March 11, 2025

Now, on to the news…

In recent years, organized criminal mayhem has become a regular presence in American life. Ideologically minded civil terrorists “operate where they believe that they have the most latitude: on college campuses and in Democratic-controlled jurisdictions,” writes Manhattan Institute Adjunct Fellow Tal Fortgang. “And their beliefs are overwhelmingly left-wing: radically environmentalist (‘Just Stop Oil’), anarcho-socialist (Antifa), and, most often, anti-Israel.” Read his prescription for how to stop them.

When the Supreme Court banned the use of racial preferences in university admissions in 2023, most observers expected the number of black and Hispanic freshmen on elite campuses to fall and the number of Asian freshmen to rise.

At many schools, however, that hasn’t happened. It raises the question: Are elite universities currently practicing illegal discrimination?

Manhattan Institute Fellow Renu Mukherjee digs into the data here.

Once upon a time, the U.S. dominated STEM fields, turning out top talent that achieved scientific breakthroughs in software, aerospace, and biomedicine.

Not anymore. Manhattan Institute Adjunct Fellow Wai Wah Chin explains how the Left’s assault on education—dumbing down standards and demeaning merit in the name of equity—is hurting America’s ability to compete.

American schools are facing formidable challenges, deepened by pandemic-driven learning loss and chronic absenteeism. Students have to contend with a host of demoralizing influences, from violence to social media. Read why Manhattan Institute Senior Fellow Ray Domanico believes that a period of quiet reflection before the school day begins “could provide young people with a respite from the barrage of social media, artificial intelligence, and intergroup conflict.”

Brutalism was a disastrous period for American architecture, argues Catesby Leigh. The visually abrasive concrete structures “now present a choice between expensive renovation and demolition,” he writes.

“Cuomo and NY Democrats were, and still are, all in on reimagining the criminal justice system. The problem is that while they throw these ill-considered, poorly researched policies at the wall to see which stick, real people are being assaulted, robbed and even killed. This is not how mature leaders act. He’s not worthy of running a small town, never mind a large city.”

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Reasonable person, commenting on Andrew Cuomo’s run for mayor

Photo credits: YOUSSEF ALZANOUN / Contributor / AFP via Getty Images