The Vote That Raised Eyebrows Last week some members of Congress voted to cut funding for parts of the Department of Homeland Security. That is the agency that handles border security, disaster response, and much more. Then a number of those same lawmakers flew to Munich for an international security summit. It looks odd when the people who vote on homeland protection spend time abroad talking about security instead of settling funding fights at home. Politics has long had contradictions. This one just happens to be on full display and easy to explain to voters. Zelensky and the High Profile Meetings At the Munich Security Conference President Volodymyr Zelensky met with many U.S. lawmakers to talk about Ukraine and funding for the war effort. These meetings are useful in a global sense and they do serve a diplomatic purpose. Still, it is fair to ask why those conversations happened while key domestic security votes were unresolved. Voters expect representatives to juggle foreign policy and homeland needs without leaving one of those balls on the floor. The optics matter even if the intentions are genuine. Security, or a Security Theater? There is a pattern here. Big conferences produce photo ops, dramatic…

Lead Act Drew Pavlou, an Australian activist, says he flew to Los Angeles after Billie Eilish told the Grammys that "no one is illegal on stolen land," then announced he would camp outside her Malibu home to test that idea; at LAX he says immigration held him for about 30 hours and put him on a return flight to Sydney. What He Said and Did Pavlou posted videos saying he planned to "move into" Eilish's $6 million property or at least camp on the lawn until asked to leave, calling it political performance art. He raised a few thousand dollars online before one fundraiser was removed, then bought a ticket to Los Angeles. He later said the plan was to stay until formally told to leave and that he did not intend to confront the singer. Embedded Proof https://twitter.com/DrewPavlou/status/2018180328838607185?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw https://twitter.com/DrewPavlou/status/2022908458723590378?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw https://twitter.com/DrewPavlou/status/2023154373946433955?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Immigration's Take According to Pavlou, U.S. officials asked detailed questions about whether he planned to trespass, contact or confront Eilish, and about prior activism, including a 2022 incident in London he says he was cleared of. He says agents told him the Billie Eilish posts were the main reason for extra scrutiny, and that he was advised to apply…