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Good morning, Roca Nation. Here are today’s four need-to-know stories:
While meeting with President Zelensky, President Trump declined to provide Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles (free)
Israel conducted a series of airstrikes across Gaza in response to alleged attacks on its forces, marking the most serious test of the week-old ceasefire
President Trump commuted the prison sentence of former Representative George Santos, releasing him after he served fewer than three months of a seven-year sentence
Venezuela mobilized troops along its Caribbean coast while the head of the US Southern Command announced his end-of-year departure (free)
By Max Towey
2020 really brought out the crazy in America.
The combination of a deadly pandemic, racial reckoning, and presidential election didn’t mix well. The concoction set cities on fire, defunded the police, forced diners to put on masks between bites, plummeted trust in vaccines and elections, and resulted in a storming of the Capitol led by a vegan white nationalist wearing a Viking helmet.
The result was a major deterioration in institutional trust. We’ve repeatedly written about how this impacted the media, yet another institution suffered perhaps even more: Academy. A recent Gallup survey found that just 35% of Americans approve of public universities. For the Ivy League, just 15% of the public places “a great deal” of trust in them to act in the public’s interest. It’s no wonder the Trump Administration can push them around with so little political pushback.
To be fair, distrust in Ivy League schools is nothing new. The famed conservative writer William F. Buckley Jr. reportedly said decades ago, “I’d rather entrust the government of the United States to the first 400 people listed in the Boston telephone directory than to the faculty of Harvard University.”
But the animus toward the Ivy League is now stronger and more widespread than ever before. One recent University of Chicago survey found that 30% of independents consider Ivy League colleges the “enemy.”
Ivy League defenders might retort that the country is getting dumber and more prone to misinformation. Of course people don’t trust Harvard, its distinguished faculty, and its world-changing research.
Critics, meanwhile, may be most inclined to point out two things: The universities’ near-total ideological one-sidedness (Harvard could squeeze every conservative faculty member into a pantry) and a series of head-scratching decisions that seem to rest more on ideology than data.
One example of the latter is the Ivy League’s decision to suspend its entire 2020-2021 athletic seasons, making it the only Division I conference to do so.
Yet another questionable decision was even more significant: Eliminating standardized tests from the admissions process.
Now, five years later, the same universities are rushing back to them. That made us wonder: What happened when elite schools nixed SATs? Why are they now bringing them back? What do the data say?
That’s what we explore in today’s deep-dive.
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Editor’s Note
We tried out a new kind of article yesterday, an essay that we thought you all might find interesting. Your feedback suggests that you loved it and want more such stories, so we’ll incorporate more in the future.
The article looked at “the right stuff” – the term journalist Tom Wolfe used to describe what made the first astronauts special. (If you missed it, read it here.) We asked if anyone had the right stuff in 2025. We received a ton of replies, both about that and the article generally.
Matt wrote:
Fellas - I've been reading Roca for years. I think since the beginning? Anyway - amongst a collection of great material, "The Right Stuff" from today is next-level. This needs to be read by everyone and published everywhere. I've voted mostly liberal in my life, but I abhor to align myself with some of the democratic "leaders" just as much as I disagree with the words and actions of some on the right. Where is the integrity? Since when has this "hit them back, but twice as hard" mentality equated to leadership? You took the thoughts and emotions that I've had internally for a long time and put them perfectly into words. Thank you. I'm now a subscriber.
Dennis wrote:
It is rare that I have the patience to read a lengthy article on my phone. Sorry, short and sweet, to the point, give me the facts and I'll get there on my own. Thanks. But for whatever reason, I started reading this article and it hit doh, re, and mi, so many notes that I felt like I couldn't stop reading it.
More importantly, Max nailed it. Both sides are at fault, and nobody has the brass to show that they have the right stuff. And the result is a dysfunctional and failing government, a divided populous, and mutual belief of opposing hatred.
What we need is another MLK Jr. We need a person who sees the good in everyone rather than the bad. And that passion will trump pride for the result of unifying America.
Absent that person, my hopes for the future of America are dim.
Thanks for your courage to post this article.
Maggie wrote:
The press would no doubt find something they could skew, but I'm impressed with Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma.
Whitney wrote:
Thanks for this article. While it reads as more of an opinion piece than what you guys are usually known for, I couldn’t help but wonder if you were channeling some of the courage you were writing about.
Being one of your readers in New Zealand, it reminded me very much of our former Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern. From nearly the moment she took office (at the age of 37 no less), she led the country through crisis after crisis - from natural disaster to terrorist attack to global pandemic - with heart, courage, empathy, and clarity, all while navigating the challenges of new motherhood.
Last night, my husband and I watched the recent documentary about her time in office. It was fascinating to see and hear the fear, self-doubt, and exhaustion she was battling through it all. The weight of leadership is a heavy burden to bear. There will always be those who use it as an opportunity to acquire wealth and power, and those who see it as an opportunity to better the lives of others. In my opinion, she is an example of the latter.
Aroha nui and Kia kaha (much love and stay strong)
And, for good measure, Kevin wrote:
You manage to p off almost everyone. Obviously, you don’t have the right stuff either.
And if you haven’t read them yet, find our past five stories below:
Thanks for reading,
Max and Max
