News of the Week for November 9th, 2025

• Abortion
• Gun Rights
• Hide the Decline
• Socialized Medicine
• War & Terror
• National News
• Economy & Taxes
• International News
• Opinion

Abortion

Court Cases & Legislation

Florida Attorney General files lawsuit against Planned Parenthood Attorney General James Uthmeier announced a lawsuit against Planned Parenthood on Thursday, alleging that the organization falsely promoted abortion medication as being “safer than Tylenol.”

Gun Rights

‘Red Flag’ Law Gets the Green Light From Maine Voters There wasn’t much pre-election polling on the “red flag” referendum on the ballot in Maine, though one survey from October showed opposition at 40%, support at 38% and 22% undecided. If that poll was anywhere close to accurate, then virtually all of those late-deciding voters ended up backing the referendum, because in the end it wasn’t even close.

UK Man Arrested for Possessing Gunpowder Recipe Here in the United States, we have a serious DIY culture. People will make their own anything if they think it’s cool enough. Despite being the wealthiest nation on the planet, people build their own furniture, make their own clothes, make pottery, take up blacksmithing, or any number of activities that they could just pay for, but would rather do it themselves.

The Second Amendment and Foster Parents This is a special case of the “unconstitutional conditions” question, which asks whether the government may require people to agree not to exercise their constitutional rights—at least to some extent—while participating in a government-run program (here, a foster parenting program).

Libertarian Agentine President Milei Expands Gun Rights There is a problem here in the United States, and that’s if liberty were to fall here, there’s nowhere to go. There’s no escape route for those of us who don’t want the government to take everything from us, up to and including our guns, which is why so many of us have a line in the sand that cannot be crossed.

Rebutting the Defense of ‘Gun-Free Zones’ on Public Transportation Following the unprovoked stabbing of a pregnant couple on a STL Metro Bus on October 27, 2025, I shared a post on social media, pointing out the obvious, that gun-free zones are a dangerous, often deadly lie.

Hide the Decline

Environment &“Green Energy”

Exxon Takes California to Court, Calling Climate Law ‘Free Speech Violation’ California laws are “compelled speech” and are based on climate cultism and pseudoscience.

Socialized Medicine

Government in Healthcare

The ObamaCare Blue-City Bailout Federal taxpayers pay as municipalities save billions by dumping their retirees onto the government exchanges.

RFK Jr.’s Cherry-Picked Science What the HHS secretary is doing could jeopardize, not help, public health.

War & Terror

Trump administration is planning new mission in Mexico against cartels, current and former U.S. officials say The new operation would include U.S. troops on the ground in Mexico striking drug labs and cartel leaders, according to current and former U.S. officials, though a deployment is not imminent.

Russia open to sending hypersonic missiles to Venezuela Weapon capable of carrying a nuclear warhead among those that could be dispatched to tackle Trump’s drugs offensive

China backs Venezuela, Trump hints Maduro’s end is near as tensions escalate China on Tuesday defended its growing cooperation with Venezuela, saying that its engagement with leader Nicolás Maduro’s government “constitutes normal cooperation between sovereign states” and is “not directed against any third party.”

Trump Weighs Options, and Risks, for Attacks on Venezuela President Trump has yet to make a decision, but his advisers are pressing a range of objectives — from attacking drug cartels to seizing oil fields — to try to justify ousting Nicolás Maduro.

US Space Force to Use Three Weapons To Jam Chinese Satellites Via Remote Control The US military is close to fielding two new weapons designed to temporally jam Chinese and Russian intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance satellites, giving the Pentagon three counter-space capabilities, according to new Space Force data.

Pentagon’s policy shop is a ‘Pigpen-like mess’: Sen. Cotton Senate Armed Services Committee members from both parties question DOD missteps, actions that contravened president’s foreign-policy positions.

UK Man Arrested for Possessing Gunpowder Recipe Here in the United States, we have a serious DIY culture. People will make their own anything if they think it’s cool enough. Despite being the wealthiest nation on the planet, people build their own furniture, make their own clothes, make pottery, take up blacksmithing, or any number of activities that they could just pay for, but would rather do it themselves.

