News of the Week for January 25th, 2026
- Abortion
- Gun Rights
- Hide the Decline
- Socialized Medicine
- War & Terror
- National News
- Economy & Taxes
- International News
- Opinion
Abortion
Court Cases & Legislation
Obamacare vote doomed anti-abortion Democrats 15 years ago and now haunts GOP
Congressional Republicans weighing whether to extend enhanced Obamacare subsidies face a decision similar to the one that confronted anti-abortion Democrats 15 years ago, when they voted for the law despite the staunch opposition of anti-abortion activists.
AG subpoenas gas stations over abortion ads
Attorney General Russell Coleman has subpoenaed six gas stations in three Kentucky counties over ads for a national nonprofit that offers information about abortion resources.
Message to Trump, Vance and the GOP: Pro-life voters are watching
Three and a half years ago, after 50 years of toil, the pro-life movement achieved the victory of a lifetime in reversing Roe v. Wade, finally freeing the people to take democratic action to protect women and children from abortion. By appointing three Supreme Court justices to the majority that handed down the historic decision, President Donald Trump was indispensable to this accomplishment.
Gun Rights
Yes, Virginia, They Want Your Guns: New Bill Would Ban Possession of ‘Assault Firearms’
Virginians who currently possess so-called “assault firearms” could face criminal charges unless they give them up under a newly-introduced bill in the state Senate.
The Fundamental Problem with Hawaii’s Black Codes Argument
Hans von Spakovsky has covered the bizarre assertions by Neal Katyal and Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, during Tuesday’s Supreme Court oral arguments in Wolford v. Lopez, that Hawaii’s effort to severely restrict the public carrying of firearms is constitutional because it resembles the infamous “Black Codes” enacted in Southern states after the Civil War. Those laws imposed multiple burdens on the civil rights of black Americans, including restricting them from carrying firearms. Under the Hawaii law, it is a crime to carry a gun onto any private property (even by parking a car with a gun inside on a privately owned parking lot) unless the owner of the property gives explicit permission to have guns there. The Hawaii Supreme Court upheld this law on the preposterous grounds that “the spirit of Aloha clashes with a federally-mandated lifestyle that lets citizens walk around with deadly weapons during day-to-day activities.” This is probably the first time a state supreme court has defined the Bill of Rights as a “lifestyle.”
Hide the Decline
Environment &“Green Energy”
Proposed Oregon Initiative Would Outlaw Animal Agriculture and Hunting
Animal rights activists pretend to be about animal welfare, but in reality, they want to outlaw all instrumental uses of animals.
Socialized Medicine
Government in Healthcare
Australian ALS Patient Denied Disability Support, Chooses Euthanasia
I really do try to write about other issues. But the awfulness keeps on coming.
Also Breaking: Tylenol Doesn’t Actually Cause Autism
How many astonishing revelations can the nation handle in one day?
War & Terror
Australian ALS Patient Denied Disability Support, Chooses Euthanasia
I really do try to write about other issues. But the awfulness keeps on coming.
Also Breaking: Tylenol Doesn’t Actually Cause Autism
How many astonishing revelations can the nation handle in one day?
Even good news about Taiwan can be slightly alarming
The announcement of a U.S.-Taiwan trade deal had a potentially ominous undercurrent.
Tearing Apart NATO, over a Trinket
On the menu today: In a saner and better world, we would be having a serious discussion of the 25th Amendment of the Constitution right now.
Russia Cheers the Growing NATO Rift Over Greenland
Putin has long sought to undermine the Western alliance that he sees as a threat
Helped by Trump, Beijing Wriggles Out from Under the TikTok Ban
Back in September, the editors of National Review argued that any deal designed to preserve the operation of TikTok must completely separate it from the Chinese company ByteDance. (Chinese national security laws require that all Chinese companies, including ByteDance, acquiesce to Beijing’s demands for intelligence, and the Chinese government has a seat on ByteDance’s board.) Instead, the Trump administration has given its blessing to a deal that allows ByteDance to keep 19.9 percent of the company, keeps the new U.S. entity run by a longtime TikTok senior executive, and that will “retrain the algorithm on U.S. data.” This is a complete violation of the law and is selling out American national security interests. As you would expect, the president is taking a victory lap over the deal. Also, there’s a good chance you’ve always held former President Bill Clinton in contempt, and now a bipartisan majority of the House Oversight Committee agrees with you.
