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Article by Adam Entous of the New York Times

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/12/30/world/europe/ukraine-war-us-russia.html

We trace Ukraine’s war from early U.S.–Ukraine partnership to a fragile “separation,” where support is uneven, Europe scales up late, and a DMZ-style end state competes with continued attrition. Adam Entous of the New York Times lays out the battlefield, the backchannels, and the choices that could lock in peace—or prolong risk.

• The shift from artillery dominance to drone warfare and frozen lines
• Why Donetsk and Luhansk are strategic, not just symbolic
• Security guarantees as deterrence architecture short of NATO
• Sanctions and Ukrainian drone strikes targeting Russian refineries
• U.S. policy splits: munitions for Ukraine vs Indo-Pacific stockpiles
• The Whitkoff–Kushner channel and Russia’s “inevitability” narrative
• Europe’s rearmament and the slow ramp of 155 mm production
• Russian incompetence vs Ukrainian resilience on the ground
• What a DMZ-style settlement might require to hold

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Forget the tinsel and crowns—let’s meet the Magi where history lives. We sit down with Fr. Dwight Longenecker, author of The Mystery of the Magi, to rethink the famous journey to Bethlehem through the lenses of archaeology, geopolitics, and Scripture. Instead of mystical monarchs following a neon star, we explore a compelling alternative: Nabataean court advisors—astrologers and diplomats—from Petra, navigating trade routes, Roman power, and Herod’s volatile court.

We dig into why Matthew includes the Magi while Luke doesn’t, and how reading the Bible with historical context can strip away later legends without losing wonder. Fr. Longenecker maps the power players of the era—Rome, Herod the Great, and the Nabataeans—and explains how Aretas IV’s shaky throne and dependence on Roman goodwill could have sparked a diplomatic mission to Judea. The gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh move from pure symbolism to economic fingerprints of Arabian trade, pointing to a real origin and a recognizable protocol of royal homage.

And the star? We weigh leading theories: supernatural sign, astrological reading, or rare astronomical event. Rather than a celestial spotlight dragging caravans across dunes, Matthew suggests discerning signs that prompt a journey to Jerusalem and then to Bethlehem. Along the way, we call out Gnostic embellishments—like the “burning baby in the sky”—and return to a leaner, stronger account where faith and reason meet. If you care about biblical history, Epiphany, or how ancient trade networks intersected with theology, this conversation brings the Nativity’s most enigmatic visitors into crisp focus.

If the reframe sparks your curiosity, follow the show, share this episode with a friend who loves history, and leave a review with your take on who the Magi really were.

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Merry Christmas everyone!!! This is a re-run but one of my most popular podcasts about the beloved Charlie Brown. Who doesn't love the Charlie brown Christmas Tree? I hope all of you are captured by the wonder of this season, surrounded by love and to remember what it is to love. God Bless all Look forward to everyone in the New Year.

Michele McAloon

We explore how Charles Schulz turned Peanuts into a cultural mirror for Cold War fear, public faith, and civil rights, and why that gentle, open style still disarms a polarized audience. Historian Blake Scott Ball joins us to trace the choices behind Linus’s blanket, Franklin’s debut, and a Christmas scripture that nearly didn’t air.

• Schulz’s Midwestern roots, WWII service, and shy start in art
• The syndicate’s Peanuts title and Schulz’s pushback
• Vulnerability as cultural critique in the 1950s
• Linus’s security blanket as language for anxiety
• Faith voiced through Linus and the Christmas pageant
• The A Charlie Brown Christmas gamble with Luke 2
• School prayer, God and country in public life
• Franklin’s integration and Schulz’s ultimatum to editors
• Media fragmentation and the changing “family audience”
• Why Peanuts endures for new generations