It's been somewhat of an embarrassing year living in Nashville, Tennessee. From poor prep for winter storms, to a defunded symphony, to medical disasters altering patients for life, there is no shortage of failures to ruminate on in 2026. But at the core of all these happenings lies one [read more]

Our nation is in trouble. Our birthrate is dropping. Our immigration policy is too restrictive. And as dramatic as it sounds, our population headed toward collapse if things don't change. On top of various societal factors (some of them incredibly vain), there exist huge financial barriers that are scaring [read more]

Dolly Parton's passing has taken the world by storm. Why are tears being shed by people who never met her? Why are Stephen's friends in the middle east calling to wish him their condolences? As Stephen illustrates in this episode, it was her self-deprecation, her moderation, her generosity, and [read more]

Much like the Cold War of the 20th century, America today is in a battle for its ideals, and the stakes are only growing higher. We are living in a country who has forgotten its own history, leaving young and old Americans alike vulnerable to the influences of Marxism, [read more]

For the first time in history, the federal government is stepping in to ration water in areas of the western United States. The reality of "dead pools" — when reservoirs drop too low to flow past a dam — is no longer a distant threat: 45 U.S. states are [read more]

Eighteen months into Donald Trump's second term, more than half of all U.S. ambassadorships sit vacant — including 80% of Africa — leaving America without meaningful representation across most of the world as midterm elections approach. This isn't just bureaucratic neglect; it's a pattern of action without follow-through that [read more]

People in today's age are consuming more words than ever; the problem is, they're empty words. Doomscrolling and short-form content have crowded out great literature, and fewer than half of all American adults read a single book in 2022. While the downward trajectory of long form reading may not [read more]

Most Americans do not have the time nor the interest to open 1,000-page academic tomes on American history. Thus, it's crucial that we find meaningful, enjoyable, and reliable ways to take in our history. For this 250th year of our great nation, Stephen has 3 recommendations of high-quality, inspiring [read more]

Carl von Clausewitz argued that the object of war is always the predetermined end state — not the battle itself. In the midst of peace negotiations with Iran, America has won militarily while fumbling the endgame: no regime change, no Strait of Hormuz renegotiation, no nuclear agreement, and a [read more]

Every nation's history contains both beauty and atrocity — America is no exception. Yet increasingly, the American story is being told through only one lens. Recent data suggests that young Americans are being shaped to view their country with contempt rather than complexity. But the root of our failures [read more]