Editorial companion

What stands out

Dominik Tarczyński, a Polish Member of the European Parliament who says he literally grew up under communism, told Lara Trump that the fight against authoritarianism is personal and warned American students to pay attention. It matters because memories of totalitarianism do not stay politely overseas; they shape how a whole generation of European leaders frame free speech, education, and security. When someone with that biography speaks on a U.S. platform, it nudges public debate away from abstract theory and toward policy choices with real economic consequences.