View this post on the web at [link removed]

August 14, 2025
Let’s dive in.
INTERVIEW: Rep. Vince Fong on Reagan's legacy in the OBBB, Gavin Newsom's transportation boondoggle, and Pete Buttigieg's DEI billions
INTERVIEW: Rep. Mike Rogers on his race, Trump's work to protect the auto industry, the Democrats' "hot dumpster fire mess" in Michigan, and more
INTERVIEW: DHS's Harry Fones on Trump's immigration wins, the Democrats' border missteps, and the viral post from Homeland Security Democrats
Heard on the Hill
EDITORIAL: President Trump is right to "liberate" D.C.
EDITORIAL: DNI Director Tulsi Gabbard keeps her promise to depoliticize our intelligence agencies
EDITORIAL: Trump’s FTC is right to smash a Marxist climate scheme and slash costs for Americans
SCOOP: "Thank God!" President Trump's historic takeover of D.C.'s safety praised by residents
SCOOP: On the road with Rep. Lisa McClain for her OBBB bus tour
SCOOP: "This is the new USDA": Secretary Brooke Rollins, Congressman Andy Harris roll out millions in grants to tackle invasive catfish, create jobs, and fill up food banks
SCOOP: Oklahoma City’s GOP mayor sides with Democrats against President Trump on D.C. crime
EXCLUSIVE: Data vulnerabilities with Login​.gov raise concerns in Washington: A “ticking time bomb”
WATCH: CNN: Jeffrey Epstein saga is a "political dud and nothingburger"
OPINIONATED: Alfonso Aguilar on the Democrats’ confirmation obstruction, Dylan Rosnick on three ways Congress can help American small businesses, Terry Wilcox on the pitfalls of Most-Favored Nation status, Irit Tratt on Emmanuel Macron’s surrender to radical Islam, and Kalid Loul on why Syria should embrace the Abraham Accords
A message from our sponsor.
We must protect American leadership in the life sciences and avoid damaging drug pricing policies. Meanwhile, China is making significant strides in clinical trials, drug approvals and new breakthroughs. Now is the time to strengthen American innovation, not hinder it. Learn more. [ [link removed] ]
If you have a tip you would like to anonymously submit, please use our tip form [ [link removed] ] — your anonymity is guaranteed!
INTERVIEW: Rep. Vince Fong on Reagan's legacy in the OBBB, Gavin Newsom's transportation boondoggle, and Pete Buttigieg's DEI billions
by Matthew Foldi
In 2025, California is an example of how not to run a state, Rep. Vince Fong (R., Calif.) told the Washington Reporter in an interview — but it wasn’t always like this. Fong and his fellow House Republicans are leaning on one of California's greatest statesmen in making the case for the One Big, Beautiful Bill (OBBB).
Fong, alongside Republicans on the House Ways and Means Committee, recently held a field hearing at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library to pitch the OBBB; Fong told the Reporter that “the Ronald Reagan legacy certainly is the model I think that a lot of us are taking when we're focusing on trying to Make America Great Again.”
“When you look at Reagan's legacy — his ability to unleash the economy, to foster economic growth — that was what we were trying to do with the One Big, Beautiful Bill,” Fong said. “This legislation will help unlock the next generation of American dominance. And when you look at the president's focus on emerging technology when it comes to AI, to quantum, his focus on commercial space, the things that we need to really harness, that’s important. A lot of it's going to be focused on can we get investment in America? Can we deregulate and attract these new businesses away from China and back to America? All of that is done, the framework and the foundation of it is in the One Big, Beautiful Bill.”
The bill is filled with wins for Americans, he said — “the investments, the energy production, the military focus, and then, of course, border security, that's hugely important for our state and across the country,” he said. But there are also wins for his constituents specifically.
INTERVIEW: Rep. Mike Rogers on Trump's support, the Democrats' "hot dumpster fire mess" in Michigan, the "renaissance of manufacturing," and more
by Matthew Foldi
In Michigan, the tables have turned for 2026; while Democrats are embroiled in a sprint to the left in their primary, President Donald Trump recently cleared the field for former Rep. Mike Rogers on the GOP side.
Rogers, who would currently be a United States Senator were it not for a Libertarian Party candidate siphoning off 56,697 votes in 2024 during his race against now-Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D., Mich.), spoke with the Washington Reporter about the “hot dumpster fire mess” Democrats are facing and what he wants to achieve in the Senate.
