“That Kiev wants the American people to be ready to fight and die on its behalf is no surprise. Ukrainians have suffered greatly in a terrible war. Continuing combat is prodigiously consuming Ukrainian lives and wealth. However, alliances should be based on security, not charity. Although the conflict is a humanitarian tragedy, Ukraine’s future, and especially the details of any settlement, such as who controls the Donbas, are not vital U.S. concerns.” (12/04/25)
“Since January, Donald Trump has been conducting a large-scale experiment to probe all the ways presidential pardon power can be abused. He has granted pardons to his own co-conspirators in crime and insurrection. He has given pardons as rewards for campaign contributions or for business deals that benefit his family. He has given away pardons sometimes just because he feels the rich and famous should have a ‘get out of jail free’ card. And he has abused the pardon power to manipulate foreign elections and prop up right-wing authoritarians. It is possible there are more ways to abuse the pardon power than Trump has found so far, but we would be hard pressed to think what they would be.” (12/04/25)
Source: Bluegrass Institute
by US Senator Rand Paul (R-KY)
“In true Washington swamp fashion, this hemp ban is not being debated on its own. Once again, Congress created a crisis, then conveniently used the crisis to jam through new laws without debate.” (12/04/25)
“A commission chosen by the late Pope Francis to study the possibility of women becoming deacons in the Catholic Church has voted against it. Francis established the ‘Study Commission on the Female Diaconate’ in 2020 to follow up on a previous group that studied the history of women deacons in the New Testament and early Christian communities. Though the group said women could not be deacons, it expressed hope that access to other ministries could expand for women.” (12/04/25)
“Calls to ban the development of superintelligence have gained traction among some technologists, pundits, and even a few policymakers. They argue that an artificial intelligence system so powerful that it could outthink humans would pose an existential threat to civilization. But this idea rests on unsubstantiated fears, not evidence. A government prohibition on advanced AI would not make the United States safer, but it would make it weaker. Such a ban would forfeit economic and technological leadership, undermine national security, and betray America’s founding commitment to liberty and progress.” (12/04/25)
“Last month, some House members publicly acknowledged that Israel has been committing genocide in Gaza. It’s a judgment that Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch unequivocally proclaimed a year ago. Israeli human-rights organizations have reached the same conclusion. But such clarity is sparse in Congress. And no wonder. Genocide denial is needed for continuing to appropriate billions of dollars in weapons to Israel, as most legislators have kept doing. Congress members would find it very difficult to admit that Israeli forces are committing genocide while voting to send them more weaponry.” (12/04/25)
