Welcome to Home & Away. It has been a disquieting, unsettling week. Three awful things happened, any one of which would have been more than enough to make us uneasy.
There was the terrible situation at Brown University, where two students were killed, and several others injured by a gunman who, it turned out, had previously killed a professor at MIT.
Fifteen people – ranging in age from a ten-year-old girl to an 87-year-old holocaust survivor – were massacred on Sydney’s Bondi Beach by a father and son who reportedly supported the Islamic State and were radicalized in the Philippines.
People had gathered at the beach to celebrate Hanukkah, a holiday commemorating the triumph of Jewish freedom fighters (the Maccabees) who defeated a much stronger Greek-Syrian army and took back possession of the holy temple over 2,000 years ago. The tradition is that they only found one day’s worth of oil needed for the ceremony to re-dedicate the temple, but that the oil miraculously lasted for eight days. Hence the eight-day holiday and its name, which translates to “dedication.”
While so many Jewish holidays are somber, Hanukkah is a welcome exception. But not this year. We say in Judaism “May his (or her) memory be for a blessing” when someone dies. It is stated by all who mourn in the hope that we will recall the good that the person accomplished in their lives rather than their passing. So yes, for the fifteen whose lives were cut short, may their memories be for a blessing.
But may their cold-blooded murder also be for a warning. Anti-Semitism and the violence fueled by it are on the rise. Whatever the motive, it needs to be delegitimized by political and religious leaders alike. Jews need to be protected in their societies. And those who incite or carry out attacks must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Out of Character
Alas, there is one more set of deaths to mention: the disturbing, gruesome murder of Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele, allegedly by their deeply troubled son.
What made it all so affecting is that Rob Reiner was someone we came of age with in the 1970s. Many of us were Meathead at one time or another, the boy the girl brought home whom the father never quite approved of. And then Reiner went on to create a number of classic films that we all saw more than once and can still recite lines from: This is Spinal Tap, The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally, A Few Good Men. What a talent; what a shame that his life was cut short.
What made it all worse (if that is even possible) was the reaction of the president. Here is what Trump posted on Truth Social, worth reading in full: “Rob Reiner, a tortured and struggling, but once very talented movie director and comedy star, has passed away, together with his wife, Michele, reportedly due to the anger he caused others through his massive, unyielding, and incurable affliction with a mind crippling disease known as TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME, sometimes referred to as TDS. He was known to have driven people CRAZY by his raging obsession of President Donald J. Trump, with his obvious paranoia reaching new heights as the Trump Administration surpassed all goals and expectations of greatness, and with the Golden Age of America upon us, perhaps like never before. May Rob and Michele rest in peace!”
It is hard to comprehend this level of narcissism – even this family tragedy is all about him – and the absence of any trace of sympathy, empathy, or decency. That Trump has also posted plaques at the White House (under portraits of previous presidents) that demean and insult them is consistent with the above. The final event in this sequence was the announcement that the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts will henceforth be known as the Trump-Kennedy Center. It has a feeling of sacrilege. One can only wonder what is next. The Trump-Washington Monument? Unfortunately, nothing is unimaginable or off-limits for this president and his sycophants.
We like to comfort ourselves by repeating that we are a nation of laws not men, but the truth in large part is that we are a nation of men (and women) and we are currently ruled by someone whose character is deficient. It is near impossible to imagine a parent holding out any of this to a child as behavior to be modeled – but we should demand and expect behavior worth emulating from the occupant of the Oval Office.
News You Can Choose
It was an important week for economic news. New numbers were released showing that the unemployment rate had increased to 4.6%. We may be seeing a delinking of economic growth and job creation, something likely to get more pronounced as AI burrows into every crevice of the economy. Much more welcome at the White House was Thursday’s announcement that inflation was down to 2.7%, a trend (if it were to persist) that would allow the Fed to continue to cut interest rates.
