Fountainhead Forum, episode 475
Source: Fountainhead Forum
“Mikaela Taylor on the 2025 Central Texas flooding.” (08/05/26)
https://rumble.com/v7drqge-ff-475-mikaela-taylor-on-the-2025-central-texas-flooding.html
Author: Thomas L. Knapp
When a President Promises a Massacre
Source: The Intercept
by Nick Turse
“As his war in Iran has imploded, his poll numbers have plummeted, the U.S. economy has cratered, and he finds himself in the grip of a steep cognitive decline, President Donald Trump has increasingly lashed out, calling for cataclysm, slaughter, and even genocide. As he tries desperately, if ham-handedly, to extricate himself from a losing war, the commander-in-chief of the world’s most destructive military offers up deranged rants, baying for blood and issuing orders that throw the concept of proportionality in warfare out the window. Trump’s bloodthirsty rhetoric has been borne out in asymmetrical slaughter, with Iranian fatalities exceeding American deaths by multiple orders of magnitude. And this follows similarly lopsided casualty tolls in Trump’s conflicts in Somalia, Venezuela, Yemen, and on the high seas.” (08/05/26)
https://theintercept.com/2026/08/05/trump-colonial-extermination-asymmetric-warfare/
US Senate confirms Schwartz as new CDC chief
Source: United Press International
“The U.S. Senate voted Wednesday to confirm Dr. Erica Schwartz as the leader of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, finally installing a new director for the agency after nearly a year. Schwartz was deputy surgeon general during President Donald Trump’s first term. She is a retired U.S. Coast Guard officer and Navy physician. The vote Wednesday was 51-44, mostly along party lines, NBC News reported. Sen.Tim Kaine, D-Va., voted with Republicans to approve Schwartz.” (08/05/26)
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2026/08/05/senate-oks-erica-schwartz-as-CDC-leader/2421785968039/
Parallax Views w/ JG Michael, 08/05/26
Source: Parallax Views w/ JG Michael
“Trump’s Unconstitutional War and the Folly of Empires w/ Bruce Fein.” (08/05/26)
Morals and society
Source: The Price of Liberty
by Nathan Barton
“It is individuals who make moral choices. Even if they have been brainwashed by society, schools, or even parents, it is still ultimately their choice whether to act or refuse to act. Even if they are enslaved, assured of several punishment for disobeying their master(s), it is still a personal, individual decision. Organizations, even governments, have no morals of their own.” (08/05/26)
https://thepriceofliberty.org/2026/08/05/morals-and-society/
Ukraine: Russian strikes kill six in Ukraine’s Balakliia, Sumy
Source: Reuters
“Rescuers worked on Thursday to douse fires and clear debris in Ukraine’s eastern city of Balakliia after Russian strikes on homes killed three overnight, authorities said on the Telegram messaging app. Three people were also killed overnight and at least 19 wounded in Russian attacks on settlements in the northern region of Sumy. … Both Russia and Ukraine deny targeting civilians in the war triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.” (08/06/26)
The Political Orphanage, 08/05/26
Source: The Political Orphanage
“Why Can’t We Have Nice Trains?” (08/05/26)
https://politicalorphanage.libsyn.com/why-cant-we-have-nice-trains
Tariffs Didn’t Rebuild Factories. They Fueled a Lobbying Boom.
Source: The Daily Economy
by Mitchel Bahnsen
“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)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/tariffs-didnt-rebuild-factories-they-fueled-a-lobbying-boom/
Iran: Regime says deal with Oman on Strait of Hormuz is in final stages
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“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)
America Reaps What Trump Sows: The Price of Policing the Globe
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)