Sarah Schmidt

Tom Nichols spent nearly 20 years teaching just war theory at Harvard. He is precise about what Vance got wrong. The just war tradition does not tell Christians when God is on their side. It regards war as evil and every life taken - ally or enemy - as a tragedy. Its conditions - just cause, right intention, proportionality, last resort - are not a permission slip. They are questions a leader must answer before risking his mortal soul by sending people to die. After Vance's remarks, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops doctrine chairman put it in writing: Pope Leo is not offering opinions. He is exercising his ministry as Vicar of Christ. That is Bishop Massa's clarification, addressed directly to this situation. Vance told the pope that theology should be "anchored in truth." Nichols identifies that phrase correctly: it means nothing. Whose truth? The bishop of Rome, whom Catholics believe speaks with charism on matters of faith and morals, was told by a recent convert that he should go do his theology homework. The Catholic tradition Vance cited has a name for this disposition. Pope Gregory the Great called pride the queen of all vices. The Latin word is superbia. Proverbs 16:18 has been in the text considerably longer than the Iran war.

Companies that have paid settlements to the Trump Library Fund: ABC: $15 million Meta: $22 million X: $10 million Paramount: $16 million That original Library Fund has now been dissolved. So where has all that money gone?

Stunning insights into Trump's DHS from people within the agency: nytimes.com/interactive/20…

Trump & his Administration along with Infantino took the most popular sporting event on the planet that is always hugely oversubscribed and managed to tank it in the space of six months through sheer greed, stupidity and hostile actions. Quite an achievement. Everything Trump touches goes to hell in a hand basket.

However dumb you think the process for destroying USAID was, it was dumber. This is from Nicholas Enrich's new book Into the Wood Chipper, describing a meeting with Trump-appointed USAID leadership *after* they had largely gutted the agency

NYT headline for the ages

Teaching US politics in a foreign country - I live in S Korea - this semester has been dismal. Here is just April: Normal SK undergrad: Does your president really plan to destroy Pesian civilization? Me: Eh, I don't think so, but well, I'm, uh.... Normal SK student: Doesn't that mean using nuclear weapons? Me: Uhh, yeah, but well, we'd never do...well maybe... Normal SK student: What does it even mean that Trump wants to blockade a blockade (in the strait of Hormuz)? Me: Yeah, uh, not so sure myself how that's gonna work... Normal SK student: Does Donald Trump really think he's Jesus Christ? Me: I got nothin'....

It wasn’t a picture of me as Jesus it was a picture of me as a doctor because I help a lot of people.

Let’s be very clear about what’s happening here. This isn’t about ‘righting a wrong’. This is about the next wrong they want them to do. This is setting up the next sedition.

It's next level insane that someone like Eric Swalwell knew about all the skeletons in his own closet and still decided to run for Governor? How delusional are these people that they don't think this shit will come up?

Hungary under Orbán was essentially operating as a pass-through for Russian oil money to fund the international far right. That's ending now.

Being mad that the Pope won't endorse your war is like being mad that your doctor won't endorse your cocaine habit.

Amazing bit of reporting by Cokie Roberts that has stuck with me: Her discovery of a letter from Louisa Adams detailing how members of Congress left behind *40 pregnant mistresses* after the extra-long session of 1820, necessitating more orphanage space--> archives.gov/files/about/ar…

A massive shift among young voters in polling. 2024 Presidential Estimates: 🔴 Ages 18–22: R+2 🔵 Ages 23–29: D+6 2026 Generic Ballot (@YalePolling): 🔵 Ages 18–22: D+23 🔵 Ages 23–29: D+30

EXCLUSIVE: Behind the scenes, the Trump administration has been wielding its vast power to transform the midterm elections. This is the untold story of Trump’s efforts to, as he has called it, “take over” the midterms.

There is no better example of how the fight against Trump & MAGA is a battle between good & evil than the septuagenarian drug addict and life long sexual predator picking a fight with the Pope during a Sunday night Adderall binge. God help us all.

‘Bradley was revolted; Patton withdrew to vomit; Eisenhower, his face frozen white, forced himself to examine every nook and cranny of the camp’

The king is angry with the Pope and the citizenry is spreading easily preventable diseases, what year is it

🎯 Apologists trying to credit Orbán for conceding are intentionally missing the point. He would’ve done anything to stay in power had he thought it possible. Hungarians made it impossible. Trying & failing to destroy democracy receives no credit. He didn't stop; he was stopped.