Author: Thomas L. Knapp

Permit to Harass, Interrupted

Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob

“Minnesota’s permit to harass has been interrupted — not halted, because a federal court has granted only a preliminary injunction. Nancy Brasel, the district judge, has for now blocked Minnesota’s law requiring grassroots advocacy groups to publicly disclose the names and addresses of their vendors because she expects that this requirement will indeed be ultimately thrown out. Violating, as it does, freedom of speech.” (10/22/25)

https://thisiscommonsense.org/2025/10/22/permit-to-harass-interrupted/

Thomas L. Knapp

House Republicans refer Obama CIA Chief Brennan to DOJ

Source: Axios

“John Brennan, who was CIA director under Obama, was referred to the Justice Department Tuesday by House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), who accused him of lying to Congress about the Steele dossier. The recommendation is a high-profile effort by House Republicans to prosecute a former intelligence official, aligning with President Trump’s broader goals to legally target his political enemies. The Steele dossier, a widely discredited set of memos compiled in 2016 by former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele, alleged ties between Russia and Trump. … Brennan was reportedly under prior investigation by the current DOJ for allegedly lying about Russia’s involvement, and he has denied any wrongdoing.” (10/21/25)

https://archive.is/qf1Jt

Thomas L. Knapp

The many paths to a refundable child tax credit for states

Source: Niskanen Center
by Joshua McCabe

“State policymakers have powerful tools at their disposal to support families with the cost of raising children and caring for disabled or elderly relatives. The key is knowing how to maximize their impact through fiscally responsible reforms that expand the scope, generosity, and simplicity of family tax benefits in their states. As we noted in a previous report, there is broad interest among policymakers in rethinking their approaches to supporting families through state tax codes. Here, we focus on the use of refundable child tax credits (CTCs).” (10/21/25)

https://www.niskanencenter.org/the-many-paths-to-a-refundable-child-tax-credit-for-states

Thomas L. Knapp

Will Trump End Sham Democracy Promotions?

Source: JimBovard.com
by James Bovard

“The Trump administration has slashed federal spending for democracy promotion efforts around the globe. That rollback of U.S. meddling is perhaps the most positive foreign-policy reform of the Trump presidency. Since 1946, the U.S. government has intervened in more than a hundred foreign elections to assist its preferred candidate or party. Democracy is so important that the U.S. government refuses to stand idly by when foreign voters go astray.” (10/21/25)

https://jimbovard.com/blog/2025/10/21/will-trump-end-sham-democracy-promotions/

Thomas L. Knapp