Author: Rana McCallister

The White House proposed a new response to Democratic calls for ICE reform, while a battle over DHS funding exposed divisions in the Senate and pressure on Democrats to compromise. On Friday, February 27 the White House rolled out a counteroffer designed to temper demands for sweeping changes to ICE. The move came amid a tense funding fight that revealed how far apart the parties remain on immigration enforcement and border security. The administration framed its approach as practical steps that preserve order while addressing specific concerns. Senate Democrats on Tuesday blocked a second attempt to pass DHS funding, and…

Vice President JD Vance announced a temporary federal hold on $259 million in Medicaid funds to Minnesota and gave Gov. Tim Walz 60 days to prove the state can stop widespread fraud; the administration says the money will be released only after concrete corrective action. The move comes after audits tied to the last three months of 2025 and follows concerns that pandemic-era emergency spending left programs open to organized abuse. At a press event with Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services administrator Mehmet Oz, Vance made the announcement and framed it as a direct enforcement step. The pause targets…

President Trump is facing a confusing choice among several Republican friends competing in the Texas Senate primary, and that indecision is already reshaping the race. President Trump just can’t seem to choose among friends in the Texas Senate Republican primary. That line captures the moment: a popular former president weighing multiple conservative options while the primary clock keeps ticking. The result is a crowded field where his endorsement could tip the needle but hasn’t yet. From a Republican point of view, this is both a problem and an opportunity. It is a problem because a late or split endorsement can…

Iran has not allowed the United Nations nuclear watchdog to access nuclear facilities affected by the 12-day war in June, according to a confidential report by the watchdog circulated to member states. That refusal is a stark development that raises questions about transparency at a moment when nuclear oversight matters most. The details in the confidential report add urgency to policy debates about how the international community should respond. The confidential report circulated to member states says plainly that Iran has denied inspectors entry to sites it described as affected by the 12-day war in June. That lack of access…

This article connects the original Watergate break-in and its consequences to a recent Reuters report suggesting the FBI under President Biden used tactics critics liken to Watergate, examines Republican concerns about politicized law enforcement, and outlines the institutional and constitutional questions raised by those allegations. Watergate was a blunt lesson in how power can be abused when political operatives and the executive branch conspire to spy on opponents. In the 1970s, operatives tied to President Richard Nixon installed wiretaps inside the Watergate complex, and when the scheme unraveled it cost a presidency and altered how Americans view political power. That…

Hillary Clinton told a House panel she did not know about Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking and said she was only a casual acquaintance. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton faced a House panel where she denied any knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking activities and described herself as only a casual acquaintance. That exchange landed squarely in the middle of renewed interest in how powerful people crossed paths with Epstein. Republicans watching the hearing saw gaps that demand straight answers, not spin. The core claim from Clinton is straightforward: she said she told investigators she knew nothing about Epstein’s crimes…

The courts have effectively excused Congress from responsibility, rewarding legislative neglect and in practice taking on decision-making powers that belong to elected political branches of government. When judges step in to shield lawmakers from political consequences, the balance of power breaks down. That shift lets Congress avoid accountability and quietly hands decision-making authority to unelected judges. The result is a weaker link between voters and policy outcomes, with consequences for liberty and governance. Judicial rulings that remove pressure from the legislature change incentives. If representatives face no real cost for failing to act, they will delay or avoid making tough…

After President Donald Trump’s State of the Union, attention turned to his approval numbers and the polls that claim to measure them, with supporters and critics arguing over what those numbers really show. In the wake of President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address, much media attention has been paid to his popularity and approval ratings. Polling is often treated as the best short-term gauge of a leader’s standing outside of an election, but it only tells part of the story. How you interpret those numbers matters as much as the raw figures themselves. Polls capture perception more than…

Katherine Short, 42, the daughter of actor and comedian Martin Short, has died at her Hollywood Hills home, the family confirmed; law enforcement sources have reported an apparent suicide and media outlets say she was found Monday evening around 6 p.m. The Short family issued a statement through a representative confirming the loss and asking for privacy during their grief. Their words captured both shock and sorrow as they tried to process what happened to someone they called a light in their lives. “It is with profound grief that we confirm the passing of Katherine Hartley Short. The Short family…

Five of nine Supreme Court justices did not attend President Donald Trump’s 2026 State of the Union, an absence that came days after the Court’s 6-3 ruling that his tariff plan exceeded presidential authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, and the president publicly criticized the justices from the podium. On Tuesday night Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., Elena Kagan, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett sat in the front row while Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Sonia Sotomayor, and Ketanji Brown Jackson were absent. The timing was hard to ignore: the Court had just struck down…