Economic Gains Outweighed by Inflation, AI Threatens Higher Education, and Other Commentary

Recent Census figures indicate that U.S. poverty fell to a record low in 2025, with real median household income reaching its highest point since 1967, according to The Washington Examiner’s Byron York. Despite these positive economic indicators, year-over-year inflation has risen, largely due to energy prices. This juxtaposition allows for an argument that positive economic signs exist alongside negative ones, and for Vice President JD Vance to contend that Democratic congressional gains would reverse progress, urging voters to grant more time to address remaining economic issues.

AI's Impact on Higher Education

Ian Bogost, writing for The Atlantic, suggests that artificial intelligence is destabilizing higher education. Colleges are simultaneously embracing and resisting AI, which amplifies existing crises and exposes the inherent incompatibility within American higher education. Bogost argues that colleges have long served dual roles as credentialing services and spaces for personal formation, a dichotomy that AI has fractured by separating educational output from the intellectual labor process. He posits that without a resolution to these structural inconsistencies, higher education institutions may only endure as shells, with their original spirit of community and formation diminishing.

A Stance Against Assisted Suicide

Sohrab Ahmari recalls his late friend, Dov Paul Eisner, who actively opposed the proliferation of assisted-suicide and euthanasia laws in Western democracies. Eisner, who lived with a congenital genetic disorder, publicly denounced New York’s consideration of an assisted-suicide bill, expressing fear for the state’s future. His life, despite significant physical challenges, served as a testament against what Ahmari terms the "culture of death," aligning with the Catholic Church’s teachings on the inherent value of all life.

Media Coverage of Progressive Democrats

The Washington Free Beacon’s Andrew Stiles criticizes The New York Times for its persistently flattering coverage of what Stiles describes as increasingly radical Democratic candidates. The Times has reportedly lauded candidates like Angie Nixon and Abdul El-Sayed, while downplaying or reframing controversial associations, such as a candidate's link to a historical figure known for extremist views. Stiles also notes the Times’ editorial stance against the use of terms like 'communist' or 'anarchist' to describe Democrats advocating for the abolition of police and prisons.

Canada's Reorientation Away from the U.S.

The Washington Post’s Opinion Editorial Board warns Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney against accepting an invitation to become an honorary member of the European Union. Such a move would reorient Canada's focus from Washington to Brussels, integrating manufacturing, technology, security, and energy sectors. The board highlights the EU’s protectionist tendencies and the potential cost to Canada's existing trade relationships with countries like Japan and Australia. The editorial questions whether this realignment, potentially motivated by a desire to diverge from President Trump's policies, is worth the risks, especially given the upcoming reset in U.S.-Canada relations in approximately two years.