Conservative Blogger
Sunday, July 12, 2026
Barbara Ruling Exposes Deep Originalist Rift on High Court
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The Supreme Court's 6-3 decision in Trump v. Barbara struck down President Donald Trump's executive order ending birthright citizenship. But a closer read of the 194-page opinion shows the court's self-identified originalists sharply divided over what the 14th Amendment's framers actually meant, with only Justice Amy Coney Barrett joining Chief Justice John Roberts on the constitutional rationale and Justice Brett Kavanaugh voting to void the order on statutory grounds alone. Roberts, writing for a five-justice bloc that included Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Barrett, and Ketanji Brown Jackson, traced an unbroken line from English common law through the antebellum era to the Reconstruction Congress, concluding that the Citizenship Clause "incorporated the common law and granted citizenship to nearly all children born in the United States." The majority held that children born to parents unlawfully or temporarily in the country are "subject to the jurisdiction" of the United States and thus citizens at birth. Kavanaugh concurred in the judgment but departed from the constitutional reasoning, basing his vote on 8 U.S.C. Section 1401(a), the Immigration and Nationality Act provision that mirrors the Citizenship Clause. He wrote that Trump's order "does not violate the Fourteenth Amendment" but does contravene federal statute and suggested Congress could amend the law to establish new exceptions. The principal dissent, authored by Justice Clarence Thomas and joined by Justice Neil Gorsuch, ran 91 pages and called the majority's account "not historically accurate." Thomas argued the 14th Amendment's framers meant to secure citizenship for the freed slaves, not for children of parents merely sojourning in the country, and said the ruling "adds to the sad history" of an amendment he views as repurposed beyond what its Reconstruction-era authors intended. Justice Samuel Alito, in a separate 39-page dissent, called the ruling a "mistake" that "preserves a powerful incentive to enter or remain in this country illegally." Gorsuch added a three-page solo dissent questioning the majority's reliance on the 1898 Wong Kim Ark precedent, though he acknowledged doubt that the executive order could lawfully reach children of long-settled undocumented parents. The split leaves the constitutional holding resting on five votes rather than six, a distinction Trump seized on when he said on Truth Social that Congress could "make it up" through legislation without a constitutional amendment. Kavanaugh's opinion supplies some support for that view; the majority's does not. Any statutory rewrite would still face the five justices who ruled the Constitution itself compels birthright citizenship for nearly all children born on U.S. soil. Executive Order 14160, signed Jan. 20, 2025, directed federal agencies to withhold citizenship documentation from certain children of noncitizen parents. The Migration Policy Institute estimated that roughly 255,000 children born each year stood to lose recognized citizenship had the order taken effect. Jim Thomas ✉Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years. © 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved. |
NYC Mayor Plays the Fool After State Dept. Shut Down Mamdani Official's Meeting With Iranian Ambassador
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RedState reported Thursday on an insane but fairly predictable story involving New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's administration, Iran's United Nations ambassador, and how a meeting was set up between the ambassador and a Mamdani official that was supposed to take place on Tuesday. As first detailed by City Journal, Commissioner Ana María Archila from Mamdani's Office for International Affairs "was scheduled to meet with Amir-Saeid Iravani, Iran’s permanent representative to the United Nations, at 2 United Nations Plaza, alongside two other senior officials in the Mayor’s Office for International Affairs on July 7 at 11 a.m." The attempted meeting got shut down by the State Department once they learned of it, according to the report, with it also being noted that "Archila allegedly did not inform Mayor Mamdani of the meeting; she was reprimanded for the move and directed to cancel the meeting." READ MORE: State Dept Responds Accordingly to News of Mamdani Official's Plan to Meet With Iran's UN Ambassador In an update to this story, Mamdani himself has been asked about it, and he is alleging that the meeting was not sought by his administration, and that he personally had no knowledge of it:
