News of the Week for July 12th, 2026
- 2026 Election
- Abortion
- Gun Rights
- Hide the Decline
- Socialized Medicine
- War & Terror
- National News
- Economy & Taxes
- International News
- Opinion
2026 Election
Does Josh Shapiro Have a Fight in Him?
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro sounds like he’s itching for a fight with his party’s insurgent socialist wing, whose uncomfortable marriage of convenience with the Democratic Party is, by the insurgents’ own admission, a temporary compromise.
Woman Who Dated Graham Platner Accuses Him of Sexual Assault
Politico dropped the story hours after we learned the candidate had canceled numerous events around Maine.
Graham Platner Drops Out of Maine Senate Race Following Sexual Assault Allegation
Graham Platner officially ended his Maine Senate campaign on Wednesday, just days after saying he was reflecting on the best path forward in response to new sexual assault allegations against him.
Graham Platner Plays the Victim
The critics of Graham Platner proved to be very, very right, and his fan base and defenders proved to be very, very wrong. With every revelation of past wrongdoing, he, his campaign, and his defenders doubled down and insisted they would be vindicated in the end. Now, with his campaign suspended and no one left to lie to, his contempt is well-earned.
Nevada’s governor race is just warming up. Why has Lombardo’s side already spent a fortune?
Lombardo and Republican-aligned groups have spent more than $13 million on ads since December 2025, while Democrats have spent only about $77,000.
Cruz: Talarico “Has A Chance,” “This Is A One Or Two Point Race”
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) on the Talarico-Paxton U.S. Senate race in Texas: “So look, unfortunately, I do think he has a chance. I think this is a real race. I think it’s going to be close. I think we’re going to win. I think we’re going to keep Texas red. But the polling right now shows this is a one or two point race.”
New legal complaint threatens to toss Rep. Cory Mills off the ballot
A Republican challenger alleges that Mills didn’t properly notarize his campaign filing documents, and he’s asking a judge to throw Mills out of the GOP primary.
Abortion
Court Cases & Legislation
Shameful Days in America: Funding Planned Parenthood Again
We should be deeply ashamed about something that happened this weekend.
Gun Rights
Federal appeals court upholds Illinois ban on semiautomatic weapons, overturning lower-court ruling
A federal appeals court has upheld an Illinois ban on semiautomatic weapons
Hide the Decline
Environment &“Green Energy”
NASA’s Models Wildly Underestimate The Capacity Of Clouds To Alter Solar Radiation
Today’s climate models are so inaccurate they must be improved a hundredfold just to detect a CO2 signal in climate change.
Socialized Medicine
Government in Healthcare
Mother who claimed vaccines killed 18-month-old twins charged with their murders
A mother who claimed her 18-month-old twins died from being vaccinated is now facing murder charges in their deaths more than a year later
War & Terror
The Drone Race Speeds Up Again
With characteristic subtlety Moscow has launched another attack on Kyiv just ahead of the NATO summit. At the time of writing seven people had been pronounced dead. Once again Moscow had launched drones, cruise missiles, and harder-to-stop ballistic missiles at the Ukrainian capital. This followed another major attack last week, which left 31 dead.
Unstrait is the gate
Athough the Iranian regime agreed to open the Strait of Hormuz in the June 17 memorandum of understanding with the Unites States, it has failed to do so. General Jack Keane states it as a matter of fact in his bluntest appearance on Fox News yesterday. His statement of the case brings us up to date. Vice President Vance’s new friends in Iran appear not to be all that he has cracked them up to be. For some reason we haven’t heard much about it.
Woman suspected of Monaco bombing found shot dead near Kyiv
Anastasiia Berezovska was being sought by police over attack that seriously injured a Ukraine-born businessman
Iran Tests Trump’s Appetite for Humiliation
A little over a week ago, I wrote that Iran’s tests of Trump’s resolve to pretend that his memorandum of understanding is intact and in force will keep coming and worsen.