My sense is that this news did far more good for Trump than his Wednesday night address to the nation. I suspect the speech persuaded few Americans. It was not just the style in which it was delivered – the rushed, shouting voice – but its message. It is never good when a political leader tries to convince voters that things are better than what they are seeing and feeling. And the president cannot get away with blaming his predecessor given that Trump has been in office for close to a year and his own signature policy (tariffs) is in no small part responsible for our economic woes.
Meeting the Press
The other big White House story concerns the chief of staff, Susie Wiles, who spent a good deal of time over the past year opening up to Chris Whipple of Vanity Fair. I find it difficult to disagree with much of what Wiles (the daughter of former Giants kicker and legendary broadcaster Pat Summerall) told him. Her critical takes on quite a few members of the team (Stephen Miller, JD Vance, Pam Bondi, Elon Musk) and her questioning of policies (including tariffs, Trump’s desire for retribution, the lack of sustained focus on the economy) hit the mark.
The interesting question is why she did it. It stretches credulity to attribute it to confusion over ground rules or bad faith on the part of Whipple. Maybe she felt the need to unburden herself. Or she may have underestimated its impact. But at least one other explanation make sense, namely that Wiles (who ran Trump’s campaign and who many believed, or at least hoped, would provide adult supervision in this White House) was increasingly shut out of things, grew frustrated by the improvisational chaos that passes for decision-making in the second Trump administration, and decided to reach the president through the media. He doesn’t seem to mind all that much about the interview and made clear she is staying on; the question is whether her influence grows or wanes over time.
A Quick Trip Abroad
There are three international stories I want to briefly address. One is Venezuela, where U.S. pressure on the regime is mounting. Wiles made clear that the policy is about regime change, not blowing up drug boats. The question remains what this administration is prepared to do should the economic pressure (intercepting more and more tankers carrying oil) not bring about the desired result.
Then there is Europe. It is worth noting comments by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz that the era of Pax Americana is ending, and that Europe must come to rely on itself rather than on a United States that is self-interested and focused elsewhere. It is not just that many Europeans view the crisis in Ukraine differently, but also that they worry about a Trump administration that seems more intent on expanding commercial ties with Russia than on deterring it. One problem, though, is that Europe is not yet ready to be self-sufficient; its inability to agree on making frozen Russian financial assets available to Ukraine was not a good sign. The new loan that it is prepared to offer Ukraine is a second-best option.
Last, there was the surprising news (surprising to me at least) that the Trump administration has approved one of the largest ($11 billion) packages of advanced arms for Taiwan. It is a welcome sign that the desire for better economic ties with China, and for the president’s visit to go ahead this spring, has not trumped (so to speak) strategic considerations.
The Sporting Life
The Heisman Trophy, awarded each year to college football’s best player, went to Fernando Mendoza, the quarterback of undefeated (and this year’s Cinderella) Indiana. Mendoza was not someone destined for this achievement. Making it all even better is that Mendoza is a class act. Coaches and parents ought to make sure young athletes get to hear his gracious and inspirational comments after winning the award.
The same cannot be said about Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia, who posted an expletive-filled rant against the Heisman voters after he came in second. He later apologized, but the damage was done. My guess is he will pay for it when it comes to his place in the NFL draft and endorsements. Hopefully he will learn. But let’s dwell on the positive and Mendoza. It is nice to see Leo Durocher proved wrong and for nice guys to finish first.
The Holiday Spirit
As I write this, we are making our way through the second half of Hanukkah and are less than a week away from Christmas. I hope everyone gets to celebrate one or the other (or both) with family and friends. I also think we should all celebrate the winter solstice on December 21. Every day thereafter the ratio of darkness to light shifts in the latter’s favor. Which, among other things, means that the golf season is approaching.
I suggest you all get some time away from the office and from the news. We can all use a break. The world permitting, I will try to do my part and not produce another edition of Home & Away until late December or even early January. Thank you for being a loyal reader…and wishing you not just a wonderful holiday but a good 2026 in all the ways that truly count.