecessor, Richard Nixon. But it also captured what Americans find important. Nearly 3 in 4 (74%) opposed presidents pardoning family members (Mr. Biden is the fourth president to do so). Even more (78%) want mandatory public explanations for every act of executive forgiveness.

Mr. Biden’s decision may only deepen the desire among Americans for greater accountability and equality in questions of justice. Yet the decision reflects a father’s love for a prodigal son and the perceived need to strike a departing chord of mercy. As the nation debates the president’s decision, it should also note that many states are adopting expanding views of human possibilities, or those times when mercy can season justice.