Firstly, I'd love to see proof that the first point of contact regarding this near-meeting was Iran and not Mamdani's office, because I don't believe that this meeting wasn't first pursued by the Mamdani administration. Second, I'm not buying that he wasn't in the loop, considering his reaction to the start of Operation Epic Fury in late February, declaring that the strikes "mark a catastrophic escalation in an illegal act of war of aggression,” while adding that "bombing cities, killing civilians, opening up a new theater of war — Americans do not want this." SEE ALSO: Mamdani Caught Lying—Blames Adams for Little Italy Fiasco, Then Vows to Put It Back on the Map Further, Mamdani has made it very clear that his loyalties do not rest with the United States, and he has basically acted as sort of a shadow diplomat since taking office in January on the grounds that the Big Apple is a world-famous city and that they need to maintain good relations with other countries, though it's strange how the ones you hear about most often usually involve socialist or Islamic regimes. But there is a lot more at play than merely keeping up friendly "international relations," something that was perhaps best explained by Republican NYC Councilwoman Vickie Paladino, who has both Mamdani's and the Democratic Socialists of America's (DSA) numbers:
She sure did not pull any punches. Do you agree with her suggestion of a military solution to deal with the DSA? |
Indiana Lt. Governor Calls for Ban on Mosques Blasting Call to Prayer Five Times a Day
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Indiana Lt. Governor Micah Beckwith is calling for a ban on mosques broadcasting the Muslim call to prayer over loudspeakers five times a day. The Republican official stated that he fully supports prohibiting the practice in American cities. Beckwith, responding to media outlets pressing him on his stance on mosques, said he “100%” wants to stop them from blaring the call across neighborhoods. "I've received multiple media requests today asking for comment on my recent call to ban mosques in America from blaring the Muslim call to prayer through loudspeakers 5 times a day across our cities," he wrote on X late last week. "Just to save time, here's my official response: Yes, I 100% want to ban mosques in America from blaring the Muslim call to prayer through loudspeakers 5 times a day across our cities," he explained. "Hope this clarifies everything, and have a great weekend!" The Islamic call to prayer, known as the adhan, is recited five times daily according to the position of the sun — at dawn, midday, afternoon, sunset, and after dark. In many countries, mosques amplify it through loudspeakers so it carries across entire neighborhoods. America should not be one of these countries. If we can get special weather statements or local emergency messages on our cellphones, the call to prayer could also quietly ping the devices of Muslims. There is no reason for it. Other than, it functions as a public declaration of religious presence and dominance, staking claim over shared public space in a way that other faiths rarely do.
READ MORE: DNI Tulsi Gabbard Torches Radical Islamist Ideology: The 'Greatest Threat' to American Freedom New Yorkers Wake to the Islamic Call to Prayer To nobody's surprise, Beckwith's comments have drawn quite a wide range of reactions. "We shouldn't be forced to have to listen to noise pollution because Muslims need to know when to pray," one person wrote, while another pointed out that technology these days makes the noise pollution wholly unnecessary. Former Sean Hannity producer Kylie Jane Kremer thanked Beckwith for his remarks, adding, "Honestly, you can go farther than this, but appreciate your starting point when most politicians won’t say a damn thing!" Critics cited arguments about freedom of religion and compared the call to prayer to church bells ringing. Residents in parts of New York City, including lower Manhattan, got a taste of the absurdity in February, when they were awakened as early as 5 a.m. by the Islamic call to prayer being broadcast loudly through the streets.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard warned America about radical Islamist ideology in a speech this past December. "There is a threat to our freedom that is not often talked about enough, and it is the greatest near and long-term threat to both our freedom and our security, and that is the threat of Islamist ideology," she told those in attendance. "It is propagated by people who not only do not believe in freedom, their fundamental ideology is antithetical to the foundation that we find in our Constitution and Bill of Rights, which is that our Creator endowed upon us inalienable rights, the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." In an era when too many leaders tiptoe around the incompatibility of Islam with individual liberty, Gabbard and Beckwith have stood up to shout it from the rooftops. |
Nick Shirley's Latest Fraud Video Is Another Gold Mine
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Nick Shirley is back, this time exposing large-scale Medicare fraud involving senior centers for elderly Koreans and Chinese. It’s another video that’s nearly an hour long, which he posted in full here:
“Your tax dollars are paying for elderly Koreans and Chinese to play ping pong and do tai chi, while the fraudsters give kickbacks to those who enroll,” Shirley wrote. — James O'Keefe (@JamesOKeefeIII) July 11, 2026
A circulating clip shows Shirley confronting an employee at a center in Flushing, where he is presented with some hard numbers about the facility. Shirley asked him whether there were more than 7,000 members at this center, and he flatly denied it. When the employee asked where he got his figures, Shirley said these are all publicly available. The employee denies there are 7,000 members at this center, prompting Shirley to ask whether he was overbilling, since they’re charging $1,600 per patient. That’s millions per year.
