Author: David Gregoire

The United States ambassador to Israel condemned Israeli settler violence in the occupied West Bank, calling the behavior an “act of terror” while visiting with Palestinians, and the remarks have sparked debate about language, policy, and the responsibilities of both Washington and Jerusalem. The ambassador’s public condemnation landed squarely on settler attacks, labeling them an “act of terror” in a moment that drew immediate attention across the region and in Washington. That phrase was repeated exactly and carried weight because it came from a senior American diplomat in Israel, and words from U.S. officials shape how events are seen by…

The Lindsay Clancy trial hit a sudden wall when jurors, days from a decision, reported a single holdout could swing the outcome; what had looked like a close finish turned into a stalled process as lawyers and the judge debated next steps. “So near a verdict, and yet so far away.” Jurors told court officials they had been moving toward a decision before one member resisted the majority view. That lone juror’s questions and doubts forced a pause, shifting the courtroom’s energy from certainty to uncertainty. Deliberations had advanced enough that observers expected a verdict within days, but the process…

The secretaries of state from Kentucky, Mississippi, and Nebraska have asked the Supreme Court to back proof of citizenship checks as part of voter eligibility reviews. Three Republican secretaries filed a brief with the Supreme Court arguing that proof of citizenship is a reasonable component of vetting voter eligibility. They present this as a straightforward step to protect the integrity of the rolls, not an effort to block legitimate voters. Their position frames proof of citizenship as consistent with both state authority and common sense verification methods. From a Republican standpoint, elections require public confidence, and straightforward documentation helps build…

President Trump’s Iran Options are on the table, and the choices ahead are stark: force, diplomacy, covert action, or calibrated economic pressure. Perhaps the world should be thankful that President Trump isn’t using every available option. That sentence captures a key truth: restraint is itself a strategy, and it reflects an understanding of the costs that follow from rash escalation. Conservatives can back strength without endorsing reckless moves that drag the country into open-ended conflicts. The focus now is on choosing practical tools that secure American interests while minimizing long-term commitments. On the military side, options range from targeted strikes…

President Trump called the situation in Iran “small potatoes,” framing recent violence as a recurring flare-up rather than the start of a full-scale war, and this take is shaping debate over how the U.S. should respond. President Trump characterized the latest clashes in Iran as “small potatoes,” insisting they feel like a pattern of episodic fighting and not the opening salvo of a broader war. That line cuts to a larger debate about whether to treat these incidents as isolated spikes or as warnings of a widening conflict. Republicans hearing this want clarity: is the effort to deter escalation working…

States are weighing whether revenue from large-scale data-center projects can make up for lost income-tax receipts, balancing new business activity against infrastructure costs and the long-term fiscal health of communities. Data centers bring big, visible investments: buildings, power lines, and cooling systems that reshape local skylines and demand planning from utilities and counties. They create jobs during construction and some long-term technical and maintenance positions, but the headline numbers can obscure the trade-offs that follow. Local governments often offer tax breaks and incentives to attract these facilities, which complicates straightforward claims about net new revenue. Property taxes and special assessments…

Michigan is locked in a fight over a proposed constitutional amendment that would require proof of U.S. citizenship to vote, with more than 700,000 petition signatures rejected after a party-line canvass board vote and a contested sample review, and both sides now racing the September 4 ballot finalization deadline as they push the dispute toward the U.S. Supreme Court. State officials urged the Supreme Court to reject an emergency petition from Americans for Citizen Voting Michigan after the Bureau of Elections refused to certify the group’s petition. Michigan Solicitor General Ann Sherman filed a response saying the emergency application is…

The IRS has proposed stripping tax-exempt status from private schools that use racial preference policies like diversity, equity, and inclusion, a move that reshapes how nonprofits are judged and sparks immediate legal and political pushback. The Trump administration is taking aim at private schools’ tax benefits by targeting racial preference programs, specifically those framed as diversity, equity, and inclusion. The proposal would make the use of race-conscious admissions or policies a disqualifier for tax-exempt status across elementary, secondary, and postsecondary institutions. Supporters call it a return to equal treatment under the tax code and a crackdown on bureaucratic overreach masked…

Leon Black ignored a congressional subpoena and did not appear for closed-door testimony about his ties to late sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, a move that touched off a fierce debate over congressional authority, individual rights, and the limits of public inquiry. Billionaire investor Leon Black thwarted a congressional subpoena Thursday and failed to show up to provide closed-door testimony about his relationship with late sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, a development that put a spotlight on how Congress pursues high-profile figures. Critics on the right saw the no-show as a predictable clash between aggressive oversight and basic legal protections, while others…

The U.S. trade deficit climbed to $88.6 billion in July, a 24% jump from June as imports surged to support the artificial intelligence boom while President Trump worked to rebuild his tariff strategy. The headline number — a trade gap of $88.6 billion in July — signals more than a bookkeeping shift. Imports rose sharply as companies brought in expensive equipment and components tied to the artificial intelligence build-out, pushing the monthly deficit 24% higher than June. That mix of high-value tech goods and durable machinery is reshaping the trade ledger faster than traditional goods flows. From a Republican standpoint,…