Driver ploughs into crowd on French holiday island Four critically injured after man hits pedestrians and cyclists on Ile d’Oléron

Trump Considering Menu Of Venezuela Attack Options, Including Oil-Field Seizures Though Donald Trump campaigned on pledges to end America’s endless wars and regime change campaigns, the White House has now assembled a list of potential military attacks on Venezuela, with the president and senior officials evaluating the associated risks of each option, the New York Times reported on Tuesday. Those options include the seizure of oil fields or a targeted ousting of President Nicolás Maduro.

Moscow Just Gave Venezuela Air Defenses, Not Ruling Out Strike Missiles: Russian Official Pantsir-S1 and Buk-M2E systems were recently delivered to Caracas by Il-76 transport aircraft, a Russian lawmaker claims.

War With Venezuela? Will Donald Trump, the peacemaker, go to war against the Maduro regime in Venezuela? Some observers think so. Yesterday the Senate voted down a joint resolution directing the Trump administration not to take military action against Venezuela without Congressional authorization.

US troops pictured training in dense Puerto Rico forest as Venezuela invasion fears grow Donald Trump is preparing for an imminent invasion of Venezuela, experts said, after the Marines posted photos of operations in dense Puerto Rican forests.

National

America is bracing for political violence — and a significant portion think it’s sometimes OK A majority of Americans think it’s likely a political candidate will be assassinated in the next five years.

Trump Administration Says Drug-Boat Strikes Are Not Really ‘Hostilities,’ as Death Toll in Caribbean Climbs The administration is taking this position despite having killed over five dozen people in at least 15 drone strikes.

Democrats are more enthusiastic about the midterms as Trump’s approval hits a second-term low, CNN poll finds One year out from the midterm elections, the Democratic Party holds a sizable enthusiasm advantage as views of President Donald Trump dip further into negative territory, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS.

Trump Downplays Idea of JD Vance as Heir Apparent on 60 Minutes There’s a natural assumption that by virtue of being his vice president that JD Vance is the heir apparent to President Trump in 2028, but there was an interesting moment in last night’s 60 Minutes interview in which Trump downplayed that idea.

The Meltdown at Heritage—and the Fight for MAGA’s Future Staffers are up in arms after Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts defended Tucker Carlson’s interview with Nick Fuentes. The clash is a sign of things to come.

Ben Shapiro: Tucker Carlson is the “main agent” in “normalizing Nazism within the Republican Party” “The main agent in that normalization is Tucker Carlson, who is an intellectual coward, a dishonest interlocutor”

Dick Cheney, influential Republican vice president to George W. Bush, dies Dick Cheney, America’s most powerful modern vice president and chief architect of the “war on terror,” who helped lead the country into the ill-fated Iraq war on faulty assumptions, has died, according to a statement from his family. He was 84.

Dick Cheney, one of the most powerful and polarizing vice presidents in US history, dies at 84 Dick Cheney, the hard-charging conservative who became one of the most powerful and polarizing vice presidents in U.S. history and a leading advocate for the invasion of Iraq, has died at age 84.

MAGA Immediately Trolls Dick Cheney’s Trump-Defying Daughter After His Death Former Republican congresswoman Liz Cheney became the target of vile MAGA abuse just minutes after the death of her father was announced.

Richard B. Cheney, RIP I was sitting next to him at his house and got an email on my BlackBerry (if you know, you know). I thought I was being subtle. I slid the BlackBerry out of my pocket, glanced, and slid it back in my pocket.

Dick Cheney, RIP I am sad to note the death of former Vice President Dick Cheney yesterday at the age of 84.

George W. Bush Honors Former Vice President Dick Cheney: ‘The One I Needed’ Former President George W. Bush released a statement on Tuesday commemorating his vice president, Dick Cheney, who served alongside him for two terms as he led the country through the war on terror.

Dick Cheney’s American Life Dick Cheney lived a quintessential American life, rising from modest circumstances to serve his nation in four presidential administrations, first as an aide in his early 30s, the youngest White House chief of staff at age 34, and later secretary of defense and vice president. Between these were ten years in the House of Representatives — an institution he revered — where he became part of his party’s leadership in his very first term.

