Author: Thomas L. Knapp

Trump’s $23 billion ship will be outdated before it even hits water

Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Dan Grazier

“The first proposed Trump-class battleship now has a price tag: $23 billion. This cost, as assessed by the Congressional Budget Office, will garner a lot of attention. But the primary concern for policymakers and citizens alike should be the complexity of the ship’s design. The U.S. Navy has a poor shipbuilding record in the 21st century. The Zumwalt-class destroyer, the Littoral Combat Ship, and the Constellation-class frigate have been complete failures. The final verdict of the Ford-class aircraft carrier is not yet in, but when the ship’s crew can’t even rely on the sewage system to work properly, the case isn’t looking too good. It becomes clear reading through the CBO’s report that Navy officials in Washington have learned nothing over the past 25 years from their shipbuilding mistakes.” (08/11/26)

https://responsiblestatecraft.org/trump-class-battleship/

Thomas L. Knapp

Colombia: Rescuers scramble for survivors with 180 dead in earthquake

Source: BBC News [UK state media]

“Rescue workers in Colombia are working against the clock to free survivors trapped in buildings and under rubble following Monday’s powerful earthquake. More than 180 people have been confirmed dead – most in the cities of Cali and Pereira. The magnitude 7.4 quake struck at 07:34 (12:34 GMT) on Monday and was felt across an enormous area, stretching for hundreds of miles across western Colombia – with fresh aftershocks still being felt on Tuesday. While the official death toll remains 181, an aggregated figure gathered from local officials puts it higher – potentially at more than 240. A state of emergency has been declared by President Abelardo de la Espriella.” (08/11/26)

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c20dqd9qwq4o

Thomas L. Knapp

The biggest virtue?

Source: Cobden Centre
by Tim Price

“A number of highly successful fund managers and investors have emphasised patience as one of the core virtues in investing, often linking it to long-term compounding, waiting for the right opportunities, and resisting short-term market noise, the siren song of ‘news, or the urge to overtrade.” (08/11/26)

https://www.cobdencentre.org/2026/08/the-biggest-virtue/

Thomas L. Knapp

Judge dismisses Gautam Adani criminal charges, chastises DOJ

Source: United Press International

“A federal judge has approved the Trump administration’s request to dismiss criminal charges against Indian billionaire Gautam Adani while chastising the Justice Department for its reasoning and methods for abandoning the high-profile case. … The Justice Department charged Gautam Adani and the seven other defendants, all current or former executives of Adani Group or its subsidiary Adani Green Energy, in November 2024, alleging various defendants participated in schemes to pay $265 million in bribes to Indian government officials to secure lucrative solar energy contracts, lied to U.S. and international investors to raise billions of dollars in financing and impede the investigations of three U.S. government entities.” (08/11/26)

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2026/08/11/judge-dismisses-Gautam-Adani-charges/5531786425116/

Thomas L. Knapp

Rehabilitating Nixon? Not So Fast!

Source: Libertarian Institute
by Charles Goyette

“There is a lot of Richad Nixon rehabilitation going on these days. Before we get too far down that road, we should note that this month marks the fifty-fifth anniversary of one of the most pernicious acts of monetary destruction by modern presidents. On August 15, 1971, President Nixon announced a sweeping set of economic policies, his eerily Soviet-sounding ‘New Economic Policy.’ Today’s sympathy for the thirty-seventh president has something to do with a welcome recognition of the Deep State’s hand in his removal from office.” (08/10/26)

https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/rehabilitating-nixon-not-so-fast

Thomas L. Knapp

Barred Little League team from Tulsa gets reinstated for chance to play in World Series

Source: Fox News

“Little League Baseball is on fire even before the big days in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Little League on Monday ruled that Tulsa National Little League’s 12U team had an ineligible player on the roster and booted it from the Southwest Region Tournament, the final stop before the Little League World Series. However, a Texas judge reinstated the team just hours later through a temporary restraining order, despite Little League saying its decision was ‘final and binding.’ … Little League initially ruled that Boerne Little League’s Monday game against Louisiana (Ascension Parish Little League) would be for the Southwest championship — Boerne won 4-1 and celebrated on the field, thinking it had just earned a trip to every child’s dream. However, it now must play one more game against a team with an ineligible player. Little League did not immediately respond to a request for comment.” (08/11/26)

https://www.foxnews.com/sports/barred-little-league-team-tulsa-reinstated-chance-play-world-series

Thomas L. Knapp