Part one of a two-part analysis, partly based on my recent visit to Svalbard. As many focus on the world’s largest island, Greenland, and President Trump’s aggressive efforts to acquire it, another strategic Arctic island, nearby Svalbard, may be an even more likely future point of contention and conflict. Not a conflict between the U.S. and […]
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is proposing $10 million in state aid for businesses in Minneapolis and surrounding areas that he says have suffered economic losses amid heightened federal immigration enforcement. Walz’s comments came after White House border advisor Tom Homan announced Thursday that most Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers would be withdrawn from Minneapolis […]
Republican Karrin Taylor Robson has suspended her campaign for Arizona governor, becoming the first major GOP candidate to exit the 2026 race. Robson, who previously secured President Donald Trump’s endorsement in the contest, announced Thursday that she was stepping aside to avoid a divisive primary that could weaken Republicans ahead of the general election. Her […]
Washington is racing toward yet another deadline — and once again, the clock may win. From a looming Homeland Security funding lapse to a sweeping deportation ruling and fresh turmoil over federal prosecutors, today’s headlines trace the widening fault lines between Congress, the courts and the White House. DHS Funding Collapses as Senate Democrats Block […]
Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley is calling for the indictment of Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison over allegations that Ellison accepted campaign contributions from individuals later charged in a massive pandemic-era fraud scheme. During a Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing Thursday, Hawley questioned Ellison about his interactions with individuals connected to the Feeding Our Future case, […]
It should be self-evident that a society should require greater training to sit in judgment over citizens than to cut their hair. Yet in West Virginia, the opposite is true. To become a barber, the state demands 1,200 hours of schooling at a licensed institution or 2,400 hours of apprenticeship, a formal health certificate, and […]
By Mark Chesnut The Truth About Guns The New Mexico State Senate has approved a sweeping ban on common semi-automatic firearms legally owned and used by thousands of lawful citizens for sport, competition, and self-defense. The measure, Senate Bill 17, would ban common gas-operated semi-automatic firearms, .50-caliber rifles virtually never used in crimes, and firearm magazines […]
PAUL’S DEFENSE BRIEF (PDB) – The Trump administration has withdrawn all federalized National Guard troops from U.S. cities, after its repeated attempts to surge forces into Democratic-run states encountered judicial roadblocks. The pullout was completed last month, with no public acknowledgment from the White House or the Pentagon other than a social
A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to facilitate the return of 137 Venezuelan men who were deported to El Salvador last year, ruling that some did not receive adequate due process before being removed from the United States. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg issued the order Thursday, directing the government to arrange for […]
Senate Democrats on Thursday blocked a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security beyond Friday’s deadline, making a partial government shutdown all but inevitable. The measure failed 52-47, falling short of the 60 votes required to advance under Senate rules. Democrats opposed the legislation amid stalled negotiations with the White House over proposed restrictions […]
U.S. forces have evacuated the al-Tanf base in eastern Syria and are moving personnel to neighboring Jordan, according to a statement from the Syrian Defense Ministry. The redeployment marks a significant shift in America’s military posture in Syria, where U.S. troops have maintained a substantial presence for more than a decade. Al-Tanf has long been […]
Bring Back The Civil Service Exam And Restore Federal Competence
A republic rises or falls on the quality of its institutions. And institutions rise or fall on the quality of the people who staff them. This is not a partisan claim. It is a structural one. If you want competent agencies, you must hire competent officials. The question is how. Consider a simple scene. A […]