Source: Persuasion
by Quico Toro

“In bullying Maduro, Trump aspires to nothing loftier than the principle that, within any given sphere of influence, the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must. … Having gone through the horrors we have gone through, I don’t begrudge Venezuelans their revenge fantasies against Maduro’s genuinely evil regime. Smart, sane Venezuelans I know will read this column, agree with every word in it, and still want Trump to start dropping bombs on Maduro and his cronies. At this point, the hatreds in Venezuela are tribal — once you’ve seen a government destroy not just your life but the life of everyone you care about, you will side with its enemies, whoever they may be. But we should at least have the presence of mind to grasp what we’re supporting.” (12/12/25)

https://www.persuasion.community/p/trump-wants-to-dominate-venezuela

Source: The American Prospect
by Natalie Note

“Community colleges are a critical component of American higher education. For many working adults and lower-income students, these institutions provide an accessible, affordable pathway to obtaining a bachelor’s degree. A four-year college is an increasingly expensive proposition. For the 2025-2026 academic year, the average annual in-state tuition and fees at a public college totals $10,340; at a private college, it’s $39,307. With these financial pressures weighing heavily on young adults and their families, the opportunity to enroll in community college classes and transfer to a four-year institution is a cost-saving option well worth considering. But there’s a major issue facing the transfer students who choose this path: Many of them aren’t ready to do the work that their new schools demand.” (12/13/25)

https://prospect.org/2025/12/13/continuing-community-college-conundrum/

Source: Freedom and Flourishing
by Dr. Edward W Younkins

“In her 2023 work The Two Moralities, social psychologist Ronnie Janoff-Bulman presents a framework for understanding political differences rooted in the most fundamental motivational distinction in psychology: approach and avoidance. She argues that these basic motivational systems give rise to two distinct moralities: a proscriptive morality that defends against negative outcomes and focuses on what we should not do, and a prescriptive morality that moves us toward positive outcomes and focuses on what we should do. The former can be viewed as a morality of justice that emphasizes rules, impartiality, law, order, universal principles, retributive justice, and equality of opportunity whereas the latter can be viewed as a morality of care that is rooted in empathy, connection, compassion, responsiveness, safety nets, and equality of outcomes.” (12/12/25)

https://www.freedomandflourishing.com/2025/12/can-polarized-moral-politics-be-bridged.html

Source: The American Conservative
by Luke Johnson

“For centuries, Britain and especially London have been a magnet for talent and capital from across the world. Historically the center of the British Empire, and latterly the only financial hub to rival New York, London was a truly global city — full of high earners, a cultural mecca, brilliantly connected to other centers of finance and industry. But recent times have not been good for London, or indeed Britain. I have lived and worked here for over 40 years, and I cannot recall a period when entrepreneurs and investors have been so demoralized.” (12/12/25)

https://www.theamericanconservative.com/the-great-british-brain-drain/