December 8, 2025

Now, on to the news…

When Congress recently debated extending federal subsidies for health insurance, President Trump suggested that the money being sent to insurance companies should instead go to individuals so they can purchase their own health care.

But because spending is highly concentrated among the seriously ill, making patients bear more costs out of pocket would just inhibit access to care. “Legislators should instead focus on letting Americans purchase more affordable insurance plans that are better focused on their health needs,” Chris Pope writes.

One way to do that: allowing employers to give employees pretax funds they can use to choose more cost-effective plans. “This would actually reduce the largest hospital and drug expenses,” Pope writes, “rather than just shifting the burden of paying for them onto the seriously ill—which only cuts costs by leaving people without payment for care when they need it.”

Read his take.

Last year, New York’s city council reintroduced a bill that would give nonprofits the ability to override private buyers’ offers for certain lots and residential buildings. That means that when sellers put buildings up for sale, they would have to notify the Department of Housing Preservation and Development. “This will inevitably require an army of regulators to conduct oversight and will create needless, months-long delays—worsening New York City’s housing crisis,” Adam Lehodey writes.

The bill’s supporters point to D.C. as a model, but the District recently rolled back the legislation due to “significant financial distress.”

Read more about D.C.’s experience and why it should serve as a cautionary tale for New York City.

In The Origins of Politics: How Evolution and Ideology Shape the Fate of Nations, Nicholas Wade looks at the science of human nature and the conflicts it presents in society today. Robert VerBruggen calls the book “an informative, accessible read” that will encourage audiences to look “at modern political debates through a new lens.” Read his review.

Natalya Murakhver joins John Tierney to discuss her film 15 Days and her efforts to resist the shutdown of schools during the Covid-19 lockdown. 

“At least it may have temporarily distracted British authorities from their Orwellian pursuit of off-color social media posters.”

—

Reasonable person, commenting on disorder at a soccer match in England 

Photo credits: The Austin American-Statesman/Hearst Newspapers / Contributor / Hearst Newspapers via Getty Images