Shirley was then asked to leave. |
These Ghouls Couldn't Help But Gloat Over Lindsey Graham's Death
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In the immediate hours following the unexpected death of long-time Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, ghoulish posts immediately began being posted by the usual suspects.
This baffling need to provide “witty” and dark commentary on the shocking death of a political adversary is reminiscent of that of the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Countless people seem to feel the need to virtue signal about hating the right person and chose to spit on their not-yet dug grave to win social credit score. Piers Morgan provided some insight into the phenomenon.
This piece won’t provide comment on the good or bad of Graham’s career, but only a recommendation for observing the death of all individuals: pause and pray for the departed. |
Platner collapse completes John Fetterman’s break from Sanders socialists who put him in Senate
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Graham Platner’s political collapse did more than derail a scandal-plagued Senate campaign in Maine. It also completed Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman’s public transformation from a Bernie Sanders-backed progressive populist to one of the left’s most aggressive internal critics. Fetterman was among the first prominent Democrats to call out Platner's mounting controversies, even as many party leaders continued backing the scandal-plagued candidate until a former girlfriend publicly accused Platner of rape, an allegation he denies. The accusation prompted the remaining pillars of Democratic support to collapse. By Wednesday night, Fetterman laid into his onetime political ally Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., in an interview with Fox News’ Charles Hurt on "Jesse Watters Primetime." "The trash took itself out," Fetterman said of Platner’s withdrawal, as Hurt asked who should be held most responsible for the Platner chaos. KINGMAKER MAMDANI CALLS ON PLATNER TO 'DROP OUT OF THE RACE' AFTER RAPE ALLEGATION "Absolutely, Bernie Sanders needs to apologize to the voters of Maine and to everyone that donated to that train wreck of a campaign," Fetterman said. Sanders ultimately called on Platner to end his candidacy after the allegation surfaced, but Fetterman argued the Vermont progressive owed voters an apology for helping elevate him in the first place. "More than anyone, he pushed ‘P. Hustle’ into the election. And now he keeps pushing these Communists and these kinds of awful, anti-American people." Fox News Digital reached out to Sanders, Fetterman and Platner's campaign for comment. JOHN FETTERMAN’S FALL FROM HERO TO HERETIC EXPOSES DEMOCRATS’ HARD LEFT TURN  Graham Platner, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate for Maine, during a primary election night event at the Blue Hill YMCA in Blue Hill, Maine, on Tuesday, June 9, 2026. Progressive Democrat Graham Platner won the party's Senate primary in Maine after a bruising campaign which became as much about his accusations of past misbehavior as it was voters' top concerns. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images) The comments cap a remarkable political evolution for Fetterman, who recently acknowledged he is more popular with some Republicans than his own party. "For some strange [reason], I am more popular with Republicans, which is confusing because I vote in the 90-[percentile] Dem-line," Fetterman told NewsNation in March, adding that he supports Israel and President Donald Trump’s "Operation: Epic Fury" against Iran. Chris Borick, a professor at Lehigh University and former president of the Pennsylvania Political Science Association, called Fetterman's change in relationship with Sanders and the Democrats' progressive wing "dramatic." "As someone that follows Pennsylvania politics, I can't find anything even close in comparison to the shifts that we've seen in Fetterman's positions on an array of matters over a short period of time," Borick said. "We've seen people switch parties, like Arlen Specter... but in terms of a quick departure on the most significant levels, Fetterman's changes are without precedent in the state." Fetterman’s break with the left has not been limited to Sanders-world. In Pennsylvania, his increasingly independent posture has also put distance between him and parts of the state Democratic establishment, including breaking some partisan norms. State Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Gettysburg, who served in the Pennsylvania Senate while Fetterman was lieutenant governor and presided over the chamber, said the Democrat had "political differences" with him but was typically "gracious and respectful." He spoke of an interaction on the Harrisburg Senate floor when Fetterman learned Mastriano accrued a record number of ballot signatures to qualify to run for governor against