“‘Subject to the jurisdiction thereof’ is a legal term of art that requires some historical research to unpack. Cotton’s theory that it required ‘allegiance and obedience’ is based on an English case from 1608. But that case affirmed that even if a foreigner were in England only temporarily, he would have a duty of obedience while he was there — and any child he had there would be ‘a natural born subject’ of the king. In 1854, Secretary of State William Marcy wrote that birthright citizenship ‘is presumed’ except for children born in ‘foreign legations.’ The Supreme Court disturbed that understanding when, in the 1857 Dred Scott case, it excluded all Black people too. But the 14th Amendment restored the earlier understanding, and by 1871 Secretary of State Hamilton Fish was writing that the five words now in dispute were ‘probably intended to exclude the children of foreign ministers.'” (12/12/25)
“A years-long scheme to defraud $1.5 billion from federally subsidized social services is fueling a wave of xenophobia against Minnesotans of Somali descent. The real culprit is Uncle Sam. … The real story here is not the ethnicity of those who defrauded the HSS, EIDBI, and FCPN programs, but the fact that the majority of public funding for these programs came from the federal government instead of Minnesota’s own coffers. … We should not be surprised when states are overly generous and insufficiently circumspect about handing out money to their constituents when the majority of the money isn’t coming from their own coffers, but the Treasury Department.” (12/12/25)
“‘[T]here is no way on earth we should be going to war or trying to do regime change in Venezuela,’ US Representative Adam Smith (D-WA) told The Hill on December 4. The US, says Smith, ‘should be out of the regime-change business.’ So, did Smith still think that on December 9, when US military aircraft overflew the Gulf of Venezuela, and on December 10, when US troops — in a blatant act of piracy on the high seas — hijacked a Venezuelan oil tanker in the Caribbean? On December 10, Smith, the ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, came out in support of forking over nearly $1 trillion to the US regime-change machine. … In what universe do you shut down a business by shoveling money at it?” (12/11/25)
“Many under-16s in Australia might try to bypass the new social-media ban under which, from 10 December 2025, all major social-media platforms must prevent Australians under 16 from holding accounts. … A survey of nearly 19,000 Australians under 16, showed that only 9% thought the ban was a good idea, and 72% believed it would not work. Some teens have told media that they expect to get around the ban, probably with some help from friends or older siblings, or even parents. … In a tussle between the kids and the politicians, my money is on the kids. They’ll find a hundred ways to bypass the ban before the political crowd have even let the ink dry on the Bill. And my sympathies are with them.” (12/11/25)
“Trump has said that his ‘America First’ approach to foreign policy includes employing transactional diplomacy to benefit the U.S., stopping other nations from ‘taking advantage’ of American support, and using force to defend the Western Hemisphere. But events in Somalia suggest that ‘America First’ often looks very different in practice, especially when it comes to the use of the military. Trump may have avoided sending large numbers of troops to war in operations oriented around nation-building. But he has aggressively intervened in conflicts around the world, typically with a torrent of expensive air strikes launched from out of harm’s way or with the deployment of small groups of Special Forces.” (12/11/25)
“As we learn more about the events on Sept. 2, 2025, in international waters 1,500 miles from the United States, the behavior of the United States military becomes more legally troubling than at first blush. We have learned from members of Congress and others who have seen the videos of the attacks on the speedboat that day that the first strike mainly — but not completely — destroyed the boat and killed 9 of the 11 persons aboard. The two survivors clung to the wreckage for 45 minutes, during which they frantically waved at what they hoped were American aircraft, expecting to be rescued. … After the passage of 45 terrifying minutes, three more attacks obliterated the two survivors and their wreckage, for ‘self-defense,’ the White House said. … Not rescuing these survivors was criminal. But the entire killing process is criminal.” (12/11/25)
Source: The Hill
by Marc L Busch & Joel P Trachtman
“The Trump administration’s new National Security Strategy, released last Thursday, makes one thing unmistakably clear: The United States no longer sees trade policy as a tool of economic betterment that depends on cooperation with other countries. It now treats trade as hard power to be deployed against friend and foe alike, rather than to be negotiated to maximize benefits to the U.S. For decades, Republican and Democratic administrations alike viewed trade as a means of promoting growth, lowering costs, opening markets and deepening integration. This new strategy flips that logic on its head. Trade is no longer something the U.S. does to improve economic outcomes. It is something Washington wields unilaterally to restructure the world — to coerce other governments and to project power.” (12/11/25)
Source: Real Clear Investigations
by Ana Kasparian
“Gov. Gavin Newsom has made reducing the homelessness crisis in California a top priority, saying the scale of the state’s efforts is ‘unprecedented’ and calling for the continued expansion of his signature effort (Project Homekey) that has already cost $3.75 billion. But in a state with more than 181,000 homeless individuals, or about one-third of the U.S. total, Homekey has been marred by failures and scandals, including a lack of government oversight and accountability as well as a federal investigation into allegations of fraud in Los Angeles. Newsom, who appears to be preparing for a presidential bid in 2028, could make Homekey, which he calls a ‘national model’, a talking point in his campaign.” (12/11/25)
Source: Niskanen Center
by Jonathan Wolfson, Lawson Mansell, & Katherine Hall
“Over one-third of U.S. states have created alternative licensing pathways for internationally trained physicians (ITPs) to address the worsening physician shortage. Medical boards play a crucial role in the success of these new laws and should honor the legislative intent of a true alternative pathway by removing unnecessary barriers and providing consistent guidance to employers and doctors. States should ensure these licensing pathways enable ITPs to find sponsors, get hired, and practice fully to maximize workforce impact and patients’ access to quality medical care.” (12/11/25)
“[W]hile the conservative majority on the Court could in fact allow limitations on birthright citizenship without patently shredding the plain meaning of the 14th Amendment, it could still do so without actually affirming Trump’s executive order. It could say that the order doesn’t violate the plain meaning of the constitutional text, but does violate the understanding of that text embedded in numerous pieces of legislation, acts of Congress that implicitly or explicitly endorse the established interpretation of the clause. Therefore, it would require an act of Congress to affirmatively change that interpretation by enacting restrictions on birthright citizenship through legislation.” [editor’s note: But why would SCOTUS lie and pretend that the order doesn’t violate the plain meaning of the constitutional text? – TLK] (12/11/25)
