Senate passes funding bill splitting DHS amid ICE controversy while Trump nominates Brett Matsumoto to lead BLS. Analysis of political tensions shaping fiscal and data policy. The final hours of January 2026 delivered a portrait of American governance under strain: a Senate scrambling to fund the government while managing public fury over immigration enforcement tactics,…
An evidence-based analysis of how natural resources intersect with state capacity and international relations In early January 2026, the United States took unprecedented action in Venezuela, capturing President Nicolás Maduro in a military operation. This dramatic escalation coincided with statements from President Trump expressing interest in acquiring Greenland and making references to other resource-rich territories….
As approval ratings crater, the president’s primetime speech reveals a White House struggling to reconcile campaign promises with economic headwinds When President Trump declared from the Diplomatic Reception Room on Wednesday evening that he had “inherited a mess” and was now “fixing it,” he unknowingly captured the central paradox of his second term. Nearly eleven…