“You’ve got to love it when they're spending their money on themselves,” Rogers said of the Democrats’ primary. “I went through this. It's not fun. I'm sure they're experiencing the same lack of joy every day.”
Earlier this year, President Trump worked to preserve key production tax credits in the One Big Beautiful Bill that will allow Michigan automakers, including Ford, to continue to develop factories and create U.S. jobs. These provisions have received widespread praise from automotive groups [ [link removed] ] and business leaders. Rogers explained to us that he wants to work with President Trump to continue developing auto jobs and ensure that “[w]e can build cars here, and the business environment just has to be right here. And we can help create that.”
The Democrats’ sprint to the left is enabling Rogers to roll out endorsements from both his fellow Republicans to ensure that he wins his primary convincingly, and from surrogates — particularly in law enforcement — who will help him in the general election. As befits a candidate who spent 2024 on the trail, he already has his to-do list ready.
“What I will do when I get there is focus on ship-building,” Rogers said. “We do ship component building here. We used to build under 700 foot ships here in the state. In the new modern navy, guess what we're going to need — we're not going to need great, big carriers, or at least as many — we're going to need smaller, more mobile ships and unmanned ships. Guess where it'd be a great place to build that? That would be here in the state of Michigan.”
INTERVIEW: DHS's Harry Fones on Trump's immigration wins, the Democrats' border missteps, and the viral post from Homeland Security Democrats
by Matthew Foldi
Across all departments and agencies, the Trump administration is prioritizing safety, at home and abroad.
The Democrats on the House Homeland Security Committee recently took issue with that, mocking some of the administration’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) staffers with a widely-ridiculed post on X. The Washington Reporter has already interviewed [ [link removed] ] one of the duo — Tricia McLaughlin — and spoke with Harry Fones, the other one in the post, following the Democrats’ attack.
Fones told the Reporter that “the funnier part is is that the Democrats are so disconnected from reality that they think that the actions the department is doing to secure our nation are unpopular and they wanted to take a quick pot shot at us, which, whatever, that's fine, because I've also seen the worst stuff that Democratic politicians have done.”
“Every day they're demonizing our federal law enforcement inforcement,” Fones said. “This led to a massive increase in assaults. ICE officers facing an 1000 percent increase in assaults and it is horrific. This is an easy tactic of them to try to scare folks, and it's wrong. They made fun of me. Some friends sent it to me, and then all of a sudden, my mentions started blowing up. They have tried to shame people for doing their jobs. Who cares that they're coming after me?”
Heard on the Hill
INFRASTRUCTURE WIN: In Stars & Stripes, ret. Army Major General James “Spider” Marks makes the case [ [link removed] ] for the national security benefits of America’s first transcontinental railroad, which would be formed by the recently announced merger of Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern. Marks is urging the Surface Transportation Board to approve the merger, arguing the unified network will connect key military facilities, defense manufacturers and ports – all critical for rapid mobilization and national defense.
NOT ROCKING THE SUBURBS: Ambassador Richard Grenell, the Kennedy Center’s president, corrected the record about Ben Folds’s boycott of the legendary performing arts center. “Ben Folds was a disastrous artistic director. He would have been fired if he had stayed 1 day under my leadership,” Grenell noted. “He was paid $200k by the people before me to do a total of 3 shows - and all 3 shows netted $35k in total, BEFORE he was paid. So he can never return to the Kennedy Center under my tenure because his ideas are not supported by the market. In fact, he’s been rejected by the community — he couldn’t sell tickets or get sponsors.”
IMITATION GAME: Gov. Gavin Newsom (D., Calif.) got a painful reality check on his efforts to draw Republicans out of office in California. Recent polling shows that Californians oppose his idea by a two-to-one margin. Unfortunately for Newsom, tweeting like President Donald Trump only works for the current occupant of the White House.
REVOLVING DOOR GO BRRR: The Washington Free Beacon exposed the revolving door between Sher Edling LLP and the Democratic Attorneys General who rely on it to keep them in office. “Democratic attorneys general in at least nine states and Washington, D.C., have hired the same climate-focused law firm, Sher Edling LLP, to sue oil companies on their behalf in recent years,” the Beacon’s Thomas Catenacci explained [ [link removed] ]. “At the same time, that firm has donated $49,000 to the Democratic Attorneys General Association (DAGA), which is led by and works to elect those same officials.”
