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December 19, 2025
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| Trump Reschedules Marijuana amid Intense Controversy |
| by Dan Hart |
| Despite growing outcry, President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday that directs federal agencies to reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule III drug, purportedly in order to expand research for potential medicinal uses of the narcotic. Republican lawmakers and experts are strongly opposed to the move, saying that it will further exacerbate a host of societal ills, including increasing the rate of serious health problems, addiction, drug use of minors, birth defects, crime, car crashes, and more. |
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| Massachusetts Strikes LGBT Affirmation Requirement for Prospective Foster Parents |
| by Joshua Arnold |
| The Massachusetts Department of Children & Families (DCF) adopted a new regulation "on an emergency basis" Tuesday, removing a requirement for all prospective foster parents to affirm the "sexual orientation and gender identity" of any children placed in their home. The regulation had already resulted in removing Christian families from the program, leading to a lawsuit by Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) and a warning letter from the federal Administration for Children and Families. |
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| House Passes Bill Aiming to Protect Minors from 'Gender-Affirming Care,' but Policy Concerns Remain |
| by Sarah Holliday |
| In a 216-211 vote, the House of Representatives narrowly passed the Protect Children's Innocence Act on Wednesday. |
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| Culture of Death Advances with Euthanasia Legalization in Illinois and New York |
| by David Closson |
| Within a single week, the governors of Illinois and New York both announced their support for physician-assisted suicide legislation. In Illinois, Governor JB Pritzker (D) signed a bill legalizing the practice last Friday. In New York, Governor Kathy Hochul (D) announced yesterday that she has reached an agreement with the state legislature and will sign the Medical Aid in Dying Act in January 2026. With these developments, Illinois and New York join 11 other states and Washington, D.C., that have already authorized physician-assisted suicide. |
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| More Than Two-Thirds of Public Libraries Face Major Maintenance Challenges |
| by Mark Tapscott |
| Almost two out of every three of America's 17,000 public libraries faces major facility maintenance challenges, including poorly functioning heating, cooling, and ventilation systems, according to a new survey by the Government Accounting Office (GAO). |
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| War Department Moves to 'Make Chaplain Corps Great Again' |
| by S.A. McCarthy |
| Just one week before America celebrates the birth of Christ, War Secretary Pete Hegseth is moving to restore the U.S. Army's Chaplain Corps to its original purpose: shepherding souls. In a video address this week, Hegseth announced several upcoming changes intended to remove controversial humanist and secular ideology from the military's guidelines for chaplains, empowering chaplains to do their job and minister to the nation's servicemembers. |
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| Bongino's Departure and the Difficulty of Governing |
| by Joshua Arnold |
| After nine months on the job, FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino announced Wednesday that he "will be leaving my position with the FBI in January," making his tenure the briefest of any deputy director since 1997. Bongino's brief - and rocky - stint at the FBI serves to remind Americans not to judge public servants too harshly because, after all, governing is much more difficult than talking about government. |
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| Trump Tackles Affordability Discontent in Year-End Address to Nation |
| by S.A. McCarthy |
| Flanked by Christmas trees in the Oval Office, President Donald Trump addressed American voters Wednesday night, attempting to assuage concerns over what many voters see as a worsening affordability crisis ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, in an effort to keep and expand a Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. |
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