Capital Record, episode 323
Source: National Review
“No One is a Libertarian Now.” (09/22/26)
https://www.nationalreview.com/podcasts/capital-record/no-one-is-a-libertarian-now/
Author: Thomas L. Knapp
The autocrats may seem immovable. But their time is passing.
Source: Washington Post
by David Ignatius
“We seem to be living in the age of the autocrats, where Presidents Donald Trump, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin bestride the globe. The gathering this week of the U.N. General Assembly in New York seems a mere sideshow to the real power game at the Trump-Xi summit. But appearances can be deceptive: This may be the twilight of the dictators’ era, not the dawn.” (09/22/26)
South Sudan: Kiir dissolves government ahead of first national elections
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has dissolved the country’s transitional unity government and appointed a caretaker administration as the country prepares for its first-ever national elections. The decree on Tuesday ended a power-sharing arrangement set up under a 2018 peace deal that halted years of civil war, and raised concerns that Kiir could now wield unchecked power. /// The decree came a day after the parliament approved changes to the National Elections Act that allowed Kiir to stay in power during the election period, while removing all vice presidents, who were appointed under the 2018 peace deal. The changes mean that South Sudan can move towards elections scheduled for December 22, without first completing a permanent constitution or census – two processes that were previously tied to the transition.” (09/23/26)
So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast, episode 283
Source: Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
“Robby Soave on Trump’s press ban, Macklemore, and free speech culture wars.” (09/22/26)
The President’s Ban on Journalists Is Disgraceful and Illegal
Source: Cato Institute
by Dan Greenberg
“The reasons the Trump White House has given in the past for its attempts to pick and choose which journalists are allowed to cover it have varied, but all of them have one thing in common: they cannot be reconciled with the law. Jim Acosta’s press pass was revoked because he continued to ask questions and refused to yield his microphone to another journalist. Brian Karem’s press pass was revoked essentially because he made remarks that were understood as rude and confrontational. The Associated Press was excluded because it used the label ‘Gulf of Mexico,’ rather than ‘Gulf of America.’ But these justifications for exclusion—like the more recent White House complaints about negative news coverage—fail, because they are empty and unworkable under the law.” (09/22/26)
https://www.cato.org/blog/presidents-ban-journalists-disgraceful-illegal
Iranian regime offers to reopen Strait of Hormuz if US regime ends blockade
Source: New York Post
“Iran has offered to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within a seven-day period if the US agrees to end its blockade and military pressure campaign, according to a report. The pitch was conveyed to US officials last week as both sides explored whether they can revive peace talks as their leaders converge on New York City for the United Nations General Assembly, Reuters said. … US officials have insisted that despite Iran’s efforts, they are getting oil through the Strait of Hormuz by using routes close to the shores of Oman, with Central Command claiming last week to have gotten 1 billion barrels through within the past several months. But passage through routes close to Iran’s shores has been seen as perilous because of concerns about mines and the theocratic regime carrying out drone attacks on the oil vessels.” (09/22/26)
Trump’s tariffs are a political loser
Source: Washington Post
by Scott Lincicome
“In their words and deeds, American politicians of both parties have confirmed what the polls show: Trump’s ‘populist’ tariffs are historically unpopular. Several lessons emerge. First, after winning on an affordability message in 2024, Trump’s early-term decision to repeatedly embrace a policy that, in both design and result, raises domestic prices was an epic political blunder. Voters now widely distrust Republicans’ handling of the economy. And defending tariffs by deriding inflation-weary Americans’ desire to have cheap and abundant goods added literal insult to injury. Second, voters’ hostility toward tariffs today reflects an important policy reality: Things that might sound good in a theoretical vacuum are often rejected when their real and predictable trade-offs become apparent.” (09/22/26)
The Fifth Column, episode 576
Source: The Fifth Column
“CNN senior contributor and Republican strategist Scott Jennings joins to defend Trump, explain the new GOP, and litigate tariffs, Greenland, Tucker, Mitch McConnell, and the indignities of cable news.” (09/22/26)
https://www.wethefifth.com/p/the-loyal-republican-w-scott-jennings
In Court Filing Defending Media Ban, White House Says Access Is a “Privilege”
Source: New York Times
“White House officials said in a court filing Tuesday that President Trump had determined that CNN, MS NOW and Politico had breached standards of conduct, leading to their expulsion from the grounds of the White House. The alleged violations, said the filing, include ‘trafficking in verifiable falsehoods about national security and other issues, and publishing sensitive or classified information.’ ‘Access to the White House is a privilege — not a right,’ reads the filing, which argues that Mr. Trump’s action against the three news outlets does not violate the First Amendment and aligns with a long history of presidents favoring some journalists over others. The filing, furthermore, claims that the White House’s denial of access is a preliminary matter and that the outlets have until Friday to contest the decision.” (09/23/26)
When Everything Becomes a National Security Threat
Source: Rutherford Institute
by John & Nisha Whitehead
“Given the judiciary’s longstanding reluctance to second-guess presidential power grabs involving national security, the national-security state has repeatedly used that deference to expand both its own reach and the power of the presidency. Call something a matter of national security and the normal rules start disappearing: Courts defer. Congress retreats. Secrecy expands. Executive power grows. ‘National security’ has been used as the justification for surveillance, secret courts, classification, warrantless spying, military intervention, watchlists, detention, border searches, censorship claims and the concealment of government misconduct. That game is hardly new. Nixon played it. Bush played it. Obama played it. Biden played it. Trump may not have invented the national-security dodge, but he has taken it to increasingly absurd extremes.” (09/22/26)