then-Attorney General Josh Shapiro. "Senator Fetterman came down from the rostrum, congratulated me, and said, 'Doug, 30,000. That's really impressive. Great job.' It wasn't something he had to do," Mastriano told Fox News Digital. "I can't speak for Sen. Fetterman's political evolution — that's something only he can explain. But I do respect anyone who is willing to speak their mind, think independently, and put what they believe to be America's interests first, even when doing so may not be popular within their own party," said Mastriano, who said Fetterman appears to be "put[ting] Pennsylvania ahead of politics." Fetterman recently upstaged his home state’s Democratic standard-bearer, Gov. Josh Shapiro, by teaming up with Republican Sen. David McCormick to help secure a booth on the National Mall for the Great American State Fair after the governor’s office said there was too little time and too little vendor interest to assemble one. Shapiro’s predecessor, Gov. Tom Wolf, with whom Fetterman served as lieutenant governor during Wolf’s second term, also appeared to have no love lost for his party’s new maverick. "I have thoughts, but I don’t have to share them anymore," Wolf, who has largely retired from public life, said in March of Fetterman’s job performance. When the two were in office in Harrisburg, Fetterman was closely aligned with Sanders and rode a wave of progressive populism to the lieutenant governor’s office — which is a separate primary-ballot line from the governorship. Sam Chen, a Pennsylvania political analyst and chief strategist at the Allentown-based Liddell Group, told Fox News Digital that Fetterman’s evolution from Sanders ally to critic is a significant one while questioning whether the Democratic Party’s political environment helped cause the break. "Fetterman was really helped by Sanders — even in Fetterman's first Senate run … and then against who we really thought was probably the frontrunner in Conor Lamb." "Sanders really helped put Fetterman on the map and helped get him over the top," Chen said, calling the senator's recent condemnation of Sanders his "biggest break" with the progressive wing. However, Chen questioned whether Fetterman’s break with Sanders over Platner was less about policy than about judgment, character and candidate quality. "I wonder if Fetterman would have had this position if Platner had all his policy views that he has now but there was no Totenkopf tattoo or allegations from women." During his 2018 lieutenant governor campaign, Fetterman touted Sanders’ endorsement as proof of his progressive bona fides, describing the Vermont senator as one of the few national politicians who had the "little guy’s" back. Fetterman was then still mayor of postindustrial Braddock, a working-class suburb outside Pittsburgh, but his populist profile was already drawing national attention. Sanders in turn came to Pennsylvania to endorse Fetterman: "What John’s campaign is about … is that we are going to transform this country and create a government that works for all of us, not just wealthy campaign contributors," he said, according to PBS’ Philadelphia affiliate. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER  Sen. John Fetterman heads to a lunch meeting with Senate Democrats at the U.S. Capitol on Nov. 15, 2022, in Washington, D.C. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images) Since his election to the Senate, Pennsylvania Democratic groups, including the Monroe County Democratic Party in the Poconos, have branded him a "traitor," while Punchbowl described his current political standing as "tenuous" and reported that no member of the Keystone State’s House delegation would confirm support for a 2028 reelection bid. "Squad" member Rep. Summer Lee, who represents Fetterman's hometown and is more ideologically aligned with Sanders, told the outlet the increasingly isolated senator would run "at his own peril." Chen said Fetterman's progressive "bona fides" remain, noting he still is reliably liberal on LGBTQ rights, marijuana and abortion — adding that as mayor or lieutenant governor, foreign policy positions were a nonfactor. Still, he argued, the fight over Platner shows how far Fetterman has moved from the progressive coalition that launched him into national politics. Born and raised in Allentown, Pennsylvania, worked in both the New York and Washington bureaus for Fox News since 2013. |
Trump's Licensing Business Skyrockets: Big Money Meets Big Power
