Author: Karen Givens

Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton won Tuesday’s Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, edging out two sitting members of the U.S. House and now heads to a November general election against a Republican. Juliana Stratton’s primary victory closes a bruising intra-party fight and hands Democrats a unified nominee for the fall. Her rise from state lieutenant governor to Senate candidate underlines how state-level officeholders are moving into national races. For Republican voters, the outcome sets a clear target and a familiar contrast heading into November. The primary featured several established figures, including two sitting U.S. House members, who split votes in…

Tennessee legislators passed a substituted version of SB 836 in a 70-25 vote that drops the original plan to allow schools to refuse enrollment to illegal aliens and instead requires that “each [Local Education Agency] […]” may ask for proof of legal presence, but the new measure carries no enforcement mechanism. Tennessee Republicans originally pushed a tougher bill aimed at keeping students in the K-12 system limited to those lawfully present, but lawmakers ultimately approved a softened substitute. The move replaced a clear denial-of-enrollment option with language that lets school districts request documentation, without spelling out penalties for noncompliance. Critics…

FCC chief Brendan Carr reminded broadcasters they do not have a right to deliberately lie to voters on public airwaves, and that reminder set off predictable media fireworks. When Brendan Carr, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, told broadcasters that they do not have a right to deliberately lie to voters using the public airwaves, it was a plain statement of principle about accountability. The public airwaves are licensed and regulated for a reason: they are a limited, taxpayer-managed resource that carries powerful influence. Holding broadcasters responsible for basic truth is not an attack on speech, it is a demand…

Israel said it killed two senior Iranian security officials in overnight strikes, and Iran did not immediately confirm either death; the incident appears to have triggered Iranian retaliatory fire as tensions across the region rise. Israel publicly claimed responsibility for strikes that it says killed two high-level Iranian security figures during the night. Iran had not confirmed those deaths at the time of the first reports, and reaction in Tehran was measured outwardly even as the situation escalated. The strikes and the uncertainty around confirmation have amplified concerns about wider confrontation across the region. The immediate consequences were sharp: reported…

Wyoming is in the middle of a real clash between long-standing power and a rising, popular push for change, and that tension is reshaping local politics. There’s a contrast between how things used to work in state politics and how voters want them to work now, and the mood is anything but calm. People who live and work here are tired of backroom deals and distant elites, and they want leaders who are straightforward and accountable. That sentiment is reshaping conversations at the state capitol and on Main Street alike. ‘We’re at a really critical turning point in Wyoming politics…

A clear-eyed look at FCC Chair Brendan Carr’s warning to broadcasters, President Trump’s backing, and the problem of Iranian AI-generated propaganda airing on U.S. television. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr publicly warned American broadcasters that airing Iranian-produced, AI-generated footage as if it were real war reporting risks their broadcast licenses, and President Trump has voiced firm support for Carr’s stance. The controversy centers on fabricated clips—purported kamikaze boats and an aircraft carrier on fire—that Tehran created to exaggerate military strength and which some networks allegedly treated as genuine. This has pushed a Republican-led call for accountability and a reminder that broadcasters…

A Utah woman, author of a children’s book about coping with grief, has been found guilty of aggravated murder after her husband died from fentanyl poisoning. The case drew attention because the defendant had published a children’s book centered on dealing with loss following her husband’s death, a book that readers saw as a private reflection on grief. Prosecutors, however, argued that the same woman was responsible for intentionally giving her husband fentanyl, and a jury ultimately convicted her of aggravated murder. The verdict closed a criminal trial that mixed family tragedy with questions about motive and method. Authorities say…

Ten gun control bills are currently on the desk of Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat, waiting for her approval. The pile of legislation sitting with Gov. Abigail Spanberger spotlights a political choice: tighten restrictions or defend constitutional rights. Conservatives see this as a direct test of priorities, where law-abiding citizens could be penalized while the root causes of violence are ignored. The debate will hinge on how to balance public safety with individual freedoms without surrendering constitutional protections. Republicans argue that more laws aimed at guns often miss the people responsible for crime and instead burden responsible owners. There…

After a tornado damages a home, the dangers do not end when the storm passes. Unstable walls, gas leaks, downed utilities, and carbon monoxide from generators or cooking equipment can turn the first hours after the wind stops into the most dangerous ones. When the sky clears, your instincts push you toward the house, but the scene can be unstable and unpredictable. Trees, wires, and structural damage hide risks that may not be obvious until you are dangerously close. Keep a calm, methodical approach to avoid making a bad situation worse. Start by scanning from a safe distance for obvious…

This piece examines how recent decisions by the Trump administration to pause or dismiss legal actions affect pro-life states and the broader fight over abortion policy. This is not the first time the Trump administration has moved to pause or dismiss pro-life states’ pleas for legal intervention. That pattern has raised questions among state officials who expect stronger federal support when harsh court orders threaten state laws that protect unborn life. The recurring pauses leave state attorneys general scrambling to protect statutes and to explain to constituents why promises of aggressive legal defense sometimes fall short. Pro-life governors and legislators…