Dick Cheney’s Not the One Who Changed This morning brought news that former Vice President Dick Cheney has died. From the powerful “Darth Vader” denounced by just about everyone on the left in the George W. Bush presidency to a high-profile Kamala Harris voter, some people will argue that Cheney changed. But I think it’s more that the entire U.S. political landscape turned upside down and inside out, while Cheney stayed the same.

Dick Cheney and the Roads Not Taken There are many angles to the life of Dick Cheney: son of Wyoming, Nixon administration official, Gerald Ford’s chief of staff, partisan of Ford in the 1976 Ford-Reagan primary, Wyoming representative, Reagan-era member of House GOP leadership (he was elected elected chairman of the House Republican Policy Committee after just one term in the House), survivor of at least four heart attacks, secretary of defense under George H. W. Bush during the Panama invasion and the Gulf War, Halliburton CEO, head of George W. Bush’s vice presidential search and ultimately his VP for eight years, crucial player in the post-9/11 national security strategy and the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, advocate for a strong and unitary executive branch, husband of Lynne Cheney, father of Liz, and along the way a hate object for the left and the MAGA right. Cheney was a hard-hitting if sometimes quiet participant in generations of battles within the right and the GOP, sometimes on the right side, and sometimes on the wrong one.

Dick Cheney, R.I.P. A free society always depends on the willingness of some of its ablest people to spend their lives in the service of the nation as public officials. People who understand themselves as providing that kind of service to their country stand out in our democracy. They are surely moved by the usual mix of motives that drive people into political life: ambition, confidence, curiosity, a desire to make a difference and to be known for making a difference, love of country. But they stand out because they tend to serve in a peculiar variety of offices over an unusually long stretch of time and to embody each of them by taking its distinct purpose and form seriously. America has always been fortunate to have such people in its public life. But their number has diminished over time, so those we have gotten to see in our own lifetimes really stand out.

‘Data Activism’ and the Death of Truth A new academic paper argues that data should serve activism over truth

The California Congressman shaping the Democrats’ social strategy When progressives need primetime content, they go to one place: the House Oversight Committee.

Chris DeMuth Resigns from the Heritage Foundation Renowned scholar Chris DeMuth has resigned from the Heritage Foundation. DeMuth, a lawyer and public policy expert, has spent decades in the conservative movement, having served most notably as president of the American Enterprise Institute from 1986 to 2008. He joined Heritage amid much fanfare in 2023 as a distinguished fellow at the B. Kenneth Simon Center for American Studies.

UPS cargo plane crashes on takeoff from Louisville, Kentucky, airport, igniting huge fire A large UPS cargo plane crashed on takeoff from Louisville, Kentucky, igniting a huge fire on the ground, officials said Tuesday.

ICE detains U.S. citizen for 7 hours after she photographed agents in Oregon An Oregon woman who is a U.S. citizen was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for about seven hours last Monday after taking pictures of agents’ unmarked cars near a Gresham Chick-fil-A.

Houston-area ICE officer pleads guilty to abusing migrant detainee A detention officer accused of abusing a detainee at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility in Montgomery County pleaded guilty Monday to a misdemeanor charge of using excessive force.

Democrats Romp in New Jersey, and Everywhere Else In the end, it wasn’t close. Democrats are on their way to routing Republicans across the board as Americans witness the first statewide elections of the second Trump era.

‘I’m angry with my president:’ Trump voters in Florida confront the fallout of his policies a year before the midterms Reeling from aid cuts, the immigration agenda and a government shutdown with no end in sight, those who supported the Republican in the 2024 elections feel a mixture of guilt, anger and bewilderment

The GOP’s Bad Night In… Red States, Too Today’s Morning Jolt covers the results in Texas’ special house election, the Pennsylvania state supreme court retention elections, the California redistricting referendum, the Virginia and New Jersey governor’s races, and the New York City mayoral race. But if you’re a Republican, the bad news from last night just won’t stop.

