Author: Rana McCallister

The Philippine Senate has convened as an impeachment court to begin the trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, launching a high-stakes legal and political process that comes amid sharp tensions in the country’s political scene. The opening session took place on Monday and signals a months-long proceeding that will test institutions, parties, and public patience. Observers are watching for how evidence, procedure, and political calculation will shape the outcome. The Senate acting as an impeachment court is a constitutional mechanism meant to resolve extraordinary claims against high officials, and its activation for Vice President Sara Duterte marks a rare and…

The piece looks at a July Fourth moment when visiting fans, comedians, and polls revealed a divide: many strangers and even critics saw an America worth celebrating, while a vocal slice of elites and some Democratic voices treated patriotism like an embarrassment. Scots in kilts arrived in Boston, marched to the games behind bagpipes, and joked about calling the city New Scotland. Japanese travelers filmed themselves eating Texas barbecue, and in Lawrence, Kansas, locals carved a foreign flag into a lawn for visitors who had never been there before. Those small scenes became the story no one on television expected.…

As Americans mark 250 years, a loud faction is choosing to mourn the country instead of join the celebration, insisting the anniversary proves the nation has failed while most citizens keep flying the flag and gathering with family. There’s a clear cultural tug-of-war playing out around America 250, and the left’s narrative leans hard into gloom. The New Yorker cover titled “Red, White, and Kinda Blue” captured that tone by showing an unusually melancholy George Washington. The illustrator’s aim was obvious: suggest the founders would be disappointed with the present day. The magazine’s depiction included the exact visual note that…

Iran signaled willingness to resume negotiations with the United States during talks with Chinese and Belarusian officials, a move that shifts regional diplomacy into focus and raises questions about leverage, verification, and allied security. Iran’s parliament speaker and lead negotiator in diplomatic talks with the U.S., Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, told representatives from China and Belarus Friday that Tehran was prepared to restart talks. That statement landed in a region already jittery about Iran’s intentions and its expanding partnerships. The timing matters because negotiations can change incentives on the ground, for better or worse. Seeing Tehran sit down with distant mediators…

That a court with six Republican-appointed justices could hand down such a patently un-American decision is an indictment of America’s rogue legal system.

Justice Clarence Thomas filed a 91-page dissent this week after the Supreme Court struck down President Trump’s executive order restricting birthright citizenship, warning that the majority’s reading of the 14th Amendment cheapens the meaning of American citizenship and will not hold up over time. The Court’s decision, which invalidated the executive order Trump signed on his first day in office, drew a sharp constitutional objection from the longest-serving conservative currently on the bench. Thomas argued the majority got its history wrong, and that the consequences will outlast the current political moment. The ruling marks one of the most significant constitutional…

A Justice Department criminal complaint unsealed Tuesday charges Peter Stokes, 19, a dual U.S.-Estonian citizen, with conspiracy, computer intrusion and fraud for his alleged membership in Scattered S

Kroger will buy regional grocer Giant Eagle for $1.65 billion, expanding its reach across the Northeast and Midwest and setting up a period of integration, regulatory review, and operational changes. Kroger’s announced acquisition of Giant Eagle for $1.65 billion signals a major move into new regional markets across the Northeast and Midwest. The price tag and the geographic reach make this a strategic expansion rather than a small add-on. Families, shoppers, and competing chains will all feel the ripple effects as the companies combine resources and footprints. For customers, the deal could mean changes in brands on shelves, loyalty program…

Birthright Citizenship Is the Law of the Land — a Supreme Court decision that cements birthright status for children born here, shapes politics, and forces lawmakers to choose between upholding the Constitution or changing it. The recent ruling arrived with clear constitutional force on Jul 1, 2026, reasserting that the 14th Amendment’s citizenship clause covers children born on U.S. soil. The decision resolves a long-running national debate by applying longstanding legal principles to modern immigration realities. It lands squarely in the middle of politics, law, and practical governance. US Supreme Court holds children of illegals are Americans. The Court’s majority…

Clear-eyed look at polling visuals and what they do to public conversation, with the page dated Jul 1, 2026 and an embedded graphic included for reference. Polling results arrive fast and the first thing many people notice is the picture that comes with the numbers. Good graphics help readers see trends at a glance, but they also decide which details are obvious and which ones fade into the background. That shaping matters because most of us trust the visual before we read the fine print. Design choices — color, scale, and selective labeling — can push a simple shift into…