President Trump announced what he calls the biggest oil deal in history: an agreement that could give the United States a controlling interest in the output from 17 Venezuelan oil fields containing a reported 65 billion barrels. The arrangement could reshape American energy security, revive Venezuela’s battered petroleum industry, and shift influence in the Western…
The New Cuba Sanctions: Security, Sovereignty, and Economic Pressure
The Trump administration has opened another front in its pressure campaign against Cuba. Yesterday, the United States sanctioned three leaders of the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples, commonly known as ICAP, along with nine government entities operating in construction, mining, metals, imports, tourism supply, and labor contracting. Secretary of State Marco Rubio accuses…
The Venezuela Aid Dilemma
Venezuela’s earthquake crisis has created the kind of moment that tests more than buildings, roads, and emergency systems. It tests judgment. It tests compassion. And, in Washington’s case, it tests whether America can walk and chew gum at the same time: help suffering people without accidentally handing a political gift basket to a government figure…
Power Without Righteousness Is Not Strength
Yesterday’s closed-door briefing to lawmakers on U.S. actions in Venezuela did little to resolve the most troubling questions raised by the operation. If anything, it exposed a widening gap between executive power and moral clarity. Members of Congress emerged divided not merely over tactics or outcomes, but over first principles: who authorizes force, what limits…
Power, Precedent, and the Perils of Unilateral Force: The High-Risk Gamble of Capturing Maduro
The U.S. military strike on Venezuela and the announced capture of Nicolás Maduro mark one of the most dramatic assertions of American power in the Western Hemisphere in decades. The operation will likely stand alongside the most consequential unilateral interventions of the modern era, not only because of its immediate tactical audacity but because of…
Why America’s Naval Move in the Caribbean Deserves Both Support and Scrutiny
When President Trump ordered the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group into the Caribbean to combat narco-terror networks, the world took notice. The decision—backed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth—wasn’t just a routine show of force. It was a declaration that America will no longer tolerate cartels poisoning our children, destabilizing our neighbors, and infiltrating…
Bombs, Boats, and the Battle Against the Bad Guys
President Trump recently decided that enough is enough when it comes to the drug cartels flooding our streets with fentanyl, cocaine, and all manner of misery. He’s officially labeled these cartels as “unlawful combatants,” a fancy legal way of saying, “We’re treating them like terrorists, not just criminals.” Under this new policy, the U.S. military…
Faith, Law, and the Alien Enemies Act
On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr.—appointed by President Trump himself—issued a permanent injunction against the Trump administration’s use of the Alien Enemies Act (AEA) of 1798 to deport alleged members of the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. For those of us who stand at the intersection of faith, constitutional conservatism, and common…
Wrong Tool for the Job: Why the Alien Enemies Act Was Misapplied
Yesterday, I wrote an article arguing that the Alien Enemies Act (AEA) was the wrong legal tool to deport members of Tren de Aragua (TdA)—a position that my fellow conservative over at The Conservative TAKE strongly disagrees with. You can read his counterargument here. While he raises some valid points, his overall argument is fundamentally…
Trump’s Pick for Secretary of State: Is Marco Rubio the Right Choice?
President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Senator Marco Rubio as Secretary of State. Let's delve into the pros and cons of this nomination. Pros: Foreign Policy Experience: Rubio has served on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, providing him with substantial insight into international affairs. His focus on Latin America, particularly his firm stance against oppressive regimes…
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