Check out these recent articles from around the web:

Trump, Musk and Vance target the most vulnerable and attack Catholic ministries—and it’s working by John Carr: “These early actions of the Trump presidency and the plans of Republican leadership in Congress have one common element: They target the programs that serve those who are poor, sick or vulnerable at home and abroad.”

On anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Trump brings shame to America by MSW: “Trump’s trafficking in Russian propaganda, and his public disdain for NATO may well mark the end of the alliance. Like Elon Musk’s attacks on the federal bureaucracy, Trump on the world stage only destroys and dismantles; he never builds up. The alliance that curtailed Soviet aggression and kept the peace in the heart of Europe for 50 years can be discarded because it suits Trump’s self-image.”

Remember when we called POTUS the ‘leader of the free world’? by MSW: “President Trump, however, might kill NATO. And that should make us all remember Senator Arthur Vandenberg, the Republican Senator from Michigan who helped President Harry Truman enact the Marshall Plan and NATO — the two principal postwar instruments for avoiding a nuclear war with the Soviet Union while containing Soviet territorial expansionism.”

Washington’s new archbishop is progressive, outspoken — and ready to stand up by E.J. Dionne: “The new archbishop can listen respectfully to views different from his own, but he’s not one for cautious hedges or pious evasions.”

The Age of Trump Has Its Prophet: Pope Francis by David Gibson: “For this pope has emerged in the face of perilous global trends that have at times left the forces of liberal democracy reeling — nationalism, populism, disinformation, xenophobia, economic inequality and authoritarianism. A world without a pope like Francis will in some ways resemble a Hobbesian dystopia without a prophet pointing to our better angels or a sensible idealist showing a better way.”

Rethinking the Public-Private Divide by Michael Wear: “The two-sided coin is this: good formation for public life requires private disciplines, just as good formation for one’s inner life requires public disciplines. What we seek is to be integrated people who are learning from Jesus how to be like him in all of life, as we live our life with him. This requires taking the unseen seriously. It requires viewing moral knowledge as publicly valid and valuable.”

When the Scales Fell from Our Conservative Catholic Eyes by Mike Lewis: “The opposition to Pope Francis that coalesced in the wake of Amoris Laetitia has not only persisted and intensified; it has hardened. It has become institutionalized in much of the American Catholic Church. Bishops, media outlets, commentators, and influencers have made dissent from the pope’s teachings a defining feature of their identity. Entire apostolates exist primarily to critique or undermine his papacy. What once was unthinkable—publicly accusing the pope of heresy or implying he is a danger to the faith—is now routine in certain circles.”

Smartphones are cutting us off from God. Here’s what you can do by Elise Ureneck: “Recent data overwhelmingly reveals that teens and young adults feel their life has no meaning or purpose. While those phrases are often thought to indicate depression, he thinks they are signs of hopelessness — something more spiritual than clinical.”

Forget ‘return to office,’ Mr. President. That’s no way to fix a baby bust. by Timothy Carney: “The natural tension between work and family makes employers the most important players in any pro-family, pro-natal effort. And with nearly 2 million Americans calling Uncle Sam their boss, the U.S. government is the largest employer in the country. So if it became a relentlessly pro-family employer, we would almost certainly see more family formation.”

Columbia University’s Anti-Semitism Problem by Franklin Foer: “In this atmosphere, Columbia seems unlikely to reckon with the deeper causes of anti-Jewish abuse on its campus. But in its past—especially in its history of overcoming its discriminatory treatment of Jews—the institution has revealed itself capable of overcoming its biases, conscious and otherwise, against an excluded group. It has shown that it can stare hard at itself, channel its highest values, and find its way to a better course.”

Wes Moore Is Worried About Maryland’s Men by Sylvie McNamara: “It’s unusual for an elected Democrat to publicly speak about the struggles of men, let alone take steps to address them. To understand the significance of Maryland’s new initiative, we called Governor Moore and masculinity scholar Richard Reeves.”