“They’re cuckoo”
The bellum waged by Iran doesn’t seem to have been interruptum either by the April 8 ceasefire or the June 17 Memorandum of Understanding. The terms of those agreements to the contrary notwithstanding, the Iranian thugs have continued to assert control over the Strait of Hormuz. From our perspective, this constituted the primary desideratum (a Latin word that has made its way into English) of these agreements. Vice President Vance’s hopes for a brighter day with his new Iranian friends have not materialized.
What Are Russian Generals Telling Vladimir Putin About the War?
More Russian oil refineries are blowing up because of Ukrainian drones, and the lines for suddenly scarer gasoline in Russia are getting longer, but Vladimir Putin insists everything is fine. In Ankara, Turkey, President Trump is still talking about controlling Greenland, and he has suddenly discovered that the Iranian regime cannot be trusted to uphold its part of a bargain. Meanwhile, at home, there’s good reason to wonder if Graham Platner will withdraw from Maine’s Senate race, and spotlighting an easily overlooked detail in Politico’s article about Jenny Racicot’s accusations against Platner.
Why D.C. defense experts wrestled with a simulated space nuke
A dozen or so people gathered around a table in suburban Washington and were presented with a tense scenario: Someone had detonated a space nuke, American satellites were failing, and fighting in Europe and Asia was intensifying.
What Happens if China Hacks the US Water Supply? I Went to a Secret War Game to Find Out
Burst water mains. Evacuated hospitals. In a closed-door simulation, insurers played out their response to a mass disruption by China’s Volt Typhoon hackers—and found a nightmare scenario.
Administration sharing info about asylum seekers with Iranian government, lawsuit claims
The suit says the U.S. is endangering Iranian asylum seekers and their families.
It Turns Out the New Qatari-Donated Air Force One Isn’t Completely Secure
The administration can make any argument they like, but if the new Qatari-donated Air Force One were as perfectly safe and secure as they insist it is… why did the president switch planes?
Russia Bans Diesel Exports as Shadow Fleet Keeps Shrinking
Earlier this week, Ukraine hit Russia’s largest oil refinery with several drones. At the time the extent of the damage was unknown but since then refinery has been shut down for repairs.
Ukraine’s Drones Are Now Reaching Siberia and Imperiling Russian Energy Assets
Kremlin’s new dilemma: how to protect a much greater area with limited air-defense capabilities
Strait developments
It seems unlikely that President Trump will choose to leave the Strait of Hormuz under the control of the Iranian thugocracy. Can he really leave the Strait in a condition worse for us than it was before the commencement of the current hostilities? It makes it hard to claim victory. It would in fact represent a significant defeat
Iraq Agrees to U.S. Demands to Halt Dollar Flows to Iran-Backed Militias
In return, Trump administration is restarting billions in cash shipments to Baghdad
National
Supreme Court allows Texas to enforce law requiring age verification and parental consent on apps
The Supreme Court on Monday allowed Texas to continue to enforce, at least for now, a law that requires app stores to verify its buyers’ ages and obtain parental consent for minors to download apps and to purchase paid content within those apps. In a pair of brief, unsigned orders issued on Monday afternoon, the justices turned down requests to reinstate orders by a federal judge in Austin that barred the state from implementing the law. There were no public dissents from the orders.
Ex-Florida Democratic Governor Nominee Andrew Gillum Busted In Alabama For Drug Possession
Gillum was taken into custody Thursday night by officers in Daphne, AL, and then booked in the Baldwin County jail for possession of dangerous drugs, drug paraphernalia, and possession of marijuana, according to online police records. The Daphne PD has yet to release details on what led to his latest brush with the law.
Nuns in Court, Again: The Ongoing — Unnecessary — Little Sisters Ordeal
The Little Sisters of the Poor are still asking for Obamacare relief — 15 years later. In 2020, the Supreme Court did rule in their favor — protecting their religious liberty — but Pennsylvania and New Jersey are not on board. (Yes, despite some Philadelphia Declaration of Independence celebrations a few days ago that might have suggested otherwise.) So today, there was another court hearing — in the Third Circuit, in, yes, Philadelphia.
California Wants a Watcher Inside Every 3D Printer
California decided your printer should treat you like a suspect.
5 wild courses from this academic year
The 2025-2026 academic year has seen some of the craziest college courses yet. Campus Reform routinely covers university courses that focus on radical gender ideology, DEI, and Marxism.