Democrats flip two seats on the Georgia Public Service Commission Democrats Peter Hubbard and Alicia Johnson have delivered an upset in Georgia’s off-year special election Tuesday, defeating two Republican incumbents on the state’s Public Service Commission.

Democrats pick up seats in Mississippi House, Senate due to court-ordered special redistricting elections Mississippi voters in eight state Senate districts and two House districts went to the polls Tuesday to elect new representatives to send to Jackson ahead of the start of the 2026 legislative session.

Trump ruffles feathers with Great Gatsby party As the champagne flowed, dancers in flapper costumes entertained guests and Donald Trump played Gatsby. Just hours later, some 42 million Americans lost their food aid.

Judge on Comey Disqualification Motion Orders Prosecutor to Produce Grand Jury Proceedings She Withheld Lindsey Halligan, the interim U.S. attorney the Trump Justice Department installed in the Eastern District of Virginia (EDVa), withheld from the court portions of the grand jury proceedings that led to her indictment of former FBI Director James Comey.

Republicans Swiftly File Lawsuit in Bid to Block California’s New House Maps Republicans asked a federal court to block newly approved maps in California that were designed to flip as many as five House seats for Democrats.

AG Bondi Tries to Backdate EDVa Prosecutor’s Appointment In a post earlier today, I outlined the state of play in former FBI Director James Comey’s motion to dismiss the Trump Justice Department’s indictment against him on the grounds that Lindsey Halligan was not qualified to act as the interim United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. Comey contends that Halligan is ineligible to serve pursuant to Section 546, the statute under which Attorney General Pamela Bondi appointed her back on September 22, because the 120-day limit for an interim term had already been served by Halligan’s predecessor, Erik Siebert.

Dauphin County municipal general election shows Democrats sweeping the ballot The polls are closed and the results are in across Dauphin County as numerous municipal general election campaigns come to a close.

Dem Omar Fateh, the ‘Minnesota Mamdani,’ loses Minneapolis race to Mayor Jacob Frey Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey beat back a challenge Tuesday from Democratic Socialist Omar Fateh, whose far-left policy proposals have drawn comparisons to Zohran Mamdani.

Quarter of Florida residents ‘seriously’ contemplate leaving state because of high cost of living, survey says A quarter of Floridians surveyed are “seriously considering” moving elsewhere because of the high cost of living in the state. And when those who are thinking about it somewhat are added, half are contemplating leaving because of the cost of living.

Is Gen Z Romanticizing Cigarettes Again? Younger generations are witnessing more celebrities smoke on social media — and adults aren’t paying close enough attention.

There are no hip-hop songs in the US top 40 for the first time since 1990 Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s ‘Luther’ has been removed following a rule change to the Hot 100

“I’m staying. I’m all in… Lets go win!” – Heritage President Kevin Roberts Heritage Staffer at Town Hall: “The issue here is Tucker Carlson … Tucker’s show is like stepping into a lunatic asylum.”

‘Folks are tired of the chaos’: Gov. Shapiro reacts to Democrats’ big election night wins Democrats dominated the first major Election Day since President Donald Trump returned to the White House. And while a debate about the future of the Democratic Party may have only just begun, there are signs that the economy may be a real problem for Trump’s GOP heading into next year’s higher-stakes midterm elections.

The GOP starts to confront what Trump’s power grabs will mean when Democrats are in charge For nine months, congressional Republicans have largely stood idly by as President Donald Trump has gone to great lengths to try to expand the power of the presidency, demolish norms and disregard laws.

Heritage President Apologizes for Tucker Carlson Defense Video in Heated All-Hands Meeting Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts issued a lengthy apology to his staff during an all-hands meeting on Wednesday after releasing a video statement last week defending Tucker Carlson amid blowback over the right-wing commentator’s interview with avowed antisemite Nick Fuentes.

Jury acquits D.C. ‘sandwich guy’ charged with chucking a sub at a federal agent Sean Dunn faced a single misdemeanor after federal grand jurors refused to indict him on the felony charge sought by prosecutors.

Scared Out of Public Service Democrat Jared Golden was a Marine before he was elected to Maine’s House of Representatives in 2014. In 2018, voters in Maine’s second district sent Golden to Congress. There, he served three full terms and, in 2025, embarked on his fourth in a district Donald Trump won in 2020 and 2024. That record is a testament to the representative’s genuine cross-partisan appeal.

