I’ve long been fascinated by the reluctance of conservatives to condemn wrongdoing by the U.S. government, especially since the time that the U.S. government was converted to a national-security state after World War II. The primary reason for this phenomenon, it seems to me, is that conservatives have come to view the federal government as a god, one that works in partnership with their religious God. In the conservative mind, it’s okay to carp about minor mistakes that their national-security god makes but it’s never okay to challenge or question it at a fundamental level.

In one of several talks this past week, during his visit to Lima, Pope Leo XIV reminded his audience that the institution of the family occupies a more important place in society than any institution of civil government. According to Leo: “The family is the first natural society, with rights of its own. This means that the family precedes every written law. The law’s role is simply to recognize and protect it, while public institutions must support the family, not replace it.”

It’s the worst since the Great Recession.

The reports come just days after Donald Trump said renewed attacks on Iran were “highly unlikely”.

A wave of protests in Spain is asking for a solution to the “habitational crisis.” What are they talking about? Basically, dwellings—both for sale and rent—are too expensive, their prices climbing continuously, pricing more and more people out of the market.

The subtitle of its October 18, 2026 post by the Institute of Economic Affairs (London) carried this tantalizing statement: “Rethinking How We Care for an Aging Population.” The IEA carried part one of a three-part essay pushing a scheme called “Social Providence Accounts (SPA’s).” I will not go into the details of this alternative scheme of how Great Britain can care for the aged, frankly because I found it too complex to follow despite the claim that it would be simple and easily understood. What caught my eye was the “we,” as in how “we” can care for the aged.