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The Sunset Statement The Masks Slips Further By Anthony Clarke Washington DC - President Van Horn has taken a second and third step in moving away with carefully trying to maintain the Allred base while leaning into Freedom Caucus ideology. While previously he has hidden behind Levi Koenig to be the voice of the more extreme Trumpian ideas and used that to moderate his image as comparison. Instead of the arm's length approach that Van Horn had stuck to for the early part of his term the embracing of Levi Koenig as Secretary of Treasury is an endorsement of his previous actions and his extremist ideology and boneheaded opinions. However, the President's recent trend of devolving further right is that President Van Horn has decided to pardon some of the January 6th insurrectionists. A clear break from Kyle Allred who was completely against any pardons for January 6th insurrectionists, shows that Kyle Van Horn is no longer interested in paying lip service to the mandate that the Allred-Van Horn ticket was elected on. Democrats have immediately taken to the Press with Senators Storm and O'Hare being the loudest voices. Senator Storm focused mostly on the injustice of the pardons and the double standards displayed. Whereas O'Hare focused mostly on the lurch to the right by the Van Horn administration. Senator Storm responded to our request for comment by saying: “January 6th was a dark day for our nation. The President insistence to pardon insurrectionists sends the wrong message regarding the strength of our democracy and our belief in the rule of law." Whereas on the E-Verify some Democratic Governors are already pointing out the obvious truth. The President does not have the authority to mandate nationwide E-Verify. Another point that Democrats have been quick to go on offense. While E-Verify might still be popular, unilateral presidential action has usually polarized issues and could sour some independents and more conservative Democrats who might have supported the program. In addition, the short timeline and lack of ability to produce extra funds there is a high chance that without an injunction the E-Verify requirement could cause some issues with processing the paperwork. Senator Storm on the subject stated: "In regard to the President’s E-Verify executive order, it’s spoiled red meat. The Van Horn administration is severely out of focus, prioritizing divisive policies that do little to address the root causes of labor and immigration issues. Instead of pursuing pragmatic solutions that benefit both workers and businesses, this move panders to a narrow base while ignoring the broader economic and social challenges at hand." President Van Horn's lurch to the right is likely going to have some electoral consequences as he already seen that his brand of right-wing politics was rejected by the people of Virginia. Time will tell if the E-Verify amendment will be stopped and if there will be an outrage against the President rewarding lawless behavior. -
Treaty of Ankara (Not Istanbul) Section by Section Breakdown: Nearly two months after we reported that Ukraine and Russia were headed to Istanbul to discuss peace terms, the delegations including Turkey, China, India, and the U.S. decided they needed a change of scenery and decided to move the party to Ankara, instead. Why did Istanbul get the works? That is nobody’s business but the Turks. What they accomplished there should interest everyone, however, after nearly $200 billion U.S. dollars and over a million lives lost. We received an advanced copy of the Treaty of Ankara that brings a peaceful end to the war between Russia and Ukraine and summarized some of the key pieces of the agreement below. Peace in Our Time: First and foremost is the signing of a permanent ceasefire, an immediate cessation of all hostilities, and a full withdrawal of Russian troops from all Ukrainian territories except Crimea which it will lease from the Ukrainian government for a set period of time. On Sovereignty: In an interesting twist similar to Hong Kong following the Opium Wars, Ukraine will retain sovereignty over Crimea, while Russia leases the territory for $1 billion per year for 20 years to exercise administrative and economic control. The neocons in Congress were aghast at this infringement on the ‘sovereignty’ of the Crimean people, somehow forgetting that over 80% of Crimeans elected to join the Russian Federation in a 2014 referendum and the Treaty requires Russia to protect the rights of Crimean Tatars in the region. Some adherents for perpetual war likened this to a Neville Chamberlain moment when the U.K. Prime Minister ceded the Sudentland from Czechoslovakia to Hitler’s Germany and declared ‘Peace in Our Time.’ The difference being that, unlike Crimea, a majority of the Sudentland opposed annexation by the German Reich and Czechoslovakia was not at the table for the Munich Agreement. Ukraine was. The only similarities here are that neither one got exactly what they wanted, but comparing the Ankara Arrangement to the Sudentland as an usurpation of sovereignty or conquest is shockingly out of touch with the people of Crimea. Especially for a group of American politicians who exuberantly endorse annexation of Puerto Rico with significantly less support amongst Puerto Ricans, (57% compared to 80+% support from Crimeans,) in last year’s referendum. Kettle is the new Black, I guess. Similarly, the hotly contested Donetsk and Luhansk regions remain in Ukraine but as autonomous regions under local governance with religious, cultural, and linguistic protections for the Russian-speaking majority in both. Sounds like the most sovereign possible outcome absent completely dissolving the state altogether (which we are not necessarily opposed to, in some cases.) Non-Intervention: Ukraine will join countries like Austria, Ireland, and Switzerland among the non-aligned members of Europe and not seek NATO membership in exchange for a commitment to non-aggression and respecting the borders under the Treaty. The downside is that the U.S., Turkey, China, and India will be responsible for ensuring Ukraine’s security, which