‘Banning abortion’ is ‘hallmark of authoritarian regimes,’ UMich professor says University of Michigan gender studies professor Seda Saluk argues that banning abortion signifies a move toward authoritarianism, likening it to patterns seen in 20th-century dictatorships. Critics of Saluk’s stance, including experts from pro-life organizations, contend that banning abortion is akin to protecting human rights and countered her claims that such bans are authoritarian.

FBI won’t share updates one year after racist texts sent to high school and college students The FBI is not providing updates on its investigation into racist text messages sent to black and Hispanic students following the 2024 presidential election. The NAACP is demanding transparency and ‘timely’ information about the investigation, emphasizing the need for reassurance regarding community safety.

Trump’s GOP Is Losing Independents The 2025 election results spell doom for Republicans in 2026 if they don’t get serious about the economy.

Federal district court dismisses class-action suit against pollster J. Ann Selzer A federal district court today dismissed with prejudice a lawsuit against renowned Iowa pollster J. Ann Selzer, holding that the First Amendment bars the claims against her related to her October 2024 general election poll. As the court explained, “there is no free pass around the First Amendment.”

Boeing won’t face criminal charge over 737 Max crashes that killed hundreds of people Boeing will not face a criminal conspiracy charge over two 737 Max jetliner crashes that killed 346 people, after a federal judge in Texas on Thursday granted the government’s request to dismiss the case.

Jury acquits D.C. ‘sandwich guy’ charged with chucking a sub at a federal agent Sean Dunn faced a single misdemeanor after federal grand jurors refused to indict him on the felony charge sought by prosecutors.

Short Circuit: An inexhaustive weekly compendium of rulings from the federal courts of appeal Non-condensing furnaces, drag shows, and master accounts.

Supreme Court issues emergency order to block full SNAP food aid payments The Supreme Court on Friday granted the Trump administration’s emergency appeal to temporarily block a court order to fully fund SNAP food aid payments amid the government shutdown, even though residents in some states already have received the funds.

The Trump DOJ’s Vindictive Reply to Comey’s Claim of Vindictive Prosecution This week produced one of the most bizarre submissions to a court that I’ve seen.

Prosecutors Drop Charges Against Tennessee Man Over Facebook Meme Larry Bushart was arrested on a $2 million bond for posting a meme on Facebook. He was released this week, after more than a month in jail.

The Filibuster and the Future The vice president recently argued that Senate Republicans should abolish the filibuster because Democrats will do it when they can. He attributes Senate Republicans’ hesitancy to a delusion that Democrats lack the will to do so. With respect to the President of the Senate, this fundamentally misapprehends the thinking of the filibuster die-hards. They have no illusions about Democrats but are intent on taking a principled stand that best reflects conservative legislative interests.

Trump attends another extravagant party at Mar-a-Lago as thousands hit food banks amid shutdown Images of the president were shared by guests on social media Friday at the lavish event which featured a three-course menu of beef filet, truffle dauphinoise, pan-seared scallops and a trio of desserts including “Trump chocolate cake.”

Virginia Republicans turn on each other after crushing losses “They should have seen this coming,” said one county Republican.

House Republican: ‘We’re going to get killed’ in midterms As the record-breaking government shutdown continues, open enrollment for Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans began earlier this month. On average, insurers are raising premiums for next year by 26 percent, according to KFF, with the expiration of enhanced ACA subsidies at the end of this year threatening to increase them even further.

Economy & Taxes

Risky Loan From Housing-Bust Era Is Making a Comeback Buyers embrace adjustable-rate mortgages, chancing higher payments later for lower ones now

Riskiest Consumer Borrower Ranks Swell as Personal Loans Surge The share of consumers in the subprime credit risk category has reached levels not seen since 2019, a sign that a growing number of borrowers are in poor financial health.

