Author: Karen Givens

Washington, D.C. is set to launch a pilot program next month in Adams Morgan that Mayor Muriel Bowser is leading to reduce the city’s long-standing rat problem using what city officials are calling “rat birth control”. The program arrives in a neighborhood known for nightlife and dense housing, where complaints about rodents are common. City officials present it as a humane, non-lethal way to cut future litters and ease infestations over time. Supporters say targeting reproduction makes sense because trapping alone hasn’t stopped the numbers from bouncing back. Critics on the right will point out the predictable policy questions: how…

A senior Army Green Beret used his inside knowledge of clandestine operations to make more than $400,000 by betting on the timing of Operation Absolute Resolve, the Jan. 3 mission to capture Venezuela The headline fact is ugly and simple: trust was violated, and national security was put at risk. This case ties money, military secrets, and gambling markets together in a way that should make every patriotic American uneasy. It forces a hard look at how insider access can be monetized and what that means for operational security. The implications go beyond one man and one mission. The man…

Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan has departed the Trump administration effective immediately, the Pentagon announced Wednesday, and Undersecretary Hung Cao will step in as acting secretary. The resignation came without advance notice and takes effect immediately, according to the Pentagon’s announcement on Wednesday. That abrupt timing creates a leadership gap at a time when global maritime competition is growing, and it shifts responsibility to the second-in-command. Undersecretary Hung Cao has been named the acting secretary and will assume the duties of the office while the administration determines next steps. The secretary of the Navy runs a huge portfolio…

The Trump administration has moved aggressively against fraud in several areas, taking concrete actions that show a priority on enforcement while operating largely without broad partnership. The administration’s approach is unmistakable: use executive tools and agency authority to identify and punish fraud where officials see it. That kind of direct action appeals to voters who want swift results and clear accountability. It signals a willingness to use the levers of government to defend taxpayers and honest businesses. Those moves run into a basic reality of government work, which is that lasting change almost always depends on building buy-in across institutions.…

Nebraska and the Justice Department clashed this week over in-state tuition rules, and the outcome has sparked a big debate about state law, federal power, and fairness for Nebraska students and taxpayers. Nebraska reached a consent agreement with the Department of Justice this week to stop enforcing its law allowing illegal immigrants to receive in-state tuition at public colleges. That one sentence changes how the state can apply a statute that was passed to control residency-based tuition benefits, and it puts Nebraska leaders on the defensive about who decides immigration and education policy. For conservatives, the deal reads like federal…

A propane explosion destroyed a family home in Lamar Township, Pennsylvania, killing a 34-year-old mother and her six children and leaving the father as the lone immediate family survivor; state police say the blast is “believed” to have been caused by propane, officials are still investigating, and the community is reeling. A propane explosion ripped through a family home in Lamar Township, Pennsylvania, on Sunday morning, killing a 34-year-old mother, Sarah B. Stolzfus, and all six of her children. The blast struck around 8:30 a.m., and the father, David F. Stolzfus, was not at home and survived. Fire crews arrived…

German carrier Lufthansa will cancel 20,000 shorter flights through October as a fuel-saving measure after the Iran war pushed up jet fuel costs, a move that will reshape schedules and ripple through European travel this summer and into the fall. Lufthansa’s plan to cut 20,000 short-haul flights through October is a blunt response to a sudden spike in fuel costs tied to the Iran war. The airline frames the reduction as a fuel-saving measure, and the scale makes clear this is a major operational shift rather than a temporary blip. Passengers and airports will feel the effects immediately as capacity…

This article explains recent moves by Democrats and the media that point to an organized effort to reshape the Supreme Court, framed publicly as “defending our democracy.” Two separate things happened last week that underline a political strategy rather than an isolated debate. One was a public comment from longtime Democrat operative James Carville that essentially advised his party on future steps, and the other was a flurry of commentary from media outlets that treated court overhaul as a civic duty. Taken together, those items make the likely outcome clear: when Democrats control the federal government again, they will move…

Eleven U.S. scientists tied to nuclear and space research have died or disappeared over three years, and the FBI, Pentagon and Department of Energy are now investigating, though no connection has been established. The sequence of deaths and disappearances has raised alarms across research and national security communities, driven mainly by the number and the overlap in fields. Eleven scientists connected to nuclear and space work died or went missing over a roughly three-year span, which naturally drew scrutiny. Agencies with jurisdiction over counterintelligence and lab security are coordinating inquiries into what, if anything, links these cases. The FBI, Pentagon…

The Pentagon says U.S. forces intercepted and boarded a sanctioned cargo ship carrying Iranian oil in the Indo-Pacific on Tuesday, an operation framed as enforcement of sanctions and protection of regional security. The U.S. military intercepted and boarded a sanctioned cargo vessel carrying Iranian oil in the Indo-Pacific region Tuesday, the Pentagon said. Officials describe the move as a lawful enforcement action tied to existing sanctions and maritime security operations. This kind of operation shows Washington is willing to act at sea when crucial economic and strategic rules are being broken. It also signals that U.S. forces remain forward-deployed and…