Author: Karen Givens

Artemis II made a high-stakes return to Earth this week, completing a historic crewed trip around the Moon with a dramatic splashdown that closed a chapter in human spaceflight more than five decades after the last lunar mission. Artemis II’s astronauts returned from the moon with a dramatic splashdown in the Pacific on Friday to close out humanity’s first lunar voyage in more than a half-century. The capsule pierced the atmosphere and slowed for final descent before striking the ocean surface under parachutes, a textbook conclusion to a mission that tested systems and crew performance in deep space. From reentry…

China is buying American oil, and the ripple effects are changing the balance of power in this conflict. China has begun importing U.S. crude to replace Gulf shipments that have been cut off, and that shift is far more than a fuel stopgap. The move exposes strategic strains inside what analysts call the DragonBear axis and shows who is actually under pressure. The facts on the ground point to a practical outcome: the United States is gaining leverage. Chinese diplomacy looked frantic when Beijing’s top diplomat made dozens of calls in short order, urging parties to de-escalate and even making…

Republicans pushed the SAVE America Act and tried to secure DHS funding, but left-wing lawmakers blocked those efforts, and Democrats in both chambers of Congress have shifted their focus to President Donald Trump as they attempt to disrupt his operations. The battle over policy has become a fight over power, and Republicans see it plainly. When the SAVE America Act stalled, it was not simply a legislative setback, it was proof that left-wing lawmakers are willing to grind the system to a halt. Now that DHS funding appears at risk, the stakes are higher because national security and border control…

Republicans briefly considered a millionaires tax before President Trump killed it. Now Democrats are pushing wealth taxes nationally — and the results in states that tried it are complicated. Democrats across the country are talking up wealth taxes as a quick fix for inequality and budget gaps, but the theory is cleaner than the practice. On paper, a tax on the richest households sounds straightforward: more revenue from people who can afford it. In reality, wealth is mobile, complex to value, and often sheltered by legal strategies that blunt any straightforward extraction. At the state level, experiments with wealth-related levies…

Reporters and pundits often use the phrase ‘ending weaponization’ as if it means the Justice Department must stand down whenever Democrats face scrutiny, insisting that accountability pause until political tides turn. That framing ignores the years of what many conservatives call Democrat lawfare and treats one side’s investigations as sacrosanct while punishing the other. This piece looks at how that media shorthand actually favors selective justice and why that matters for rule of law and political fairness. The media version of “neutrality” too often reads like protection for one party rather than balanced enforcement of the law. When outlets say…

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez welcomed President Trump’s ceasefire with Tehran on Wednesday but said the U.S. leader put out his own fire; this piece looks at that reaction, what it means for U.S. credibility, and how Republicans see the space between force and diplomacy. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, a chief critic of the U.S. war on Iran, welcomed President Trump’s ceasefire with Tehran on Wednesday but said the U.S. leader put out his own fire. That line captures the European unease: relief at paused flames but worry that America softened its edge. From a Republican perspective, pauses without…

Late on April 7 a framework for a U.S.-Iran agreement emerged, brokered by Pakistan, with both Washington and Tehran publicly working on a ten-point plan that includes the cessation of hostilities and steps around the Strait of Hormuz. Late Tuesday evening, April 7, a fragile diplomatic outline surfaced just ahead of President Donald Trump’s deadline for Iran to re-open the Strait of Hormuz. Pakistan acted as an intermediary, bringing the two capitals into a public acknowledgment that they are pursuing a ten-point plan. This development quickly shifted the tone from brinkmanship to cautious negotiation. The plan is reported to include…

South Carolina and UConn remain in the spotlight after a heated exchange between their coaches at the Final Four, and both programs are now steering attention back to the players and the next steps for their seasons. The Final Four clash between South Carolina and UConn brought more than just a close game; it included a visible confrontation between the two head coaches that quickly became part of the tournament conversation. That moment dominated headlines and social feeds for hours, shifting focus away from the athletes and on-court performances. People debated intent, context, and the proper role of coaches in…

Democratic-backed candidate Chris Taylor won election to the Wisconsin Supreme Court on Tuesday, growing the liberal majority on the court as cases affecting congressional redistricting and union rights move to the front of the docket. The result shifts the balance on Wisconsin’s highest bench and sets up a period where legal questions about maps and labor rules will get close attention. Conservatives see a court tilt that could reshape state policy for years. Supporters of the outcome celebrate a check against what they called partisan overreach by the previous majority. From a Republican perspective, this decision raises concerns about the…

Pushing past previous limits, NASA’s crewed Artemis II mission completed a lunar flyby and set a new distance record for humans, marking a major step in deep-space exploration. The Artemis II crew launched a mission to loop around the moon and, during that flight, traveled farther from Earth than any humans in history. That milestone confirms the mission achieved the long-planned goal of extending human presence deeper into space. The flight tested systems and procedures that will be needed for future lunar operations and eventual missions beyond lunar orbit. NASA designed Artemis II as a crewed follow-up to the uncrewed…