Author: Kevin Parker

President Trump has declared that oil shipping in the Persian Gulf must flow unhindered and said it should happen “with or without” Iran’s cooperation as diplomacy starts to address the conflict in the region. The president’s blunt message puts clear emphasis on unimpeded maritime commerce through a region that moves huge volumes of global energy supplies, and it signals a willingness to press U.S. military and economic power if necessary to keep those sea lanes open. That stance ties directly to broader priorities of national security and economic stability, where secure energy routes protect American interests and support allies. Republicans…

This piece looks at the clash between originalism and the modern liberal approach on the Supreme Court, noting how internal divisions on the left undermine their own goals and how conservative principles stay relevant in legal debates. It argues that strategic mistakes by progressives make it harder for them to curtail originalist rulings. The tone is direct and unapologetic about defending constitutional fidelity. Conservative jurists have pushed originalist ideas into mainstream legal debate, and that has forced a reaction from the left. The reaction has not been tidy or unified, and that disorder is a political and legal advantage for…

I’ll walk you through what the measure does, why it matters, who pays, and what it means for rule of law and border security. The text of the proposal is short on hard enforcement and long on promises, and that gap matters. It expands legal pathways without delivering real checks on illegal entries or firm consequences for employers who hire undocumented workers. That mix raises serious questions about incentives at the border and the integrity of our immigration system. I read the bill. And frankly, it might be worse than just amnesty. The language creates new categories for people to…

The federal judge rejected Minnesota’s emergency bid to unfreeze more than $243 million in Medicaid funds, finding the lawsuit premature and indicating the Trump administration’s deferral of payments likely follows federal rules. A federal judge denied Minnesota’s emergency motion to lift a freeze on Medicaid reimbursements, ruling the state sued too early and that the federal deferral likely complies with regulations. That decision handed the administration a clear legal win in its effort to press states to address suspected billing fraud. The ruling came from Judge Eric Tostrud, who was appointed by President Trump. Judge Tostrud refused both a temporary…

A former Defense Department employee with top-secret clearance was charged Wednesday with transmitting classified military information to a journalist — an arrest that the journalist says is federal, and this article examines the legal, security, and accountability angles around the case. A former Defense Department employee with top-secret clearance was charged Wednesday with transmitting classified military information to a journalist — an arrest that the journalist says is federal. That line sits at the center of a story about national security, the obligations of cleared personnel, and how the Justice Department treats leaks. The facts are narrow and serious: someone…

Washington State tops the nation for organized retail crime, and the governor has just vetoed a bill proposing funding to fight it, a move that raises questions about priorities and the direct fiscal hit from widespread theft. Washington leads the country in organized retail theft, and that ugly ranking matters beyond storefronts and headlines. The state leans heavily on sales tax to balance budgets, so when goods disappear off shelves the damage shows up on government ledgers as lost revenue. That link between theft and public finances makes the issue a policy problem, not merely a business one. Governor Bob…

President Trump’s regulatory rollbacks have clear wins, but tariffs and other executive moves risk wiping out those gains. President Trump pushed hard to unwind many Biden-era regulations, and those cuts have produced measurable relief for businesses dealing with red tape. Lower compliance costs and faster approvals have freed up time and capital for companies that had been hamstrung. Still, the policy picture is mixed when other White House actions push costs back onto consumers and producers. The most visible counterweight has been tariffs. Tariffs raise input costs for manufacturers and farmers who rely on imported parts and materials, and those…

This piece takes a clear look at whether stagflation could return amid the war in Iran, weighing the likely path of energy prices, supply shocks, and policy choices. It considers how monetary and fiscal decisions interact with real economy constraints, and what conservative priorities would change to limit the damage. Talk of stagflation has moved from background chatter to front page concern as oil prices and geopolitical risk rise. Stagflation means high inflation combined with weak growth and stubborn unemployment, a nasty mix that crushed living standards in the 1970s. The current situation is different in structure, but the risk…

Three assailants opened fire at police outside a building housing the Israeli Consulate in Istanbul on Tuesday, sparking a gunfight that left one attacker dead, Turkish officials said. Three assailants opened fire at police outside a building housing the Israeli Consulate in Istanbul on Tuesday, sparking a gunfight that left one attacker dead, Turkish officials said. The immediate aftermath left the area cordoned off and authorities working to secure the scene while details were still emerging. The attack happened outside a diplomatic mission, a site that usually has a tight security posture and clear markings of protected status. Attacks near…

NATO was born in 1949 to stop Soviet aggression, and it still matters, but today the alliance needs tougher talk, clearer goals, and fairer sharing of costs and risks. NATO’s origin after World War II in 1949 made real sense: a collective shield against Soviet expansion and a way to bind Western democracies together. That shared purpose justified U.S. leadership and sacrifice at the time, and it kept Europe free for decades. Yet history has moved on and so should parts of the alliance’s posture and politics. From a Republican perspective, gratitude for NATO’s role does not mean blind loyalty…