Welcome back—and Happy New Year! I hope everyone has had some quality time over the past week or two to relax and enjoy friends, family, and (of course) football. Here are some highlights from the past two weeks.

I have had two columns since our last newsletter. First, I wrote a column about my recent marriage (on Sunday, December 17) and lamented how marriage these days is unfortunately something of a countercultural phenomenon. Whereas marriage prioritizes mutual sacrifice and subordinating one's ego and desires to the good of the couple entity, America (and the broader West) has now raised successive generations to believe in nothing whatsoever other than themselves, their own egos, and their own superficial desires. But marriage and the nuclear family are the bedrock institutions of any stable civilization, so the West shuns marriage at its own existential peril. Second, I wrote a column sketching out some things I'd like to see on my 2024 "wish list"—namely, a defeat for President Joe Biden at the November general election ballot box, an end to America's debilitating drug overdose epidemic, an end to U.S. involvement/entanglement in our useless proxy war in Ukraine, and full-scale support for our ally Israel's existential defensive war against the forces of jihadist barbarism. There are, of course, many, many more things I'd like to see happen this year in our broader politics and culture—but that right there would be a pretty great start!

I have had two podcast episodes since our last newsletter. First, I discussed my recent wedding, analyzed the continuing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and the recent harrowing spate of Iran-backed Houthi rebel attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea, and excoriated the Colorado Supreme Court's dangerous ruling (since copied by the Maine secretary of state) to disqualify former President Donald Trump from the state's 2024 ballot. You can listen to that first episode on Apple, Spotify, or here. Second, I discussed the looming possibility of World War III on President Joe Biden's shameful watch, dissected the media's nonstop distortions of the Israel-Hamas war, and criticized the U.S. Supreme Court's awful decision not to take up a Seventh Circuit case that held the Second Amendment does not protect so-called "assault weapons." You can listen to that second episode on Apple, Spotify, or here. Also, a reminder: My show is now officially in radio! If you are a radio station manager interested in bringing my show to your station, please email Jesse Edwards: j.edwards@newsweek.com.

In terms of other articles and media hits since our last newsletter, I joined "Newsline" on Newsmax to discuss Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) parroting baseless Hamas propaganda and an anti-Semitic, historically illiterate priest who got off scot-free on CNN; joined the "Chris Salcedo Show" on Newsmax to discuss Joe Biden's remarkable unpopularity and the The New York Times' unpersuasive attempt to rehabilitate the image of presidential prodigal son Hunter Biden; joined "In Focus" one One America News Network to discuss Nikki Haley's inexplicable failure to understand the U.S. Civil War and President Biden's continued struggles amidst historically low approval ratings; joined NTD News to discuss the latest updates from the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza; joined "Sunday Agenda" on Newsmax to discuss vile pro-Hamas "protestors" (i.e., domestic terrorists) shutting down the World Trade Center and major airports in New York City and L.A.; joined "Newsline" on Newsmax to discuss some of the mainstream media's biggest lies in 2023—including the consistent lie that there is "no evidence" to implicate Joe Biden in his son's wrongdoings; joined the "Chris Salcedo Show" on Newsmax to discuss the U.S. military's dystopian prioritization of transgender "inclusion" amidst massive foreign threats and Governor Mike DeWine's (R-Ohio) shameful failure to protect innocent children and women's sports in Ohio; and joined John Bachman on Newsmax Plus to discuss Biden's border disaster, biological men competing in women's boxing, 2024 presidential politics, and more.

Our additional highlighted right-leaning Newsweek op-eds from the past two weeks include selections from Mark Davis, Kevin Sabet, Jonathan Tobin, and Joseph Epstein.

As a programming note, I will be off next week; I'm flying tomorrow to Israel for about a week. I'm participating in a small group delegation trip, and our action-packed itinerary includes what will assuredly be a very somber visit to the Gaza Envelope border towns ravaged by Hamas on Oct. 7. I will also be a panelist at an exciting conference next Thursday, Jan. 11, at the Bible Lands Museum in Jerusalem; the self-explanatory conference title is, "Wake-up Call From Gaza: Putting an End to the Two-State Paradigm." Once back stateside, I can't wait to report back on what should be an invigorating, emotionally powerful, and camaraderie-building trip to the Holy Land.

Thanks for subscribing! Please share the word about this newsletter throughout your social circles. We'll be back in two weeks!