LEAVING THE COLD: Former Rep. Mary Peltola (D., Alaska) is leaving the Last Frontier for the Windy City, the Washington Reporter’s Matthew Foldi reported [ [link removed] ]. She will be joining the University of Chicago as a Fall 2025 Pritzker Fellow.
A message from our sponsor.
We must protect American leadership in the life sciences and avoid damaging drug pricing policies. Meanwhile, China is making significant strides in clinical trials, drug approvals and new breakthroughs. Now is the time to strengthen American innovation, not hinder it. Learn more. [ [link removed] ]
EDITORIAL: President Trump is right to "liberate" D.C.
by the Washington Reporter Editorial Board
Crime in the nation’s capital is entirely out of control. Washington, D.C., the city housing America’s government that should serve as a model for safety and order, is now instead a warning sign for what happens when progressive Democrats abandon common sense in favor of ideological fantasy.
Those days are over.
Once again, President Donald Trump did what needed to be done — something his predecessors were too timid to do. This week, President Trump announced he is liberating Washington, D.C., from the crime-riddled madness plaguing it, fake crime statistics peddled by Democrats notwithstanding.
“LIBERATION DAY IN D.C.,” Trump posted on Truth Social today. “WE ARE TAKING OUR CAPITAL BACK!!!”
“Crime, Savagery, Filth, and Scum will DISAPPEAR. I will, MAKE OUR CAPITAL GREAT AGAIN!” he wrote.
This is welcome news from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
For too long, liberal local elected officials in D.C. have clung to the naïve belief that “harsh punishment” of criminals is itself the problem, refusing to acknowledge that real deterrence comes from enforcing the law swiftly and decisively — as Sen. Tom Cotton (R., Ark.) famously wrote, we need to “send in the troops.”
EDITORIAL: DNI Director Tulsi Gabbard keeps her promise to depoliticize our intelligence agencies
by the Washington Reporter Editorial Board
When Tulsi Gabbard was nominated as Director of National Intelligence (DNI), one of her first promises was to take the politics out of our intelligence agencies and ensure that the lawfare committed by the Obama administration could never happen again.
Seven months in, Director Gabbard has kept that promise through her relentless work in exposing the Russia collusion hoax — a story first covered [ [link removed] ] by the Washington Reporter. This is an enormous achievement that deserves commendation.
Over her tenure, the DNI has deliberately and methodically declassified information that has shown just how partisan and corrupt James Clapper, James Comey, and John Brennan were in creating a false story that the Trump campaign was compromised by Russia.
Just yesterday, DNI Gabbard released perhaps the most damning evidence of all: James Clapper admitting in writing that he was violating normal procedures to get a politicized, anti-Trump Intelligence report out early. In fact, the language Clapper uses is almost too wild to be believable, but thankfully DNI Gabbard released [ [link removed] ] the email itself: “It is essential that we (CIA/NSA/FBI/ODNI) be on the same page, and are all supportive of the report – in the highest tradition of ‘that’s OUR story, and we’re sticking’ to it.’”
EDITORIAL: Trump’s FTC is right to smash a Marxist climate scheme and slash costs for Americans
by the Washington Reporter Editorial Board
The Washington Reporter commends the Trump administration’s Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) tireless work obliterating one the left’s most egregious use of climate hysteria to push Marxism: the so-called "Clean Truck Partnership."
This agreement would have driven up costs for every American, and it is now gone, thanks to the outstanding work of the Trump team and Chairman Andrew Ferguson’s leadership; Ferguson’s leadership was evident to us from his first interview [ [link removed] ] with us last summer, and it continued to shine through during our event with him earlier this year — his first public event as FTC Chair [ [link removed] ].
Like some of the radical left’s schemes, the “Clean Truck Partnership” sounds nice, but it was designed to choke our trucking industry and jack up costs for every American. The Clean Truck Partnership forced manufacturers to prioritize “zero emissions” engines while binding them to California’s insane and impractical environmental rules. It’s unfortunate, although understandable, that major automotive manufacturers went along with this scheme after being bullied by California bureaucrats.
The Trump FTC voted unanimously 3-0 to accept an end to this collusion, with votes in favor by Ferguson and Commissioners Melissa Holyoak and Mark R. Meador. Democratic Commissioners Alvaro Bedoya and Rebecca Kelly Slaughter did not vote at all, likely because they have been booted from the Commission.
