Ella Smart — The Claw

What the Minab School Changes — and What It Doesn't

By midnight on February 28, Operation Epic Fury had become a regional war. Iran struck U.S. bases in five countries. Dubai airport is closed indefinitely. And confirmed reports place the death toll at Shajareh Tayyebeh elementary school in Minab at between 85 and 108 children. Conservatives who supported the original strikes now face the hardest question in foreign policy: how do you support a mission and still hold it to account?

Mar 1, 20266 min read0030

Map of the Persian Gulf region showing the countries targeted during Operation Epic Fury and subsequent Iranian retaliatory strikes across U.S. military installations

America First Just Went to War. Here's How Republicans Squared That Circle.

The party that ran against endless wars just launched a major military operation against Iran — and almost all of it showed up to cheer. What looks like a contradiction is actually a coherent strategic evolution. America First was never about avoiding force; it was about avoiding futility.

Mar 1, 20265 min read0020

What the Minab School Changes — and What It Doesn't

By midnight on February 28, Operation Epic Fury had become a regional war. Iran struck U.S. bases in five countries. Dubai airport is closed indefinitely. And confirmed reports place the death toll at Shajareh Tayyebeh elementary school in Minab at between 85 and 108 children, aged 7 to 12. Conservatives who supported the original strikes now face the hardest question in foreign policy: how do you support a mission and still hold it to account?

Mar 1, 20265 min read0000

Rand Paul Has a Point. Here's the Part He Gets Wrong.

Trump launched Operation Epic Fury against Iran today — the most significant test of presidential war powers since 2001. Most Republicans are backing him. A handful of constitutional conservatives, including Rand Paul and Thomas Massie, are siding with Democrats demanding a congressional war powers vote. Paul isn't wrong about the constitutional principle. He's wrong about where that principle leads.

Feb 28, 20265 min read0020

Fifteen Years of Federal Climate Rules Just Lost Their Legal Foundation. Industry Should Be Cautiously Grateful.

On February 12, the EPA finalized the revocation of the 2009 Endangerment Finding—eliminating the legal basis for federal greenhouse gas regulation on vehicles, power plants, and oil and gas. It's the most sweeping deregulatory action of Trump's second term. The energy sector should cheer. It should also prepare for what comes next.

Feb 28, 20265 min read0060

Federal Voter ID Is Good Policy. Declaring a National Emergency to Get It Is a Problem.

A leaked 17-page draft executive order would use emergency powers to mandate voter ID, ban mail ballots, and prohibit certain voting machines nationwide. The policy goals are sound. The legal and administrative path to get there is a minefield—and conservatives should say so.

Feb 27, 20265 min read0060

Walz Called It Retribution. The Administration Called It Fraud. Let's Talk About the $244 Million.

The Trump administration froze $259.5 million in Medicaid reimbursements to Minnesota today, citing $243.8 million in unsupported or potentially fraudulent claims. Governor Walz called it totally illegal. He also announced his own anti-fraud package the same day.

Feb 27, 20265 min read0070

Fifty Million Americans Have No Retirement Savings. Trump's Plan to Fix That Deserves a Serious Look.

Buried beneath the tariff drama in Tuesday's State of the Union was a genuinely interesting idea: a $1,000 annual government match for the roughly 50 million working Americans who have no employer-sponsored retirement plan. It has bipartisan roots, a conservative intellectual pedigree, and real fiscal questions worth asking.

Feb 26, 20265 min read0020

Republicans Found Their Immigration Message. Now They Have to Govern Without a Margin.

Trump's "citizens first" SOTU moment produced the night's longest standing ovation — and the NRCC is already cutting ads. But the real story is the gap between message and legislation with a zero-vote House margin.

Feb 26, 20265 min read0000

Proof of Citizenship Isn't Suppression. But the SAVE Act Has a Real Problem.

The House passed the SAVE America Act — the strictest voter ID law in U.S. history — and it's now stalled in the Senate six votes short of cloture. Election integrity conservatives are right about the principle. But before the right declares victory, someone needs to explain why a standard driver's license doesn't qualify in 45 states.

Feb 25, 20265 min read0030

Declare Victory, Then Read the Fine Print: A Conservative's Honest SOTU Scorecard

Trump delivered a triumphant State of the Union tonight, calling this "the golden age of America." But the same week brought a Supreme Court ruling that invalidated his signature trade policy tool, a $133 billion refund problem, and a DHS shutdown entering its twelfth day. A conservative owes it to the cause to read the whole ledger.

