Source: The American Conservative
by Joseph Addington
“The U.S. seizure of the tanker Skipper earlier this week has been widely interpreted as a significant escalation by the Trump administration against the government of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela. Losing the tanker, which was carrying Venezuelan crude to Cuba, is a significant blow to Maduro and will make it more difficult for the Venezuelan government to fund itself, as it is overwhelmingly reliant on oil exports for government revenue. However, the seizure is also an escalation of American economic warfare generally, including against Iran and Russia, which have also taken advantage of the world’s ‘shadow tanker’ fleet to evade U.S. sanctions and sell energy abroad.” (12/15/25)
“Pardons go back to ancient Mesopotamia, 4,000 years ago, and they haven’t improved with age. I’m currently writing a book about Julius Caesar, who employed ‘clementia’ — clemency — extensively in the closing days of the Roman Republic. After Caesar’s civil war, he pardoned two guys named Brutus and Cassius, and we know how that worked out. Caesar pardoned enemies to get them to his side. I’d be shocked if Trump has ever read anything about Caesar, but he’s taking a leaf from him. Witness Trump’s anger at Representative Henry Cuellar, indicted on federal bribery charges, when Cuellar wouldn’t switch parties. … In the (good) old days, that kind of quid pro quo would have landed Trump in hot water, but it is almost quaint in the context of the 1600 pardons Trump has granted since 2017, including his appalling decision to free the convicted January 6 insurrectionists.” (12/15/25)
“The European Union has adopted its latest package of sanctions, directly targeting companies and individuals accused of assisting Moscow in circumventing Western restrictions on oil exports. … Despite 19 previous rounds of sanctions, Russia has largely adapted to the measures, continuing to sell millions of barrels of oil to countries such as India and China, albeit at discounted rates. Much of this trade relies on a so-called ‘shadow fleet’ of vessels operating beyond the reach of the Western maritime industry. The new EU sanctions prohibit citizens of the bloc from conducting business with the newly listed entities and individuals. This move aims to significantly reduce their access to major shipping and insurance providers. In total, the EU has now sanctioned more than 2,600 individuals and companies.” (12/15/25)
“Ken Burns’s newest docuseries may have its shortcomings, but others looking to tell the story of the Founding could learn from his attention to detail.” (12/15/250
“President Trump’s advisers are furious with Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) for starting an anti-abortion group to spur new action on the issue, which the White House views as a loser for Republicans in next year’s midterms. ‘Clearly, Senator Hawley and his political team learned nothing from the 2022 elections, when the SCOTUS abortion ruling [overturning Roe v. Wade] resuscitated the Democrats in the midterms,’ a close Trump adviser told Axios. Trump’s lieutenants believe the move by Hawley — a vocal populist who speaks up for the working class — is part of a plan to position himself to challenge Vice President Vance for the presidency in 2028.” (12/15/25)
“On December 15, 1791, the Bill of Rights was ratified and became part of the Constitution. Most people think they know why. But most actually don’t. It was birthed out of a brutal political battle between Federalists and Anti-Federalists over a question that nearly killed ratification: When the Constitution doesn’t mention a power, who gets to exercise it – the federal government or the people of the several states? Federalists insisted a Bill of Rights was unnecessary, even dangerous. The Constitution, they argued, was already designed to limit federal power to those delegated, and nothing more. Anti-Federalists shot back with a dark reality: government always assumes it can do whatever you haven’t explicitly forbidden. That fight got settled with a deal. And the deal’s centerpiece – the answer that saved ratification – was the Tenth Amendment.” (12/14/25)
