“According to a new report from Advancing American Freedom’s Plymouth Institute for Free Enterprise, tariff lobbying revenues reached $9.9 million for the second quarter of 2026, a 690 percent increase over the same quarter in 2024 and a 956 percent increase over 2016 (pre-Trump) levels. The number of registered tariff lobbying disclosures has jumped 230 percent in just two years. At least 22 contracts listed ‘tariffs’ as their sole lobbying issue. The surge is not surprising. When the federal government arrogates to itself the power to decide who receives carve-outs and exceptions, it transforms a free and open market into a system of cronyism and influence currying.” (08/05/26)
“Iran says it has reached an agreement with Oman on a route for shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei did not give any further details on the agreement, which he said was ‘in the final stages’. Baqaei warned, however, that a deal with Oman would not guarantee safe navigation through the strait, arguing security remained impacted by the US blockade of Iran’s ports. The US and Oman have not commented on the proposal. … His comments came after senior US officials said talks had progressed to allow shipments to potentially resume later this week, though Iran has maintained that it is not negotiating with the US and has no plans to do so.” (08/06/26)
Source: Rutherford Institute
by John & Nisha Whitehead
“Blowback isn’t just about war. It’s about the consequences of the rash, heedless and heartless decisions made every day by the actors of the American police state—and the fact that it is ‘we the people’ who will be paying the price for those terrible decisions for years to come. President Trump’s war with Iran is only the latest reminder that no government can bomb, threaten and police the world indefinitely without eventually bringing the consequences home. For months, the Trump administration has lurched between war and threatened war, massive bombing campaigns and aborted strikes, demands for surrender and claims that peace is imminent. There appears to be no coherent plan for ending the conflict. There is, however, a mounting bill—and it will be paid in American lives, American dollars, American security and American freedom.” (08/05/26)
“Bitcoin held above $64,600 on Thursday, up marginally on the day and 0.5% on the week, while the rest of the majors offered little in the way of direction. Attention is also on Elon Musk-owned SpaceX, where roughly $101 billion of stock becomes tradable Thursday as the first lockup expires. The company holds 18,712 BTC, worth about $1.1 billion at the end of June. Ether rose over 1% to $1,904 but remains down 0.7% over seven days.” (08/06/26)
“Every system people create takes effort to keep working. Someone must keep fixing the problems that otherwise pile up until the system fails. None are ‘set it and forget it.’ This is true for all systems of government: democracies, constitutional republics, monarchies, and communist dictatorships. It even applies in the absence of a system of government, as detractors of anarchy like to point out while they carefully ignore how the same applies to the system they prefer.” (08/05/26)
“Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said Wednesday that his office is joining two other states in issuing a subpoena to Dr. Anthony Fauci, alleging that he ‘profited’ from the recommendations he gave during the handling of the Covid pandemic. Uthmeier, joined by West Virginia Attorney General John McCuskey and Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, said in a news release that he was issuing an investigative subpoena to Fauci for ‘an official investigation into awards, professional opportunities, financial incentives, grants, and Covid-19 guidance that impacted Florida businesses and consumers.’ … Uthmeier said Fauci’s entries detail ‘substantial awards,’ including grants, book deals and board positions, linked to his public recommendations as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases that affected Florida.” (08/05/26)
“Anne Davis is a psychotherapist who spent two decades counseling homeless people and patients with mental illness in Colorado. But when she moved home to Michigan — which has a severe shortage of counselors, social workers and therapists — it took more than a year for the state to allow her to get back to work. The state desperately needs therapists like Davis. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, more than 3 million Michiganders live in a community that does not have enough mental health professionals. The state is facing a shortage of therapists and psychiatrists. But Michigan’s licensing laws have made it difficult to fill these gaps. The Wolverine State’s struggle to attract mental health professionals is a symptom of the broader problems caused by America’s patchwork of occupational licensing laws.” (08/05/26)
“The average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rose to 6.81% last week, the Mortgage Bankers Association said Wednesday morning, the highest in a year. Mortgage applications fell 2.9%. It reflects a surge in global bond yields. Longer-term rates moved higher after Federal Reserve chairman Kevin Warsh offered little guidance as to whether or when the Fed may raise rates to combat elevated inflation. That has particularly cut into refinancing activity, the MBA said, with its Refinance Index falling 1.9%. … Mortgage News Daily, which updates an average rate each day, put the 30-year rate at 6.75% Tuesday, down from 6.82% at the start of the week.” (08/05/26)
“The White House on Wednesday released declassified information claiming the FBI opened an investigation into whether President Trump was acting as an asset for Russia when he fired FBI Director James Comey, a theory an administration official said was not backed up by evidence. The official said the investigation, known as Oxferd Comma, was a subcomponent of Crossfire Hurricane, the FBI probe into potential collusion between the 2016 Trump campaign and the Russian government — an investigation that has long drawn Mr. Trump’s ire. The predicate of Oxferd Comma was the newly elected president’s decision to fire Comey in 2017.” (08/05/26)
