Should We Swap ‘Defense’ for ‘War’?

President Trump recently signed an executive order that dusted off an old name from America’s past: the Department of War. Under this order, the Department of Defense is now permitted to use its original, historical title as a kind of “second name.” And in a nod to tradition, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is also cleared…

When Due Process and National Security Collide

Last Friday, Judge Jia M. Cobb, who serves on the bench in D.C., handed down a ruling that essentially hit the brakes on President Trump’s expanded expedited removal policy. For years, expedited removal has been on the books as a kind of fast-track deportation system. It was limited in scope: if someone was caught within…

Righteous Judgment or Political Revenge? A Look at the Bolton Search

On Friday morning, just as most folks were pouring their first cup of coffee, FBI agents showed up at John Bolton’s Bethesda, Maryland home and his Washington, D.C. office with court-approved search warrants in hand. The early-morning raid wasn’t routine; it marked a major escalation in a long-dormant national security investigation. At the heart of…

An Analysis of Trump’s Decision to Arm Ukraine

Today, President Trump green-lit a NATO-backed arms deal that will send Patriot missile systems and possibly long-range weapons to Ukraine. This new arrangement—quietly hammered out between Washington and NATO—has President Trump giving the go-ahead for European allies to send their own military systems to Ukraine, including air defenses and potentially long-range missiles. The U.S. will…

An Analysis of the Recent Trump Asylum Ruling

On July 2, a major legal ruling shook the immigration debate when U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss struck down one of President Trump’s most aggressive attempts to rein in the chaos at the southern border. The case centered on a sweeping executive proclamation issued by the president on January 20—his first day back in office—declaring…

Ceasefires and Crossroads: A Look at the Iran–Israel Pause

After a relentless exchange of fire between Iran and Israel—and a thunderous U.S. airstrike on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure—President Trump announced a ceasefire. It was a hopeful moment... for about five minutes. But then, during a NATO summit last night, President Trump announced that the ceasefire was back on. So far, it’s held longer than the…

Taking Stock of the U.S. Strikes on Iran

In the pre-dawn hours of June 22, 2025 (Iranian time), President Trump gave the green light for a high-stakes military operation targeting Iran’s most heavily fortified nuclear installations at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. This was no ordinary strike: the U.S. unleashed some of its most sophisticated firepower, including six 30,000-pound GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators—colossal bunker-busting…