1) “Shut Down the Department of Education” (Betsy DeVoss, Free Press)
From the article — I served as the 11th U.S. secretary of education. That’s how I know it’s beyond repair…
Since its creation in 1979, the Department of Education has sent well more than $1 trillion to schools with the express purpose of closing the gaps between the highest and lowest performers. Today, those gaps are as wide as they have ever been, and by many measures, even wider.
Last week, the latest Nation’s Report Card came out, giving us a clear assessment of where student achievement stands. The report, published by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), tells us that in reading and math, most students were even further behind than they were in 2022. Which was worse than where they were in 2019. Which was worse than 2013.
How bad is it? Seven in 10 American fourth graders are not proficient readers, meaning they struggle with reading grade-level literature and comprehending informational texts. Forty percent graded out at “below basic,” meaning they struggle with basic comprehension. In math, the picture is similar: six in 10 fourth graders are behind in math.
Also on this topic, check out “First Get Rid of DEI, Then Make Students Read” by Walker Larson over at American Spectator.
2) “The Real Constitutional Crisis” (John Hinderaker, Power Line)
From the article — In my view, we are indeed experiencing a constitutional crisis. But it is not the one the Democrats have in mind. For President Trump to assert control over the executive branch is not only proper, it is long overdue. Under Article II of the Constitution, the President doesn’t just run the executive branch. He is the executive branch. All employees of federal agencies are members of the executive branch, and as such, ultimately report to the president. Their job is to carry out his policies.
The fact that this, to many, is not self-evident illustrates the real constitutional crisis that we face–the slow-moving crisis that has been underway now for close to a century. That crisis is the growth of the administrative state, the fourth branch of government that is mentioned nowhere in the Constitution. There is a strong argument that the administrative state is unconstitutional. What is incontrovertibly unconstitutional is the concept of an executive branch that is independent of the president.
3) “Why Is Silicon Valley Feverishly Working Towards The Creation Of An Artificial god?” (Dean Dwyer, Harbinger’s Daily)
From the article — In fact, it was reported in September 2024 that Melvin Vopson, an associate professor in physics at the University of Portsmouth, claimed that our whole universe is nothing more than an advanced computer simulation and that AI (artificial intelligence) is the god of this whole drama. Vopson was quoted as saying, “The Bible itself tells us that we are in a simulation and it also tells us who is doing it. It is done by an AI – an artificial intelligence.”
How does he come to this conclusion? Well, according to him, evidence of this AI simulation is found in the Gospel of John, specifically the very first verse: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Vopson argues that “the Word” actually refers to a computer code that controls the simulation. He went on to say: “The code running the simulation is not separate from the divine, but rather an integral part of it, perhaps an AI.”
To further support his theory, Vopson adopts John 1:3: “All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” Of this he claims: “It implies a Creator who brought the simulated universe into existence through the Word (i.e. the code). It suggests that the act of creation, as described in the Bible, could be analogous to a divine act of programming and simulation.”
4) “Wait, You Mean There’s Corruption In Washington?” (Editors, Issues & Insights)
From the article — How many Americans had even heard of the U.S. Agency for International Development just a month ago? Now in the third week of the second Trump administration, the country is learning that USAID apparently has been running a racket that has propped up the Democratic political machine, which includes the usual big-media players, with tens of millions of taxpayers’ dollars. As political scandals go, this one could be the grubbiest of all.
Democrats are already reeling. Polls show they have become as popular as a pineapple on a pizza. This country would be well served if the party collapsed and the remaining reasonable and sane voters Democratic formed a new group. The Democratic Party of the 21st century has revealed itself through its radical, nonsensical positions to be a party that no longer can be stomached by most of America.
5) “Making America Great Again Requires More Babies” (Victor Joecks, Hot Air)
From the article — But making America — and Mars — great again requires something else. More babies.
Last April, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that America’s fertility rate had dropped to a “historic low.” The total fertility rate was 1,616.5 births per 1,000 women. The country needs 2,100 births per 1,000 women to maintain its population. America’s fertility rate “has generally been below replacement since 1971 and consistently below replacement since 2007,” a CDC report stated.
A shrinking population presents major challenges. Even with technological advantages, the country needs young adults to serve in the military. Some of tomorrow’s greatest innovators aren’t being born. As people age, they become more dependent on others and less economically productive. The country’s massive national debt and unfunded pension obligations will exacerbate this demographic problem.