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When I used to go into classes and speak about our government and being a legislator, I would tell kids, “Know what you’re not willing to compromise on and what you’re willing to compromise on, and you will always negotiate from a position of strength.”

The last few years have seen a stark increase in political violence. Most recently, the conservative activist and speaker Charlie Kirk was publicly assassinated at Utah Valley University. Multiple assassination attempts have been made on President Trump as well—most memorably in Butler, Pennsylvania last year. Even state-level politics have seen such horrific events, with two Minnesota lawmakers being attacked in their homes earlier in June. 

The Scott County Sheriff’s Office is facing criticism for its partnership with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), granting Scott County law enforcement officers “the authority to perform certain immigration enforcement functions.”

The brouhaha over books on public library shelves in Daviess County has apparently reached a boiling point. One side in the debate warns of a censorship regime bent on banning books in the young adult (YA) section of the Daviess County Public Library. The other side says certain books are inappropriate, some downright pornographic, and do not belong within eyeshot and easy reach of children. It’s a microcosm of a debate over sexual content made accessible to minors in libraries that’s playing out in communities across the nation.

On October 7, the Supreme Court of the United States heard arguments in Chiles v. Salazar. The case involves a 2019 Colorado ban on so-called “conversion therapy” for minors—defined as any effort to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender or to “reduce sexual or romantic attraction or feelings toward individuals of the same sex.” In essence, the law forbids any non-LGBTQ-affirming counseling for minors.

Earlier this month, Charlie Kirk was tragically assassinated while speaking at Utah Valley University. Since then, thousands have come together in prayer and support for Charlie’s family and to promote his legacy. Countless prayer vigils sprung up all across the country, videos honoring his memory garnered tens of millions of views online, and his funeral is reported to have drawn over 200,000 attendees.

Charlie Kirk is dead. The bullet launched from an assassin’s high-powered rifle some 200 yards away pierced his neck, splattering blood and slumping him into an unconsciousness that he’d never recover from. His voice was permanently silenced after a questioner asked if he knew how “many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last 10 years?”

Taylor Swift has had an outsized influence on popular culture. With over twenty-six billion streams on Spotify in 2024, she is the most streamed artist in the world. Conservatives have long lamented the effect of her music embraced by young girls—which arguably promotes immodesty, sensual themes, and hook-up culture. But given her recent engagement to Kansas City Chief’s star Travis Kelce, many are hopeful that this marks a transition to settling down into a life of marital fidelity—both for Swift and for the millions of lives she influences.

Mr. President, I pray you make it to Heaven as well, but you won’t get there by good deeds, even if they are some fantastic accomplishments.

Of course, I’m referencing President Trump’s comments that he hopes his efforts in bringing peace to multiple countries and his hope that he can broker a peace deal with Ukraine and Russia might be just what is needed to get him into Heaven. He also goes on to acknowledge that he’s not doing well on the other side of the good/bad ledger and that he is at “the bottom of the totem pole.”

At the heart of every political debate are three questions: Are people flourishing? Are they safe? And do they have jobs where they’re able to provide for themselves and their loved ones? Also, not at the heart of every political debate is the question: what role do families play in a flourishing society? After all, family is too often taken for granted by our political leaders and its sociological implications are too often overlooked. Perhaps this is because postmodernism demoted marriage and family formation from its primacy.

The U.S. Supreme Court sided with a Texas law that required age-verification in order for minors to access online porn sites. The June 27 ruling applies the same age-verification standards to internet websites as those for brick and mortar porn shops and strip clubs. But if you were to believe opponents like the ACLU and Free Speech Coalition, you’d think the First Amendment is teetering as a censorship regime threatens to undo us.

Higher education has dominated the headlines this year. From drastic funding cuts to threats of deaccreditation at some of America’s most prestigious universities, the status quo of higher ed is being disrupted by the federal government — sparking reactions left, right and center. Some of these actions may seem unprecedented and even reckless. But they raise a deeper question as to the efficiency of federal government involvement in higher education.