Author: Karen Givens

Frank Kendall, a former Air Force secretary under Biden, publicly accused Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth of politicizing the military as dozens of senior leaders have been pushed out or sidelined, prompting rare Republican criticism and raising questions about readiness and civilian-military trust. Former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall told a national interviewer he had “never seen an attempt to politicize our military like the one being conducted by Pete Hegseth.” That blunt charge landed in a tense moment at the Pentagon, where personnel moves have been sweeping and visible across services. Republicans who supported Hegseth’s confirmation are now among those…

A Russian national was arraigned Friday in federal court in the Northern District of Georgia after being extradited abroad on accusations tied to a large-scale bank credential-harvesting scheme. The defendant appeared in federal court Friday in the Northern District of Georgia following an extradition that brought him into U.S. custody, where he was formally arraigned on allegations connected to a widespread effort to harvest bank login credentials. Prosecutors say the scheme targeted account holders and financial institutions, though specific details about the investigation remain under seal as the case moves forward. The arraignment began the domestic phase of what is…

Socialist and other left-wing Democrats are drawing fresh scrutiny for past comments about the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks as the 25th anniversary arrives this Friday. For Republicans and many voters, the timing is raw and unavoidable, and the past remarks that once slipped under the radar are back in the spotlight. The scrutiny is focused on what was said, who said it, and whether those voices have acknowledged the hurt their words caused. This moment is forcing a political test of accountability and judgment. Many on the right see a pattern where candidates or public figures offered defensive or dismissive…

Iran’s state media announced on Monday that a ballistic missile with improved capabilities illustrates a shift in Tehran’s posture, and officials framed it as a move to preempt perceived threats. The message is direct and unapologetic: Iran is framing more aggressive, earlier action as part of doctrine, and that shifts calculations across the region. State outlets reported the missile demonstration as proof of “improved capabilities” while framing the move as doctrinal, not merely technological. That language is designed to send a signal as much as it is meant to show hardware. The timing and tone make clear this is a…

Montgomery County Council member Will Jawando, the likely future county executive after winning the Democratic primary this summer, suffered a heart attack this weekend while playing pick-up basketball. Montgomery County Council member Will Jawando, who won the Democratic primary earlier this summer and is widely viewed as the probable next county executive, experienced a medical emergency this weekend. Reports indicate the incident occurred while he was playing pick-up basketball, and he was treated after the event. The news has prompted an immediate outpouring of concern from colleagues and residents across the county. Jawando’s position on the council and his primary…

Missouri’s redistricting fight has landed at the U.S. Supreme Court, with state officials asking for emergency relief after the Missouri Supreme Court blocked a GOP-drawn congressional map and ordered voters to decide the plan in November. Missouri’s attorney general filed an emergency application with the U.S. Supreme Court late Friday, asking justices to restore a newly passed GOP map that the state court had stopped. The move follows a unanimous Missouri Supreme Court ruling that allowed a referendum petition to proceed, forcing officials back to an older map while voters weigh the change in November. Justice Brett Kavanaugh now handles…

Fox News quietly cut ties with Maria Bartiromo, removing her from top shows and prompting debate about the network’s stance toward Donald Trump and conservative viewers. Fox announced that Maria Bartiromo was “no longer with Fox” and called the move a business decision, a terse change that immediately pulled her name from the network’s lineup. Her shows, including “Mornings with Maria,” “Maria Bartiromo’s Wall Street,” and “Sunday Morning Futures,” were shuffled or reassigned, and Jason Chaffetz was tapped to temporarily host her Sunday slot. The suddenness of the action left viewers and insiders scrambling for details and wondering whether this…

A federal appeals court ordered that the lower court’s injunction preventing the Department of Homeland Security from using its SAVE database to cross-check voter rolls remains in place, a decision that undercuts efforts by the Trump administration to use that system for verification. The appeals court’s ruling keeps in effect a block on DHS using the SAVE database to compare immigration records against voter lists, halting a tool the prior administration viewed as a way to spot noncitizen registrations. For Republicans who prioritize election integrity, the decision feels like a missed opportunity to tighten verification. It raises questions about what…

A Largo, Maryland man was sentenced to nine years in prison after officers found child pornography on his phone while he was attempting to meet up for sex with a minor. The case centers on digital evidence discovered on the suspect’s phone and an attempted in-person meeting with someone believed to be underage. Authorities say the combination of explicit material and efforts to arrange a sexual encounter with a minor led prosecutors to pursue a lengthy sentence. This outcome highlights how law enforcement ties online behavior to real-world criminal charges. Phones and messaging apps are the primary ways these crimes…

After the mistrial in the Lindsay Clancy case, attention turned to a striking example of public behavior that surfaced while Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz spoke to reporters. The mistrial in the Lindsay Clancy case left a lot unsettled, and it immediately put a spotlight on how high-profile legal moments get staged in public. Watching what played out at the courthouse, many observers noticed a particular pattern of demeanor and messaging from people close to the story. That pattern is worth examining separate from the legal details, because it shapes how the public understands guilt, grief, and responsibility. There…