Youngstown, Ohio, had a rockin’ New Year’s Eve, but not the kind it hoped for—a 4.0 magnitude earthquake shook the city just one week after a 2.7 magnitude earthquake hit. Fortunately, there was no significant damage or injuries; the focus has primarily been on the cause of the earthquake. Although no definitive connection has been […]
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is set to begin a four-nation tour of Latin America Sunday to tighten up ties with the countries who remain as his allies. Iran’s ministers for foreign affairs, energy, commerce, trade and mines will accompany him on the tour. First stop on the list is Venezuela, to see close friend and ally […]
Iran has the ability to temporarily block the Strait of Hormuz but the U.S. “would take action and reopen” it, Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman General Martin Dempsey said Sunday, making clear to Iran that in threatening to close the straits, it is literally playing with fire. . “They’ve invested in capabilities that could, in […]
The new US defense review combines politics, economics and ideology. The decision to make cuts in the US military forces will obviously appeal to President Obama’s base. Obama has announced that the US is ending a decade of war and is effectively going to concentrate on rebuilding the United States domestically. The administration has renounced […]
Despite recent tensions between Iran and the United States, the U.S. Navy announced on Friday it had rescued 13 Iranian fishermen being held by Somali pirates in the Arabian Sea. Fox News reported that an SH-60S Seahawk from the guided-missile destroyer USS Kidd detected the pirates while a simultaneous distress call was received from the […]
Although Libya has rid itself of the Muammar Qadhafi regime, it faces an uncertain future endangered by radical Islamist factions, warring militia commanders, tribal rivalries, a lack of democratic traditions, and a civil society ravaged by decades of authoritarian rule. Last week, two militias clashed violently in a turf war in Tripoli, the Libyan capital. […]
President Obama’s stunning appointments of Richard Cordray to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and of three more bureaucrats to the National Labor Relations Board has been described by many observers as a serious blow to the Constitution and the separation of powers. In addition to the strong Constitutional argument against the President’s actions, there are […]
President Obama visited the Pentagon on Thursday to outline his plan for gutting our nation’s military. Obama’s vision makes America more vulnerable to foreign threats and leaves our armed forces less able to provide for the common defense. As we’ve previously illustrated, Obama has proposed significant reductions to the Pentagon’s budget. This week’s chart shows […]
In a weak economy, the government should not erect barriers to hiring. But two government policies have hindered the already slow recovery: increases in the minimum wage and government unionization. Eliminating these policies would not be enough to spur a robust recovery—the cause of our current economic weakness goes far beyond these measures—but removing them […]
Mike and Chantell Sackett just wanted to build their dream home in the Idaho panhandle. Instead, they’re headed to the U.S. Supreme Court in a long-running dispute with the Environmental Protection Agency, which claims their property is wetlands. The case is among the most watched before the court this year. Justices will hear the Sacketts’ […]
