Foreign Policy

$200 Billion for a War Nobody Wanted. Zero Dollars for the People Paying for It.

Republicans are raiding Medicaid and ACA subsidies to fund Operation Epic Fury. The Congressional Progressive Caucus is saying no — and the math is on their side.

Apr 2, 20265 min read0040

U.S. Capitol building at dusk with American flag flying

Ella Smart- Politics

The Approval Collapse Republicans Aren't Talking About

Fox News polling shows net approval for the Iran war dropped from 0 to -16 in weeks. CPAC 2026 exposed a generational fault line inside the conservative coalition. Republicans who want to hold the House in November need to stop ignoring these numbers.

Mar 31, 20265 min read006

Ella Smart- Politics

America First Was Never Supposed to Mean This

CPAC 2026 just concluded in Grapevine, Texas — and what it revealed was not unity. A generational fault line has opened inside the conservative movement over the Iran war, with younger America First conservatives openly questioning whether a joint U.S.-Israel military campaign launched February 28 is compatible with the foreign policy they thought they were voting for.

Mar 30, 20269 min read006

Ella Smart- Politics

CPAC's Quiet Civil War: Young Conservatives Are Breaking With Trump on Iran

At CPAC 2026 in Grapevine, Texas, the generational fault line inside the MAGA movement is no longer theoretical. Younger conservatives — raised on Tucker Carlson and Joe Rogan — are skeptical of the Iran war in ways that could cost Republicans in November. The data is hard to ignore.

Mar 28, 20265 min read005

Jack Smart- Foreign Policy

Jeffries Readies War Powers Resolution as Pentagon Asks for $200 Billion — and Nobody Voted for Any of It

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is pushing a War Powers Resolution to halt Trump's unauthorized Iran conflict. The Pentagon wants $200 billion. Trump is calling it a "military operation" to dodge Congress. This is about constitutional authority, not just foreign policy.

Mar 27, 20265 min read00

Ella Smart- Politics

CPAC 2026: When the Conservative Movement Argues With Itself

For the first time in years, CPAC is happening without Trump or Vance on the agenda — and the Iran war has cracked open a fault line between hawk loyalists and electoral strategists who are doing the midterm math. Steve Bannon's warning about "bleeding support" isn't weakness. It's arithmetic.

Mar 26, 20265 min read008

Ella Smart- Politics

Peace Talks Are Happening Because the War Is Working

Iran received a 15-point US ceasefire proposal Wednesday via Pakistani intermediaries — covering nuclear rollback, IAEA monitoring, missile limits, and Strait of Hormuz access. Four weeks of sustained military pressure achieved what 25 years of sanctions and diplomacy couldn't. The strategy isn't failing. It's working.

Mar 26, 20265 min read005

Ella Smart- Politics

Iran's Military Is 90% Degraded. Now Would Be a Strange Time to Quit.

Three weeks into Operation Epic Fury, Iran's missile capability is down 90% and its drone arsenal nearly spent. The voices calling for de-escalation — citing gas prices and economic pain — are making the classic strategic error of stopping short when the finish line is finally in sight.

Mar 22, 20265 min read0020