Source: The New Republic
by Brynn Tannehill
“There is an emerging conventional wisdom that MAGA is eating itself alive with internecine warfare between various politicians, pundits, thought leaders. People also point to the diminution of Trump as a tired, spent force as a reason for celebration. They want hope in a time when there seems like none, and this jockeying for the crown even as the king falls asleep in his chair while his minions fawn over his vitality and vigor seems to offer it. … What defines MAGA is still there, and won’t go away for the foreseeable future. If you reduce the equation to the simplest terms, you have the Trump voters who pay attention to the chaos and those who don’t. No matter how you slice it, neither group is going to suddenly start voting for Democrats, regardless of which monkey wins the poo-flinging contest.” (12/17/25)
https://newrepublic.com/article/204494/maga-carlson-shapiro-owens-crackup-overrated
Source: United Press International
“Demonstrators on the streets of Britain’s two largest cities, chanting or displaying ‘globalize the intifada’ signs or protesting in other ways that intimidate the local Jewish community, face arrest, the country’s two most senior police chiefs warned Wednesday. In a joint statement, London Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley and Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson said Sunday’s terror attack targeting Jews celebrating Hanukkah on Bondi Beach in Australia had compelled them to take a tougher line. … Named for a rebellion by Palestinians during Israel’s first occupation of Gaza and the West Bank in the late 1980s, the literal translation of intifada is ‘uprising’ — but it can be interpreted as a call for violence against Jews, police said.” (12/17/25)
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2025/12/17/antisemitism-crackdown/8961765977553/
Source: Cato Institute
by Kerry McDonald
“Many aspiring microschool founders discover that their biggest challenges don’t lie in teaching children and overseeing instruction. They usually enjoy that part of running a school. What they find difficult and often frustrating are tasks such as navigating zoning laws, finding a suitable location, complying with local and state education regulations, securing startup funding, and learning the basics of owning a business. These barriers can delay or derail promising school startups before they begin. That’s why an increasing number of founders are turning to established school networks and startup accelerators — programs that assist aspiring school leaders with mentorship, funding, and know-how — for guidance and support.” (12/17/25)
https://www.cato.org/commentary/so-you-want-open-microschool
Source: CBS News
“President Trump addressed the nation Wednesday night from the White House Diplomatic Reception Room to tout his accomplishments in 2025 and his goals for the next three years in office. The address was about 20 minutes long. Mr. Trump touted his economic record — defending his handling of inflation and tariffs — and accused Democrats of bringing the country to the ‘brink of ruin,’ as his administration deals with widespread voter frustration over the economy. He announced the government is sending $1,776 to military service members before Christmas, which he referred to as ‘warrior dividends.'” (12/17/25)
https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/trump-address-to-nation-2025-12-17/
Source: Eastern New Mexico News
by Kent McManigal
“Many people have recently discovered that government is authoritarian. What a shock! Most only complain about it when it affects something they personally care about. When it crushes something they dislike, they either ignore it or call for even more authoritarianism. The dictionary says ‘authoritarian’ means demanding blind obedience to authority instead of respecting individual freedom, considering individual freedom subordinate to the power of the state, or exercising complete or almost complete control over the will of others. It’s a perfect description of ordinary, everyday government.” (12/17/25)
https://www.easternnewmexiconews.com/story/2025/12/17/voices/opinion-authoritarian-government-dooms-society/232358.html
Source: ABC News
“Myanmar’s military government has charged more than 200 people with violating the Southeast Asian country’s voting law ahead of a general election at the end of this month, keeping up pressure on opponents of the polls. Critics of the election set to start on Dec. 28 claim it will be neither free nor fair and is designed to add the facade of legitimacy to military rule that began after the army in February 2021 ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. … The new law, enacted in July, says anyone who orates, speaks, organizes, incites, protests or distributes letters to disrupt any part of the electoral process shall be punished with three to 10 years imprisonment, as well as a fine. Other offenses carry sentences up to the death penalty.” (12/17/25)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/myanmars-military-charges-hundreds-breaking-election-law-voting-128483197
Source: The Dispatch
by Kevin D Willliamson
“Donald Trump is, from time to time, ungracious on social media. Republicans who accepted, justified, and celebrated outrage after outrage after outrage from Donald Trump for a decade — from ‘grab ’em’ to endless constant lies to gross corruption to illegal deportations to mass murder in the Caribbean to the attempted coup of 2021 and much more — have decided to draw the line at mocking the murder of the Reiners? That doesn’t mean that Republicans have rediscovered decency or their spines — it only means that Trump is starting to quack like a lame duck.” (12/17/25)
https://thedispatch.com/article/rob-reiner-death-trump-republicans-sycophants/
Source: Town Hall
by US Senator Rand Paul (R-KY)
“The Federal Reserve is one of the most powerful, secretive, and unaccountable institutions in U.S. history. Its insulation from oversight, combined with its massive coffers and strong statutory authorities, makes it a uniquely troubling institution. To give you an idea of just how powerful the Fed is, in 2018, Forbes ranked Jerome Powell, the Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, as the 11th most powerful person in the world, ahead of the prime ministers of France and the United Kingdom. Earnest oversight is long overdue. Current law prohibits the Government Accountability Office from auditing the Fed’s vast monetary policy functions, and the Fed’s Inspector General serves at the pleasure of the Fed Board of Governors, the very institution it’s supposed to hold accountable. This summer, I began investigating the Fed.” (12/17/25)
https://townhall.com/columnists/senatorrandpaul/2025/12/17/the-corruption-of-the-federal-reserve-n2667994
Source: France 24 [French state media]
“Warner Bros Discovery on Wednesday rejected a hostile takeover bid by Paramount launched last week to trump plans by streaming giant Netflix to acquire the Hollywood giant and owner of CNN. In a statement, Warner Bros said the terms of the Netflix merger were better, while the Paramount offer ‘once again fails to address key concerns that we have consistently communicated … throughout our extensive engagement and review of their six previous proposals.'” (12/17/25)
https://www.france24.com/en/business/20251217-warner-bros-board-rejects-takeover-bid-from-paramount-favours-deal-with-netflix
Source: Reason
“Did the Internet Break Our Sense of Reality?” (12/17/25)
https://reason.com/podcast/2025/12/17/did-the-internet-break-our-sense-of-reality/
