Author: Thomas L. Knapp

Source: Washington Monthly
by Bill Scher

“Are Democrats spending money quixotically and stretching themselves too thin? Is there any chance Democrats can win in places that Donald Trump has consistently won by double digits? Especially in Senate races that could seal control of the upper chamber? Yes, there is a chance. Probable, no. A chance, yes.” (10/20/26)

https://washingtonmonthly.com/2026/10/20/kansas-montana-mississippi-where-will-the-blue-wave-crest/

Source: The UnPpoulist
by Andy Craig

“The House’s control over its own membership does not put members beyond the reach of the ordinary law. A representative who takes a bribe can be investigated, indicted, and convicted like anyone else, and nothing in Article I stands in the way. A conviction is not among the qualifications and does not by itself cost anyone a seat. What is different about the Omar investigation is its purpose. It is not aimed at punishing a crime but at taking away one of the three constitutional qualifications for the office she already holds, her citizenship. … The House may have ultimate control over its membership, but the attempt to short-circuit that authority by abusing other processes does real damage. The House would keep its power on paper while being dared to assert it, and to assert her privileges as a member in full standing.” (10/19/26)

https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/trumps-attack-on-congresswoman-omar

Source: The Price of Liberty
by Nathan Barton

“[M]aking homelessness invisible generally means forcing people into shelters, or letting the weather do that for you. But solving homelessness? That is more complicated.” (10/19/26)

https://thepriceofliberty.org/2026/10/19/the-homeless-problem-and-government/

Source: Independent Institute
by Ivan Eland

“The Roman world lasted 2,000 years, transforming from a kingdom to a republic and finally to an empire. At 250, what can the United States, which has been through its own stages, learn from Rome? As Americans prepare for what seems like a pivotal election—amid not just rising prices but, more seriously, rapid systemic decay—they may profit from an examination of what made the long-lasting Roman and Chinese civilizations so successful.” (10/19/26)

https://www.independent.org/article/2026/10/19/united-states-ancient-civilizations/

Source: CounterPunch
by Dean Baker

“Donald Trump loves to put his name on things, and when it comes to the recent burst of inflation, it’s totally deserved. Trump and Republican politicians are doing their best to try to make a simple story complicated. But there is no doubt that Trump is the lead and almost sole author of the inflation we are now seeing.” (10/20/26)

https://www.counterpunch.org/2026/10/20/trumpflation-is-here/

Source: Asia Times
by Gran Newsham

“For years, the idea of speaking forthrightly to China would evoke an admonition from the US State Department and most of the American policymaking class: ‘We can’t do that. They won’t like it.’ They’d often add, ‘China has red lines, don’t you know?’ There are things you are told you just can’t say – questioning China’s political system, Taiwan, democracy, human rights and China’s ‘development rights’ (challenging China’s right to do anything it wants – legal or illegal – to develop its economy and industry). In short, you can’t mention any of the things that make communist China such a threat to peace and prosperity. … When it comes to the Chinese Communists, if you won’t say it in public – as Reagan did with the Soviets – it’s a win for the communists.” (10/19/26)

https://asiatimes.com/2026/10/talking-with-china-say-what-youre-told-you-cant-say/