Author: Karen Givens

New York’s deep fiscal trouble traces back to policy choices that reward spending over accountability, shift costs to future taxpayers, and chase ideological priorities instead of balanced budgets. “It’s pretty clear that all of New York’s big fiscal problems can be traced back to socialism.” That blunt assessment captures a broader complaint about the state’s long habit of expanding government programs and promising services without matching revenue. When elected officials prioritize ever-growing spending, the result is predictable: mounting debt, complex accounting tricks, and pressure on private-sector growth. The consequences show up in higher taxes, squeezed middle-class budgets, and businesses choosing…

As the nation nears its 250th birthday, a recent poll named Tom Hanks — not a president or a general — as the living figure Americans most associate with the country’s ideals, and that choice exposes how voters often prefer a familiar, reassuring image of America over the messy reality of politics. The Daily Mail/JL Partners survey conducted in June found Tom Hanks, the 69-year-old actor known for playing decent, quietly heroic Americans, topping the list of living people voters say best embody the nation’s core values. Other names like Donald Trump, Barack Obama, Taylor Swift, Dolly Parton, Clint Eastwood,…

Egyptian mediators are pushing Palestinian factions to accept a technocratic committee to run Gaza without Hamas, while Hamas moved to shut down the territory’s institutions and resist outside control. Egypt has quietly taken the lead in trying to reshape Gaza’s governance by urging Palestinian factions to back a technocratic committee that would operate independently of Hamas. That proposal is designed to remove Hamas from managerial control without attempting to erase the group, but it also risks creating a governance vacuum. Washington and its allies watch closely because any change will affect security on Israel’s border and the wider region. Hamas’s…

Across small towns and city corners, the American diner stands as a compact stage where food, work, and social life meet in plain, honest ways. The diner is more than a place to grab breakfast; it is a snapshot of everyday life that mixes practicality with personality. Booths and counters invite strangers to sit close, and plates arrive on a steady rhythm that feels both efficient and human. That combination of speed and warmth is what keeps diners at the center of local routines. Architecturally, diners are straightforward and iconic, often shaped by prefabricated designs that make them instantly recognizable.…

The U.S. added 57,000 jobs in June, the government said Thursday in a report showing slower hiring growth on the cusp of summer compared to red-hot reports earlier in 2026.

Minneapolis Mayor Told to Get More Police or Face the Court — a court has demanded action on police staffing, placing city leaders between public safety needs and legal consequences as the debate over policing and municipal responsibility intensifies. The order arriving in Minneapolis puts a spotlight on an obvious responsibility of city government: keep residents safe. The message is blunt and political leaders now face accountability through the courts rather than through campaign promises alone. Jul 1, 2026 sits as the date this pressure became public and unmistakable. For many conservatives, the situation reads like a validation of long‑standing…

The Supreme Court on June 30 handed a 5-4 verdict in Trump v Barbara, blocking President Trump’s executive order that sought to end birthright citizenship and ruling that the Constitution grants citizenship to children born in the United States even when their parents are unlawfully or temporarily present. The court’s majority held that the text and history of the Fourteenth Amendment support a plain reading that anyone born here and subject to our jurisdiction is a citizen, a ruling that overturns the executive action aimed at changing long-standing practice. Conservatives who backed the order see the decision as a major…

A judge ruled that Dan J. Sullivan can stay on Alaska’s Republican primary ballot, overturning the elections office’s disqualification and setting up a likely fast appeal as ballots near printing. A Superior Court judge issued a 32-page decision late Friday finding that Dan J. Sullivan has the legal right to appear on the August 18 Republican primary ballot against incumbent Sen. Dan S. Sullivan. The ruling reversed the Division of Elections’ earlier move to disqualify the challenger and creates a compressed timetable for an appeal to the Alaska Supreme Court. With ballots slated to be printed soon, the state faces…

The Supreme Court is issuing its last opinions before America’s 250th birthday and has announced which cases it will hear next term, setting up a season of high-stakes decisions about the Constitution, federal power, and individual rights. The court’s timing is symbolic and practical: as opinions land ahead of the nation’s milestone, justices are also locking in what they will argue when they return. The Monday order list is the procedural vehicle that tells litigants and the public which disputes will get full briefing and oral argument. That list shapes not only the docket but the legal landscape for states,…

Two powerful earthquakes struck northern Venezuela in quick succession, leaving hundreds dead, thousands injured, and entire neighborhoods reduced to rubble as the U.S. launched a rapid, large-scale humanitarian response that included elite search-and-rescue teams, naval assets, aircraft, and a $150 million emergency aid package. The back-to-back tremors — a magnitude 7.2 followed seconds later by a 7.5 — hit roughly 100 to 130 miles west of Caracas and caused catastrophic building collapses across a densely populated corridor. Venezuelan officials reported 235 dead and more than 4,300 injured, with thousands still missing or displaced as rescue teams pushed into unstable zones.…