July 1st, 2018 | T. Carter

No matter what you are hearing from some excited Republicans and conservatives, the GOP is not really gaining strength leading up to the November mid-terms. Democrats look ready to flood the House and Senate. The only real question is how big the wave will be. The GOP has risen from a severe low in 2017 to a better position, but their support has hit a plateau—not a high enough plateau to deflect a blue flood. The narrow GOP majority in the Senate (51-49) won't likely change, but the loss of one single seat would bring more deadlock to an already deadlocked Senate. However, the one house of Congress everyone will be watching is the House Of Representatives, which currently breaks down to 235 Republicans and 193 Democrats. On generic ballots, from every private polling company within the past six months, Democrats hold a steady 6% lead over Republicans. The gap has narrowed since December, but the narrowing has ceased dramatically and hit a ceiling.

July 1st, 2018 | R. Rados

Conservatives are treated differently by journalists and media. That's just a fact. It's also the most common complaint we hear from conservatives and Conservative Party supporters. Even in cases where there is no real scandal, journalists will make something up to hurt politicians they disagree with. At some point, journalism mutated into the mess it is today, but we can't just blame journalism. Journalists have allowed their own personal feelings to bleed into their work more than ever before, but that's not the only reason journalists feel compelled to take aim at conservatives. Conservatives are treated differently because they set unrealistic standards for themselves. In recent months, journalists have attacked Justin Trudeau for a lot of the same reasons they attack conservatives: perceived hypocrisy. Justin Trudeau's incessant virtue signalling doesn't go well with his tendency to break ethics rules and blatantly appropriate the cultures of the countries he visits.

July 1st, 2018 | Brevinski

The nation of Turkey has been on a collision course with Western powers in recent years. Since 2012, Recep Erdogan has been clearing the path for full dictatorial rule. Wielding the 8th largest military in the world, Turkey's defiance is raising concerns and rattling NATO. Bolstered by last month's election victory, Erdogan is expected to further entrench division among NATO's member nations and other Western powers that have long considered Turkey a friend. In June, Moody's put Turkey under review for a possible credit downgrade, inciting anger from Erdogan, who threatened to “conduct an operation” against the international rating agency. This follows Erdogan's escalating criticisms of the United States and European nations, which has caused officials within NATO to privately explore contingency plans for Turkey's possible exit from the alliance. Tensions between the United States and Turkey began to escalate in February, when US officials threatened to return fire against Turkish troops in Syria in the event of a strike against US-allied Kurdish forces. In response, Erdogan threatened an “Ottoman Slap”. Following Erdogan's pubic remarks, lawmakers in Congress began talking of possible sanctions and visa-bans on Turkish officials.