Author: Thomas L. Knapp

How Trump Can Break the Iran Logjam

Source: The American Conservative
by Andrew Day

“Time to face an uncomfortable truth: America lost the Iran War. It’s a development not only discomfiting but world-historical, marking the pitiful conclusion of American primacy and the ‘U.S.-led international order.’ President Donald Trump is in a bind. Escalating the war in hopes of changing the outcome would worsen its deleterious effects and almost certainly fail to force Iranian capitulation. But reaching a peace agreement is difficult, thanks to a near-total absence of Iranian trust in any commitments that Trump might make. The solution to Trump’s predicament, I’ve come to believe, can be found in an unlikely source: a little-discussed work of political psychology published more than a half century ago.” (08/12/26)

https://www.theamericanconservative.com/how-trump-can-break-the-iran-logjam/

Thomas L. Knapp

North Korea: Regime conducts second ballistic missile test in less than a week

Source: France 24 [French state media]

“North Korea on Wednesday performed its second ballistic missile test in less than a week, its neighbours said, a likely protest of the upcoming South Korea-US military drills that North Korea views as an invasion rehearsal. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said a ballistic missile fired from the North’s eastern coastal Wonsan area around 6 a.m. flew more than 700 kilometres (435 miles). The Japanese Defence Ministry also detected the launch, saying the weapon landed in waters outside its exclusive economic zone, between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. The launches, within days of each other, were seen as part of North Korea’s extended run of weapons tests as the country has refused to return to talks with the US and South Korea for years.” (08/12/26)

https://www.france24.com/en/asia-pacific/20260812-north-korea-conducts-second-ballistic-missile-test-in-less-than-a-week

Thomas L. Knapp

The War on Drugs Has Come to the Maternity Ward

Source: Reason
by Tosin Akintola

“At first glance, a new mother taking part in a drug screening seems reasonable. For the sake of the mother and child, a doctor performs a clinical test to rule out any complications or signs of risks to the newborn. But the story quickly takes a dark turn. If there’s a positive test result, it doesn’t stay between the doctor and the patient. In 24 states and Washington, D.C., a positive test alone is enough to initiate a child welfare report, according to a report by the Legislative Analysis and Public Policy Association. Depending on the state, that test could land the mother on a child abuse registry. Worse still, the mother may be notified the test has occurred only after the fact.” (08/11/26)

https://reason.com/2026/08/11/the-war-on-drugs-has-come-to-the-maternity-ward/

Thomas L. Knapp

Federal Social Service Spending Creates a Sense of Entitlement Among Bureaucrats

Source: Independent Institute
by Christopher J Calton

“Last month, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) suspended funding to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), which quickly sued to block the decision. The controversy raises an important question: to what extent are local bureaucracies entitled to federal funds?” (08/11/26)

https://www.independent.org/article/2026/08/11/federal-social-service-spending-creates-a-sense-of-entitlement-among-bureaucrats/

Thomas L. Knapp

DOJ opinion extends executive privilege to president’s communications with private advisers

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/

Thomas L. Knapp

Colorado sinking fast

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/

Thomas L. Knapp