Beyond the Water's Edge: America Back in Space


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Vandenberg Flash Focus

A Return to the Stars

For the first time since 1972, the United States left Earth’s orbit en route to the Moon as part of the Artemis II Mission. While the astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft did not step foot on the Moon during this mission, the astronauts set a record by venturing farther from Earth than any human in history. In this episode, Vandenberg Coalition Advisory Board member Kari Bingen joins to discuss how this inspirational moment serves as both an example of American ingenuity and a reminder of how space has become increasingly important for modern warfare and national security.

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America Is Too Dependent on Drugs From China. Worst-Case Scenario Could Be Disastrous

TVC Advisory Board Members Rebeccah Heinrichs & Michael Sobolik | Fox News | April 8, 2026

Bottom Line: Policymakers have been aware of U.S. vulnerability to China’s supply chain dominance for decades and have contemplated the possibility of Beijing weaponizing its control by throttling exports to the United States. Last summer, Chinese President Xi Jinping did. Relying on an adversary’s good graces on matters of national health and security invites disaster. But critical minerals are only one weakness. Washington also relies on Beijing for the nation’s pharmaceuticals. It should be intolerable.

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Iran Needs the Strait of Hormuz More Than Anyone

Zineb Riboua | The Free Press | April 12, 2026

Bottom Line: By blockading the strait that Iran is trying to toll, America has called Tehran’s bluff, revealing that the Islamic Republic needs Hormuz commerce at least as much as the rest of the world. The lesson for all has been that Iran cannot be worked with or relied upon. But in Iran's misery there is Washington’s opportunity, and opportunities of this magnitude do not repeat themselves. Properly leveraged, Trump’s blockade could unlock a broader regional consolidation.

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Seven Myths About the Iran War

Mike Doran | Tablet Magazine | April 13, 2026

Bottom Line: Trump has inflicted heavy punishment in return for relatively light consequences, but pundits insist that a masterful Iran is dictating events. Tehran’s “successful” war-fighting tactics supposedly forced Trump to accept a cease-fire. Onlookers were then baffled when the United States walked away from talks in Islamabad, Pakistan, and took steps to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, to the strategic detriment of China and the benefit of U.S. energy producers. In part, the surprises keep coming because the cognoscenti refuse to credit Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with a win.

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Hungary’s Voters Offer a Lesson for Those on the Right Drawn to Orbán

Sen. Mitch McConnell | Fox News | April 13, 2026

Bottom Line: Orban’s Hungary offered America little in the way of strategic alignment, let alone "moral cooperation." Today, the highest shared value between Americans and the people of Hungary is the right to choose our own leaders, freely and fairly, without foreign or domestic interference. To the extent that Hungary’s next leaders behave with less obeisance toward our adversaries and a more serious focus on our shared interests, Washington may be wise to welcome this change.

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