SCOOP: "Thank God!" President Trump's historic takeover of D.C.'s safety praised by residents
by Matthew Foldi
President Donald Trump’s historic takeover of Washington, D.C.’s safety received an outpouring of support from new and longtime city residents, who told the Washington Reporter that Trump’s move is necessary for the continuing function of American government.
For far too many in America’s capital city, crime has become a haven for murderers, sexual assaulters, drug markets, and more — and despite the city having plenty of redeeming places and people, the risks are outweighing the rewards for many.
One female Hill staffer, who pays $3,000 a month for rent in Navy Yard, told the Reporter that she “saw someone get arrested the other day in my lobby at like 5:30pm. Someone also got shot in March and the blood puddle was left overnight and everyone saw it in the main lobby,” she said.
For the first time in years, Trump’s announcement has many in the city feeling hopeful; one GOP veteran told the Reporter that he felt safe walking around his neighborhood — where he and his wife were nearly shot in broad daylight — for the first time in three years. “I haven’t walked that way before tonight when I saw the police out in full force,” he said.
SCOOP: On the road with Rep. Lisa McClain for her OBBB bus tour
by Matthew Foldi
ALLENTOWN, Pa. —
Rep. Lisa McClain (R., Mich.) took the GOP’s case for the One Big, Beautiful Bill (OBBB) on the road during congressional recess, joining several of her colleagues in their backyards to pitch the Republican Party’s latest landmark legislation.
The Washington Reporter joined her for multiple stops along her tour, which spanned the congressional districts of Reps. Tom Kean (R., N.J.), Rob Bresnahan (R., Pa.), and Ryan Mackenzie (R., Pa.), and placed an emphasis on American manufacturing and national security.
McClain’s tour saw her visit the Alpha Family Restaurant with Kean, i2M with Bresnahan, and both US Metal Powders and a McDonald’s with Mackenzie. The leadership of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) joined along, and told the Reporter that the Republicans’ leadership on the economy and their votes for the OBBB are critical to ensuring American economic dominance.
“We take national security very seriously and the more we can produce in America, the safer we are,” McClain told the Reporter in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley. “If COVID taught us anything, it exposed some of our vulnerabilities, [and] we do need to learn from that.”
“One thing that we learned from that was that we’ve got to begin to onshore a lot more manufacturing and a lot of the critical materials that are used in manufacturing…and that’s what the One Big, Beautiful Bill does,” McClain continued. “It’s a pro-growth, pro-working family, pro-America, pro-defense, Make America First bill.”
The OBBB, McClain said, “incentivizes manufacturing and growth right here in the US of A, and that’s what we’re trying to do.”
SCOOP: "This is the new USDA": Secretary Brooke Rollins, Congressman Andy Harris roll out millions in grants to tackle invasive catfish, create jobs, and fill up food banks
by Matthew Foldi
TILGHMAN ISLAND, Md. —
The Trump administration and Maryland’s lone Republican congressman are picking up the slack left by the Biden administration when it comes to ridding the Chesapeake Bay of one of the most invasive species of catfish. The Agriculture Secretary made her first visit of this term to Maryland for what she called “a really exciting day for the Eastern Shore.”
For decades, blue catfish have devastated the Chesapeake’s ecosystem, but now, fishermen on Maryland’s Eastern Shore are getting millions of dollars of relief from the Trump administration.
Brooke Rollins, the Secretary of Agriculture, joined Rep. Andy Harris (R., Md.) at Tilghman Island Seafoods to tour a fish processing facility, but more importantly, to announce $6 million in grants to local seafood processors in order to clear hundreds of thousands of blue catfish.
“This is the new USDA, where we are hyperfocused on small farms, on healthy produce, on supporting efforts like this with every dollar that the taxpayers send to the federal government,” Rollins said in response to a question from the Washington Reporter. The Trump administration will also unlock a pilot program to purchase millions of dollars of blue catfish from Maryland fishermen. Those fish will in part be distributed to local food banks, helping to both clean the bay and feed the needy.
Rollins and Harris made the announcement alongside local fishermen, delegates, and representatives of Gov. Wes Moore (D., Md.).
