Author: Darnell Thompkins

This piece examines how the Constitution, court rulings, and current politics shape birthright citizenship and why many Republicans argue for clearer enforcement or reform. You don’t have to go very deep into the U.S. Constitution to see the word “citizen” appear. It shows up early in the founding text and then again in the 14th Amendment, which reshaped who qualifies for national membership after the Civil War. Those two anchors—original text and the Reconstruction amendment—drive the legal arguments people use today. Republicans tend to read the Constitution with an originalist eye that asks what the framers meant and how subsequent…

U.S. forces at Prince Sultan Air Base were hit by an Iranian missile and drone strike that wounded American service members, damaged aircraft, and widened a regional confrontation with clear strategic and economic consequences. An Iranian missile and drone attack wounded several U.S. service members and damaged aircraft at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia on Friday, a U.S. official confirmed. The number of wounded and the severity of injuries were not immediately clear, and the initial confirmation came from an official speaking on the condition of anonymity. The strike landed amid a conflict that has already inflicted serious…

One year on from President Trump’s “51st state” line, Canadian politics and cross-border relations remain charged, with Ottawa’s sharp response and a revival of Liberal momentum reshaping the conversation on sovereignty, trade, and national pride. It has been a year and change since President Donald Trump’s “51st state” quips that angered 40 million Canadians and helped spur the return of a Liberal government. Prime Minister Mark Carney declared that it was time to “elbows up” and push back against Trump’s rhetoric and reaffirm the independence of Canada. Ottawa imposed retaliatory measures and staged a diplomatic response that signaled to voters…

Trump’s push on immigration has widened from removing those here illegally to pursuing denaturalization for people who obtained U.S. status under false pretenses or while committing crimes, and the move is drawing sharp debate over fairness, national security, and the rule of law. When Donald Trump made immigration central to his campaigns, many expected enforcement to focus on deporting those without legal status. What has evolved is a tougher stance aimed at people who entered or became citizens after committing crimes or lying during the naturalization process. This shift raises practical and legal questions about how the government proves fraud…

A clear, direct take on the fight over funding border agencies and who gets to write the rules. Republicans have a straightforward argument: fund the frontline officers who secure our border and don’t tie their hands with political conditions. Funding ICE and CBP is portrayed as basic public safety, not a bargaining chip for broader policy goals. The debate isn’t just budgetary math; it’s about whether operational effectiveness will be compromised by partisan demands. On the ground, agents need predictable resources to manage detention capacity, process claims, and respond to surges. When funding comes with strings, commanders and line personnel…

This piece argues that heavy taxation on high earners backfires by encouraging avoidance, reducing investment, and weakening economic growth, while also urging a focus on spending restraint and fair enforcement rather than bigger tax burdens. There’s a simple political truth about high tax proposals: the people they target have options and they will use them. Wealthy individuals and businesses can relocate, reclassify income, or deploy sophisticated tax strategies that shift the burden away from where politicians intend it to land. That reality changes the arithmetic of what a tax hike actually achieves once you factor in behavior and mobility. “The…

“Forty-seven Democrats voted against a photo ID amendment on Thursday despite Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer previously claiming that he was supportive of photo ID.” Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH) introduced an amendment to the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act that would simply require photo ID to vote. The vote exposed a clear split between rhetoric and action. Republicans framed the amendment as a straightforward guard against confusion and fraud, while many Democrats opted to block the change despite prior statements of support. Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH) offered an amendment to the SAVE America Act that focused on one…

The Senate passed a partial Department of Homeland Security funding bill early Friday, producing sharp criticism from conservatives who say Republicans yielded to Democrats on funding for ICE and border patrol. The Senate early Friday passed a partial Department of Homeland Security funding bill, as Republicans caved to Democrats’ refusal to fund ICE and border patrol. The vote came after weeks of tense negotiations and public pressure from border-state lawmakers demanding stronger support for enforcement. For many conservatives, the result felt like a surrender, not a solution, and it left serious questions about how Washington prioritizes security. The timing—late and…

Kristi Noem left the Department of Homeland Security and handed leadership to Markwayne Mullin, touted a set of enforcement achievements, faced personnel and optics controversies, and is moving into a new hemispheric security role while Republicans gauge what comes next. Kristi Noem posted a farewell statement on X as she handed over the reins at the Department of Homeland Security to former Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin, who was sworn in the same day. In her post she thanked President Trump “for entrusting me to lead the department leading the fight to Make America Safe Again.” The move closes one chapter…

Former CIA Director John Brennan told a cable panel he trusted Iran over President Trump amid conflicting accounts about U.S.-Iran communication, sparking sharp reactions and follow-up reporting that complicated the narrative. On a recent MSNBC panel, John Brennan said he believed Iran over the president when the two accounts about talks diverged. The exchange took place during a discussion on whether Washington and Tehran were actually in contact, and it raised immediate eyebrows because Brennan is a former director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Brennan’s public siding with a regime that has chanted “Death to America” for decades surprised many…