Source: Bluegrass Institute
“Kentucky is in the early stages of a housing affordability crisis—and we can either learn from California’s catastrophic failures or chart a better course.” (12/17/25)
https://www.bluegrassinstitute.org/video-making-room-for-the-next-generation-of-kentuckians/
Source: Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
by Graham Piro
“The months since Charlie Kirk’s murder on Utah Valley University’s campus in September have seen a deluge of firings and suspensions of teachers, faculty, and staff across the country for celebrating the assassination, or just for being insufficiently mournful. As the dust settles and court cases proceed, more details are emerging about the political pressures universities faced to punish protected political expression. In Iowa, lawmakers were so incensed by one Iowa State University staff member’s speech about the shooting that they outright dismissed the possibility of a lawsuit. … Iowa taxpayers: that’s your free speech rights — and your money — they’re putting at risk.” (12/17/25)
Source: Deccan Herald [India]
“Ukrainian drones hit a tanker in the southern Russian port of Rostov-on-Don, killing and injuring a number of people and sparking a fire, the city’s mayor was quoted as saying early on Thursday. … Regional governor Yuri Slyusar had initially reported the Ukrainian strike on the vessel in the port and the casualties among the ship’s crew. Slyusar also said parts of a high-rise apartment block under construction were damaged in the city and two private homes burned down in a nearby town.” (12/18/25)
Source: Reason
by Jack Nicastro
“President Donald Trump has pledged that his tariffs will bring manufacturing jobs back to America and make America a net exporter again. So far, the exact opposite has happened: Manufacturing jobs have decreased, and the trade in goods deficit has increased. From January through September, the most recent month for which U.S. Census Bureau trade data are available, the U.S. imported $1 trillion more in goods than it exported. This is a $118 billion jump compared to the goods trade deficit that the U.S. ran from January to September 2024. (Likewise, the overall trade deficit, which includes services, increased by $113 billion.) Perhaps, one might argue, shooting ourselves in the foot (by Trump’s lights) is worth it if it causes our greatest geopolitical adversary — China — to amputate a limb. But that isn’t what happened either.” (12/17/25)
Source: The Political Orphanage
“Jason Pargin on Internet Addiction and Algorithmic Horror.” (12/17/25)
https://politicalorphanage.libsyn.com/jason-pargin-on-internet-addiction-and-algorithmic-horror
Source: The Hill
“The House shot down a pair of Democratic-led resolutions Wednesday designed to curtail President Trump’s strikes on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean and the administration’s ‘hostilities within or against Venezuela.’ The first resolution, brought by House Foreign Affairs Committee ranking member Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), aimed to end the boat strikes by directing the president to stop ‘hostilities with any presidentially designated terrorist organization in the Western Hemisphere’ unless authorized by Congress. … The second resolution, led by House Rules Committee ranking member Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), would direct the president ‘to remove the use of United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Venezuela’ unless authorized by Congress.” (12/17/25)
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5653973-house-resolutions-venezuela-caribbean-boat-strikes
Source: The New Republic
by Brynn Tannehill
“There is an emerging conventional wisdom that MAGA is eating itself alive with internecine warfare between various politicians, pundits, thought leaders. People also point to the diminution of Trump as a tired, spent force as a reason for celebration. They want hope in a time when there seems like none, and this jockeying for the crown even as the king falls asleep in his chair while his minions fawn over his vitality and vigor seems to offer it. … What defines MAGA is still there, and won’t go away for the foreseeable future. If you reduce the equation to the simplest terms, you have the Trump voters who pay attention to the chaos and those who don’t. No matter how you slice it, neither group is going to suddenly start voting for Democrats, regardless of which monkey wins the poo-flinging contest.” (12/17/25)
https://newrepublic.com/article/204494/maga-carlson-shapiro-owens-crackup-overrated
Source: United Press International
“Demonstrators on the streets of Britain’s two largest cities, chanting or displaying ‘globalize the intifada’ signs or protesting in other ways that intimidate the local Jewish community, face arrest, the country’s two most senior police chiefs warned Wednesday. In a joint statement, London Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley and Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson said Sunday’s terror attack targeting Jews celebrating Hanukkah on Bondi Beach in Australia had compelled them to take a tougher line. … Named for a rebellion by Palestinians during Israel’s first occupation of Gaza and the West Bank in the late 1980s, the literal translation of intifada is ‘uprising’ — but it can be interpreted as a call for violence against Jews, police said.” (12/17/25)
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2025/12/17/antisemitism-crackdown/8961765977553/
Source: Cato Institute
by Kerry McDonald
“Many aspiring microschool founders discover that their biggest challenges don’t lie in teaching children and overseeing instruction. They usually enjoy that part of running a school. What they find difficult and often frustrating are tasks such as navigating zoning laws, finding a suitable location, complying with local and state education regulations, securing startup funding, and learning the basics of owning a business. These barriers can delay or derail promising school startups before they begin. That’s why an increasing number of founders are turning to established school networks and startup accelerators — programs that assist aspiring school leaders with mentorship, funding, and know-how — for guidance and support.” (12/17/25)
https://www.cato.org/commentary/so-you-want-open-microschool
Source: CBS News
“President Trump addressed the nation Wednesday night from the White House Diplomatic Reception Room to tout his accomplishments in 2025 and his goals for the next three years in office. The address was about 20 minutes long. Mr. Trump touted his economic record — defending his handling of inflation and tariffs — and accused Democrats of bringing the country to the ‘brink of ruin,’ as his administration deals with widespread voter frustration over the economy. He announced the government is sending $1,776 to military service members before Christmas, which he referred to as ‘warrior dividends.'” (12/17/25)
https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/trump-address-to-nation-2025-12-17/