SCOOP: Oklahoma City’s GOP mayor sides with Democrats against President Trump on D.C. crime
by Matthew Foldi
Republicans and Democrats in Washington, D.C. rejoiced at President Donald Trump’s announcement that he is taking over Washington, D.C.’s law enforcement in order to make America’s capital city safe again.
However, one big-city GOP mayor isn’t on board.
“My family went to DC in 2024 and 2025 as visitors and walked all over town, enjoying wonderful, safe visits,” Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt posted on X, above a tweet from D.C.‘s progressive mayor, Muriel Bowser.
“Crime has been falling in DC for years, and that same story is playing out right now in virtually every large American city,” Holt continued. “Much credit goes to the men and women of law enforcement, city leaders and mayors for pursuing effective policies and investments.”
“Local control is working and always produces the best results,” he added.
Holt doubled down on his opposition to Trump’s policies in his role as the President of the United States Conference of Mayors.
“America’s mayors never see takeovers by other levels of government as a tactic that has any track record of producing results. Local control is always best,” he said [ [link removed] ]. “A partnership – not a takeover – will produce the best outcomes for the people of Washington and the city’s many visitors.”
EXCLUSIVE: Data vulnerabilities with Login​.gov raise concerns in Washington: A “ticking time bomb”
by the Washington Reporter
Capitol Hill and Trump Administration sources told the Washington Reporter that the federal government’s identity verification system is a “ticking time bomb” that puts hundreds of millions of Americans’ private data at risk.
Login​​.gov is the federal program that serves as the identity verification system for accessing most federal benefits. The program is operated [ [link removed] ] by the General Services Administration (GSA) and is relied on by Americans for student loans, veterans’ benefits, and Social Security [ [link removed] ].
The program is widely used throughout the government but it has been harshly criticized for security failures, particularly in light of the vast amounts of personal data it handles.
Both administration officials and oversight agencies like the Government Accountability Office (GAO) have documented a myriad of security shortcomings with Login​.gov. In 2024, President Donald Trump’s former IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig criticized [ [link removed] ] the program for “fail[ing] to meet those federal standards for digital identity and security.” Health and Human Services (HHS) removed [ [link removed] ] Login​.gov after hackers stole millions from HHS grantees.
WATCH: CNN: Jeffrey Epstein saga is a "political dud and nothingburger"
by Matthew Foldi
While Democrats are claiming that President Donald Trump unveiled a comprehensive plan to “liberate” Washington, D.C. is a distraction from the Jeffrey Epstein case, an unlikely source is pouring cold water on their plans.
On CNN, pollster Harry Enten reported that “Google searches for Epstein are down 89% from just 3 weeks ago,” “Trump's approval rating is holding steady & much higher than term 1 at this point in his presidency,” and “less than 1% say it's the nation's top issue.”
“The Epstein saga,” Enten noted, “is becoming a political dud & nothingburger.”
CNN’s findings confirm what many across America have maintained; that Democratic attempts to tie Trump to the disgraced convicted sex offender are amounting to nothing.
OPINIONATED
Op-Ed: Alfonso Aguilar: Democrats turn to extreme left tactics in their confirmation obstruction of Trump nominees
by Alfonso Aguilar
Senators left Washington for their August recess without Democrats allowing the quick confirmation of dozens of President Donald Trump’s nominees to positions in his administration. The minority’s unprecedented efforts to slowdown the confirmation process is yet more evidence of their newfound disdain for democracy. Not willing to behave like loyal opposition, they have embraced the tactics of the hard Left. If they cannot get their way through the democratic process, they will burn down the house and, of course, blame Republicans for it.
Asked about his extreme maneuvers on confirmations, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) is not hiding their extreme goal either. Democrats, he said, are going to use “every tool at our disposal” to undermine the “disastrous Donald Trump, Republican agenda.”
As Majority Leader John Thune (R., S.D.) reminded his colleagues in remarks in the Senate floor, Senate Democrats have not allowed any Trump civilian nominee to be confirmed through voice vote or unanimous consent, which is the first time in history this happened.
Op-Ed: Dylan Rosnick: Three ways Congress can help America's small businesses now
by Dylan Rosnick
Small businesses employ nearly half this country’s workforce and represent 99.9 percent [ [link removed] ] of all American businesses. For the American workforce to be successful, small businesses must be successful.