How Trump could block the Chagos deal
Can Donald Trump veto the UK’s cession of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius? And if he can, does he want to? On Tuesday, he termed it an act of ‘great stupidity’, which certainly seems to imply opposition. Scott Bessent, the US Treasury Secretary, followed up to say that the UK was ‘letting down’ the US by handing over the Islands to Mauritius. But Sir Keir Starmer was unmoved during Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, claiming that in denouncing the Chagos deal Trump was simply trying to put pressure on the UK to abandon Denmark and Greenland, which Starmer of course rightly refused to do. The implication, which may be correct, is that Trump does not really oppose the Chagos deal and if the UK goes ahead with it would not be breaking faith with the US, which remains our most important ally. Press reports, however, have suggested, that Trump was acting, belatedly, on firm military advice.
Revisit the Arsenal Ship . . . As a Barge
Recent conflicts have seen an increase in the use of conventionally armed ballistic missiles and long-range drones against shore targets and ships at sea. During their deployment to the eastern Mediterranean Sea, the USS Carney (DDG-64) and Arleigh Burke (DDG-51) shot down at least six Iranian ballistic missiles and several drones during Iran’s aerial attack on Israel on 13 and 14 April. Countering these weapons with surface-to-air missiles requires substantial amounts of ordnance.
National
US citizen says ICE took him at gunpoint in only underwear despite frigid cold and no warrant
Federal immigration agents bashed open a door and detained a U.S. citizen in his Minnesota home at gunpoint without a warrant, then led him out onto the streets in his underwear in subfreezing conditions, according to his family and videos reviewed by The Associated Press.
To Their Shock, Cubans in Florida Are Being Deported in Record Numbers
Cubans had long benefited from legal privileges unavailable to immigrants from other countries. President Trump has changed that.
NASA’s Artemis II reaches the launch pad and the countdown to the Moon begins
NASA’s Artemis II rocket has reached its launch pad after a painstaking overnight crawl across Kennedy Space Center. Engineers are now preparing for crucial fueling and countdown tests ahead of the first crewed Artemis mission. The mission will send four astronauts on a journey around the Moon and back. It’s a key milestone on the path to returning humans to the Moon and pushing onward to Mars.
Twist in Timothy Busfield child sex abuse case as new audio reveals accusers initially denied claims he touched them
Underage twin boys who accused actor Timothy Busfield of sexual misconduct initially told investigators he didn’t touch them inappropriately, according to newly released audio.
US citizen says ICE took him at gunpoint in only underwear despite frigid cold and no warrant
Federal immigration agents bashed open a door and detained a U.S. citizen in his Minnesota home at gunpoint without a warrant, then led him out onto the streets in his underwear in subfreezing conditions, according to his family and videos reviewed by The Associated Press.
After Being Excoriated by Trump-Appointed Judge, Halligan Is Removed by DOJ
Rather than answer their vitriol ‘tit-for-tat,’ Judge Novak turned to, and shredded, ‘the few points’ raised by the DOJ that resembled legal argument.
Virginia’s Outgoing GOP Attorney General Jason Miyares Hints at 2029 Gubernatorial Run
Last Monday, a group of Republican attorneys general joined several female athletes for a high-profile news conference ahead of Supreme Court oral arguments on a pair of closely-watched cases involving transgender athletes in women’s and girls’ sports.
Trump administration concedes DOGE team may have misused Social Security data
Some DOGE personnel had more access to data than previously acknowledged, according to a court filing.
The Greenland Climb Down
By the time he arrived in Davos, Donald Trump’s obsession with seizing Greenland for the United States by whatever means may be necessary had not been a cost-free exercise.
Why Fret About Greenland If There’s No Prospect of Congressional Approval?