Trade Goes Both Ways S&P’s U.S. Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) is an indicator measuring how the manufacturing sector is faring. The latest (October) finding is out today. It contains good news (fastest demand growth in 20 months), and the index reading of 52.5 for October is up from 52, the third consecutive month above the 50 (no change) mark. The increase in new orders was the best recorded in 20 months.

Tariff Case Could Give Trump Massive New Fiscal Powers If Supreme Court rules in president’s favor on tariffs, it could greenlight his raising other new tax revenue without Congress

US factories rocked by ‘unprecedented’ rise in unsold stock US factories are suffering from an “unprecedented” rise in unsold stock as Donald Trump’s trade war hits their overseas sales. American manufacturers’ unsold inventory soared at the fastest pace in more than 18 years in October, according to the S&P Global Manufacturing purchasing manager’s index (PMI).

‘Affordability’ Will Be Everything in 2026 Donald Trump and the Republican Party won the 2024 general election on three issues: (1) the general discontent with the Biden-era economy, inflation, and high interest rates; (2) the sense that Democrats were too Woke and hard left on immigration, trans issues, and DEI; (3) and the widespread belief that Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and their allies in the Democratic Party had ignored and obfuscated Biden’s obvious frailties and then swapped a senile old man at the last minute for an incompetent apparatchik.

Court appears dubious of Trump’s tariffs The Supreme Court on Wednesday seemed skeptical of President Donald Trump’s authority to impose sweeping tariffs in a series of executive orders earlier this year. During more than two-and-a-half hours of oral arguments, a majority of the justices appeared to agree with the small businesses and states challenging the tariffs that they exceeded the powers given to the president under a federal law providing him the authority to regulate commerce during national emergencies created by foreign threats.

The Trump IEEPA Tariffs and the Legislative Veto At today’s big Trump tariffs argument in the Supreme Court, one recurring point — brought up by Justices Barrett, Gorsuch, and Kagan, in particular — was that, when originally enacted in 1977, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) contained a legislative veto provision.

Trump’s Tariffs Are in Serious Legal Trouble It’s always hazardous to read too much into Supreme Court oral arguments. But if today’s arguments are any indication, the Trump tariffs are in serious legal trouble.

‘Jenga Tower’ US Economy Teeters as Middle Class Pulls Back Spending The surprising resilience of the US economy this year is masking underlying weakness among low- and middle-income households, as higher-income Americans continue to drive growth.

Job cuts in October hit highest level for the month in 22 years, Challenger says Job cuts for October totaled 153,074, a 183% surge from September and 175% higher than the same month a year ago. It was the highest level for any October since 2003 and has been the worst year for layoffs since 2009. Companies in the technology sector announced 33,281 cuts, nearly six times the level in September. “Like in 2003, a disruptive technology is changing the landscape,” said Andy Challenger, workplace expert and chief revenue officer at outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

Neil Gorsuch delivered the most withering questions in the tariffs case The conservative Supreme Court justice was tough on Trump’s lawyers and spoke up for a fading Congress.

Trump’s Taxing Supreme Court Argument The Supreme Court on Wednesday heard arguments in two cases challenging Donald Trump’s “emergency” tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 (IEEPA). Three categories of tariffs are at issue: the worldwide 10 percent tariff, the retaliatory “liberation day” tariffs aimed at closing trade deficits in goods, and tariffs on Mexico, Canada, and China that aim to retaliate for fentanyl trafficking. Solicitor General John Sauer faced some hard questioning, and rightly so.

Labor Department social media campaign depicts a White male workforce The campaign has drawn scrutiny, with critics saying the agency is not realistically portraying the diversity of the country and is sending messages that feel exclusionary.

International

Klingbeil wants to stop all steel imports from Russia Germany continues to import steel from Russia despite the wide range of trade sanctions imposed due to the war in Ukraine. If SPD leader Lars Klingbeil had his way, this would soon come to an end.

Chinese intimidation stopped UK university from publishing human rights report Sheffield Hallam staff raised concerns about impact on international student recruitment

Russian comic fan is first jailed under Kremlin ‘Satanism’ ban The man was arrested on his way to a convention with allegedly devilish paraphernalia as police enforce Putin’s crackdown on a made up international movement

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Is Declared Persona Non Grata in Peru Lawmakers in Peru formally declared Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum unwelcome, days after her administration granted asylum protections to a former prime minister who has been hiding out in a diplomatic residence in Lima.

