Author: Karen Givens

Afghanistan’s government accused Pakistan’s military of shelling the outskirts of an eastern Afghan city on Sunday, killing one person and wounding more than a dozen. The incident adds to a string of cross-border confrontations that have strained regional stability and worried residents living along unstable front lines. The Afghan government publicly blamed Pakistan’s military for strikes on the outskirts of an eastern city, saying one person was killed and more than a dozen were wounded in the attack on Sunday. Local officials described damage to homes and vehicles near the city edge, and hospital staff reported treating people with blast…

The Egyptian government is seeking ways to conserve oil-powered electricity during the U.S.-Israel war with Iran, enacting at least one policy that threatens Cairo’s identity as a city that never The Egyptian government is actively exploring measures to reduce use of oil-powered electricity as regional conflict involving the U.S., Israel, and Iran strains supplies and spikes costs. Officials are framing conservation as a necessary response to a volatile energy picture and to protect essential services. Signs of policy shift are already visible and have begun to affect daily life in the capital. Egypt relies on a mix of fuels to…

Vice President JD Vance pressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a tense call after questioning the optimistic timeline Netanyahu reportedly sold to President Trump about a war with Iran, and the clash highlights a Republican push for hard-nosed scrutiny before America commits troops and treasure overseas. Reports say the phone call turned sharp when Vance pushed back on Netanyahu’s assurances that the conflict would play out quickly. That pushback came after those predictions failed to materialize, according to reporting. The exchange signals a White House unwilling to accept upbeat foreign promises at face value. Vance told Netanyahu that his…

As the conflict around Iran deepens, the question of putting U.S. combat troops on Iranian soil has moved from theory to a heated strategic debate, weighing the need to stop malignant behavior against the risks of open-ended occupation and heavy American casualties. As tensions in and around Iran build, voices in Washington are divided on whether boots on the ground are necessary to deter Tehran. Some argue that a limited presence would stop aggression and protect regional partners, while others warn it risks a long, costly engagement. The issue forces a hard choice between measured force and the fear of…

Republican leaders in Georgia are pushing for nonpartisan local ballots as a response to recent Democratic gains in Atlanta’s core counties. Georgia’s political map has shifted sharply where it matters most, and Republican strategists are pushing back with a straightforward idea: run most local races without party labels. With Democrats steadily wiping out Republicans electorally in the core Atlanta counties of swing-state Georgia, the push aims to change how voters see municipal contests. The proposal is simple on its face, and it is being sold as a way to refocus elections on local issues rather than national partisan identity. Republicans…

The pledge master for a Northern Arizona University fraternity was indicted Friday on a felony hazing charge after a student died in late January following a night of drinking at a rush event, and the case has raised renewed questions about fraternity culture, accountability, and criminal consequences. The indictment centers on a rush event where alcohol was consumed and a student later died, prompting prosecutors to pursue felony hazing charges against the fraternity’s pledge master. Authorities say the actions that night go beyond a tragic accident and amount to criminal conduct under hazing laws. The move to indict reflects growing…

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries seized on a narrow Florida special election win to threaten a redistricting fight, turning a local result into a national story and pinning his warning at Governor Ron DeSantis ahead of a planned special legislative session. In a Palm Beach County state House race, Democrat Emily Gregory beat Republican Jon Maples by 2.2 percentage points in a district that includes Mar-a-Lago, with Decision Desk HQ providing the initial count. The loss carries symbolic weight because President Trump reportedly carried the area by double digits in 2024, but the race was a low-turnout, localized contest. Republicans…

Three recent reports say American democracy is slipping, but the studies’ methods and framing deserve scrutiny from a skeptical, conservative angle. In the last month, three separate reports declared that U.S. democracy is backsliding, and those headlines spread fast. The reports present themselves as nonpartisan, yet their findings rest heavily on the opinions of scholars who tend to lean left. Two of the groups then shaped that data into a stark narrative about an authoritarian president, “destroying America’s […]” Start with the basics: surveys that rely on academic judgments or expert panels are inherently subjective. Method choices — who counts…

Local leaders and parents are pushing back hard against recent Colorado measures they say chip away at parental authority, sparking high emotions and renewed focus on school policy, transparency, and the role of state government in family life. There is a straightforward argument being made across communities: parents should decide how their children are raised and educated, not state officials or one-size-fits-all mandates. That message is finding traction in school board meetings, local forums, and conservative circles where people feel their influence has been trimmed back. Those concerns are about more than classroom material; they reach into privacy, health decisions,…

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is in France meeting his Group of Seven foreign minister counterparts on Friday, after President Trump attacked NATO countries over a reluctance or refusal to take U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio landed in France to join his Group of Seven foreign minister counterparts, arriving amid a charged atmosphere after President Trump publicly took aim at NATO allies. The visit comes at a time when allies and Washington are squaring off over who pays for defense and how responsibilities are shared. Republicans see this as a moment to press hard for fairness and clarity…