Author: Darnell Thompkins

Federal agents carried out a sweeping enforcement action Thursday targeting illegal sports betting and rigged poker operations, resulting in more than 30 arrests, among them Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups. The operation was described by officials as a major strike against organized illegal gambling that had been operating beyond state regulations. Investigators say the network combined underground sports books with schemes to manipulate poker games, attracting both casual players and higher-profile figures. Law enforcement sources emphasized the effort required coordination and detailed investigative work to identify key players and collect evidence. Authorities executed searches and arrests after building a…

The University of Virginia has reached an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice to end race-based admissions and hiring and to halt other illegal diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives as part of resolving a civil rights investigation, after facing five separate inquiries into different aspects of its practices. This development forces a campus rethink of hiring, recruitment and programming policies and puts federal compliance at the center of academic life. The deal signals a broader emphasis on equal treatment under the law and scrutiny of institutional preferences. The DOJ’s intervention means UVA must stop using race as a…

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has broadened his push for long-range missile support, asking European partners to provide weapons if the United States does not. That appeal raises difficult questions about burden sharing, escalation risk, and what a durable outcome for Europe and America looks like. This article lays out the military and political stakes, the capabilities on offer, and the tough choices Western leaders face now. Zelenskyy’s outreach to Europe is blunt and public, and it signals two things at once: Kyiv needs reach, and it is testing alliances. From a Republican viewpoint, testing alliances matters because strength and clarity…

The Trump administration is quadrupling the quota of beef that can be imported from Argentina, a move that reshapes U.S. trade in red meat and sparks debate between markets and producers. This piece explains what the change means for consumers, ranchers, the broader supply chain, and the political logic behind the decision. The change is simple to state and significant in impact: the Trump administration is quadrupling the quota of beef that can be imported from Argentina. For shoppers, that could mean more variety and potentially lower prices at the grocery store, especially for cuts that are popular in restaurants…

The European Union on Thursday added fresh economic sanctions against Russia, following U.S. President Donald Trump’s new punitive measures the day before aimed at the Russian oil industry, while Russian officials and state media dismissed the actions as largely ineffective. The EU moves build on the U.S. step that targeted key parts of Russia’s energy sector, an area where Moscow makes most of its money. From a Republican perspective, hitting the oil sector is the right play because it directly pressures the Kremlin’s cash flow and undercuts its ability to fund aggression. Sanctions are blunt but effective tools when enforced…

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has begun serving a five-year prison term after being convicted in a conspiracy case tied to the late Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi, marking the first time a modern French head of state has been jailed; the sentence, the prison location, the ongoing appeals process, public reaction and questions about equal treatment under the law are all central to this moment. This week brought a rare and consequential development in French politics when authorities said Sarkozy would start a five-year sentence following his conviction for criminal conspiracy linked to Gadhafi. The case stands out not only…

When Institutions Go Bad: The Long March Effect Institutions rot when practice overtakes purpose, and many conservatives have watched that erosion unfold in education, media, corporations, and government where outcomes no longer match stated missions or public expectations. The result is a steady trickle of poor decisions, mounting waste, and institutional behavior that increasingly looks performative and self-referential rather than grounded in competence, accountability, or service to ordinary citizens. The mechanism is straightforward, involving deliberate placement of activists who prize ideological victory over subject-matter expertise, followed by internal rules and incentives that reward conformity and loyalty instead of critical thinking…

How Exploration of ‘Different Beliefs’ Can Reprogram a Generation’s Moral Compass What looks like harmless exploration of ‘different beliefs’ is increasingly being framed as a normal part of learning, but those encounters can quietly reshape what young people take for granted about right and wrong. Exposure is not neutral; it layers new ideas over existing intuitions and, over time, shifts how moral questions are judged. Children’s moral development happens in stages, and repeated encounters with contrasting viewpoints accelerate certain patterns of thought while muting others. When novelty is constantly presented without context, the process favors immediate acceptance or rejection rather…

Appeals Court Reverses Block on National Guard Deployment for Portland The federal appeals court flipped a district judge’s order and cleared President Trump to send National Guard troops to Portland, reversing a recent block by U.S. District Court Judge Karin Immergut. This move handed the administration a significant legal win and sharpened the clash over federal authority to protect buildings and personnel. The Ninth Circuit issued a divided ruling that found the president likely acted within his statutory power, leaning on the core text of the federal statute. “After considering the record at this preliminary stage, we conclude that it…

Why Trump Pulled Back on Green Energy and Obamacare Conservatives see Big Green and Big Healthcare as overlapping failures that cost taxpayers and choke economic freedom, and that view drives much of the pushback. The argument is straightforward: policies sold as fixes created new problems and left Americans worse off. Green energy incentives, critics say, swapped reliable power for expensive experiments and higher utility bills for families. When subsidies and mandates steer markets, innovation gets distorted and taxpayers pick up the tab for politically favored projects that often underdeliver. Obamacare added mandates, entangled healthcare with more federal rules, and left…