‘You Are All Terrorists’: Four Months in a Salvadoran Prison They said they were shackled, beaten, shot with rubber bullets and tear gassed until they passed out.

Opinion

We Need a New Renaissance Church attendance is rising among Gen Z and Millennial men. There are even signs of a religious revival in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination. What we need alongside and in harmony with any potential religious revival, however, is a Renaissance.

The New Right’s New Antisemites Kevin Roberts of the Heritage Foundation flounders in the Tucker Carlson-Nick Fuentes fever swamps.

What Mike Pence believes With a forthcoming book, the former vice president reflects on what it means to be a conservative

The Virtue of Liberty: A Response to the NatCons To abandon limited government is to corrupt conservatism.

The Revolutionary Mood in America Is Getting Worse What began as a sense of entitlement is becoming an omnidirectional resentment — of your country, of your government, of your neighbors.

The Perils of Populism Like with many dangerous things, the dose makes the poison.

Trump Is the Democrats’ Best Campaigner GOP candidates for Tuesday’s elections are trapped between Trump’s demands for fealty and voters who want independence.

The Right’s Immune System Has Kicked In In Friday’s newsletter, I wrote, “The vast majority of America’s non-Jews are not anti-Semitic, and they do not deserve to suffer under the leadership of either left-wing Hamasniks or nihilistic podcast influencers.” And I mentioned that the American right, in particular, is broadly enthusiastic about America’s unique historic bond with Israel and the ways that Donald Trump has strengthened the U.S.-Israel alliance.

Zohran Mamdani Will Be an Ambitious 2028 Democrat’s Best ‘Sister Souljah Opportunity’ And that’s why, to any Democrat with presidential ambitions who wants to seize the chance over the next two years, Mamdani also represents a fantastic “Sister Souljah opportunity.” Remember the origins of the term: In 1992, then candidate Bill Clinton strategically used an appearance at Jesse Jackson’s Rainbow Coalition to criticize the rapper and political activist Sister Souljah. The criticism was pointed at Souljah specifically, for her answer to a question in a Washington Post interview about black-on-white violence in the Los Angeles riots — but it was widely understood that Clinton was attempting to put some crucial distance between himself (and his new, third way, moderate persona) and the failed liberal Democratic Party of the 1980s, which had been trounced three times in a row by the Reagan coalition. Though it caused Clinton to take some short-term heat from his left, the stratagem was successful and it was an important moment in his rise to the presidency.

Nobody Will Learn Anything Prices, as economists like to say, are information. They tell you what price people will pay, and what prices people will accept in order to sell. In a democracy, elections are supposed to be the same way. Polls are information of a sort, but they nobody is putting their money where their mouth is; they are just samples. Votes, like prices, are real information. When elections are held frequently, they are supposed to provide the same sort of real-world, bottom-line feedback for politics that prices provide to markets.

Blue Tuesday The tide has rolled in on the November 2025 elections — not all the way in, as we await outcomes on the West Coast that are likely to be blue in any event. My quick verdict before I head to bed (and a flight tomorrow that will keep me away from writing for the next few days) is: That sure could have gone better! But not much better, at least not realistically. There was never much reason to expect a good outcome tonight, given the heavily Democratic terrain up for grabs.

How Heritage Became the Cult of Kevin Roberts “True academic scholars have left.” Inside the Heritage Foundation’s stunning decline—and the board’s silence as its leader courted moral ruin.

Tucker forever Kevin Roberts spoke at Hillsdale College on Monday evening. He made what might have been his fourth attempt to explain the deep meaning of his video statement “declaring undying loyalty to Carlson,” as my daughter Eliana puts it in this morning Washington Free Beacon newsletter.

After last night Looking at yesterday’s off-year election returns, it appears that the Schumer shutdown is just what the Democrat doctor ordered. For Republicans, the results depict 7 rooms of gloom, to borrow the title of the old Four Tops song. There is no silver lining.

