President Donald Trump has set high expectations for Iraq’s newly designated prime minister, Ali al Zaidi, expectations that reflect Washington’s long-standing hope for a stable, reliable partner in Baghdad. But Iraq’s reality is far more complicated. In Iraq, leadership is not just about capability — it is about constraint. And those constraints are built into the […]
The Strait of Hormuz is closed, and Iranian officials are reportedly begging Washington to reopen it. Beijing has tightened its grip on rare earths. And Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is raising $100 billion through Project Prometheus to buy the American manufacturers whose production lines depend on both. Three crises. One vulnerability. And a solution sitting […]
Democrats keep learning the hard way that what goes around comes around. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) changed voting rules in 2017 so Democrats couldn’t filibuster Neil Gorsuch’s nomination to the Supreme Court. He did the same for future Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett. This helped President Donald Trump promote three originalist […]
By the time you’re reading this, the United Arab Emirates, the world’s fourth-largest oil exporter, will have left the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries after nearly 60 years of membership. In an existential blow to the historically indomitable oil cartel, the Gulf monarchy announced that it would instead “respond to evolving market needs” by […]
After five decades of conflict, Iran under the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei constituted a “clear and present danger” to the West. The notion proffered by some that there needed to be an imminent threat to trigger military action only invites future tragedy. With this said, while the administration’s decision to attack Iran appears to be […]
In Focus delivers deeper coverage of the political, cultural, and ideological issues shaping America. Published daily by senior writers and experts, these in-depth pieces go beyond the headlines to give readers the full picture. You can find our full list of In Focus pieces here. Republicans are scrambling to show the public they are trying to […]
Cole Allen, a Caltech graduate, is accused of attempting to assassinate President Trump, and his actions may be attributed to the heated rhetoric used in modern political life, which can lower the psychological barrier to violence.
President Trump said Thursday that he is not satisfied with the current standing between the U.S. and Iran, amid stalled nuclear deal negotiations between the two countries. “We’ve already won, but I want to win by a bigger margin,” Trump told Newsmax’s Greta Van Susteren. “We’ve destroyed everything. If we leave right now, it will...
A federal judge in Massachusetts on Thursday determined that President Trump’s halt on processing immigration applications for citizens of countries listed under his travel ban, granting an injunction on a policy she determined was unfairly leaving thousands in limbo. U.S. District Court Judge Julia Kobick, an appointee of former President Biden, tore into a number...
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Friday accused the Pentagon of lying about the U.S. cost of the war in Iran. "The Pentagon is lying. Netanyahu's gamble has directly cost America $100b so far, four times what is claimed," Araghchi wrote in a social media post, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "Indirect costs...
Former President Biden dropped his first endorsement of the 2026 midterm cycle Friday morning, backing former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms in the Georgia governor’s race. Bottoms made a surprise decision not to run for reelection as mayor in 2021 and then joined the Biden administration as a special adviser. “As mayor of Atlanta, Keisha...