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Forbes just laid bare something every patriot should find alarming: President Trump’s foreign licensing business exploded — up roughly 900 percent as he returned to power — a staggering jump that proves big government power and private profit are now dangerously intertwined. Americans were told this presidency would put the country first, but the numbers tell a different story about who’s cashing in. Remember that in his first term Trump publicly pledged to limit new foreign business dealings while in office, a promise that is now paper-thin as licensing deals multiply overseas. That reversal isn’t mere politics — it’s a pattern consistent with how power attracts money when restraints evaporate. Forbes and earlier reporting have tracked the climb in licensing revenue for the Trump brand, citing dramatic year-to-year increases and previously reported jumps from what had been modest foreign receipts into the tens of millions. This isn’t abstract bookkeeping; it’s cold, hard evidence that the presidency can be leveraged into private gain when nobody’s watching. Conservatives who believe in limited government and clean public ethics should be the loudest voices demanding accountability, because unchecked mixing of state power and family business corrodes trust in our institutions. Congressional and investigative scrutiny has raised flags about conflicts and the potential for officials and allies to benefit, and those concerns deserve serious attention rather than partisan shrugging. Worse, reporting ties specific policy actions and foreign permissions to friends and global business interests — a reminder that when the world knows the president’s brand sells, foreign actors will seek proximity and favor. If foreign regimes or oligarchs can buy influence through association, that’s a national-security problem as much as an ethical one. Hardworking Americans don’t want a government where access and contracts are monetized by the powerful; we want a country where the rule of law matters and public service is just that — service. Patriots on the right should demand transparency, insist on real reforms, and refuse to normalize a system that allows the trappings of power to be turned into private windfalls. |
Conservatives Mourn Lindsey Graham: A Legacy of Strength Abroad
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Senator Lindsey Graham’s sudden passing has shocked the nation: the South Carolina Republican died on the evening of Saturday, July 11, 2026, at age 71 after what his office called a “brief and sudden illness.” Americans who watched him argue for a strong America abroad will remember his grit and refusal to retreat from the global stage, even as the legacy media spun every twist into partisan spectacle. Graham’s record was not that of a cautious isolationist but of a fighter who believed American strength kept the world free; he was relentless in defending Ukraine against Russian aggression and unflinching in his support for Israel. For years he traveled to the front lines and diplomatic halls alike, insisting that moral clarity and military resolve were not just ideals but necessities. Just days before his death he was in Kyiv, meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and underscoring the urgent need to keep Ukraine supplied and sanctioned nations accountable, reflecting the kind of hands-on leadership conservatives admire. That trip — one of many he made during the war — showed he lived his convictions, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with allies rather than hiding behind press releases and talking points. Senator Graham also worked across the aisle when it mattered, negotiating tougher sanctions and measures to choke off Kremlin financing and to hold third-party enablers to account; that legislative toughness was a core part of his legacy. While the left obsesses over virtue-signaling and retreats from geopolitics, Graham pushed real, enforceable policy that protected American interests and kept our commitments. World leaders and friends poured out tributes — from President Zelenskyy to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — who called Graham a steadfast friend and a fierce advocate for Israel’s security, a reminder that true allies recognize steadfastness when they see it. In a moment when old loyalties matter, his passing should make conservatives double down on the clear-eyed foreign policy he championed, not abandon it to smug isolationists. Now is the time for patriots to honor Lindsey Graham not with empty hashtags but by carrying forward his belief that American strength matters, that we owe our friends our word, and that weakness is a luxury our children cannot afford. Let his life be a call to action: defend liberty abroad, secure our nation at home, and never apologize for standing up for what is right. |
Saturday, July 11, 2026
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Byron Donalds has clearly had enough. The Florida Republican didn’t hold back speaking to reporters earlier this week, bluntly stating that...
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Iran has sentenced a prominent singer and seven of her bandmates and colleagues to 74 lashes after the group livestreamed a music perform... -
We've seen the rise of radical leftists within the Democrat Party over the near term, with it becoming more glaringly obvious since De...
