Author: Karen Givens

Americans in their own towns are noticing big cultural shifts, and Dearborn, Michigan is a clear example of how rapid demographic change can reshape daily life. Walk through parts of Dearborn and longtime residents tell a simple story: the town they knew feels different. Stores, streets, and the rhythms of neighborhood life are evolving in ways that can make familiar places feel unfamiliar. For many people this is not an abstract debate about demographics, it is a daily experience that raises questions about community, identity, and local control. The transformation in Dearborn has been driven by a fast-growing Muslim population…

The leaders of France and the U.K. convened dozens of countries on Friday, excluding the United States, to advance plans aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil route that has been constrained amid recent tensions involving the U.S. France and the United Kingdom took charge Friday, gathering dozens of nations to discuss reopening the Strait of Hormuz, while the United States was notably absent. That absence was glaring given the strait’s central role in global energy flows and the broader security picture. The move signals both European urgency and a gap in transatlantic coordination at a sensitive…

Analilia Mejia and Republican Joe Hathaway face off in a Thursday special election to fill the U.S. House seat vacated by Mikie Sherrill, and the race has become a clear choice about priorities, spending, and local accountability. Analilia Mejia will try to expand Democratic momentum in New Jersey as she and Republican Joe Hathaway compete in Thursday’s special election to fill the U.S. House seat vacated by Mikie Sherrill. Voters are seeing a tidy national narrative pushed by Democrats, while Hathaway is framing the contest around tax relief, local control, and practical solutions to everyday problems. This matchup is compact…

A man imprisoned for nearly 30 years before being exonerated won a landmark election in New Orleans, promising to fix a judicial system that failed him, and his victory is drawing attention from Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry and national GOP figures. Voters in New Orleans backed a rare political comeback when they elected someone whose life was upended by a wrongful conviction nearly 30 years ago. His campaign leaned on a simple message: personal experience with the system gives him a mandate to push real change. That narrative resonated in a city long critical of how justice is administered. The…

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed a bill on Monday adding her state to the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, a move that would commit Virginia’s 13 electoral votes to whichever presidential candidate wins the most votes nationwide, regardless of how Virginians themselves vote. The Virginia Republican Party called it “an unconstitutional assault on our democracy.” The signing was part of a busy Monday in which Spanberger, who leads a state government now controlled by a Democratic majority, signed hundreds of bills into law. She vetoed a few, relating to unregulated skill-gaming machines and a proposed Fairfax County casino, and sent…

Lawmakers in Washington on Wednesday pressed Gen. Christopher LaNeve, the acting Army Chief of Staff, for more details on why his predecessor was abruptly sacked earlier this month by Defense Secretar

Powerful overnight storms swept across parts of Michigan from Tuesday into Wednesday morning, leaving damage in their wake, including two ice arenas and dozens of uprooted trees near the University of Michigan’s main campus. Storms raced through neighborhoods late Tuesday and into early Wednesday, driven by strong winds and heavy rain. The weather left visible damage on facilities and green spaces close to the university, forcing immediate safety checks and work to clear hazards. Local residents woke to overturned branches, scattered debris, and the sudden silence that follows power interruptions. Two ice arenas reported structural and interior damage after the…

Thousands of New York City building staff voted to authorize a potential strike after contract talks stalled, giving workers leverage as negotiations over pay, benefits and working conditions remain deadlocked. Thousands of New York City apartment building doorpersons, superintendents and related staff voted Wednesday to authorize a potential strike after contract negotiations stalled. The authorization gives union leaders the ability to call a work stoppage if talks do not move forward. Members say they backed the measure to pressure employers into addressing core demands. Union representatives framed the vote as a response to stalled bargaining and a growing sense that…

The Classic Learning Test has moved from niche curiosity into the mainstream conversation as a viable alternative to the ACT and SAT, with several schools in Indiana and North Carolina adopting it and other institutions and states weighing whether to follow suit. Colleges are increasingly open to testing alternatives, and the Classic Learning Test, or CLT, is getting a fresh look as part of that shift. A handful of universities in Indiana and North Carolina now accept CLT scores alongside traditional tests, and discussions are underway in other regions. That movement is forcing admissions offices to rethink evaluation tools they…

Since the United States was founded nearly 250 years ago, Americans have felt a strong connection to the land, rooted in the work and values of the Founding Fathers and echoed by generations of farmers and small landowners. From the start, the partnership between citizens and soil shaped our politics and habits, because most of the early leaders were farmers who understood property and responsibility. George Washington, James Madison, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson lived by that agricultural ethic and treated land as the foundation of liberty. That practical tie between ownership and independence still matters to communities across the…