DM How do you define miasma? A miasma is a historical term for a noxious atmosphere or vapor believed to cause disease. The "miasma theory" dominated medical thinking from ancient times through the mid-19th century, holding that illnesses like cholera, plague, and malaria arose from foul-smelling air emanating from rotting organic matter, swamps, or other sources of "bad air." The word comes from Greek, meaning "pollution" or "defilement." You can see its influence in the na

The concentration of wealth among the richest Americans is unlike anything in history — and so is billionaires’ influence in politics. Related prior post on this topic Related post today

The White House is giving Putin permission to try again. Related Also related

In a revision that has left medical experts stunned, the health agency’s website plays into anti-vaccine rhetoric with a 'quirk of logic' Related Also related

Government-spec’d glory projects produce tech demos. Enduring progress demands a better way forward. Counterpoints KEY TAKEAWAYS OF FIRST LINK ABOVE: In this op-ed, Blake Scholl, CEO of Boom Supersonic, argues that government-led “glory projects” ultimately hurt the aerospace industry they were meant to advance. He writes that both the Apollo and Concorde programs chased prestige over practicality, producing technological marvels with no sustainable path forward. Scholl belie

At the foundation of America’s progress movement are immigrants who still believe this country can build. KEY TAKEAWAYS In October, the Roots of Progress Institute organized Progress Conference 2025 to connect people and ideas in the progress movement. In this dispatch from the conference, writer and RPI fellow Afra Wang explores how immigrant founders are driving America’s new era of “physical dynamism.” She finds that America’s capacity to build — and to believe in building

Before we can build the future, we have to imagine it. KEY TAKEAWAYS In this op-ed, Beatrice Erkers argues that progress begins with culture: the stories, symbols, and shared visions that make certain futures feel worth building. She explores how cultural forces like memes and movies act as “invisible infrastructure,” shaping technology, policy, and ambition long before they materialize in the real world. According to Erkers, we must deliberately invest in a culture of hope —

Hated by some in the U.S., the warplane has tilted the balance in the Middle East Quick Summary Israel’s military advantage, largely due to its F-35 fleet, is threatened by a potential US sale of F-35s to Saudi Arabia. Israeli officials fear F-35 sales to Saudi Arabia could lead to sales to other nations like Turkey, eroding Israel’s air superiority. Israel acquired 25 more F-35s in June 2024, bringing its total to 75, and seeks advanced US technology to maintain its military

The NIH is picking up Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s argument that a healthy immune system can keep even pandemic germs at bay. Related

Beijing’s strategy, known as ‘the pen and the gun,’ employs a domestic media campaign and aggressive rhetoric toward Taipei’s friends Quick Summary China is intensifying its “pen and gun” strategy against Taiwan, using state media to shape domestic opinion while lashing out at Taiwan’s supporters. Beijing is targeting Taiwan’s supporters, notably Japan, through diplomatic threats and military posturing near disputed territories and Taiwan. China aims to coerce Taiwan into cap

Ken Burns new series provides our history, as only he can And Walter Issacson on the greatest sentence ever written

DM Please offer your perspectives on these excerpts from Joe Manchin's recently published autobiography, "Dead Center:" Here's the first excerpt for your consideration: "Throughout our nation’s history, extreme party politics have repeatedly threatened to destroy the United States, even though the existence of political parties was deliberately omitted from our Constitution. President George Washington grew so disillusioned with the squabbling of his era that he declined to r

After a decades long hiatus, nuclear weapons surge back to the forefront of global politics Somewhat related? The U.S. bid to control the western hemisphere Also related: comparing U.S. and China drones

FCC chair Brendan Carr is on a crusade to manipulate the airwaves.

DM Is it true that President Obama and Harry Reid (by choosing to tamper with, and fracture, the filibuster) set the stage for our prevailing Supreme Court imbalance, ...and thus for years to come? This is a debated question with legitimate arguments on different sides. The case that Reid's move contributed: In 2013, Harry Reid eliminated the filibuster for most presidential nominations (lower court judges, executive appointments) but specifically preserved it for Supreme Co

In “Fateful Hours,” the road map to authoritarian disaster is laid out in gleamingly sinister detail by the German historian Volker Ullrich.

The modern world has been transformed by inventions from the electric motor to penicillin. Is the mass-produced gun the most important among them?

Progressives have embraced the rhetoric of “moral clarity.” It won’t help their cause.

Brookings experts weigh in

Washington is treating the industry as if it’s too big to fail, even as the market sends lukewarm signals. Perhaps related