During a recent discussion about rising energy costs, President Trump offered a characteristically blunt assessment of the situation. The United States, he argued, is now the world’s largest oil producer, so when oil prices go up, “we make a lot of money.” On the surface, that sounds logical enough. If you sell something and the…
Spies, Security, and the Fourth Amendment: The Never-Ending Fight Over FISA Section 702
Every few years, Washington dusts off one of its most awkward debates: whether the federal government should continue using Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to conduct warrantless surveillance of foreign targets. The argument has returned again, and like clockwork, it has managed to unite some very strange political bedfellows. Civil libertarians…
The 2020 Election Zombie
American politics has always had a tendency to hold grudges, but the lingering battle over the 2020 election might be one of the most stubborn political aftershocks in modern history. Most elections fade into the background once the ballots are counted, the lawsuits are resolved, and the next cycle begins. The 2020 election, however, has…
Trump’s “Shield of the Americas”: Bold Strategy or Just Another War on Drugs?
Every few decades, Washington rediscovers something that most Americans already know: drug cartels are violent, wealthy, and deeply embedded in international networks that are extremely difficult to dismantle. The rediscovery is usually followed by a familiar sequence of events: stern speeches, bold promises, and a new policy initiative with a name designed to sound decisive.…
Why Teen Gender Transition Shouldn’t Be a Political Experiment
I never bother watching the State of the Union address. It’s nothing more than an opportunity for the president—whether Democrat or Republican—to spin the truth in their favor. So, I didn’t watch last night. I simply read summaries of Trump’s speech. One thing that stood out for me was the fact that Democrats refused to…
SCOTUS Draws a Hard Line on Tariffs
The Supreme Court’s recent decision striking down President Trump’s sweeping emergency tariff program wasn’t some vague procedural technicality. It was a direct constitutional confrontation over who has the authority to impose tariffs and how far a president can stretch an emergency statute to achieve economic policy goals. In Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump, the Court…
Why Is the DOJ Tracking Lawmakers’ Epstein File Searches?
The latest eyebrow-raising twist in the Epstein saga isn’t just about what’s buried inside the files. It’s about reports that the Department of Justice has been tracking lawmakers’ searches of those very records, monitoring who’s looking, and possibly what they’re looking for. Let that sink in. Members of Congress—people with oversight authority over federal agencies—access…
When Politics Meets the Chain of Command
There are political skirmishes that flare up, dominate a news cycle, and disappear. Then there are moments that quietly test the structural integrity of the republic. This controversy falls into the second category. Last fall, six Democratic lawmakers appeared in a video urging U.S. service members to refuse illegal orders. That message, resurfacing in today’s…
Howard Lutnick and the Long, Uncomfortable Shadow of Jeffrey Epstein
Let’s just say it plainly: no one wants their name anywhere near Jeffrey Epstein’s. Not in a headline. Not in a footnote. Not even in the same paragraph. And yet here we are, with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick facing renewed scrutiny over past associations within elite financial and social circles where Epstein also operated. Now,…
Ed Markey, Trump, and the Limits of Election Rhetoric
Sen. Ed Markey didn’t wake up one morning seized by a sudden desire to protect the delicate architecture of American federalism. His Senate resolution condemning President Trump’s remarks about “nationalizing” elections is, without question, a political act. It’s meant to draw contrast, mobilize a base, and frame Republicans as hostile to democratic norms heading into…
The Independent Christian Conservative 