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)
“Kentucky’s hemp sector has become a national model, built on bipartisan cooperation and guided by regulatory oversight from the Department of Agriculture. This provision puts all of that at risk.” (12/11/25)
“As more of the Epstein files are released, reminding us of Donald Trump’s close association with Jeffrey Epstein and the young people he abused and trafficked, as well as the president’s ongoing array of misogynist insults and actions (like calling journalist Catherine Lucey ‘piggy’ and name-calling Marjorie Taylor Greene to the point where she jumped ship), what keeps coming to my mind are the sexual exploits of authoritarians throughout history. As a scholar of the New Testament and the origins of Christianity, I have a special interest in the lives of the Roman emperors — in particular, the notorious Emperor Nero. According to historians of antiquity (trigger warning here!), Emperor Nero was known to use and abuse many people, especially women, allegedly murdering two of his wives and his aunt while sleeping with a Vestal Virgin and — yes! his mother before he killed her.” (12/11/25)
“This Hanukkah, while Jews around the world prepare to light the menorah and bring light into the darkest days of winter, our celebration of hope and resilience remains in the shadow of Israel’s ongoing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. And, nearly two months into a U.S.-brokered ceasefire, I am still protesting. Hanukkah, which in Hebrew means dedication, tells the story of Jewish peoples’ resistance to an oppressive empire, and of a miracle that kept candles aflame for eight days and eight nights when there was only enough oil for one. It is a story that resonates to this day, and it is in the spirit of hope, light, and miracles that I find myself rededicating to the struggle for Palestinian liberation.” (12/11/25)
“Ask yourself: If someone were actively trying to incite a pogrom against Minnesota’s Somali community, what would they do differently than Trump and his allies are doing now? And, if the government were controlled by David Duke, would it behave any differently? Don’t lie to yourself that this is just about the fraud investigation. That’s cover: A way to help the normies sleep at night. Trump is bashing the entire ethnic community, calling them ‘garbage,’ and menacing them as a group. It’s now combined with state repression: ICE agents have descended on Minneapolis. A U.S. citizen was ‘wrongfully’ detained by ICE agents for looking Somali. … Again, don’t lie to yourself: this wasn’t an accident. ‘Mistakes’ like this one do the dirty work. The point is to terrorize this community. To make them feel unwelcome. To say to them, ‘You’re not Americans, and you’ll never be.'” (12/11/25)
“The Affordable Care Act was passed upon a mountain of lies about ‘bending the cost curve’ and phony cost estimates. Not a single Republican in the House or Senate voted for it. The subsidies Obamacare shoveled to insurance companies — that enriched them greatly — are set to expire exactly as the Democrat designers planned. This will cause premiums to skyrocket. Right on cue, Democrats label the failed Obamacare promises a ‘Republican health care crisis’. In 2019, right before President Barack Obama signed the bill, I wrote the following column in which I predicted he would be long out of office when the true bill came due, leaving others to clean up the mess. Here are excerpts: Americans overwhelmingly like their health care and their health insurance. While Americans reject Obamacare, the president and Congress insist on driving it through. Most Americans, up to 85 percent, already have health insurance and are satisfied with it.” (12/11/25)
Source: The American Conservative
by Giorgio Cafiero
“Siniša Karan’s victory in the November 23 snap presidential election for Republika Srpska, one of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s constituent polities, reinforces the enduring grip of the former President Milorad Dodik. Declaring that his opponents had merely ‘got two Dodiks’ this time, Dodik made clear that his influence remains undiminished. Dodik stepped down, following a court decision that required Dodik to pay a fine that spared him a prison sentence for actions undermining Bosnia and Herzegovina’s delicate order; yet the former president of Republika Srpska continues to loom large over the Bosnian-Serb entity’s political landscape despite being officially out of office. Karan’s win came less than a month after U.S. President Donald J. Trump suddenly and surprisingly lifted U.S. sanctions on Dodik, which had been in place since early 2017.” [editor’s note: Why should the US regime be sanctioning politicians in other countries in the first place? – TLK] (12/11/25)
