With the U.S. and China poised to be the most powerful countries of this century, many Chinese elites are going to extreme lengths to secure American citizenship for their children. One way is by using U.S. based surrogates to birth children who legally belong to Chinese parents who never have to step foot in America. Some ultra-wealthy Chinese “are using American surrogates to have as many children as possible—sometimes dozens at a time, and in extreme cases, more than a hundred,” who they use as bargaining chips to consolidate power in China and the U.S. This practice needs to be ended by ending birthright citizenship or through more targeted laws that prohibit using children as a commodity, Emma Waters writes.

For further reading: In her last piece, Waters wrote about the “Surrogacy Exploitation Crisis,” which proliferates because there is very little oversight of the industry.

President Trump recently issued an executive order rescheduling marijuana as a Schedule III controlled substance down from a Schedule I. While Trump opposes recreational marijuana, he said he wanted to facilitate research on cannabis’ medicinal properties. But lessening the control over marijuana is a mistake, Joseph Prud’Homme writes, because of its disastrous medical consequences, including lowering IQ in heavy users and increasing the risk of birth defects. 

For further reading: Wesley J. Smith argued the opposite in “Federal Marijuana Policy Undermines Rule of Law” (2016), writing that the federal and state governments should not have opposing policies. 

From the January issue: While the immediate benefits of AI are apparent, we have not properly thought through what we lose by relying on it. Studies show that AI makes workers both more efficient and lazier thinkers. That’s because, Ricky McRoskey writes, “work is undertaken not just for the sake of the thing produced, but for the sake of the person producing it.”

For further reading: Drawing on the same papal encyclical as McRoskey (Laborem Exercens by Pope John Paul II), then senator Marco Rubio made the case that work is a human good to be supported whether or not it is tied to capital in “Honoring the Dignity of Work” (2021).

There are four Masses over the course of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and each has different readings that highlight different aspects of the Incarnation. George Weigel parses the lessons found in each.

For further reading: The Gospel of Christmas still attracts the culture, despite the march of secularization. C.C. Pecknold wrote in “The Joyful Mysteries of Christmas” (2014) that Christmas “speaks to everyone’s desire to be happy, and also speaks to their awareness—however dull—that their happiness cannot be manufactured, it can only be given as a gift.”

Upcoming Events

• February 1, 2026: Second Annual Neuhaus Lecture at the New College of Florida: “Recovering the University’s Soul ft. Bishop Robert Barron | Sarasota, FL. Register here.

• March 5, 2026: Annual D.C. Lecture: “Our Crisis is Metaphysical” ft. Mary Harrington | Washington, D.C. Details coming soon.

Until next time,

VIRGINIA AABRAM