Author: Karen Givens

Baseball and America grew up together. This piece traces how a simple bat-and-ball game turned into Liberty Lifestyle’s most enduring pastime, touching on roots, social shifts, and the modern game as of Jun 14, 2026. Baseball and America grew up together, and that line still rings true in ballparks and backyards across the country. From informal town games to organized clubs in the 19th century, the sport stitched communities together and reflected national change. Its development followed population shifts, industrialization, and the rhythms of American life, shaping rituals that persist today. The Civil War era helped spread the game as…

A sharp clash over faith and politics has pushed two high-profile figures into the same ring, forcing voters to choose which vision of Christianity should guide public life. The moment feels less like a sermon and more like a debate stage, where tactics matter as much as theology. “Raphael Warnock and Mike Johnson go mano a mano.” That line captures the head-to-head nature of this confrontation between two very different public Christians. One side presents Christianity as a platform for progressive social policy, arguing that compassion and reform mandate an activist government. The other frames faith as a check on…

H-1B visa enforcement is rippling through Texas real estate, and the fallout is showing up in the luxury market as fewer visa holders and visa-dependent transfers translate into softer demand for high-end homes in key markets. Joe Schaeffer • Jun 13, 2026. The recent push to police H-1B misuse has cut into the pool of affluent buyers who often fuel the top end of Texas markets, especially around major tech and corporate centers. Sellers and builders who had been banking on steady demand are now seeing transactions stall and pricing pressure at the luxury tier. The H-1B program was designed…

Actor Robert Carradine, known for “Revenge of the Nerds” and “Lizzie McGuire,” died after being found hanging and unresponsive in a psychiatric hospital room; the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner ruled the manner of death a suicide and listed the cause as a brain injury related to hanging. Robert Carradine was discovered hanging in a room at “a local psychiatric hospital” after an employee went to tell him his daughter had called and wanted to speak with him. Medical staff tried to resuscitate him when he went into cardiac arrest and he was taken to intensive care, where he remained…

The piece argues that Newsweek’s sudden focus on flag code looks inconsistent compared with how it has covered genuine acts of flag disrespect in the past. Newsweek’s recent attention to flag code feels like a sharp pivot, and that contrast is worth calling out. The outlet’s sudden interest in flag code presents a stark contrast to how Newsweek previously covered actual disrespect toward the flag. When a major outlet highlights technical rules only after the story favors a particular narrative, it raises questions about motives. Readers notice when enforcement of norms arrives selectively, and they start to wonder whether standards…

Fox News hosted President Trump on Thursday to discuss the progress of the war in Iran, and he presented a confident take: calling the campaign effectively complete while also admitting operations continue, and he used the moment to lash out at what he called the fallacious news media. Fox News hosted President Trump on Thursday for an extended interview about military developments and national security. He framed the situation as a decisive success, using firm language to claim that the main objectives have been met. At the same time, he did not pretend the job is finished; he acknowledged ongoing…

Consular officers, law enforcement and data analytics teamed up to identify and shut down abusive networks that exploited the system. Consular work often includes routine tasks like processing visas and passports, but it increasingly involves spotting patterns that point to abuse. Officers now rely on a mix of human judgment and technical tools to separate legitimate cases from fraudulent activity. That combination changes how consulates operate day to day and how they protect both borders and genuine travelers. “Consular officers — working with law enforcement and using data analytics — identified several networks abusing the system and put a stop…

Iran launched new rounds of missiles and drones overnight at three of its regional neighbors in apparent retaliation for U.S. airstrikes from Tuesday. The barrage sent a clear message about Tehran’s readiness to respond when it feels pressured, and it raises immediate questions about regional stability and U.S. force protection. The strikes appear timed and targeted to signal capability and will without necessarily triggering a full scale conventional war. For those watching, the choice of missiles and unmanned aircraft underlines a hybrid approach designed to complicate defense planning. This pattern creates pressure on U.S. policymakers to choose a firm and…

A 30-year-old man from Sudan appeared in a Belfast court Wednesday charged with attempted murder after a stabbing that left a man seriously injured and sparked anti-immigrant violence in the area. The case centers on a stabbing that left one man seriously injured and set off a wave of anti-immigrant unrest nearby. The accused, a 30-year-old man from Sudan, made a court appearance in Belfast on Wednesday and faces an attempted murder charge. Authorities say the incident and the reaction to it have unsettled local communities already on edge. Details from the court appearance were limited, with officials confirming the…

This piece reviews Bryan Fair’s congressional appearance, the Southern Poverty Law Center’s controversial hate map, a federal indictment alleging secret payments to violent extremists, and the real-world consequences of labeling political opponents as extremists. Bryan Fair, who leads the Southern Poverty Law Center, testified before the House Judiciary Committee and repeatedly dodged a simple accounting question about how many of the roughly 1,500 groups on the SPLC’s hate map are Islamist organizations. Representative Chip Roy pressed him on the absence of clear answers, and Representative Lance Gooden pointed out glaring inconsistencies like Turning Point USA and the Family Research Council…