Day: April 16, 2026

Americans Are Pessimistic About Their Political System

Buck Banks

“People in higher-income countries are generally more likely to say their nation’s political system needs only minor or no changes, according to recent Pew Research Center surveys. Conversely, people in middle-income countries are more likely to say their political system needs major changes or complete reform. … The United States, however, is a notable exception to this pattern. Despite having the highest gross domestic product (GDP) per capita of any of our surveyed countries, 77% of Americans say the nation’s political system needs major changes or complete reform.”

— Pew Research

JD Vance, the Unconstitutional Catholic

Buck Banks

“Trump might have moved on, and Vance, a relatively recent convert to Catholicism, would have been able to stay out of a dustup between his president and his spiritual leader. But no. Vance just had to speak up. He could have taken his cues from John F. Kennedy or Mario Cuomo, Catholic politicians who were careful to note that their faith was personal and important to them, but that in their public life, they must govern as Americans according to the Constitution. … Vance decided on a different approach: The pope, he implied, wasn’t a very good, or very smart, Catholic.”

— Tom Nichols

Franklin Graham Didn’t See No Halo

Buck Banks

“When I looked at the illustration, I didn’t jump to the same conclusion as some. There were no spiritual references — no halo, there were no crosses, no angels. It was a flag, soldiers, a nurse, fighter planes, eagles, the Statue of Liberty, and I think this is a lot to do about nothing.”

— “Franklin Graham, one of the nation’s most prominent Christian evangelists and a booster of President Donald Trump, said he does not believe the president knowingly depicted himself as Jesus in a now-deleted post on social media, dismissing the backlash as overblown,” Politico reports.