January 7, 2026 - Hour 1

Segment 1: Calvin and Hobbes, New Year’s Resolutions, and VirtueBill Watterson’s Calvin of comic strip fame once declared that he refused to make New Year’s resolutions, because improving oneself implied that certain values were better than others, but because values are relative they are all equl – virtue is no better than vice. Marcus looks at how this strip serves as a commentary on our culture.Segment 2: Hope and Healing Conference for WidowsOur friends at WidowsMight.net are excited to host another conference, open to all widows who are navigating the next phase in their lives. Join them for a day of healing, hope, fellowship, and even some humor. Jen Thomm has the details.Segment 3: Trump urges Republican ‘flexibility’ on taxpayer-funded abortionsPresident Donald Trump is asking congressional Republicans to be more flexible on taxpayer funding for abortions as lawmakers continue to negotiate an extension to health care subsidies related to the Affordable Care Act. Peter Laffin joins us with more.Segment 4: The Dangers of Deepfake P*rnReports have surfaced of people, including teens, using the “Grok” AI chatbot to create pornographic images of classmates, neighbors, and others. This presents a challenge parents of previous generations never could have imagined. Marcus discusses what we can do. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit avemariapm.substack.com