Author: Kevin Parker

Markets ticked higher and oil fell after Iran said the Strait of Hormuz is open again for commercial tankers, sending US stocks to fresh highs while energy traders reassessed risk and supply expectations. Stocks climbed as traders digested a sudden easing of a major geopolitical worry. Oil prices retreated to levels seen in the early days of the Iran war, prompting a rapid rebalancing of portfolios and short-term risk bets. The market response was immediate, with risk assets rallying on the perceived reduction in threat to tanker routes. The headline driver was Iran’s announcement that the Strait of Hormuz is…

The Democratic Party’s most extreme elements have been sliding in public opinion, yet that shift has not produced a matching rise in support for Republican candidates. Voters are pulling back from hard-left positions, but many of those people are not moving straight into the GOP column. Democratic Party extremists, meaning pretty much all of them, are losing support. But Republicans aren’t gaining support. That simple observation captures a strange moment in American politics where rejection of one side is not automatically an embrace of the other. Pundits often treat politics like a zero-sum game, but real voters behave differently. Some…

Jeff Thornburg of Portal Space Systems discusses dynamic space operations and how the Artemis mission has reignited Americans’ fascination with space. Jeff Thornburg, CEO and co-founder of Portal Space Systems, lays out why dynamic space operations are the next big chapter in space activity. He argues these operations shift the mindset from static satellite deployment to active on-orbit servicing, maneuvering, and resilience. That change affects industry players, national defense, and the kinds of missions we can realistically attempt. Dynamic space operations mean more than moving a spacecraft from point A to point B; they involve persistent activity in orbit that…

Todd Lyons, the acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, will step down at the end of May, federal officials announced, after serving as a central figure in President Donald Trump’s mass deportations agenda. Todd Lyons has been the face of a hardline interior enforcement push that prioritized removals and aggressive deportation operations. His name became linked with steady enforcement actions and frequent public briefings during an administration that focused on removing unauthorized immigrants. Federal officials confirmed his planned departure at the end of May without providing a full explanation. Lyons served as acting director while ICE carried out…

Two people were found dead early Thursday in an Annandale, Virginia, home following what the Fairfax County Police Department described as a domestic incident.

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs said Thursday the U.S. blockade of Iran will be enforced inside the Islamic republic’s territorial waters, as well as international passages.

By Elizabeth Lawrence During the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on what lawmakers described as “growing threats” against the Second Amendment, Chairman Rand Paul (R-KY) shone a spotlight on the State of Virginia’s “hypocrisy” related to recent legislation targeting gun ownership. Just one day before the session, Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger suggested an amendment expanding […]

Justice Sonia Sotomayor offered a rare public apology Wednesday to fellow Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh for “hurtful” comments she made suggesting he was out of touch with working people.

Israeli strikes hit southern Lebanon overnight into Wednesday, coming a day after a first round of historic talks between Lebanese and Israeli officials in Washington, and smoke was seen rising over a coastal city. Overnight strikes rattled southern Lebanon and carried on into Wednesday, marking a sudden spike in cross-border violence. The strikes came just a day after a first round of historic talks between Lebanese and Israeli officials in Washington. Smoke was visible over a coastal city as residents faced another night of uncertainty. The timing underlines how fragile any diplomatic progress remains on that front. The Washington meetings…

Thomas Friedman publicly expressed he does not want the fall of Iran to be credited to Donald Trump or Benjamin Netanyahu, despite saying the Iranian regime deserves to fall; the piece examines his record, the facts about Iran’s attacks on Americans, and why recent U.S. military moves represent a decisive shift that Friedman refuses to acknowledge. On Saturday morning Thomas Friedman told Michael Smerconish that Iran’s regime deserved to fall, then added he did not want Donald Trump or Benjamin Netanyahu to get credit because they are “terrible, terrible people doing terrible things to America’s standing in the world.” He…