Author: Kevin Parker

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez staged a high-profile town hall in Glens Falls, deep in New York’s conservative 21st Congressional District, drawing crowds and clear-eyed skepticism about whether the visit is constituent outreach or a statewide branding exercise. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez traveled nearly 200 miles north of her Queens base Sunday night to headline a town hall in downtown Glens Falls, planting her flag in the heart of New York’s 21st Congressional District. The seat stretches from the Canadian border to the Mohawk River and is rated solidly GOP by the Cook Political Report, and it is the district Elise Stefanik is vacating at…

President Trump is weighing a delay of his planned end-of-month trip to China as a lever to press Beijing on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and stabilizing global oil markets. The possibility of postponing the visit is being presented as a bargaining tool to increase diplomatic pressure on China. That tactic reflects a tough, transactional approach to foreign policy focused on results for American interests. White House signals suggest the trip could be pushed back to extract concrete cooperation from China on reopening maritime routes and easing disruptions that have pushed energy prices higher. Officials are framing a delay not…

Jimmy Kimmel used Sunday night’s Academy Awards stage to push liberal politics, aiming barbs at the First Lady and making an odd comparison involving Steven Colbert that stirred complaints about mixing politics with entertainment. Sunday night at the Academy Awards turned into a political moment when host Jimmy Kimmel leaned into partisan commentary during his opening. The ceremony, meant to honor filmmaking, featured jokes and jabs that many viewers saw as deliberate political signaling. That choice set the tone for a show that kept drifting away from film craft and toward culture war territory. One notable target was first lady…

Six U.S. service members died when a refueling plane crashed in western Iraq, and among them was a woman raising two children; the loss has opened questions about strategy, readiness, and how we protect troops in the widening conflict with Iran. A woman raising two children was among the six U.S. service members killed last week when a refueling plane involved in the war with Iran crashed in western Iraq. That single sentence carries the human toll and the military angle in one breath, and it should give any responsible leader pause. Families have been thrown into grief and uncertainty…

Hawaii nightclub owner Michael Miske Jr. was convicted of murder and multiple other charges, and a jury ordered he forfeit more than $20 million to Uncle Sam as part of his punishment. The jury’s verdict against Michael Miske Jr. ended a criminal case that put a local nightlife figure at the center of a serious federal and state prosecution. He was found guilty of murder along with a host of other charges, and jurors agreed he should forfeit over $20 million to Uncle Sam. The decision sends a clear message that criminal activity tied to businesses can carry huge financial…

Israel’s military said Sunday that the brother of the man who attacked a Michigan synagogue last week had been killed earlier this month by an Israeli airstrike and identified that brother as a Hezbollah commander. The attack at a Michigan synagogue last week shocked communities and forced a hard look at how domestic violence can connect to foreign terror networks. Authorities say the attacker acted violently on American soil, and Israel’s military has now pointed to a direct family link to Hezbollah. That connection raises questions about motive, influence and the spread of extremist ideologies across borders. Israel’s statement that…

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright has directed a Texas-based oil and gas company to restore operations in waters off southern California that were damaged by a 2015 oil spill, invoking the Defense The order came from U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright and targets a Texas-based oil and gas company whose operations were still affected by a 2015 spill. Federal intervention was used, with the directive described as “invoking the Defense” in the original notice. That language signals an unusual level of federal involvement in a recovery and repair effort linked to an older incident. This action raises questions about who…

The administration has launched sweeping Section 301 trade investigations aimed at China and 15 other major economies, citing industrial overproduction and the need to protect American manufacturing ahead of an upcoming summit in Beijing. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer announced broad probes under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 that target China plus 15 economies including the European Union, Japan, India, Mexico, South Korea, and Vietnam. The investigations zero in on foreign industrial overproduction and could end with new tariffs on imports that Washington finds unfairly priced. The timing—just weeks before President Donald Trump’s trip to meet Xi…

Four airports serving Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Richmond halted flights for over an hour after a strong chemical smell interfered with air traffic control operations, prompting ground stops, delays and an immediate safety response while authorities worked to identify the source. Late on Friday evening, air traffic control operations were disrupted across a cluster of airports serving Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Richmond, Virginia, after staff reported a strong chemical odor in the vicinity. The smell was serious enough that controllers could not safely manage arriving and departing traffic, so all flights were put on hold for over an hour. Airports…

Global markets slipped while oil reclaimed the $100 mark as mounting Iran-related supply fears pushed investors toward safer assets and energy contracts. World shares retreated on Friday while oil prices again popped above $100 per barrel as anxiety remained over the Iran war and its impact on supplies of crude oil and gas. That jump in crude added a fresh risk premium across markets and forced traders to reassess where volatility could show up next. The immediate reaction was a classic split between energy strength and broad selling pressure in equities. The core worry is straightforward: any escalation around Iran…