Yet nationwide research shows that workforce challenges are a problem. According to a recent study by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), nearly 25 percent [ [link removed] ] of small businesses list “locating qualified employees” and “finding and keeping skilled employees” as critical issues facing their business. Further, 36 percent [ [link removed] ]of small businesses report job openings they can’t fill.
Making this problem worse, certain policy proposals in Congress are a direct threat to small businesses and their workforce. These proposals could decimate Main Street businesses by dramatically increasing government involvement in everyday operations, increasing labor and employment mandates, and increasing costs to acquire and retain qualified employees.
Op-Ed: Terry Wilcox: Why Most Favored Nation pricing risks putting America last
by Terry Wilcox
America's patients deserve the world's best healthcare — innovative treatments that save lives, delivered at prices that don't bankrupt families. For too long, we've subsidized global drug innovation while bearing the brunt of the costs, with Americans paying three times more for brand-name drugs than in other OECD countries, even after discounts.
President Donald J. Trump's aggressive actions to end this injustice — demanding that pharmaceutical companies provide the best prices to Americans — marks a pivotal moment in putting our nation first.
In July, the White House outlined a clear directive to manufacturers: implement most-favored-nation (MFN) pricing for Medicaid patients, ensure no sweeter deals abroad for new drugs, enable direct-to-patient sales at those rates, and leverage trade policies to hike international prices while redirecting savings to U.S. consumers. This was amplified in early August with pointed warnings, including potential tariffs of up to 250 percent on imported drugs if compliance isn't met by September 29.
These steps build on a May executive order, highlighting how the U.S., representing less than 5 percent of the global population, funds 75 percent of worldwide pharmaceutical profits — essentially propping up socialist healthcare systems overseas.
Op-Ed: Irit Tratt: Emmanuel Macron’s surrender to Islamism is a five-alarm warning to the West
by Irit Tratt
Canada and the UK have jumped aboard the bandwagon of U.S. allies planning to recognize a Palestinian state. France, however, is driving the wagon. The West is at a crossroads, and France offers a grim preview of what lies ahead when mass immigration, political cowardice, and radical Islam converge.
French President Emmanuel Macron, once hailed as Europe’s political wunderkind, is now facing a collapse of public confidence at home and increasing irrelevance abroad. His popularity is at a record low [ [link removed] ] since taking office in 2017. The country’s economic outlook is equally dire, with low consumer confidence [ [link removed] ] and a trade deficit [ [link removed] ] contributing to the national statistics agency projecting GDP growth [ [link removed] ] of just 0.6 percent or less in 2025.
But the real story isn’t economic stagnation. It’s cultural unraveling.
France is undergoing a profound demographic transformation. The influx of millions of migrants from Africa and other parts of Europe is stripping the Western European country of its cultural particularities and transforming it into a nation where leaders cave to the interests of a growing and emboldened Muslim population.
This dynamic was on full display earlier this month when Macron announced that France would recognize a Palestinian state. To be sure, this move was not rooted in a coherent foreign policy vision. Rather, it was a carefully curated ploy to bolster his popularity with a critical and influential Muslim constituency.
Op-Ed: Kalid Loul: For Syria, the path to Peace Runs Through the Abraham Accords
by Kalid Loul
The guns still haven’t gone silent in Syria. In recent days [ [link removed] ], clashes between the government and Druze militias reignited in the south, while Kurdish-led fighters exchanged fire with regime-aligned forces in the north. A fragile ceasefire is crumbling. The interim government under President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who came to power promising unity and renewal, is struggling to control its own troops, let alone heal a shattered nation.
But amid the chaos, a different path remains open: one rooted in memory, mutual respect, and regional reintegration. That path runs through the Abraham Accords.
The Accords, which began as a historic agreement between Israel and several Arab states brokered by President Donald Trump in his first term, are more than a diplomatic breakthrough. They represent a new regional ethos — one grounded in coexistence rather than conflict. For Syria, a country long isolated and battered by sectarian strife, the Accords offer a lifeline to something it desperately needs: a return to its pluralist roots.
Before the war, and long before the Assad regime’s authoritarian grip, Syria was known as a crossroads of civilizations. Jews, Christians, Muslims, Armenians, Kurds, and Druze all lived side by side in cities like Damascus, Aleppo, and Qamishli. The country’s diversity was its strength. Its cosmopolitan identity was real.

Unsubscribe [link removed]?