I agree with our editorial, “Trump’s Reckless Greenland Antics,” as far as it goes. But putting aside the damage to our relationship with allies, which I don’t think can be dismissed as just another instance of Trump being Trump, I believe this is one of those rare times when the law matters as much as the politics. On that score, to repeat what I recently pointed out, a president of the United States has no authority to buy territory.
Fury as Amazon Ring Cameras Are Hooked Up to ICE System
“Your Ring camera is an ICE agent.”
Virginia Introduces Bill That Discriminates Against White Men in Government Contracting
“If enacted, this bill would require Virginia state agencies be racist in who they do business with.”
US Murder Rate Plunges To Lowest Level In Over 100 Years, Report Shows
The average reported homicide rate declined 21% in 35 major U.S. cities in 2025, marking the largest one-year drop of all time and likely the lowest level since 1900, according to data compiled by the Council on Criminal Justice (CCJ). Meanwhile, 11 of 13 tracked offenses were lower in 2025 compared to in 2024, while nine of the offenses declined by 10% or more, according to the report.
The Public Sours on the ICE Raids
We already knew that the president’s protean and capricious tariff regime was a problem for this administration. It’s a problem compounded by the president’s undying affection for tariffs. His abiding faith in trade barriers as a panacea for all public ills ensures that, no matter how much the public resents them, they’re not going anywhere.
Florida Bar lets Matt Gaetz off the hook by agreeing statutory rape has nothing to do with practicing law
The Florida Bar downplayed a congressional finding that Matt Gaetz, President Trump’s first choice for U.S. Attorney General, committed statutory rape before it abandoned his prosecution.
The Declining Murder Rate
Murder rates are at their lowest point since 1900, and on today’s edition of The Editors, Charlie makes a point of stressing this important stat.
Could the President Invoke the Alien Enemies Act in Response to the “British Invasion” of Rock Stars Like the Beatles?
In a crucial appellate court oral argument, the Trump Administration admits that their position says the answer is “yes.” The exchange highlights the dangers of judicial deference on judicial invocation of extraordinary emergency powers.
Short Circuit: An inexhaustive weekly compendium of rulings from the federal courts of appeal
Sensitive places, reasonable arguments, and volcanic fiduciary relationships.
Microsoft confirms it will give the FBI your Windows PC data encryption key if asked — you can thank Windows 11’s forced online accounts for that
Windows 11’s online Microsoft Account requirement means your PC is automatically backing up its data encryption key to the cloud, and Microsoft says it will hand those over to the FBI if requested via legal order.
Federal agents shot and killed Minneapolis man; DHS officials say he was armed
A bystander video shows several agents wrestling with the man on a city sidewalk moments before the shooting. Police chief Brian O’Hara issued a plea for calm as protesters gathered at the scene: “Please do not destroy our own city.”
Another Fatal Shooting by Law Enforcement in Minneapolis
A situation that was already a tinder box now verges on an inferno.
Noem and Lewandowski waged campaign to oust Trump’s border leader: Sources
Senior Trump administration officials, including a Cabinet member, tried to force out President Donald Trump’s top border official over disagreements about how to reach the president’s deportation goals and ethical concerns, eight sources alleged during conversations with the Washington Examiner.
Trump border czar Homan, DHS chief Noem barely speaking or meeting: ‘Her and Tom don’t get along’
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and President Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, are barely on speaking terms due to a deep-seated fued between the faces of the administration’s border crackdown.
ICE leadership shakeup exposes growing DHS friction over deportation tactics, priorities
Up to a dozen ICE chiefs are being removed, sources tell Fox News
Videos Contradict U.S. Account of Minneapolis Shooting by Federal Agents
See how immigration officers escalated a fatal confrontation Saturday
Videos Appear to Contradict Federal Account of Killing
An I.C.U. nurse shot by federal agents was an American citizen with no criminal record, the city police chief said. A New York Times video analysis shows he was holding a phone, not a gun.
Economy & Taxes
Why Is the Trump Administration Keeping Joe Biden’s Student Loan Deferments?
