The diplomatic temperature between the United States and Canada was already running warm before a growing number of Canadians decided that Pete Hoekstra, the U.S. ambassador in Ottawa, should be shown the door. An official House of Commons petition, opened July 21 and sponsored by Green Party MP Elizabeth May, has collected more than 105,000…
Reconsidering America’s Childhood Vaccine Recommendations
Childhood vaccines have somehow become one more subject that Americans are expected to discuss while wearing political jerseys. Question the government too aggressively, and one side calls you an anti-science crank. Defend established vaccines too confidently, and the other side assumes you receive handwritten Christmas cards from pharmaceutical executives. Such is the calm, reasonable state…
Visa Revocations and the Limits of American Entry
The Trump administration announced that the State Department has revoked more than 175,000 visas since President Trump returned to office, marking a significant expansion of immigration enforcement. According to the department, the affected foreign nationals violated visa conditions, committed crimes, defrauded Americans, abused the immigration system, called for violence against Americans, or threatened national security.…
The Senate’s New Sanctions Push Against Russia and Iran
The Senate has taken a major step toward dramatically increasing economic pressure on Russia, the countries purchasing its energy, and Iran. In an 86–12 procedural vote, senators advanced the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, although the measure still requires additional votes before it can pass the Senate and move to…
Mail-In Voting, Executive Power, and the Supreme Court
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…
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…
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…
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…
The Independent Christian Conservative 