Another election year, another courtroom battle over voting rules. At this point, constitutional lawyers might as well keep overnight bags packed beside their desks. The Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to suspend lower-court rulings blocking portions of the President’s executive order on citizenship verification and mail-in voting. The request would allow the administration…
Laura Loomer Reconsiders Russia’s War in Ukraine
Laura Loomer’s trip to Ukraine has produced one of the more unexpected political reversals of the year. The outspoken conservative activist and close Trump ally, who spent years criticizing Ukraine and repeating narratives favorable to Moscow, now says she was “bamboozled” by Russian propaganda. After traveling near the eastern front, meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy,…
Trump’s Iran Warning and the Fight Over the Strait of Hormuz
President Trump has issued Iran a blunt warning: Every time Iranian forces attack a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, the United States will destroy an Iranian bridge or power plant, including potentially those in or near Tehran. The threat comes amid renewed American airstrikes, continued Iranian attacks on commercial shipping, and the collapse of…
Trump’s New Canada Tariffs and the Debate Over Fair Trade
The latest chapter in the increasingly tense U.S.-Canada relationship involves trade barriers, dairy quotas, provincial liquor bans, automobile policy, and, hovering strangely in the background, wildfire smoke. President Trump has signed three proclamations imposing additional 50 percent tariffs on a range of Canadian imports beginning August 19. The duties will affect nearly $20 billion in…
The Air Force One Leak Investigation and the Boundaries of Press Freedom
The Justice Department’s attempt to identify confidential sources behind The New York Times’ reporting on the Qatari-gifted Air Force One jet has created a serious clash between two legitimate public interests: protecting national-security information and preserving a free press capable of investigating the government. The Hill reported that the DOJ sought communications records connected to…
The Debate Over Testosterone Screening
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered annual testosterone-deficiency screening for all active-duty and reserve personnel aged 30 and older. Testing will become part of the military’s Periodic Health Assessment, while younger service members may request it voluntarily. Hegseth says any resulting testosterone replacement therapy will remain optional. The July 15 Pentagon memorandum declares the requirement…
The House Debate Over the Future of U.S. Aid to Israel
The House has delivered one of those votes that fails legislatively but succeeds politically. Rep. Thomas Massie’s amendment to the fiscal 2027 State Department appropriations bill was defeated 314–104, with 10 members voting present. Yet the most revealing number was 103. That was the number of Democrats who joined Massie, the lone Republican supporter, in…
Who Should Enforce the Supreme Court’s Ethics Code?
The Supreme Court finally adopted a formal code of conduct in 2023, committing its members to uphold judicial integrity, avoid actual or apparent impropriety, remain impartial, disclose relevant financial interests, and refrain from political activity. What the code didn’t establish was an independent process for investigating alleged violations or determining whether a justice had failed…
Nancy Mace Weighs a Run for South Carolina’s Open Senate Seat
The sudden death of Sen. Lindsey Graham has left South Carolina facing an unusually compressed and consequential decision. Gov. Henry McMaster must appoint a temporary replacement, while candidates prepare for a special Republican primary scheduled for August 11, a possible runoff on August 25, and the general election on November 3. Filing begins July 21,…
Trump’s Election Commission Shake-Up
President Trump’s decision to remove the remaining leadership of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission has opened yet another front in the seemingly endless battle over how American elections should be administered and who should be trusted to administer them. Trump fired Democratic commissioners Thomas Hicks and Benjamin Hovland, while Republican commissioner Christy McCormick resigned after…
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