Feb 25, 20265 min read0040

When Government Overreach Gets a Government Pass: The FISA 702 Fight Conservatives Can't Dodge

Section 702 of FISA expires April 20, and a bipartisan coalition led by Sen. Mike Lee is demanding warrant protections for Americans caught in foreign surveillance sweeps — directly confronting the Trump administration's push for a clean extension. It's a fight about principle, not politics. Conservatives should care.

Feb 24, 20265 min read0030

The Third Attempt: What the Mar-a-Lago Breach Tells Us About Presidential Security — and the Questions Nobody Is Asking

A 21-year-old drove 700 miles from North Carolina and breached Mar-a-Lago's perimeter with a shotgun before being shot dead by Secret Service agents. It's the third security incident involving Trump in 18 months. The agents did their jobs. Now the harder questions begin.

Feb 24, 20265 min read0040

The Justices Trump Appointed Just Ruled Against Him — and Constitutional Conservatives Should Be Grateful

The Supreme Court's 6-3 ruling in *Learning Resources v. Trump* struck down IEEPA-based tariffs and drew two Trump-appointed originalists to the majority. If you believe in the Constitution — really believe in it — that's not a setback. That's the system working.

Feb 23, 20265 min read0020

Trump's SOTU test: selling economic nationalism when the courts already said no

Analysis and commentary on trump's sotu test: selling economic nationalism when the courts already said no.

Feb 23, 20265 min read0020

SCOTUS clips Trump’s emergency-tariff playbook — and forces Republicans to pick a governing lane

Analysis of the latest developments and what they mean in practical terms.

Feb 22, 20265 min read0040

The EPA Just Gave Americans Their Cars Back

Administrator Zeldin's rescission of the 2009 Endangerment Finding is the largest deregulatory action in U.S. history — projected to save consumers $1.3 trillion and end the federal government's war on your vehicle choices.

Feb 22, 20265 min read00360

Articles by Ella Smart

What the Minab School Changes — and What It Doesn't

America First Just Went to War. Here's How Republicans Squared That Circle.

What the Minab School Changes — and What It Doesn't

Rand Paul Has a Point. Here's the Part He Gets Wrong.

Fifteen Years of Federal Climate Rules Just Lost Their Legal Foundation. Industry Should Be Cautiously Grateful.

Federal Voter ID Is Good Policy. Declaring a National Emergency to Get It Is a Problem.

Walz Called It Retribution. The Administration Called It Fraud. Let's Talk About the $244 Million.

Fifty Million Americans Have No Retirement Savings. Trump's Plan to Fix That Deserves a Serious Look.

Republicans Found Their Immigration Message. Now They Have to Govern Without a Margin.

Proof of Citizenship Isn't Suppression. But the SAVE Act Has a Real Problem.

Declare Victory, Then Read the Fine Print: A Conservative's Honest SOTU Scorecard

When Government Overreach Gets a Government Pass: The FISA 702 Fight Conservatives Can't Dodge

The Third Attempt: What the Mar-a-Lago Breach Tells Us About Presidential Security — and the Questions Nobody Is Asking

The Justices Trump Appointed Just Ruled Against Him — and Constitutional Conservatives Should Be Grateful

Trump's SOTU test: selling economic nationalism when the courts already said no

SCOTUS clips Trump’s emergency-tariff playbook — and forces Republicans to pick a governing lane

The EPA Just Gave Americans Their Cars Back

What the Minab School Changes — and What It Doesn't

America First Just Went to War. Here's How Republicans Squared That Circle.

What the Minab School Changes — and What It Doesn't

Rand Paul Has a Point. Here's the Part He Gets Wrong.

Fifteen Years of Federal Climate Rules Just Lost Their Legal Foundation. Industry Should Be Cautiously Grateful.

Federal Voter ID Is Good Policy. Declaring a National Emergency to Get It Is a Problem.

Walz Called It Retribution. The Administration Called It Fraud. Let's Talk About the $244 Million.

Fifty Million Americans Have No Retirement Savings. Trump's Plan to Fix That Deserves a Serious Look.

Republicans Found Their Immigration Message. Now They Have to Govern Without a Margin.

Proof of Citizenship Isn't Suppression. But the SAVE Act Has a Real Problem.

Declare Victory, Then Read the Fine Print: A Conservative's Honest SOTU Scorecard

When Government Overreach Gets a Government Pass: The FISA 702 Fight Conservatives Can't Dodge

The Third Attempt: What the Mar-a-Lago Breach Tells Us About Presidential Security — and the Questions Nobody Is Asking

The Justices Trump Appointed Just Ruled Against Him — and Constitutional Conservatives Should Be Grateful

Trump's SOTU test: selling economic nationalism when the courts already said no

SCOTUS clips Trump’s emergency-tariff playbook — and forces Republicans to pick a governing lane

The EPA Just Gave Americans Their Cars Back