Source: The American Prospect
by Ryan Cooper
“In one of America’s daily political subplots that would have been rejected from a pre-2025 Armando Iannucci script for being too silly, it turns out Donald Trump was recently smuggled out of Air Force One in a catering container for fear of being assassinated by Iran. He was visiting Turkey last month, and apparently intelligence came in warning of an Iranian threat. Trump had already forgone his Qatari bribe jet, which has not yet been outfitted with the usual security systems, and so was traveling on the old presidential 747. It seems he was too frightened to use that plane as well, so he boarded by the normal door in sight of the cameras, then was quickly bundled out the side entrance onto a catering truck and into a military jet.” (08/12/26)
https://prospect.org/2026/08/12/aftermath-donald-trump-invented-new-forever-war/
Source: The Hill
“A new Department of Justice (DOJ) memo argues the president can assert executive privilege not just over communications with his White House staff, but also with ‘private advisors’ outside of government, an interpretation that would broaden the number of people President Trump could try to shield from congressional investigations. The Monday opinion from the DOJ’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) isn’t binding but nonetheless signals the Trump administration is thinking about how to respond to an expected bevy of investigations into the White House should Democrats retake the House. Traditionally, the president may assert executive privilege over communications only with executive branch staff. But the OLC argues the counsel the president might get from those outside the government could be just as important to the White House and also merits protection.” (08/11/26)
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/6022381-doj-executive-privilege-outside-advisers/
Source: Pink Flame of Liberty
“Let’s watch the LPNH Disaffiliation Judicial Committee Hearing (and looking at new amici).” (08/11/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ra66bfXFYf0
Source: The Price of Liberty
by Nathan Barton
“Colorado has been labeled as ‘increasingly blue’ for several decades. Not just the most recent governors (Hickenlooper and Polis) have been extremely liberal and left (‘Regressives’ as TPOL labels them), but the General Assembly (both houses) has had super-majority Democratic control for a long time as well. (Yes, the Colorado GOP is as much to blame for this, due to their own stupidity and lack of skills and internal cohesion, as the Colorado Democrats are. And don’t get us started on the worthlessness of the Colorado Libertarian Party.)” (08/11/26)
https://thepriceofliberty.org/2026/08/11/colorado-sinking-fast/
Source: NBC News
“Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley has won the Democratic primary in Wisconsin’s race for governor, NBC News projects, dealing a major upset to democratic socialist Francesca Hong. The result marks a dramatic turnaround for Crowley, who had dropped out of the race roughly a month ago after initially struggling to gain traction only to re-enter days later with outgoing Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’[s] endorsement. Hong, a state lawmaker from Madison, had led in the polls in the final stretch of the race, but faced growing scrutiny over her past controversial positions and general election viability.” (08/11/26)
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/francesca-hong-david-crowley-democratic-primary-wisconsin-governor-rcna592056
Source: Karl Dickey’s Freedom Vanguard
by Karl Dickey
“Most Americans have never heard of the Jones Act, which is a protectionist law that has been on the books for over 100 years with the intent to protect U.S. based shipping and shipbuilding, put in place after World War I. As with many U.S. laws, it has backfired on the American people and business, with higher costs to consumers for their goods and energy. I argue that government should just get out of the way and let the free market run, which benefits both consumers and business. Now, the Trump administration has extended its 90-day waiver of the Jones Act, allowing foreign-flagged shipping vessels to transport fuel and energy commodities between U.S. ports (The Hindu). This 90-day waiver exposes the reality that the Jones Act helps to lower energy costs for Americans and helps to prevent economic bottlenecks, confirming my assertion to let the free market run.” (08/11/26)
https://palmbeachexaminer.substack.com/p/the-jones-act-trap-why-temporary
Source: Cato Institute
“The Eternal Quest for More Tariffs.” (08/11/26)
https://www.cato.org/multimedia/cato-podcast/eternal-quest-more-tariffs
Source: Associated Press
“The U.S. military said Tuesday that its forces fired on a Panamanian-flagged ship in the Gulf of Oman that tried to evade the American blockade on Iranian ports, a move that comes as President Donald Trump tries to keep economic pressure on the Islamic Republic. U.S. Central Command said the vessel had ignored warnings to stop, prompting an American helicopter to fire missiles into the engine room of the M/V Vela Nova, disabling the ship. U.S. Central Command’s statement does not say whether the ship’s crew suffered any casualties.” (08/11/25)
https://apnews.com/live/donald-trump-news-iran-updates-08-11-2026
Source: Garrison Center
by Thomas L Knapp
“The purpose of political events these days isn’t so much retail public engagement as it is the production of sound bites for campaign use that’s more controlled and enjoys more reach than a huddle with a few citizens at a high school auditorium. But the main reason for real, physical, local ‘town hall aversion’ is the possibility of embarrassing confrontations with the angry sector of the public in question. And there’s ALWAYS an angry sector of the public, no matter which party the politician in question affiliates with or what policy positions that politician takes. We’ve all seen it on TV. In fact, it’s generally the only part of a ‘town hall’ event we ever DO see on TV outside of actual campaign ads.” (08/11/26)
https://thegarrisoncenter.org/archives/20830
Source: Reuters
“A federal appeals court on Tuesday struck down a Biden administration-era rule setting efficiency standards for gas and electric stoves and ovens, saying the agency improperly bypassed public comment procedures. In a 3-0 decision, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans ruled in favor of seven Republican-led states — Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Tennessee, Texas and Utah — that challenged the Department of Energy’s ‘direct final rule’ for consumer-grade stoves and ovens. The August 2024 rule was intended to limit how much energy consumers use in kitchen appliances, and to ban an older technology known as linear power supplies. Circuit Judge Andrew Oldham said the Energy Department should not have fast-tracked the rule, knowing that numerous states opposed a 2023 attempt to enact similar efficiency standards.” (08/11/26)
https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/us-appeals-court-voids-biden-era-efficiency-rule-stoves-ovens-2026-08-11/
