Usually I put some sort of warm-up here, but this week I’m just going to get right to it and say:
I couldn’t be more thrilled that Abigail Shrier is our new advice columnist. You know Abigail from her books and her fantastic columns for us. I know her as a friend. And so believe me when I say—not that it isn’t already abundantly clear—that Abigail is not afraid to speak her mind. And she’s almost always right.
Who better to ask the first question for the appropriately named Tough Love with Abigail Shrier than Nellie Bowles?
What is Nellie worried about? The news, naturally enough. Here’s a taste: “I worry about where things are going. I worry about the various political rages. About the extremes that threaten my nice, peaceful life. Calm, sober people I know are talking about coming up with backup plans. I worry about artificial intelligence causing widespread psychosis, and I worry about masses of unemployed white-collar workers starting a violent revolution. (I’m totally serious.) And I’m feeling anxious about making any long-term plans because of it.”
What does Abigail advise my wife? You’re going to have to read the whole thing to find out. But this is going to be one of those columns that alone is worth the price of subscribing to The Free Press.
Got a question for fearless Abigail? You can send it to her here.
What Gender Doctors Say in Private
In 2022, Alabama banned medical gender transition for minors. That, in turn, sparked a lawsuit from left-wing advocacy groups like the Human Rights Campaign and the Southern Poverty Law Center.
During the discovery process, the state of Alabama got its hands on damning information about the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, or WPATH. And to research a truly astounding piece, Leor Sapir reviewed videos from WPATH conferences. What he saw and wrote blew my mind.
This is a long piece and you’re going to read the whole thing. Each section is more shocking than the next. But one major takeaway is that these doctors understand that they are, in some ways, just making up the rules as they go along. “Because I feel like we’re all just winging it, you know?” says one doctor during a session about novel procedures performed on vulnerable young people. “And which is okay, you’re winging it too. But maybe we can just, like, wing it together.”
You need to read this piece. Don’t take my word for it, take J.K. Rowling’s.
Why This Man Is Giving $6 Billion to America’s Kids
Michael Dell runs one of the biggest tech companies on the planet—one he started with just $1,000 dollars in his pocket. In an exclusive essay for us, he explains why he’s giving away $6.25 billion to supplement the Invest America initiative, in which the U.S. Treasury will deposit $1,000 in an investment account for every child born in the U.S.
“These accounts are tax-advantaged, structured for long-term growth, and meant to help children build financial momentum from the very beginning,” Dell writes. “Families can contribute, others can add to it, and by age 18, that account could help pay for education, job training, a first home, or future savings. It’s a simple idea, but a powerful one. Everyone starts with something. Everyone has a stake.”
I know it seems like everything in the news is awful these days. But this is a great thing—a real reason to feel optimistic about the future. Dell’s contribution to the effort will provide an additional $250 to 25 million American kids. “By the time a child turns 18, their account could be worth thousands,” Dell notes—and they can do whatever they like with it. But they will have become financially literate, and financial literacy is not something America traditionally does a good job of teaching to our young people.
Dell is lucky; he learned about money from his parents. Now he’s giving back in a way that should make you feel hopeful that the American dream will endure.
David Mamet on Tom Stoppard
There are a lot of stories I wish I could devote some time to here this week. Dominic Green wrote a chilling essay on whether Britain will soon devolve into a low-grade civil war. Elliot Ackerman had an insightful piece on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Read them both—and everything else we’ve published this week. It’s just been banger after banger, as the kids say.
But last weekend, we lost a great artist in Tom Stoppard, the legendary playwright who created classics like Arcadia and Leopoldstadt. Throughout his career, he was always a tribune of the oppressed—especially those in Europe enduring Soviet domination. Speaking up for such dissidents was often unfashionable in the UK, but Stoppard was never shy about it. You know who else isn’t shy? David Mamet, who remembered his old acquaintance in a forthright yet lovely piece about Stoppard, Jews, and playwriting.
I won’t give more away. Just know that this is David Mamet writing about Tom Stoppard.
That’s it for me this week. Check out a special Ancient Wisdom from the legendary Dick Van Dyke on Sunday as he approaches his 100th birthday. And on Monday, be on the lookout for an exclusive excerpt from Charlie Kirk’s final book, which will be published next week. It’s called Stop, in the Name of God: Why Honoring the Sabbath Will Transform Your Life. The excerpt will also feature a lovely introduction from Erika Kirk. And mark your calendars: I’ll be moderating a town hall with Erika on CBS on December 13 at 8 p.m. ET.
See you next week.
We love you Bari.
I was disappointed that comments were turned off for David Mamet’s encomium for Tom Stoppard. But after reading some of the earlier comments can understand why.
What I had wanted to note was Stoppard's brilliant observation: “it’s not voting that makes democracy. It’s the counting.”