Republicans Have Good Reason to Worry On the menu today: It’s an off-year election, and Republicans lived up to it by having an off year. A really off year — read on.

Zohran Mamdani Localizes the Intifada Plus, Jewish groups sever ties with Heritage as think tank’s anti-Semitism task force delivers ultimatum to president Kevin Roberts

Re-up: Tucker Carlson Makes Me Sad “The saddest thing in life is wasted talent.”

The Lawfare Menace When the rule of law erodes, so does liberty.

Lame Duck Status Begins to Kick In Today It was a bad night for the GOP. Trump voters vote for Trump. Democrats have become so radicalized against Trump that there is no local politics anymore. Everything is defined by the R or D next to one’s name, and in off year elections, etc., that is very bad for the incumbent party.

Listening to the Law: How Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett Does Her Job With the discussion ranging from the Warren Court to the Roberts Court, from Roe v. Wade to Dobbs, this is a very candid and illuminating conversation with a sitting Supreme Court justice.

Elizabeth Warren knows better The senator tries to blame the president for a “Monday Night Football” blackout.

Live from the Royal Gallery A conversation with Daniel Hannan, a.k.a. Lord Hannan of Kingsclere

RIP Dick Cheney, last of the Cold War Republicans — and the left’s ‘Darth Vader’ Dick Cheney was one of the last of his breed: the Cold War Republican. The former vice president, who died Tuesday at age 84, was a hardheaded man who wore many hats, from wunderkind 34-year-old White House chief of staff to defense secretary and No. 2 Republican in the House.

Trump’s GOP Is Losing Independents The 2025 election results spell doom for Republicans in 2026 if they don’t get serious about the economy.

The MAGA Coalition and The Problem with Tucker and Fuentes William Jacobson joins Tony Katz Today to discuss the Heritage Foundation’s President Kevin Roberts handling of the Tucker Carlson Nick Fuentes interview.

The Nationalization of Elections Is Anti-American Our Founding Fathers fought for our right not to care about who New Jersey elects as governor.

How Tucker Carlson instigated an inevitable war within MAGA Finally, the battle lines are being drawn as conservatives grapple over a bigotry in their midst.

Don’t Limit Foreign-Student Enrollment International students are the lifeblood of many American STEM programs. We need them.

Gee, How Did Latino Americans Become So Alienated from the GOP? On the menu today: Immigration hawks and Trump administration fans are not going to like what I have to say today, but everybody needs to hear it anyway. Read on.

Conservatism at a Crossroads What the Heritage Foundation’s internal crisis means for the broader political right.

No, Mr. President, the ‘Affordability Issue’ Is Not Dead On Tuesday, voters in two states and New York City sent a clear message that they are concerned about the cost of living and affordability.

Marx, the God. Marcuse, His Prophet. Mao, His Sword. I recently read a document released by the CIA in 2005 that describes the New Left and Herbert Marcuse’s influence on college campuses. What it reveals is extremely relevant to what’s happening on college campuses today.

Major Questions About the Tariff Argument The Supreme Court is not likely to apply deference to the president in the tariffs case and is likelier to closely scrutinize what powers were delegated.

The Only Thing That Isn’t Systemically Racist Systemic racism is said by Critical Race Theorists “ordinary, not aberrational—’normal science,’ the usual way society does business, the common, everyday experience of most people of color in this country.” As such, virtually everything is systemically racist, from schools to the SAT to businesses to every policy they can think of to teachers to hobbies like walking, hiking, and being outside to books to birds, fish, and even rocks. Everything is systemically racist. Except one thing, we have now learned: vaccine passports. Despite the fact that vaccine passports, if implemented, will meet the Critical Race Theory definition of racist policy (which Ibram Kendi says is abominable and should be unconstitutional), this fact is not being trumpeted by Critical Race Theorists anywhere. In fact, those who have spoken publicly on the issue, like Nikole Hannah-Jones, have applauded the vax passes. Not only that, but Twitter is locking people out of their accounts and suspending people for sharing satirical memes pointing this fact out. Join James Lindsay in this episode of the New Discourses Podcast for a short discussion of this phenomenon and what it means. (Nota bene: It has come to o