Author: Thomas L. Knapp

Source: CounterPunch
by Dean Baker

“The $40 trillion debt point naturally prompted much griping among pundits, many of whom see their job as promoting hysteria in order to justify cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and other popular social programs. As is clear to anyone not on the payroll of the rich and very rich [or, you know, familiar with basic economics – TLK], the debt is overwhelmingly the result of tax cuts, mostly to high earners, put in place by Presidents Reagan, Bush II, and Trump. Unfortunately, confusion on the debt can spread even among the sane.” (09/02/26)

https://www.counterpunch.org/2026/09/02/why-the-40-trillion-debt-isnt-the-real-threat/

Source: The American Conservative
by Andrew Day

“Amid public discontent and warnings from Pentagon leaders that the Iran War undermines military readiness, President Donald Trump has settled on a new strategy: lower the temperature on military hostilities and focus instead on strangling Iran’s economy. Middle East experts told The American Conservative that this approach won’t fundamentally change Tehran’s own military strategy, at least not in ways congenial to American interests. Moreover, in practice it is leading to skirmishes centered around the Strait of Hormuz, where the U.S. aims to blockade Iranian ports while securing free transit for allied countries. Meanwhile, ordinary Iranians face dire threats to their livelihoods, as revealed by first-hand testimonies shared with TAC.” (09/02/26)

https://www.theamericanconservative.com/hurting-everyday-iranians-doesnt-help-american-interests/

Source: Liberal Currents
by Guillaume AW Attia

“The current crisis of democracy was not inevitable, but a result of hubris and shortsightedness among generations of statesmen.” (09/01/26)

https://www.liberalcurrents.com/after-1989/

Source: The Atlantic
by David A Graham

“Labeling the anger at Flock as a reaction to ever-present surveillance in contemporary society seems accurate, but this doesn’t explain why it’s happening right now. Not only has Flock been around for some time, but ALPRs are even older. My colleague Conor Friedersdorf was sounding the alarm a decade ago. ‘Your diminished privacy is their product. And the police are their customers,’ he wrote in January 2016. Some anger focuses on governments that spend huge amounts (including money obtained through opioid settlements whose funds were earmarked for community aid) on technology during a moment of economic worry. More damaging to Flock’s reputation has been a series of cases of police officers allegedly abusing their access to the system to stalk people, typically current or former love interests.” (09/01/26)

https://archive.is/0dHud

Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Orlando Pérez

“The Pentagon could find itself underwriting risky loans to put Caracas'[s] petroleum infrastructure back on track.” (09/01/26)

https://responsiblestatecraft.org/trump-oil-venezuela/