Maybe the Trump administration’s Department of Education (DOE) thought no one would take much notice of a late Friday press release revealing that Joe Biden-style student loan deferrals were back on the menu.
Trump was right about price controls, until he embraced them
Capping credit card interest rate won’t help borrowers in trouble. They won’t get credit cards at all.
The Americans Who Are Going a Whole Month Without Buying Anything
Google searches for ‘No Buy January’ have hit a five-year high as Gen Zers and millennials sign up for the thrifty challenge
DOGE Employees Shared Social Security Data, Court Filing Shows
Employees detailed to the Social Security Administration shared sensitive data through a nonsecure server, the Justice Department disclosed.
European lawmakers suspend U.S. trade deal amid Greenland tariff tensions
European lawmakers on Wednesday suspended the approval of the trade deal that the EU and U.S. agreed in July. In a statement on Wednesday, European Parliament member Bernd Lange, and INTA chair on EU-US trade relations, said the recent plans by President Donald Trump to impose tariffs of between 10% to 25% on European nations go against the terms of the trade pact.
Danish pension fund to sell $100 million in Treasurys, citing ‘poor’ U.S. government finances
Danish pension operator AkademikerPension said it is exiting U.S. Treasurys over finance concerns tied to America’s budget shortfall. The move comes amid increasing tensions with the U.S. over Greenland as President Donald Trump pushes for control of the island. AkademikerPension said it plans to have closed its position of around $100 million in U.S. Treasurys by the end of the month.
The Ominous ‘Sell America’ Trade Arrives
The theme of today’s newsletter is the likelihood of whether all of us will live long and prosper, or whether we’re going to experience some rough times in the face of an accelerating “Sell America” trade.
The Institutional and Moral Case for Free Enterprise, According to Milei
Javier Milei’s recent address at Davos is impressive. It’s also a very timely reminder of many important lessons that are often forgotten
Target’s Stores Become an ICE Battleground in Hometown Minneapolis
The retailer faces calls for action from some locals after two employees are detained on the job
International
China’s one-child policy won’t go away
Despite the communist government’s efforts, women won’t have more children.
China’s Population Is On the Way Down
In 1979, the Chinese Communist Party enacted the infamous one-child policy, limiting urban families to having one child each to constrain rapid population growth. Ten years after the policy was repealed, it can now declare victory. If only restricting births were still the goal.
Moldova to exit from Russian-led CIS bloc by mid-February, says foreign minister
Though it stopped participating years ago, Moldova stayed legally tied to the CIS until now. That is finally about to change.
‘A Black Day for the PVV’ as 7 MPs Leave the Party
In a shocking turn of events, the largest right-wing party in the Netherlands, the Partij voor de Vrijheid (PVV), led by Geert Wilders, has been dealt another major blow. After a disappointing election result in which the party lost 11 seats, seven out of the remaining 26 members of parliament announced on Wednesday that they are breaking with the PVV. The MPs will form a new parliamentary group under the name Group Markuszower, named after Gidi Markuszower, one of the most prominent figures behind the split.
Nearly a third of kids can’t use books when starting school – and try to swipe them like phones
Staff also report around 28% of children started school unable to eat and drink independently, and 25% had difficulty with basic life skills.
Opinion
Pennsylvania’s blue wave
The Keystone State has voted for the winner in each of the last five presidential elections, and it has been a tipping point in each of the past three elections.
The White House kept flexing its ICE power. Now Americans are recoiling.
The shooting of Renée Good in Minneapolis may mark a turning point in public opinion.
Has Trump Achieved a Lot Less Than It Seems?
As long as it may have felt, we are only one year into Donald Trump’s second term as president. To follow the Trump administration in the news is to be exposed to the full-muzzle velocity of this presidency: the overwhelming procession of new stories, wild statements, spectacular, outrageous — sometimes terrifying — events.
Why Does 2 + 2 = 4? What Math Teaches Us About Deep Reality
Is math something humans invent—or something we discover? And why does it describe the universe so uncannily well?
Bill Cassidy Has Regrets
“It’s no secret,” Louisiana Republican Party Chairman Derek Babcock told NBC News back in February of last year. “It’s going to be a tough primary for him.”
