Opinion

Debates over defense spending in the United States often center on scale. A proposed $1.5 trillion budget for the Department of Defense understandably raises concern, particularly at a time when the national debt exceeds the size of the economy. Yet when viewed through the lens of long-term risk management, such a figure may be less extraordinary than it initially appears.

Opinion - The announcement of a triumphal arch in Washington, D.C., commemorating the recently declared U.S. victory over Iran has quickly become one of the most debated cultural proposals of the moment. The concept has now cleared an initial hurdle, with the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts—whose members were appointed by President Donald Trump—granting early approval on artistic grounds.

In recent weeks, speculation has swirled across social media and news networks alike about the status of President Donald Trump. The immediate cause: an evident shift in his public communication. Longtime observers note that Trump’s trademark social media presence—once spontaneous and unmistakably personal—now seems oddly polished, carefully phrased, and conclusively confirmed by independent analysts to be generated with artificial intelligence tools. Even recent video statements, which purport to show him addressing the nation, have come under scrutiny for signs of digital fabrication.

Opinion - When members of Congress shy away from calling Melania Trump to testify regarding the Epstein affair, citing her limited English as a concern, they insult both the public’s intelligence and the nation’s ideals. The United States Congress, of all institutions, should know that language is no obstacle to truth when interpreters exist for every tongue spoken under the Capitol dome.

Opinion - President Trump’s proposal to rename Presidents Day as Republican Presidents Day is a move that risks fracturing one of the few remaining symbols of civic unity in American life. Presidents Day, established to honor both George Washington and Abraham Lincoln and later expanded to recognize all who have held the nation’s highest office, is meant to celebrate the continuity of American democracy—not the dominance of a single political tradition.

Op/Ed. Reports that President Donald Trump consulted Chinese and Russian leaders before launching his military operation into Venezuela have provoked the predictable political storm. Critics have seized on the news as evidence of secret coordination or foreign influence, while allies insist such outreach represents prudent statesmanship. The truth, as usual, likely lies somewhere less dramatic: these calls were probably little more than a diplomatic courtesy—conventional, even necessary, in the volatile chessboard of 21st-century geopolitics.

Op-Ed: For generations, the Solstice has marked a quiet reckoning with the rhythms of nature—a moment when darkness begins to yield to light. Across cultures and centuries, the turning of the year around this time has inspired reflection, renewal, and gratitude. Yet somehow, in recent years, even this most universal observance has become tangled in debate.

President Trump’s proposal to send every American a $20 stimulus check as a “dividend” from savings during the government shutdown has been met with both amusement and skepticism. Yet beneath the humor that such a small figure might inspire lies an idea that deserves fair consideration.

Opinion - In a political landscape marked by polarization, outrage cycles, and the viral spread of misinformation, the Justice Department’s latest initiative under Attorney General Pam Bondi offers something rarely seen in public policy: clarity, restraint, and a genuine effort to balance national stability with constitutional rights.

Op-Ed - President Trump’s proposal to eliminate capital gains taxes on commercial real estate transactions valued above $10 million is exactly the type of bold economic reform our nation needs. By targeting high-value deals, this reform would unlock capital, incentivize investment, and usher in a new era of growth and opportunity for American cities.