Source: Foreign Policy
by Michael Hirsh

“[I]n the longer reach of Western history, Trump’s behavior is far more a rule than an exception. He is, really, just another giant ego out there smashing things and trying to rebuild them in his own image — perhaps even to the good on occasion. And there’s something strangely reassuring in that. Why? Because like the most extreme autocrats of the past, who almost invariably fell through arrogance and overreach, we’re already starting to see cracks in the reign of the would-be Emperor Donald the First.” (11/25/25)

https://archive.is/WjSXI

Source: Law & Liberty
by Iris de Rode

“New York, August 16, 1824. The guns had scarcely fallen silent when the bells began. Bunting unfurled; apprentices scrambled onto rooftops; veterans pinned sun-faded cockades. A steamboat shrieked past Staten Island as ferries veered in for a glimpse of the man the papers called the Nation’s Guest. Then the figure who had once ridden beside Washington — older now but unmistakable — stepped ashore at Castle Garden: Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier de La Fayette, Marquis de La Fayette. At the subsequent reception, ‘In they came, rich and poor, Black and white … old veterans, young soldiers.’ For thirteen months and more than six thousand miles, through all twenty-four states, variations of that scene replayed: processions, banquets, tears, toasts. Ryan L. Cole’s The Last Adieu invites us to follow Lafayette’s Farewell Tour — and asks why it mattered.” (11/25/25)

https://lawliberty.org/book-review/the-nations-guest/

Source: Fox News
by Jonathan Turley

“If we are living in an age of lawfare, it is fast becoming a war of attrition. The dismissal of the indictments against former FBI Director James Comey and current New York Attorney General Letitia James is the latest twist in the controversial prosecutions of Trump antagonists. James immediately posted a message celebrating the decision, but she may want to focus on the prepositional phrase following the word ‘dismissal’: ‘without prejudice.’ The administration may still be able to revive these cases. James’[s] victory lap on social media is a fitting addition to the opinion, which emphasized President Donald Trump’s social media postings about these cases. U.S. District Judge Cameron Currie noted that Trump had demanded the indictment of these and other individuals shortly before the charges were handed down.” (11/25/25)

https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/jonathan-turley-from-lawfare-lawflop-trump-case-dies-could-rise-again

Source: Eunomia
by Daniel Larison

“Regime change in Venezuela has been one of Trump’s few fairly consistent policies since his first term. He sought regime change in 2019 and backed Guaido through the end of the term. Almost as soon as he was back in office, Trump had Venezuela in his sights again. Once he had picked Rubio to be his Secretary of State, the writing was on the wall. It was practically guaranteed that he would be pursuing regime change in Caracas again, and that is what we are seeing unfold right now. … Perhaps the most straightforward explanation is that Trump is a crude throwback imperialist. Overthrowing the government of a much weaker country so that the U.S. can exploit that country’s resources is what he thinks the U.S. should have always been doing.” (11/25/25)

https://daniellarison.substack.com/p/venezuela-and-trumps-throwback-imperialism

Source: Paul Krugman
by Paul Krugman

“My first post after I brought this Substack back to life almost a year ago was about DOGE, the not-exactly-part-of-the-government organization, headed by Elon Musk, that Donald Trump was creating to save money by eliminating ‘waste, fraud and abuse.’ DOGE would, I predicted, fail. And it did indeed fail, even more spectacularly than I expected: Although DOGE still has eight months left on its original charter, it has already been quietly disbanded. But although DOGE is gone, its malign legacy endures.” (11/25/25)

https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/doge-was-a-harbinger-of-trumps-assault