TODAY'S NEWS FLASH:
Smugglers Seal Migrants in Water Tank as Border Enforcement Tightens
Alabama to Execute Jeffery Lee by Lethal Injection Despite Earlier Nitrogen Agreement
The Justice Department Just Told Congress Your Gun Control Math Doesn't Add Up
Trump Administration Finalizes Arctic Defense Deal with Denmark and Greenland
90% of Americans consume this pain-causing protein daily
Protein helps build muscle and burn fat… but could one type of protein actually be hurting your joints?
Research suggests this protein may trigger inflammation and cartilage damage, potentially contributing to painful, stiff joints.
Political Landscape
Another Stopgap: The Case for Budget Process Reform
The September continuing resolution represents another chapter in decades of fiscal dysfunction. Congress once again resorted to a temporary spending patch rather than completing its constitutional appropriations duty, highlighting the broken budget process that undermines governance and sound fiscal policy.
Modernizing Labor Law: A Conservative Case for Reform
Congressional Republicans are advancing proposals to modernize federal labor law on three core conservative principles: worker choice, economic freedom, and federalism. The reforms would restore the balance between employer rights and union power while removing outdated New Deal-era constraints.
Global Impact
China's Middle East Courtship: Limits of Beijing's Regional Ambitions
China's expanding diplomatic presence in the Middle East faces significant structural limitations that constrain its ability to challenge American regional influence. Despite increased engagement, Beijing lacks the military footprint, alliance networks, and energy independence necessary to displace U.S. interests.
Europe Steps Up: The Changing Calculus of NATO Burden-Sharing
A newly released NATO report reveals European Allies and Canada increased defense spending by 20% in 2025, reaching $74 billion—a meaningful step toward more equitable burden-sharing. The increase signals European commitment to shoulder more of the collective defense burden that conservatives have long demanded.
Economic Pulse
H.I.G. Capital to Acquire MISTRAS Group in $866 Million Deal
The private equity firm will take the industrial asset integrity testing company private at $35 per share. The deal values MISTRAS at a significant premium and removes the company from public markets as H.I.G. seeks to expand the testing platform across industrial sectors.
Federal Reserve Raises Interest Rates to Fight Persistent Inflation
The Fed approved its first rate hike since 2023, bringing the target range to 3.75-4 percent with signals of more increases to come. The decision reflects policymakers' determination to bring inflation back to target despite risks to economic growth and employment.
Quick Takes
Juan Soto hit a 428-foot three-run homer as the New York Mets ended their five-game losing streak with a 6-3 victory over the Phillies at Citi Field.
Cincinnati and Houston both won dramatic come-from-behind victories in Week 1 and face off Sunday seeking to prove their opening success was no fluke.
Duncan Sheik, the singer-songwriter who brought audiences the 1996 hit “Barely Breathing” and later transformed Broadway with his Tony Award-winning musical “Spring Awakening,” died Thursday night at the age of 56.
Reality television personality Kim Kardashian disclosed Thursday that she has been diagnosed with esophagitis, an inflammatory condition of the esophagus, in a trailer for the upcoming eighth season of her family’s television program.
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Worth Checking Out
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