Sen. Lindsey Graham dies at 71 after ‘brief and sudden illness’
President Donald Trump led tributes to Graham, a leading Republican voice on defense and foreign policy, describing him as a “true American Patriot.”
Economy & Taxes
Milton Friedman Isn’t Running the Show Anymore
That is what Joe Biden said in 2020. He also said, in 2019, “When did Milton Friedman die and become king?” Putting aside the non sequitur, Friedman certainly wasn’t running the show during the Biden administration, which is why the consumer price index increased by 21.2%.
White House launches 25 Freedom Fuel gas stations in this region
The White House announced the initiative on July 7 on X with a video of customers thanking President Donald Trump for lowering gas prices. The gas stations are located in the greater Philadelphia area, the White House told USA TODAY in an email on Tuesday, July 7.
US rare earths flow to Asia as domestic demand is slow to emerge
Miners backed by Trump administration sell to Japan and South Korea despite push to develop domestic supply chain
How Trump’s Tariffs Really ‘Work’
He hails Toyota’s investment, but what about the higher costs and manufacturing job losses?
International
Pakistan plane search: K2 Airways Boeing 737 disappears near Karachi
A search and rescue operation has been launched.
Britain’s Nigel Farage Quits Parliament Amid Probe Into Finances but Vows Return
The populist, whose Reform UK party leads polls, says he will run for Parliament again in a by-election
Tories Endorse Count Binface in Clacton
Asked if she would vote for him, Badenoch said she would be on a beach. Asked for whom the people of Clacton should vote, she declined to again endorse Binface: “The people of Clacton, and the Conservatives in particular, are very sensible – they will do what they know to be right. It’s not for me to be getting involved in that.” It’s yet to be seen if Tory staffers will go to Clacton to campaign for the bin…
Count Binface set to be only major challenger to Farage
Novelty contender confirms he will stand in Clacton by-election after Reform rivals refuse to field candidates
Outspoken Chinese economist who doubted official GDP data dies
Gao Shanwen lauded by online commenters as ‘truth teller’ in country known for strict censorship
Opinion
The Shining City on the Hill
I spent the weekend talking and writing about the greatness of this country, and I woke up this morning realizing I’d left much on the table. Because it is one thing to say America is great. It is another thing to say why, and to say what that greatness obligates us to do. So bear with me. You will be made to care. I, your host, will make you care.
The Roberts Court vs. the Trump Court
Why Trump lost big in the Supreme Court cases he cared the most about
The Supreme Court’s quiet coup
Every day, Americans are witnessing the most significant expansion of presidential power in modern times. Just as important, and less obvious, is the other significant shift that is occurring in our system of government: the Roberts Supreme Court is systematically stripping away power from Congress, the directly elected representatives of the people.
We Are All Still Living in Bill Clinton’s Moral World
Thirty years ago, the entire Democratic Party set out to convince the country that the character and morals of our leaders were irrelevant — especially as regards how they treated the opposite sex in matters sexual. Leaders “compartmentalize,” Democrats told us. Only prudes care about whether we are led by people of good character. We should be more like the sophisticated French and not care. We should, in fact, elevate that refusal to care to such a high level of principle that sexual misconduct is a defense to felonies, to abuse of official powers, and to predation on female subordinates in the workplace. This unified philosophical message was carried forward on the now familiar whole-of-society basis by the Democrats — not just their elected officials, messaging apparatus, and formal surrogates, but also their pundit class and their allies in the entertainment world, academia, and the supposedly objective press. They kept up this drumbeat for eight solid years. While it had other beneficiaries — after all, the most influential figure in setting the party’s agenda for four decades was Ted Kennedy — this was all done in the service of one man: Bill Clinton.
MAGA’s Birthright Meltdown Is in Full Effect
On July 4, the world’s richest man made an ominous declaration.
The DSA can’t hide its extremism
Its leaders may deny it, but this group has designs far beyond the social safety net.
The DSA vs. the Senate
In my column today, I mention that the Democratic Socialists of America have taken the official position that the Senate should be abolished. I should note that this is impossible under the Constitution — even with a constitutional amendment.