Trump is singlehandedly destroying global conservatism
The entire Right is being undermined by President Donald Trump. When the impact of his tariffs is felt, people won’t blame interventionism, protectionism, or economic nationalism. They will blame capitalism.
Has Trump Achieved a Lot Less Than It Seems?
As long as it may have felt, we are only one year into Donald Trump’s second term as president. To follow the Trump administration in the news is to be exposed to the full-muzzle velocity of this presidency: the overwhelming procession of new stories, wild statements, spectacular, outrageous — sometimes terrifying — events.
US Leaders Should Stop Seeking the Nobel Peace Prize
American politics today is a blood sport with polarizations unseen since the Civil War era. One thing unifies American politicians, from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to Donald Trump: ego.
Trump’s Mad Magical Thinking
Greenland? Yep, we’re all talking about Greenland again, a place that never crossed one’s consciousness, except perhaps as the setting for some dour, subtitled BritBox procedural in which a female cop, swathed in a puffer coat and enormous webbed snowshoes, crunches through the ice, looking for a serial killer. Who knew that Chinese and Russian ships had been circling this Arctic outpost with such threatening military intent? Except they haven’t. According to Denmark’s Joint Arctic Command in Greenland, there are no menacing sightings of Russian or Chinese destroyers. Yet.
Why Are We Being So Nice to Venezuelan Dictator Delcy Rodríguez?
Hey, remember Venezuela? The U.S. executed a near-perfect operation to capture and arrest Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, only to leave the morally indistinguishable Delcy Rodríguez in power.
I can’t sugarcoat it. Trump’s a deluded megalomaniac who’s irreparably damaged the world order and increased the risk of war
Look, there is no point in dancing around this. The most powerful man in the world is as mad as a box of frogs. Deranged, demented, doolally.
How the United Nations alienates half of America
Trump recently withdrew from more than a dozen international organizations.
Trump Exhaustion Syndrome
Americans can’t seem to keep up.
Greenland Is Trump’s White Whale
He needs therapy more than the U.S. needs to own the island to ensure its defense.
The Cost of Humoring Trump Comes Due
As his Greenland myopia further strains the postwar order, MAGA International and D.C. Republicans alike feel the consequences.
Trumpism? It hardly exists.
Trump’s administration has hardly embodied or implemented a coherent alternative to conservatism.
The Supreme Court Isn’t Inclined to Let Trump Have His Way with the Fed
The Supreme Court isn’t removing Lisa Cook from the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. Not now, and not for some time.
Can ICE Enter a Home To Make an Arrest With Only an Administrative Warrant?
A tentative take, on both the rights and the remedies.
You can’t clear cut political society.
Evangelical protestants on the right have for ages wanted to cut down the forest of secularism that they believe blights the American landscape. Secularism gets in the way of Christian politics and breeds vice, or so the story goes. There’s some truth in that; secularism has its vices, and Donald Trump, the most secular Republican president since Lincoln—and perhaps the most secular ever—has shown little interest in supporting traditional evangelical-supported restrictions on abortion, gambling, marijuana, abortifacient contraception, and a host of other reforms historically coded as “Christian right.”
Where Have the ‘Don’t Tread on Me’ Republicans Gone?
Many conservatives are embracing big government, from police-state immigration tactics to socialist economic policies.
More on Administrative Warrants to Enter Homes: Thoughts on Lucas
A close look at the Eighth Circuit case behind the DHS position.
Hey, Dummy
Vance doesn’t seem to realize he’s the tool, not the star.
Doing It Not by the Book
Earlier this week, I urged the Trump Justice Department and the FBI, for their own good as well as the country’s, to “Handle the Renee Good Shooting by the Book.” I was referring to the conducting of a bona fide investigation to determine whether ICE agent Jonathan Ross’s use of force was justified or excessive — with the understanding that, if excessive force was used, it could (but would not necessarily) lead to federal civil rights charges and state homicide charges.
I worked for Trump. He has changed.
Free markets, family legacies and $3 meals, in readers’ eyes.
