Author: Thomas L. Knapp

What happens when the US drives away the world’s best talent?

Source: Los Angeles Times
by Veronique de Rugy

“There are many ways to measure the health of a country. One way is growth of gross domestic product. Another is economic productivity. But there’s a less conventional measure worth watching: Do the world’s most talented and ambitious people want to immigrate here? Throughout most of America’s history, the answer has been an emphatic yes. Scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, artists and strivers from around the world have chosen the United States because they believed they could build something, discover something or start a business while making a better life in this country. We should worry about the day when that is no longer true. Unfortunately, the Trump administration seems determined to make that day arrive sooner rather than later.” (07/31/26)

https://archive.is/vtCkK

Thomas L. Knapp

IL: Cop who murdered Sonya Massey denied medical release from prison

Source: The Guardian

“A former Illinois sheriff’s deputy won’t get an early medical release from his two-decade prison sentence for killing Sonya Massey inside her home after the [b]lack woman called 911 about a possible prowler, state officials decided on Friday. Sean Grayson had been diagnosed with colon cancer prior to the 2024 shooting, and his attorney noted in January that the cancer had advanced to his liver and lungs. The three-member Illinois prisoner review board voted unanimously on Friday to deny Grayson’s application for early medical release, panel spokesperson Liz Mitchell said in an email. Grayson, who is white, was convicted in October of second-degree murder for Massey’s killing, a case that sparked protests over systemic racism and a US justice department review.” (07/31/26)

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/31/sonya-massey-shooting-prison

Thomas L. Knapp

The Gentlemen of Antwerp

Source: The Dispatch
by Kevin D Williamson

“Donald Trump is cheap in every sense of the word: cheap in that he is an infamous deadbeat who cheated his creditors; cheap in the sense of tacky; cheap in that he is the sort of man whose virtue, such as it is, can be overcome at no great expense — a cheap date. Trump is a $40 fake Rolex made copious flesh. … the CEO of Rolex, Jean-Frédéric Dufour, bought the whole Swiss watch industry a better deal on tariffs with a desk clock that was not even solid gold but merely gold plated, along with a 1-kg bar of gold engraved with the word ‘PRESIDENT’—in case Trump, who seems to believe that there is something called the Islamic Republic of Japan and who conflates Vladimir Putin with Volodymyr Zelensky, finally forgets which office it is he holds.” (07/31/26)

https://thedispatch.com/article/trump-moral-bribes-diamonds/

Thomas L. Knapp

ID: Armed citizen opens fire on In-N-Out gunman

Source: New York Post

“A heroic armed citizen tried to take out a gunman as he opened fire on an Idaho In-N-Out, according to heart-stopping video and witnesses. Harrowing footage shows a man with a handgun exchanging fire with the shooter outside the restaurant in Twin Falls. Two people were killed and seven wounded. The gunman is believed to have killed himself, according to police. The actions of the good Samaritan may have saved lives by distracting the gunman long enough for diners and workers at the crowded burger joint to get away, according to Lane Koehn, who took the video from his car.” (08/02/26)

https://nypost.com/2026/08/02/us-news/hero-armed-citizen-opened-fire-on-idaho-in-n-out-gunman-during-deadly-shooting/

Thomas L. Knapp