sounds an awful lot like a new entangling alliance from our perspective. Good luck with that. Nevertheless, the Administration did take care to delegate other responsibilities for enforcing the treaty to other international players. China, Austria, Singapore, and Indonesia will monitor a new demilitarized zone between Ukraine and Russia, India will facilitate a commission overseeing the cultural protections of Crimean minorities, and Turkey, China, and India will join Ukraine and Russia as part of a Joint Peace Commission to mediate and resolve inevitable disputes that arrive before bringing in the ICC. The U.S. will also be part of Treaty oversight, but its roles are much more limited than in prior treaties. This is a clear signal that although the Van Horn Administration was obliged to participate in mediating a peaceful end to the conflict, they did want this to be an ongoing burden on the American taxpayer, even though it is more interference than we might like. The Financials: To that end, the Treaty basically tells Russia: you break it, you buy it. Instead of a U.S. taxpayer-funded Marshall Plan, Russia will provide ‘significant contributions’ toward reconstruction without the United States involvement. Instead, the U.S. and its allies will do the only truly reasonable thing to help rebuild the war torn economies by repealing the sanctions imposed following the 2014 Crimean war and will remove additional sanctions upon Russia fulfilling its reconstruction obligations. Importantly, the Treaty also says ‘The Parties shall cooperate to restore economic ties and facilitate cross-border trade under international norms.’ +100 Freedom Index basis points to whichever Senator introduces a Ukrainian Free Trade Agreement. Hopefully the Van Horn Administration will beat them to the punch. Initial Reactions: VoxLibertatis — Today at 9:48 AM President Van Horn describes this deal as 'A triumph of diplomacy and compromise over war and destruction.' Without question, the Treaty of Ankara is an enormous victory for the President's non-agression policy that many among the Washington elite have derided from the beginning. Osiris Storm — Today at 9:34 AM I don’t think “leasing out sovereignty” will ever go into the history books as peaceful [9:38 AM] "President Van Horn's failure to stand up for democracy has left Ukraine cornered into a bad deal, with so-called 'Baby Russia' regions now existing autonomously within their borders. Putin is laughing all the way to the bank, already scheming his next regional conflict and how to lease out sovereignty piece by piece Sen. Tom Worthen — Today at 10:10 AM There are likely well over a million casualities in the Ukraine-Russia conflict. Osiris Storm wants to throw your tax dollars in a conflict which has been in a stalemate well since the Biden Administration just to be performative. While imperfect, the Treaty of Ankara (not Istanbul) is an enormous victory for the principle of Non-Aggression demonstrated early on by leaders like President Van Horn, and Senate Majority Leaders Koenig and Duplantis. For all of its faults, Van Horn’s Republican Party has delivered profound proof of concept for his Foreign Policy vision, and may the waning fringe neoconservative movement finally be relegated to the dustbin of history. #ChooseFreedom -
Latest wave of retirements to reshape the U.S. House in 2027 As 2026 begins tomorrow, the House of Representatives is poised for change, with 39 members announcing their retirements. This exodus, which spans both parties and various ideological factions, underscores the evolving dynamics of congressional service. Many of the retiring members have long been pillars of their respective caucuses. Democrats face the loss of Progressive stalwarts like Rosa DeLauro (CT-3) and Raúl Grijalva (AZ-7), as well as influential New Democrats such as Julia Brownley (CA-26) and Richard Neal (MA-1). Meanwhile, Republicans will see departures from Main Street moderates like Buddy Carter (GA-1) and Hal Rogers (KY-5), as well as Freedom Caucus members including Andy Harris (MD-1) and Ralph Norman (SC-5) 17 members of the House will be above the age of 80 at the beginning of next year, while 78 will be in their 70s. The retirements include five in their 80s and 22 in their 70s as well as others. 2026 House Retirements: ARIZONA 7th - Raúl Grijalva - Progressive CALIFORNIA 8th - John Garamendi - Progressive CALIFORNIA 26th - Julia Brownley - New Democrat CALIFORNIA 48th - Darrell Issa - Study Committee CALIFORNIA 50th - Scott Peters - Blue Dog CONNECTICUT 2nd - Joe Courtney - New Democrat CONNECTICUT 3rd - Rosa DeLauro - Progressive FLORIDA 11th - Daniel Webster - Main Street FLORIDA 22nd - Lois Frankel - New Democrat GEORGIA 1st - Buddy Carter - Main Street HAWAII 1st - Ed Case - New Democrat IDAHO 2nd - Michael K. Simpson - Main Street ILLINOIS 2nd - Robin Kelly - New Democrat ILLINOIS 4th - Chuy Garcia - Progressive ILLINOIS 15th - Mary Miller - Freedom KANSAS 4th - Ron Estes - Study Committee KENTUCKY 5th - Hal Rogers - Main Street MARYLAND 1st - Andy Harris - Freedom MARYLAND 7th - Kweisi Mfume - Progressive MASSACHUSETTS 1st - Richard Neal - New Democrat MASSACHUSETTS 9th - Bill Keating - New Democrat MICHIGAN 1st - Jack Bergman - Study Committee MISSISSIPPI 2nd - Bennie Thompson - New Democrat MISSISSIPPI 4th - Mike Ezell - Study Committee MISSOURI 5th - Emmanuel Cleaver - New Democrat NORTH CAROLINA 4th - Valerie Foushee - Progressive NEW MEXICO 3rd - Teresa Leger Fernandez - Progressive NEW YORK 7th - Nydia Velázquez - Progressive OHIO 3rd - Joyce Beatty - New Democrat OHIO 9th - Marcy Kaptur - New Democrat OHIO 14th - David Joyce - Study Committee SOUTH CAROLINA 5th - Ralph Norman - Freedom SOUTH CAROLINA 6th - Jim Clyburn - Progressive TEXAS 3rd - Keith Self - Freedom TEXAS 14th - Randy Weber - Freedom TEXAS 36th - Brian Babin - Study Committee VIRGINIA 3rd - Robert C. Scott - New Democrat VIRGINIA 9th - Morgan Griffith - Freedom WASHINGTON 4th - Dan Newhouse - Study Committee DEMOCRATS: Progressives - 9 New Democrats - 12 Blue Dogs - 1 REPUBLICANS: Freedom - 6 Study Committee - 7 Main Street - 4
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